The common belief is that very long events require equally long training sessions, and on the face of it, this seems like a reasonable idea. But while training specificity is important, that doesn’t mean you need to replicate your race time. In fact, 90 minutes or less of training can get you ready for a long game, as many professional athletes have proven.

Because the type of effort you put into a race is much more important than the length of the race. Very long races are almost entirely cardio, with some short bursts at higher intensities, so a strong aerobic system is the ticket to success. It doesn’t take a full day of exercise to achieve this. It just takes smart, organized training using whatever time you have.

That said, some longer rides in training can be useful in fine-tuning your performance. Fuel, hydration, and bike fitness can all be important factors in very long races, and short workouts may not fully reveal whether you have mastered these. But it still doesn’t need to exactly replicate your race length, it only takes two or three hours of enduro riding to find where you need to improve, and that’s a lot less than is conventionally believed.