Originally Posted by
vsopking
Well, to ride an hour as fast as possible; should be better described as an hours' interval training. I push as long as I can, then slow down and ride on and when recovered I start all over again...
So I am on to something ;-) and I like to feel my legs burn after each session! Near Barf effort level not yet reached however...
You're doing tempo intervals, like 15 minutes on, 10 off, etc. Those are a very good use of your time. Some evenings, you might also try a set of three of 3 minutes as hard as you can go, 3 minutes moderate. Highish cadence for those, 90-100. Rest of ride at your normal riding speed.
Be careful of doing this, not to get too tired. If you notice yourself slowing down, do a few weeks of just moderate rides, then go back to your hard rides. As long as you keep getting faster, all is well.