I'm an intermediate road cyclist wanting to fit in a little more training. Found out we have a shower at work so I'll be doing my hard rides (M,W,F or T, TH) on the 12-mile MUP that goes downtown. The big question is: would you go just as hard on the way back home in the evenings or would that be overdoing it? I normally ride to work (at a slower pace on my commuter bike) with training rides in the evenings and longer rides on the weekends.

Like most things in life, it depends. Part of it depends on what you mean by a hard ride. And I probably would not do a hard ride on the morning right after an evening training ride.

when i did two a days, i did find that i lost weight much faster. Also I got stronger faster and in shape faster. the down side is my legs needed time off each week to recover. If you go hard 2x a day recovery is very important.. So is a schedule. Having a training schedule at that point is going to be necessary at the time you start to do this seriously. I'm just sayin.......

just don't hit the skater or the perambulator

it is just about that distance to my work as well (14mi) and yes i will ride it twice. for me thats really not that far so it really takes there and back to get in a good work out. i have found that its better for me to make my harder training rides when im not going to work and just use commuting to get some extra miles in. i will still ride at a good pace (18-20mph avg) but not all out before or after work. if i cant find time to ride during the week though i will take a longer more challenging route and hit it a little harder.

Perhaps use 3 times a week at your 12 mile return leg for high intensity training rides and just chill on the rides in on those days. On the off-days, find a longer route that allows you to go at a more moderate pace for yourself, say 16-18 mph, but double the length of the ride out to 24 miles to start with. Over time, build in a longer "distance" ride once or twice a week and use the HIT rides to build up speed.

It's gonna take a schedule, proper rest and good nutrition/rehab to make it work long term. Otherwise, you're gonna injure yourself in some way shape or form.

A hard ride on a path? I can't go faster than ~12mph on MUP's without being unsafe...Maybe find a bike lane that goes to work? Just a thought.

+1

Not all bike paths are created equal.

This. Ours is wide enough that I can keep 18-20 mph on it without any close brushes with runners.

Thanks for the advice, guys.