Is LSD/Winter training for everyone?
 

I'm just a recreational rider, riding for fun and to keep in shape. I've got an endurance event coming up in February, and then a tour in June, but no races. What are the benefits for me of long, steady distance rides? Why can't I still work on speed and climbing?

Well, it may not be for everyone. If you don't have anything on the line for your events, then train however you want. No one's got a gun to your head.

LSD rides build your endurance systems, but not speed or power. So there is some logic in doing LSD rides, if you're participating in endurance events, as it will presumably prepare you better for that type of event. But if you don't like to do that kind of training, and you're not getting paid to ride/don't have any other stakes in performing well, do what you want and have fun!

Burn fat, burn more fat, and then burn even more. :)

Im not sure about the LSD, but the winter training sounds fine, ;)

Endurance training sets the baseline on which you build your speed and climbing abilities.

Say you can put out 200 watts for 90 minutes. You then work on speed and climbing above that. That will make you faster, but you will still only be able to put out 200 watts for 90 minutes. Or perhaps a bit more. And that's what's going to limit your speed on long rides.

Does that mean that you can't work on climbing and speed? No. You can work on your strength, which should help both speed and climbing. And you can do a bit of pure speed work, as long as you don't overdo it.

I'm a lot like you in the kind of riding you do. I've found that carmichael's "The ultimate ride" has a pretty good overview on training types.

I know this is a stupid question but... LSD rides?

Depending on who you ask, LSD=Long Steady Distance, or Long SLOW Distance. Most of the groups I ride with go for long rides, but everyone is trying to keep the heart rates at 70%.

That's as it should be...which makes it easy to understand why the 'S' is for 'Steady'. It will also coincidentally mean 'Slow' for some, but those people would be slow on a 'Fast' ride, too.