Originally Posted by
mike868y
i think forums like bf have a biased sample, especially for lower category riders, because forums by nature attract weird, neurotic personality types. so if you just browse on here, it seems like tons of cat 3s and 4s are training 16-20hrs/week. but out in the real world, talking to people, I think 6-12 is a pretty solid estimate for anyone cat 3 and below and for older guys who have been 2s for years. i got roped into the mindset that you needed to be doing big big hours to get fast in the lower categories and i think it hurt me for a season or two.
my largest week last year was 14 hrs, and i did that twice. Otherwise i didn't go above 10 hrs after the end of collegiates and was averaging more around 8. I think i did alright in my first year as a cat-3.
I'm not sure what my biggest week this year will be, but i have yet to go over 11 hours this year.
It's not that forum people are neurotic; it's more that there are some who really like others to know how much they are training, and their posts are what will often be heard. I prefer not to get into the whole discussion.
To put things in perspective: these are what two legit national-level masters racers do
Originally Posted by
shovelhd
Between 5 and 15 hours/week.
Originally Posted by
gsteinb
I'm not sure I had a week longer than 13, though it's possible I did back in the fall. Sometimes I miss monster miles.