So, I have recently had a couple things on my mind that i wanted to figure out. First off, im a competitive cat 4, and will be a cat 3 at the beginning of next year with a decent result or 2.
I am kind of unsatisfied with my training right now though. All of my training rides, other than races, group rides, and recovery rides involve intervals. Either hill repeats (short and long, or LT intervals). What i usually do is ride out to where i do the intervals at zone 2 or so, then do the intervals and ride back relatively easy. these rides can be in the 60-70 mile range when i do hill reps, b/c the mountains are a ways away.

However, when i look around at elite riders in my area (cats 1,2,3) they hardly ever seem to do intervals, but rather just hammer the whole ride (50-80 miles usually) with decent hills. They often average 19-21 mph on these rides.

So, basically im wondering whats the better training plan? what i had previously understood is that riding long distances hard throughout the duration didnt do much for you for racing, but instead it is better to ride shorter, with higher intensities, which is what i have been doing with the intervals all the time?

What is the right sort of training varies depending on the sort of races you're training for, the time of year, and what your main targets are ( that is, when are the races you regard as your priorities). So during the off- season while building your base, you'll do more volume and lower intensity, then build up the intensity during your build period and back off dramatically on volume in order to peak for your big races. If all you do is intervals throughout the year I'd say you're missing out on building an endurance base, and if anyone is doing nothing but long, hard rides than I'd suggest they aren't training optimally either.

You need a training plan that brings you to your peak fitness when you need to be there, and that will involve both different regimes at different times of year, and a preparedness to back off at some points during the racing season - you can't stay at your peak for weeks at a time.

It's still quite difficult to beat Joe Friel's training bible. You don't mention whether you're training with a power meter, but even if you're using HR there's a lot in the book about training plans, periodization, the balance between volume and intensity and so on.

What i dont really understand is how to prepare myself for long, hard, hilly races (70+ miles) without riding long, hilly distances hard? I generally think of endurance base as long, slower winter miles, which i fully understand, but i dont see how that prepares me for intense long races. I just dont see how doing intervals as part of a 2 hr. ride will help my speed after 60 miles!

Onto another question. The other day i tried doing one of these long, hard rides i was talking about, and i was destroyed afterwards, super sore legs for the next 2 days. This is something i dont experience often just doing high intensity intervals on shorter rides!

Btw, im just asking these questions now in order to figure out a good plan for next year, so i dont waste any time figuring out the training basics.

Of course you should train for the sort of race you expect to enter. I don't know anyone who thinks you can train for hilly road races without doing long, hard, hilly rides.

However, you are mistaken if you think that intervals won't help your performance on longer rides. The impact on FTp, and on your ability to recover at speed and go again, should be significant in all sorts of races.

OK, thank you! I just got kind of worried that doing any of those long, hammer rides was bad for training. This article worried me: Training With the Zone 3 Syndrome | ACTIVE

Don't worry. Mix up your training. Lots of long, steady distance, especially off-season. Some long hard rides in the hills. Some short, sharp, VO2 max intervals. Once again, I'd recommend you read Joe Friel, he may not be the latest thing, but he really knows what he's talking about.

You're making an erroneous assumption. When these riders go out for 2-3 hours at 19-21mph, that is their zone 1 ride. They're not in zone 3 and they're not working as hard as you think. That, and are you with them 24/7? Perhaps they only do steady state riding when they're on rides with others (you) and the more intense rides when alone or with teammates. Most high-end racers ride alot alone or only with comparable athletes so they don't risk being crashed out by someone not at their level and lose a couple months of their season. Here in SoCal, where there's a cat 1 or 2 around every other corner, I rarely see them out riding even though I'm on the road 6 days a week.

As for you, and what others have alluded to, you need endurance. Do the intervals on top of that to improve speed and ability to respond to accelerations. Do the endurance rides one day, intervals another. If not already, I'd recommend you make sure to ride 5-6 days a week with hi-intensity intervals only two of those days.

Thanks for the advise. I was just confused because it seems like everyone says endurance days need to be done at an easy pace, and workouts need to be short and hard.

But from what u guys are saying now, when doing endurance rides, its good to ride hard and long at the same time, not just one or the other. correct?

and btw, i figured out what types of rides they seem to be doing based on their strava accounts, not just what i see on the road.