active or passive recovery

Active. 30 minutes minimum (90 max) quick spinning, lightly in zone 1

beison said:

... I was just wondering what you guys thought, and perhaps how much it would make a difference.

Personally I don't think it makes a huge difference, but I'm with Spunout and prefer an easy day of light spinning when the weather's nice. But the key is to be disciplined and not chase down folks or do any hard efforts if the idea is to replace a total rest day with a light spin. If you can really relax and spin the bike then I believe (but can't prove) that it's better to move your muscles a bit. But if you can't help but sprint for a couple of traffic lights and chase down other cyclists or push on a hill then just stay home and rest.

So a lot of it comes down to the discipline to really turn your ego off and go easy which can be a tough thing for competitive cyclists. If the purpose of the day is to rest than you really need to rest whether it's on the bike or off.

Good luck,
-Dave

[right][left]If I'm sore, I will make an effort (and some times it is an effort) to go for a light spin up the bike path near my home. The idea is to get the blood flowing and help repair the micro-damage to my muscles. I usually feel better after this than when I started and I take that as a good sign.

I am diciplined enough to avoid getting into match sprints with the "bike path all-stars" (as we call them here), they are the folks that see you in your kit and feel that they need to race you on their MTB in sneakers and toe clips.

If I'm not sore and not in the hunt for TSS or kiloJoules for the week or I'm busy and need the time for something else outside of cycling, I will probably take the day off.[/left]
[/right]

I, too, have thought about this question a lot, and even brought the topic up here some time ago. At this point I'm convinced that if you're already in great shape, a 20-30 mile ride that is comfortable throughout doesn't have any training effect to speak of. It can be good for the head, and it can help with weight control. That's about it. Your hard days are what count toward training. The rest is optional filler. (This is just my opinion, of course. But I think it's a damned good one!)