2 weeks off the bike

Sean, I could be wrong, but I believe the first thing you lose is the extra blood volume that a hard training athlete has over a sedentary individual. I believe this starts to decline after 4-5 days of no training and will have an effect on your VO2max, which will affect exercise at all levels. However, it will also return quickly, usually in 4-5 days of consistent exercise blood volume increases. So, mixing in a few hard efforts over the next 7-10days should see you almost back to where you were before the break.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by TTer
Sean, I could be wrong, but I believe the first thing you lose is the extra blood volume that a hard training athlete has over a sedentary individual. I believe this starts to decline after 4-5 days of no training and will have an effect on your VO2max, which will affect exercise at all levels. However, it will also return quickly, usually in 4-5 days of consistent exercise blood volume increases. So, mixing in a few hard efforts over the next 7-10days should see you almost back to where you were before the break.

TTer, thanks that makes me feel a whole lot better and I shall take your advice 🙂

TTer, thanks for the advice just thought I'd update you. You were quite correct I am back on song (well as much singing as I am capable of), I have put on about 600 miles including one ride of 250, done a PB on a 10 mile TT of 23:59 and my HR is back down to previous levels 😉

Sean

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by vitiris
I have been training fairly intensively for the etape and all was going well until I had to go abroad for two weeks to work and was unable to take the bike. Prior to leaving my best (not longest) ride was a 108 miles at an average of 18.3 mph with 2200 metres of climbing. I returned this weekend and went for a 83 miler scraping an average of 18 with 1400 metres. I was wacked and had been riding flat out 🙁. My question is does anyone have any idea how long it will take me to recover my previous fitness? My heartrate was way up (which I expected) and my power looked as if it was down by at least 10%. Also any pointers to the quickest way to recover it would also be appreciated

Thanks
Sean

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by vitiris
I have been training fairly intensively for the etape and all was going well until I had to go abroad for two weeks to work and was unable to take the bike. Prior to leaving my best (not longest) ride was a 108 miles at an average of 18.3 mph with 2200 metres of climbing. I returned this weekend and went for a 83 miler scraping an average of 18 with 1400 metres. I was wacked and had been riding flat out 🙁. My question is does anyone have any idea how long it will take me to recover my previous fitness? My heartrate was way up (which I expected) and my power looked as if it was down by at least 10%. Also any pointers to the quickest way to recover it would also be appreciated

Thanks
Sean

I'm in training for the Etape too.
I detect a note of panic in your message - the Etape is hard
and it's looming (early July).
However I wouldn't read too much in to the fact that simply because your first session back after two weeks off, has not gone well.

The block of endurance that you have built up before your enforced break hasn't disappeared - it is there, it just needs to be accessed.
What you need to do is try to get in a few sessions in short space of time in order to re-build that endurance block.

A few reasonably long routes at a relative high speed (say 15/16
mph) will quickly retune your system.
You will find that you will be under more "stress" than before your
enforced break but after a couple of these sessions, you will notice that the "stress" you felt initially will begin to diminish.

What would concern me is the fact that you have "only" done 108 miles as your longest ride.
I suggest that you need to try to get a few more "100+" rides in.

How much milage have you accumulated so far ?
I've hit 2500 miles since 17th March - I want to have 3500 miles in my legs before the Etape.
Any of these long distance events are dependent upon the volume of distance that you have built up - ideally you want to maximise the total distance that you have cycled before tackling the Etape.

The Etape is tough - the climbs are steep, very steep in places.
]So you need to ensure that you have the stamina to overcome these climbs.
You will most definitely need a triple ring on your bike.

Hope that this advice is helpful.