Recovery rides - Eating and hydration strategies

[Aaberg]

One of the reasons for doing recovery rides is to bring nutriments out and into the muscles.

So, is it an important point to eat or drink something before or during the recovery ride to make sure that nutrients actually are available to be supplied to the muscles? Or doesn't that matter - there are always enough nutrients (provided one doesn't bonk) in the body that can be transported to the muscles?

 

[rousseau]

Not wanting to hijack this thread, because I'm curious about the answer as well, but...

What's a "recovery ride?" Do you mean you do your regular ride, get off the bike for a period of time, and then get back on it for another ride of a presumably shorter length?

 

[Aaberg]

Not wanting to hijack this thread, because I'm curious about the answer as well, but...

What's a "recovery ride?" Do you mean you do your regular ride, get off the bike for a period of time, and then get back on it for another ride of a presumably shorter length?

A recovery ride is also referred to as "active rest". The intensity is low (HR < 70% of HRmax), too low to "overload" the body. A recovery ride is often used after (either later the same day, or the next day) a high intensity effort. It helps transport all kinds of waste products out of your muscles, and bring nutrients out into the muscles.

 

[rousseau]

Thanks for the response. Again, not meaning to draw attention away from the questions you posed at the beginning of this thread, but I'm still green behind the ears when it comes to this.

In terms of a cycling program for fitness, would it be a good idea to do hard rides only every other day, with recovery rides in between? Hard rides Monday, Wednesday and Friday with recovery rides Tuesday and Thursday, say (weekends off)? Would this be of significantly greater benefit to the muscles (and other aspects of health/fitness?) than simply doing hard rides Monday to Friday?

 

[Dancier]

I think what Aaberg means is something like I do at the end of a ride, mind you it's not by choice but by necessity.

I tend to ride to my full capacity during my training rides around the mountains and use up about 80% of my energy. The remaining energy is used to get home at a very slow pace. This is what I assume is a recovery ride. I stand to be corrected though.