Perfect, that’s exactly what I was looking for.
After reading all of the posts, I realize I wasn’t clear in the OP about mid-week recovery rides vs recovery week. I was asking about mid-week recovery rides during a training block.
Earlier this week I took a full rest day but, in hindsight, may have benefited from a recovery ride like you describe. My hard session the day after was a bit rough.
Anyway, thanks!
I don’t know for sure if a full day off is more beneficial than a recovery ride or vice versa. I just haven’t paid too much attention. It’s certainly worth experimenting to see which works better for you
YMMV, I’ve found that I feel better with a recovery day versus a day off. I don’t necessarily focus on a % of FTP, but rather that I feel almost no pressure on the pedals. This tends to be around 60% of FTP. Much less than this it feels uncomfortable.
This 
The less pressure on the peddles, the more pressure on the butt
Mine are so easy I go for a walk instead. I’m well aware how many days a week I cycle and a bit of walking instead does me good.
i do recovery because i know its needed. i do work for a block, and near the end i know i’m ready. if you are continually asking yourself if you should ride harder during recovery, perhaps you aren’t training properly. recovery gets rid of fatigue. recovery allows the next block to take place and be effective.
forget %ftp, just go easy. your body doesn’t understand %ftp. its just wanting to balance things up again.
listen to @empiricalcycling. no, actually listen!
Here’s Cory’s Strava page for you to take a look. He’s already done 1000 miles for the year and looks like he’s doing 25-35hr/wk.
Yeah if I have a real hard workout the following day then I’m more likely to do
The recovery day ha taking the day off or just going for a walk. Something about the specific motion of pedaling just keeps my legs better prepped.
And should probably be noted that his FTP is around 450W so 25% is still over 100W.
I wouldn’t worry too much. Not everyone speaks fluent Boston.
Most days getting out on a bike reduces my stress. Never put pressure on myself to ride on easy/recovery/off days but I usually want to. The days I don’t want to are the days I take completely off and go for a walk or a paddle board or something else that gets me outside and clearing my brain.
Getting ready for a ride is genuinely no barrier to actually going on a ride. I long ago figured out all the blockers to getting out (not having clean kit, not being able to find the bit of kit I need for today’s conditions, things needing charging, bikes in need of servicing and not ready to ride, etc) and solved them. Recovery rides are particularly easy because I don’t need fuel and they’re short enough to not have to worry about weather changes (or if the weather is that changeable just do a spin on the turbo which is always set up and ready to go so the easiest option of all though I prefer getting outside when I can).
While I don’t necessarily agree, I’m pretty sure the emphasis of Bbt’s point was that a recovery ride that easy has so little value (to him), that the prep for the ride induces more stress than the ride itself, and he may or not have been exaggerating a little to add emphasis.
I suspect he wasn’t trying to say that the prep is stressful to any appreciable degree.
I guess my point is that for me (YMMV) if it’s about stress management then getting ready for a ride adds 1 stress point to my day, and going for a ride knocks about 10 stress points off my day. Net -9 stress! Don’t ask me what units that’s in, it’s definitely not SI…
In the book “Ride Inside - Written by Joe Friel”. Intensity of recovery ride should be in heart rate zone 1 or power zone 1. While heart rate is preferred. If none is available, use RPE instead. RPE for recovery ride is 1~2.
ps. Explanation of RPE 1~2 from Borg’s RPE definition is “Really Easy ~ Easy”. In addition, in the book “Total Heart Rate Training - Written by Joe Friel”, RPE 1~2 is explained as “can speak in complete or broken sentences”.
In terms of duration, Joe also recommends that recovery ride duration should be shorter than your average ride.
For your reference, hope this information helps:-)
Hey @Bbt67! I’m sorry for not getting back to you sooner on this one.
The Recovery Weeks (de-load weeks) in our training plans are capped at sub-2 Endurance.
Reason why is that it results in better training outcomes for the majority; however, for athletes like yourself who have been at this game for many years are welcome to adjust as you see fit 
I heard empiricalcycling say the best day off is a weekend where you aren’t also mentally stressing yourself (like at work or whatever). I kinda resisted because a day off work is a very convenient day to get in a longer ride). but I tried and I really like it. it’s like a vacation for my brain more than anything.
my point being, I don’t think you’ll find an answer to a specific wattage a recovery ride should be. way too many variables. I would just self experiment and see what works for you.
recovering fully works great for me. someone else might do well going for a super light spin in a park. someone else a long hike. maybe one month (depending on training). you don’t need a recovery week and just a day here and there will do. I dunno. I don’t think anyone could possibly have an accurate formula…just pick a few ways and try it out and see how you feel, and how you perform the few days after recovery.
2 hours! how about a TLDR?
Haven’t listened to it since it came out but basically:
You don’t do endurance rides? 
