Touring - how far do you tend to go in a day?

Pretty simple question. Just looking for how far everyone tends to go on average each day of a tour?

It's 100 miles per day on a ten days luggage ride, a quater more that that, if it's only a single day ride without luggage. These are average distances that turned out to be reachable for me during the last 15 years.
marmotte

For fully loaded touring ...

I usually aim for about 100 kms a day ... especially if the terrain is hilly/mountainous. And I can do that for 4 days, then I need a day off, then I can get back at it for another 4 days, etc.

For Randonneuring ...

I can cover 1200K in 3.5 day (90 hours) including all eating and sleeping breaks. That's fast touring!! :D

Depends entirely on the terrain, wind, how much I'm carrying, and what there is to see and do during the day. My own preference is to tour in places where there is a lot to see and do along my route. I realize some cyclists like to just ride and ride all day, but that's not my style. If I'm touring in a region where the scenery is the big attraction, I'm likely to ride more. However, if I'm touring somewhere that has lots of interesting sites and attractions, I think it's a waste to just buzz through without stopping.

I generally do between 80 and 100 kilometres per day. That gives me time to get off the bike and see the sights along the way.

70-100 km

75 mi. (125 km.) on pavement - 60 mi. (100 km.) on dirt. But - and it's a pretty big but - I usually get up at dawn and ride a chunk in the early hours - plus I ride in the evening - which means I get about half my riding done when most other touring cyclists are having breakfast or dinner. It's just that I like the quiet or morning and evening and the quality of the light. I just might be lowering the number this year to spend more time exploring. But, I prefer doing a little more riding on my riding days since I take two of three days off per week to hike.

Between 70 and 100k, can do more, but don't really like it. The body gets really tired the day after a big day (more than 140k).

55.6 miles.

60 miles, but often range from 40-80. Depends on terrain and attractions.

On my tour last summer, I tried to avoid riding between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. as a way to reduce sun exposure, and still managed to cover 70 to 110 km per day.

There are days when I am feeling tired or grumpy, so I stop after 20 or 30 km and take it easy. These days bring down the average, but I do not track my progress very carefully while on holiday.

I plan on 50 km /day, because there are always extras because 1) I often get lost, 2) searching for accommodation, restaurants, etc, 3) sometimes I miscalculate, and 4) there is seldom a suitable stopover town at exactly 50 km. Although I use 50 for planning, I tend to average about 65 and occasionally do 90+. I am 60 so younger cyclists may want to use a higher number, but my point is to be conservative in your planning because you always do more, sometimes you have headwinds, and the goal is to have fun, not set records.

Pretty simple question. Just looking for how far everyone tends to go on average each day of a tour?

I am a lazy old coot, even when I was in my 20s. I go about 50-60 miles a day. If I didn't stop to snack in every pastry shop along the way I'd do better.

The furthest I ever went in a day is 170 miles, from the Canadian Border with Montana all the way to Calgary, Alberta. I had a whipping tailwind.

roughstuff

I tend to average around 100km per day through a whole trip, including days off. Something like 110km - 120km per day. But I tour on mostly rough roads in africa. If I'm eating well (not normal) I find it's possible to do up to 150km.

Biggest day ever was 184km. Longest ever was about 14 hours, during which time I cycled about 90km over a 4000m mountain on empty, just water.

17 to 120 miles - depends on what there is to eat along the way and how may bottles of wine.

55.6001 miles a day, I always ride more than EastbayBob

I tend to go around 50 miles but I can push it to 80+ if I have to. I don't like it but I can. I do take only 1 rest day out of 7 (last tour we went for 9 before a rest day 'cause eastern Washington doesn't have a lot of places to hole up for a day :D ) unlike some of the lazier members of this forum. I'm not saying who but ... Oh! Hi, Mackha! :D

Until I don't feel like riding anymore, generally somewhere between 1- 120 miles

Pretty simple question. Just looking for how far everyone tends to go on average each day of a tour?

Given fully loaded and smooth pavement and friendly weather, then,
Maximums of along about:
Flat - 75 miles
Constant ascent of 7% or + grade - 20 miles.
I keep descents to 25 mph to avoid unexpected critters that stroll out into the roadway cause they can't hear a bike coming.

55.6 miles.

Wow! You must get lucky with the stealth camping spots! :D

I tend to go around 50 miles but I can push it to 80+ if I have to. I don't like it but I can. I do take only 1 rest day out of 7 (last tour we went for 9 before a rest day 'cause eastern Washington doesn't have a lot of places to hole up for a day :D ) unlike some of the lazier members of this forum. I'm not saying who but ... Oh! Hi, Mackha! :D


HEY!! Are you calling me lazy??? :mad:

HEY!! Are you calling me lazy??? :mad:

Who, me? Never! I was just say "Hey!". Sorta :D

For me on a long tour, 120-140km seems about right for flat terrain, and 80-90km for hills. However, you cannot pick over night stops. It's usually where it's convenient, that decides the distance I'll pedal for the day.

For me on a long tour, 120-140km seems about right for flat terrain, and 80-90km for hills. However, you cannot pick over night stops. It's usually where it's convenient, that decides the distance I'll pedal for the day. BTW dear eastbaybob, You didn't contact me for the around Thai's border ride. It's a blessing for you. The organizer failed to raise the expected sponsorship, and started skimping . The ride itself and scenery was spectaculr though.

If Machka's lazy, then I'm dead.

I averaged a little over 60 miles per day, loaded touring, including rest days down the pacific coast (vancouver to San Diego) in the spring of 2002. that is quite varied terrain and since I did it in march I had mixed winds in the Pac NW. my longest day was after a three-day rest :eek: visiting a friend who lived there. I was way behind and awesomely rested. I did about 120 miles that day and close to 100 the next, so I caught up to where I needed to be :) . But I had a limited amount of time to complete the trip in and I was pushing harder than I will do in future tours. If I went unloaded with a group or something, I think close to 100miles per day would be achievable if I had to push it.

On my last tour, towing my baby and related baby stuff, in addition to the camping gear, etc, my wife and I averaged about 34 miles per day.

I'm just getting started and I haven't yet gone 'round the bend. But, I ride like I hope to tour - about 20 to 60 miles a day. I do this here in the local Everett, Washington area about every-other day. I load up with simulated gear for weight and just go. The longer distances are only limited by the need to get home to go to work. I hope the old Trek doesn't let me down. It's a bit of a relic by todays standards.

While I was reading this I was thinking (most of) you are only out to cycle as much as you can in a day or to gain any records... sorry. I found myself normally not doing much more than 50 km AVERAGE a day. Of course I also had days when I was riding to the limit of up to 180 km but that is by far not my average.
I am usually out to experience the scenery and culture of a certain country and that means taking time to do so. If you want to get in touch with locals and their lifestyle you should slow down a lot. At least that's what I think. However, I always spent a lot of time taking photos and meeting people along the way as well. To me that is a major part of the trip, too.

I wouldn't know, i am going on my first tour this summer,.. but i have to sort off second the previous poster. That is to say:

I don't presume to know what your motivations for whatever distance you cover, are. But i do think when i tour i will take it pretty easy. I gotta give props to Ken Kifer, he was not very fast in his tours but what joy and beauty shines through in his accounts of them. For him it was all about meeting people, really taking in nature and not just the 'sporting performance'. I hope i will do between 40 and 100 Km/day when i go on my tour but above all i hope to meet nice people, have 'succes at unexpected places' and experience many things. The slower I go (within' reason) and the more I look out for interesting things (rather than focusing on the inner/my body/the effort) the more likely i think! i will be to have a great time. But this is all just guesswork.

A balancing note here - -

Although I don't think of myself as a megadistance rider - and my weight would suggest that I truly am not - I find myself frequently riding 75+ miles. I tour nearly every summer for three months. I research remote roads with little traffic - often dirt. There is something to be said about the simple experience of motion through space - and motion that comes from your own body, not a gas pedal.

I have met countless incredible people over the years on bike tours. I have hiked Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Denali, as well as many wilderness areas during these tours. I've rafted down the Missouri and Mackenzie Rivers as well. But - - I truly enjoy biking - - especially in the early morning and evening when the light is low and magical.

There was one time I was bicycling in central Nevada on US 6. The sun was low. I don't think a car had passed in more than an hour. I was floating through this immense valley with range after range of mountains - glazed in a red-gold light - trailing off into the distance. For me - the motion was part of the experience. I wasn't trying to ride a century. I was riding because it was delightful.

It's not the distance that matters - it's the quality of that distance.

I am also a student of Ken Kifer (RIP), which is the reason for my moniker.

Luckily, I had the opportunity to have a brief email relationship
We exchanged ideas and philosophies for a short time back in late 1999, when I was first rediscovering cycling - and adapting it to my love of camping/backpacking.

He helped me build my first panniers.

The thing I really loved about Ken, is what I love in myself when I'm on my bike - not a desire for daily mileage (though I love to go 'hammer and tongs') but rather the evocations a tour can inspire.

For a loaded longer tour (14+) days, my RIDING average is about 60-65 (100k-110k) miles per day. My OVERALL average is around 50 miles per day. Obviously, the actual day's ride can very due to the terrain, wind, people/stops I want to visit, etc.

Hope this helps!

I usually ride 40 - 60 miles per day; my record is only 74 miles. I only go on self-contained tours complete with tent, sleeping bag, stove, etc., so of course I carry extra weight which slows me down. My goal on a long tour is to experience anything and everything along the way, so I stop frequently. Also, I'm 53 years old, not in the greatest shape, so I tend to take it more slowly than most touring cyclists. I can't brag about my mileage, but that's not my reason for touring, generally. . .as opposed to several cyclists I met on the TransAm who spoke of little else.

David in PA

during my first tour from Grafton, ND to Talahassee, FL (september 21/05 to october 31/05) i averaged 88 km (54.5 mi) a day when i biked. the least amount i ever biked was 29 km (18 mi) and the most i ever biked was 149 km (92.5 mi) in a day. of course the biggest factors for you will be weather and terrain in determining how far you can travel in a day. after southern minnesota i didn't see a flat piece of land the rest of the trip save one 20 km stretch in southern illinois. just "rolling" hills the whole trip. and after the hills of missouri i TORE up that southern illinois stretch, it was just so flat and effortless. if you are planning on a tour, then i would suggest training in hilly ground. i trained in southern manitoba, canada (it's flatter than the walls here) for my tour and i was greatly unprepared for the hills i faced during the trip.

perhaps i should also mention that for luggage i had only rear pannier bags and used a 2004 giant boulder se. i had a tent, sleeping bag, lightweight air mattress as well as clothing and food with me too for the tour.