Home base is a good place to reach, right? In baseball, it certainly is!

But is there a \”home base\” for cyclists? If you read about cyclist\’s training, you\’ll find a lot of emphasis on the importance of base training: build up your strength and endurance with long, steady rides before starting to work on intensity.

I can understand this advice for new cyclists. If uou try to \”put down the hammer\” before you\’ve developed sufficient strength, it\’s too much strain on the area around the knees. I remember my first efforts to ride on the big ring. I couldn\’t do it for more than a few seconds because of the strain on my legs, both muscles and knee joints.

It also seems reasonable to me for a cyclist to build up gradually after time off the bike. That would be especially important if the off-time were due to injury or illness.

Naturally, not everyone shares that view. Those fellows might be addressing pro cyclists and serious riders who aren\’t pros. Such riders likely will still have a fairly high level of fitness even after off-time.

I guess it\’s all relative. My fitness level is certainly higher than it was when I first started riding that tricycle, but compared to even an amateur-level racer, I\’m an absolute weakling. Maybe I need to return to my home base for more training.