When do you know you've done enough base rides?
 

I have been doing base rides since April after the snow cleared up and I'm still doing them weekly but I don't know when enough is enough... How do you personally know when you've done enough long base rides? Feel? Training schedule? Never?

When you don't have to ask, because you have no doubts about it.

Describe your base miles for us?

when you've done 1500km in a month.

I usually try to get in 3 months of riding mostly in zone 2 (heart rate) effort rides. Highest volume months of the year, but not much interval work. Some solid zone 3 work whenever I near the middle to end of that period, progressively getting more and more time in zone 3. 20 minutes, then end up doing around 90 minutes or so.

What are you training for?

40~50 miles over 3 to 4 hours. Sometimes more depending on the amount of time I have in the weekday or if its a weekend.

Mmm my longest race this year is 33mi, most are are 40km/25mi long. Time trials and crits.

When is your first race? If within a month, probably time to start on intervals for the crits.

When you think you've trained enough, take that number and double it.

This is quote worthy : )

I should probably start doing intervals now then and taper off a week before the race. Race is on June 21st. I had honestly done more Cyclocross races than Roadracing but that isnt until September and I had wanted to get many Crits in beforehand.

Unless you're riding for hours and hours a day, a taper will not be needed. Just throw an easy spin the day before if you're worried about it.

I assume we're talking about a cat 5 crit here.

Done enough before what? If you're racing crits and TTs you should have been doing threshold and SST efforts as well as some high intensity work. How many hrs/wk are you training?

Thank you for the tip about the easy spin day instead of the week of tapering!

Three group rides moderate to social intensity about 2~3 hours each and two on my own usually 60 to 90 minutes. 8-12 hours. I prioritize the bike, but try to leave some room for biking and swimming as well because I do 2 olympic Tri's a year.

Sounds like you could use a structured training program with more training and less group riding if you're serious about racing.

+1

I think you're right Greg, as fun as smashing it with the boys is, it's not giving me results as fast as I'd like. The boys will always be there in the season anyhow for when I feel like the company and conversation and I could do 1 or 2 group rides a week instead to make room for more intervals and structured days. Thanks