Two Short Rides Vs One Long Ride

It's often hard to fit cycling in around everyday life, especially if training for a specific event or fitness goal. One of the questions we see asked the most, is what is best - one big bike ride, or two smaller ones?! This is typically asked by cyclists looking to make the most of their training time, in a busy time such as a weekend. Although we are not sports scientists here at Westbrook Cycles, we spoke to a few - and shared their findings and thoughts, as well as a few of our own thoughts.

The Argument For Two Rides

It's obvious that you can ride at a higher power output if you split the total distance down by two - as in the latter half of a longer ride, a rider's endurance will falter and subsequently will slow down timings and power output.

Endurance is not usually the limiting factor in competitive riding, more powerful training rides will mean that you finish the race sooner and quicker, making the race more comfortable, whilst allowing you to hit your own riding goals.

Shorter sessions are also easier to recover from than longer sessions, although power output is higher during shorter rides - they are easier to recuperate from, with regards to rehydration and calorie intake. This allows for more sessions to be crammed into the week.

Shorter rides also allow the rider to carry out other jobs and tasks they need to achieve within their day, be that family commitments or work! Longer single rides can easily become an all day activity which leaves very little time for anything else.

The Argument For One Long Ride

Depending on your calendar, one long ride may fit in much better with your schedule Vs multiple shorter rides. All day rides are incredibly enjoyable - and we remind everybody that getting out on the bike is the best possible thing for performance.

Long rides also have great benefits, such as being able to nail hydration and nutrition tactics ahead of an endurance race. To get the most out of a long ride, you really need to be putting in some serious planning to perform, whilst you may be able to get away with a dehydrated shorter ride, a longer ride requires much more in the way of planning. Eating and drinking on the bike, in the first half of an endurance ride, is a skill of its own.

Longer rides also allow you to ensure that your bike is comfortable for that length of time - over that sort of time period, areas of the body become sore, and you can find coping strategies to deal with them.

Time on the Bike

Leading a busy lifestyle, time on the bike is important - and we always recommend fitting in a ride wherever, and whenever you can with the ethos of any bike time, being better for your mental and pyshical health, than no bike time.