Originally Posted by
Random11
I'm very impressed with your riding! Sounds like your performance is well beyond mine, and you are five years older. I hope to be going strong in five years (and ten years, and...), so riders like you are an inspiration for riders like me. Regarding hills, my daily ride is over rolling hills here in north Florida. No flat stretches, and maximum 10% grades, although for short distances. Most of the hills are shallow. I did my Century on a completely flat MUP, so the terrain was much less challenging than the rides I do most days. I'm not sure I have the discipline to do intervals, but the rolling hills I ride pretty much force me to.
IME one doesn't have to formal intervals unless racing. You're doing informal intervals, probably better for what you're doing. I sometimes do formal intervals if it's raining and I ride indoors. Outdoors, I haven't found much value in doing them, though I sometimes do hill repeats if time is short. I'm not a strong rider, really. I've just been doing it for a long time and have figured out where to put my energy. The "secret" is to go easy/moderate on the flats and hard on the hills.