Integration and Base:

Those two terms seem to be some of the most widely misunderstood in cycling.  They are companions.  If you regard yourself as one who “trains,” whether for actual formal racing, endurance events, or simply for the joy of maintaining and increasing fitness, then you need to understand both of them.

Integration Rides:  First off we’re making the assumption that you are doing several highly focused, targeted training sessions per week.  These could be gym strength training sessions, Spin Classes, or skill drills.  Each of these activities works on a very specific area of your riding.  The “Integration Rides,” are those long, slow rides that allow the specific training to “blend” and become a smooth part of your overall riding.  This is where you consciously note that your spin work is taking place, and you allow it to do so.  It is on these rides that your skills work begins to connect with the strength training, and with the form work.  It takes time, and it works best at low effort levels.

Base Riding:  This is a long slow ride.  These efforts are where we stimulate the body to burn fat.  These are also the efforts that stimulate the development of deep capillary beds in the working muscle tissue.  We’re building a different kind of muscle on these.  We’re teaching the body to recruit muscle fiber deep within the working muscle groups.

This can only be done by spending time on the bike.  Lots of time.  And the time must be spent at very low aerobic levels.  “Ride so slow it makes the snails yawn.”  Time is of the essence here, but not in a hurried sense.  These efforts should be at, or below 75% of anaerobic threshold.  And they need to be long.  Three hours is about the minimum duration for base riding.

Please note, in any hour of base work, if a rider spends even two minutes at or above 80% of AT, then that hour is completely wasted as base building.

Why bother?  Base is where speed comes from.  If you want to ride fast, then you must spend a lot of time riding slow.

So Base Work and Integration Work go hand in hand.  What’s more, Winter is about the ideal time to do these things.  It’s good, contemplative, zen type work.  Breath.  Pedal.  Meditate.  Enjoy.