I think the fact that you pose your question about "recovery" rides - as a means of preparing for a big, yet to be ridden event - demonstrates at how weirdly language can be distorted about exercise.
If you want insights in to how to prepare for an event - it helps if you use normally shared terminology for exercise, or "exercise science."
Good luck, don't discard the idea of going back to the basics and reading basic book on exercise to refresh your ideas about health, fitness and improving your performance. There are dozens, if not hundreds of good books.