Originally Posted by late

Training is sport specific. For example, let's say you did nothing but 7 minute bursts.... How ready would you be for a rando? The short answer is not at all.

Just as a general rule of thumb for noncompetitors, you want to mix it up.
You want some long rides, some hilly rides, some short, fast rides.

By way of analogy there is a form of extreme training. I forget the name, but they build you up to the point where you fairly regularly puke or pass out. Or both.

A coach got into this, but at the end of the year he noticed his mtn bike racers had not done as well as they had the previous year...despite nearly killing themselves training.

Sport specific.