Recovery
By Joshua D. Powers
December 2005

One of the most common misconceptions amongst recreational and, to a lesser extent, competitive cyclists, is that you aren’t getting faster if you aren’t working as hard as you can day in and day out. As a result of this misconception, you will find that many people are living their lives over fatigued and under recovered. What needs to be kept in mind is a specific training load will only be beneficial when the body is allowed to properly recover. A properly structured training program is designed to overload the body and then to allow it to adapt. The overload comes from time on the bike and through specific workouts designed to systematically stress certain physiological systems. The adaptation occurs when the training time and intensity are reduced and the body is allowed to recover, adapt and overcompensate. Although it may feel like time in the saddle is what’s making you stronger, it is really the length and quality of your recovery post-workout that benefit you the most.

Recovery Tips

As mentioned, the quality of your recovery is what ultimately improves cycling performance. Whether it’s between stages in a weeklong event or just after the everyday ride, proper recovery is the biggest key to successful performances down the road. There are several practices that will provide the body the tools and opportunities it needs to adapt properly:

• The first practice starts while still on the bike. Don’t dig yourself a hole! Remember to eat early and often. A three-hour ride, or race, is far more stressful when you crawl across the line after hitting the wall an hour before the finish.
• Following the finish of a ride or an event a cool down period is necessary. Utilize the last 20 minutes of a workout or spin down after an event before jumping off the bike and stretching out.
• While stretching, consume a recovery drink and eat a bit of food to jump- start the recovery process. This is extremely important within 30 minutes of completing the workout. The time period immediately following exercise is when the body is especially effective at restoring liver and muscle glycogen stores. A recovery drink and a bagel should suffice.
• It is also important to consume a complete meal within 2 hours of an event or strenuous training ride.
• A light massage will reduce the amount of post-workout soreness you experience as well as aid in venous return during recovery.
• Icing any aches and pains is also necessary within the first hour after exercise. This will go a long way in preventing overuse injuries.
• One final, and without a doubt the most important element in your recovery should be sleep. Often times a highly stressed body might require more than 8 hours of sleep in order to make any headway in the recovery process. The best rule of thumb… more is always better and sooner is certainly better than later.

Joshua D. Powers
BS Exercise Science
USAC Certified Coach
Professional Cyclist
Coach of Destination Cycling’s 2005 Destination Challenge Team Captain Kevin Mahaney

2006 Training Articles:
Base Training
Recovery
Avoiding Cramping
Improving Power to Weight Ratio

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