Endurance ... When do the scales tip?

[Bearbonesnorm]

I noticed an advert for a cycling event the other day and it contained the words ... '4 hour endurance race'.

That got me thinking about what actually constitutes endurance. My own opinion is that 4 hours isn't an endurance event, if you had to complete a certain distance within 4 hours then maybe it would ... but just riding for 240 minutes at whatever pace you see fit, na.

[Dan_K]

4 hours is a Sunday road ride. I think 12 hours is an endurance ride.

[slarge]

I think it depends who you are doing the event with. There are some people that you might find 4 hours of quite an endurance event.

It also depends on fitness and pace - your average trail centre weekend rider may find 4 hours riding a real test. For many on this forum, we're keen on the longer rides, and may even find that 4 hours is the beginnings of a good ride.

[Ian]

Usually just getting warmed up after 4 hours

[composite]

I tend to think of 100miles and 10-12 hours being where it crosses into endurance and then up to about 24hours.
Any thing longer than that I tend to think of it as ultra racing or bikepacking racing.

I'm sure there is a lot of us on here that do 4 hours as a quick blast after work.

[johnnystorm]

Like slarge says, it's all about pace. Spending all day meandering around bridleways is less of an endurance test than pedalling like mad for 4hrs.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Like slarge says, it's all about pace. Spending all day meandering around bridleways is less of an endurance test than pedalling like mad for 4hrs.

That's why I said it would be different if you had to cover a certain distance in 4 hours ... flat out for 4 hours would certainly be a test.

[ScotRoutes]

That's a sprint.

My "normal wee" ride is about 3 hours - plus any photo/snack stops. If anything, I find I can't be arsed going out for shorter rides. I'd rather go for a run.

[composite]

Like slarge says, it's all about pace. Spending all day meandering around bridleways is less of an endurance test than pedalling like mad for 4hrs.

That's why I said it would be different if you had to cover a certain distance in 4 hours ... flat out for 4 hours would certainly be a test.

Is a "test", endurance though? An hour and half flat out XC pace is a test, but I wouldn't call that endurance.

EDIT: OK thinking about things further. I reckon endurance starts when it's not just about fitness but starts being a "test" of your mind as well. Where that happens... I dunno.

[johnnystorm]

Like slarge says, it's all about pace. Spending all day meandering around bridleways is less of an endurance test than pedalling like mad for 4hrs.

That's why I said it would be different if you had to cover a certain distance in 4 hours ... flat out for 4 hours would certainly be a test.

Which is why I think a race over 4 hours is endurance (assuming you are going for it) whereas a 4 hour ride probably isn't. Also, your average xc race is 90mins? Having said all of that people at work are amazed I do 10 miles each way on my ride in. It's all relative!