How Short and Easy Workouts Make You Faster (And Why You Usually Shouldn’t Skip Them)

Every workout in a training plan is there for a reason. Sometimes, the purpose is obvious— long threshold workouts prepare you for a time trial, while criterium racers benefit from high-intensity repeats. But some plans also include relatively easy, hour-long endurance spins between harder days. What’s the point of these workouts, and is it ok to skip them?