I’ve been having so much fun out on these 100km daily rides that the pain hasn’t been an issue. I’ve been recovering remarkably well because I work from home so don’t have to really stress my body out at all while getting work done. It’s allowed me to take more direct control over my schedule as well so I can work in a longer ride while the sun is still out. For me, 100km (with 1011 meters elevation gain of rolling hills) is about five hours on the courses I ride with stop lights, a bit of gravel, trails with people on them, on my 700x38 Bontrager LT2 Comp tubular tires and 27 lbs (12.2 kilo) tank of a steel touring bike (which is oh so comfy on those long rides). Even with my new Bontrager Aeolus Elite 50 TLR road wheelset (which cost more than my bike) and not hitting any gravel I will still be lucky to get under four hours staying in HR zone 2.
All this to say that I find myself feeling late if I don’t get on the road by 2pm with sundown at 7:45pm these days. I’ve ended up literally racing the sun to get home, which is kinda fun. I have all the visibility lighting when needed, but leave the headlight at home as a motivation (plus it is pretty heavy for something I might need).
It occurred to me during a ride that given the amount of recovery I’m making within 24 hours I’m headed on my way to being able to put in 100k in the saddle per day so long as I get the nutrition on the ride right (6 sugar dates per hour lately) and manage to sleep that night. I’m not sure I would be able to do all of that if I were carrying gear and had to set camp, make the food, etc., at least not now. There may be a time where that is very doable soon, however.
For now, I’m considering a two-way trip (124 miles each way) to Ashville, NC. I’ll make arrangements to stay in a posh (but cheap motel) rest an entire day while walking around to see the sites and then bike the 124 miles back.
Short 2-3 day trips seem to be my sweet spot. I can manage them over a three-day weekend, really enjoy my recovery time doing literally nothing but wandering and eating, maybe even a restorative yoga class, and then turn around and head home. I would think it would be the kind of trip I could do with a friend (if I had any friends).
In order to achieve a goal like that doing these 4-5 hour rides four days a week really isn’t pushing it at all. It’s right in line with the kind of training I would need. So I plan to just keep the long rides coming. It’s convenient that Alpe du Zwift is about three hours in Z2 when I don’t happen to be able to leave by 2pm outside.