^ No, I'm not incorrect, but you are not incorrect either. I agree you burn fat while riding, but then why is every serious cyclist not at 0% bodyfat? The OP wants to lose weight. He must run a caloric deficit each day, and his glycogen reserves are not going to be "topped off" for his work-outs. You are a fit athlete, and whether intentionally or not, you are riding with strong glycogen reserves. You indicate you ride faster with a few days rest - you are allowing your liver and muscle glycogen reserves to build. The OP will not have this luxury and is going to have to flirt with bonking each work-out. I personally see nothing wrong with this. Losing weight and peak athletic performance do not go hand in hand. I would prefer the OP consider doing several rides during the week of moderate intensity versus trying to do a once/week high intensity ride. However, if he insists on losing weight and doing the killer ride once/week, his only hope is to do some kind of carbo loading the day or two before his ride - in which case neither his weight loss nor his ride will be ideal.