Originally Posted by
rydabent
It would seem to me that this research flys in the face of the "real cyclist" that claim you must ride so hard you are in pain. You know the no pain no gain types.
It's not binary. The strongest riders spend plenty of time at moderate intensity. But they want to get faster; to ride fast, you have to ride fast. (Both a tautology and a training philosophy.) And riding fast hurts. The more hurt you can tolerate, the faster you will go.
But if you don't care about going fast, then there's no need.