Thank you for the informative post Machka. Do you, like Dan The Man, advocate going for increasing duration over added intensity for those looking to add mileage? (I know it won't be a hard rule.) How long do you like to ride most days? How do you spread your riding out through the day?
I'm used to lower mileage (150miles/week) and higher intensity type riding. Rarely do I have all day to go ride my bike, but I've noticed I can handle longer distances (100miles+) if I dial down the intensity and keep up with my eating and drinking. I'm normally fine the next day, but hey, I'm 23 and seem to bounce back from everything pretty quickly. Right now I'm worried about doing something silly like ride 200 miles one day because I feel great and then realizing later that I've just cashed a check that my fitness can't pay.