Originally Posted by
worldtraveller
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if doing 200km non stop as the top racers do, then does that mean what they are doing is unhealthy?
The main difference between the top (professional) racers and the majority of us is that when they do the race, the have a full support from their team cars with food and drink deliveries and sometimes a bike maintenance without stopping (I have seen on one of early stage of TdF a chain lubrication done by service guy while the racer was still running). Even in their case, they do stops for wheel or bike exchange sometimes more than once a stage. In case of normal bikers, we have to stop to refuel after certain period of time, it just depends on the distance.
So it is more a definition or better to say personal assumption about the break duration that makes the counting closed. Having that linked to feet not touching the ground might be too rigorous for most of bikers and could lead to curiosity and danger. I normally count a ride from leaving home till the moment of return (or stopping for sleeping) as one ride. If I go again same day, it is another ride. If I go for an event on the bike, might split into two/three rides to have the event recorder separatelly.
It is more an individual decision, how to count that and just follow.