That's what I'm asking - if the sprints are short and the recovery is long, can one not fully recover for the next day?

I understand the principle of "no grey zone" training - things should either be black (hard) or white (easy), not somewhere in between. But to the extent that one is fit enough for a 2/3 hour ride to be considered "recovery," can't a few 5-second sprints also be considered "recovery?"