I mainly do 10 mile & 25 mile TT’s.
I do like to do a group ride about twice a month, but I often peel off as the pace is sometimes just too slow and rides can take 4 hours or more.
I consider I don’t have that amount of time to waste sometimes.
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Long endurance rides help train your body’s ability to use fat for fuel. SS and above is largely glycogen fueled.
Long rides are also good for motivational purposes. Nothing better than spending 4+ hours outside on a summer or fall day. Hard to do an “epic” ride in a couple of hours!
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Most group rides are garbage miles with half of the time spent coasting and in Active Recovery/Z1. I can see why you’d want to ditch these types of rides. Now, 3+ hrs in high Z2 dipping into low Z3 with no coasting - amazing benefits. You can get this on the trainer.
Everyone jokes about @Nate_Pearson and his high use of Baxter, but, EVERYONE can benefit from that type of riding - and often.
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This is exactly how I see it as well, and like you say Nate is proof that it works. There’s lots of others (including myself that don’t log big miles on group rides and fair pretty well in races). 
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You’ve got to find or create the right group ride or ride solo. Long Z2 rides are beneficial and depending on the type of race you are doing will dictate how little you can get away with. Check out the ride @brendanhousler did today to prep for Iowa Wind and Rock: https://www.strava.com/activities/2235278962
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340km is absolutely insane! Out of my league for sure, but I guess necessary for a race that long.
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220W for 10 hours. Ok.
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From the start I have been watching this post with pleasure. There are some good points made.
In my area I have the luck that I can choose between hilly and flat. Based on the above conversation I would urge to go to the flatter sections in order to get enough z2 in. When I ride in the hills I somehow always pushing it harder than z3.
Hilly or flat? That’s the question 
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The missus uses the alarm on her Sleepbuds. Life-changer those things for us…
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Agree with this but I have genuinely enjoyed some great multi hour group rides on Zwift and there’s no coasting or cafe stops and managing your zone is so much easier as long and you have a little discipline.
It is tougher than outdoors and if you’re not in a good place mentally then long rides indoors are hell and heading out for a spin is usually somewhat cathartic in comparison. And I do appreciate that some people just hate the indoor trainer. I know some guys in their 30s that just can’t hack anything on the trainer, just want their group rides outside. Then you get guys who seem to be on Zwift every free minute they’ve got and are upbeat and loving it! So I guess it’s personality dependant.
Worth trying Zwift anyway is my point, for the long indoor group rides that are always on at all hours these days if you’ve got young kids. Organise a room for them to play alongside you on the trainer. You can even hope off for small breaks to manage them etc without losing too much benefit. I know guys doing exactly this in the evenings or early mornings. Though if you’re leaving home for work at 5am and back home tired at 8pm then your problem isn’t cycling related, it’s that your current job is eating too much of your life. Been there and so is the missus at the moment which we’re changing - that’s harder than getting fit - finding a work routine that has shorter hours and is well paid and convenient enough to support the family financially and gives you time to enjoy them and develop your hobbies. I’d focus on that goal before cycling goals first if anyone else finds themselves in that position too, or like us you’ll lose a decade of your life.
/tangent but the work/life balance thing is a bit close to home
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For sure better to be on the bike than not - whether that’s Zwift or outside.
I ride in the range 6-10 hrs per week - so if I’m going to do a 3-4 hr ride, I’ll do it outside as my long ride for the week. Don’t think mentally I’d make it that long on the trainer inside. 1.5 hrs is the longest I’ve done inside.
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The thing about doing long workouts on the trainer, is that now 2 hour workouts are an easy day. Me a few months ago…
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Nice! I wouldn’t make it through half!
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Well done. No small task there.
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Thanks, it started as a joke with some of my teammates - “let’s all start at the same time and first one to quit has to eat a bag of, um, rocks.” I was the only one who started or finished. I’ll probably do it again this Saturday as the weather is likely going to be terrible here in Nashville.
Belgian Waffle is coming up fast.
You’ve got this 
and not just finishing 
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I have a 7 hour gravel race coming up, this workout would be ideal, but ill be damned if i can sit on a trainer for that long…
It’s seriously no different than doing it on the road.
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