Cycling fast and far requires specific skills as well as physical condition, and the skills are the prerequisite for attaining the physical condition. You could learn the skills the hard way, by experience, as cyclists had to do before they understood how their bodies operated in cycling conditions. However, if you learn the knowledge of how your body operates during cycling, you will be able to learn the skills quicker and will be better able to apply them to acquiring the physical condition. For this information, read The Physiology and Technique of Hard Riding