I was reading an article over the weekend regarding recreational riding. There are a few options for riding them one is the long slow way the other alternative is to smash them out as quickly as you can. Personally I prefer the later, not that I ride them.  The interesting thing is that if you do a lot of long slow distance (base training) in preparation for recreational events you actually de-tune your body and train it to ride slowly. There is mounting scientific evidence to suggest that supplementing long slow distance with high intensity interval training actually will increased your average speed on recreational rides. I have known about this fact for a while based on my coaching experience so it’s nice to have the  scientific evidence to back it up.  So which would you rather prefer? Riding at an average speed of 25km or 35km?