Road Cycling - How far (or long) do you ride before getting off your bike?

I've been wondering how far people usually ride before they need to get off the bike to get the blood flowing, adjust the shorts, etc.

I seem to go about 15-18 miles, or a little over an hour. A 2 minute break really seems to re-energize me as well as make the seat feel better.

Bean Counter,
yes your right, a once an hour stretch really seems to do the job. When I tell potential riding partners to expect a minute rest every hour, they soon are unavailable.
I usually use the minute to get more water, adjust the map or open a package of trail mix, something I am unable to do while balancing.
I've been known to take pictures too, but they all look remarkably similar...a bike propped against something.
Sometimes I take a break every half hour, especially after cycling up long hills or into killer headwinds.

I rest whenever. Sometimes, I just go a few hours, but I'm always pacing, and I also sometimes come out of the saddle while riding to take butt breaks. Sometimes, I'm just not feeling it, and I'll take a break within an hour of starting out.

At the very least, I usually plan for a slightly longer break at the halfway point, so it gets me revved up to finish the rest.

The only time I don't really break is when it's really windy when I am on the ride home- if I stop, I'll never get started again, and I'll end up taking the bus or train... the winds here in Chicago can get pretty wicked- sometimes, they also just change course on you, and you fight the wind to get there, then turn around just in time for the wind to change up on you again, and you have to fight the wind home... for me, it can get a bit frustrating, so I just spin through it in low gears until I get home, and I skip taking a break.

Koffee

I find pedalling out of the saddle for a while seems to get the blood flowing in those areas you describe. The thing I have to get off the bike to do most often is let out some of those 5-10 litres of water I drink each day.

I also don't like the idea of stopping...not for more than a few minutes anyhow. I did a 28 mile "quickie" the other day and blasted right through the entire thing. The only reason I stopped is because I had to go to work :( .

Steve

O to be able to drink that much water and stop anytime!!!

Unfortunately, I am not able to do the same- if I stop for the bathroom, it's got to be at a restaurant or some place like that, lock up my bike and do my business.

:(

Koffee

For me, anywhere behind a big spanky gum tree is my bathroom. :D

I hear ya.
50 miles for me.
Then it's time to pee.

I think I reduce the need for a break by standing at least every 7-10 minutes. Seems when motivated, I have ridden as much as two hours without a stop.. Some I ride with think stopping is a terrible thing to do.. When on tour and riding all day- I think quick stops every 60-90 minutes for just a couple minutes revives you, so you can keep your speed up..

Once an hour sounds about like what I do.

Standing up for 5 or 6 seconds, and letting the blood flow sometimes does the trick on 50 mile rides. It's also nice to stop just past halfway on a mid-distance ride (40-60 miles) to get snacks, and drinks at a gas station. If I'm riding a century, I'll stop every 25 miles or so.

Me and my crew train for centuries by increasing the time between breaks. (We don’t stop at every rest stop during event rides). Last season we got up to 45 miles nonstop, get in a less than 5 minute break and finish 30-40 miles. We designate “feed zones”, places along the ride where we dial it back a bit and eat, get out of the saddle, spin and recover. There is some climbing involved, so we get in some out-of-saddle time during the ride. We still end up averaging 17-17.5 for the whole ride, and it seems to increase our endurance.

Hmmmmm Chris.....

Are you politely saying the world is your toliet? ;)

I'm curious to see what the ladies do for pit stops. I'm looking for ideas. Please, all you men out there, don't tell me about the tough ladies that just stop, squat and go.... that's not my style. But I am open to any ingenius ideas, especially when you're in a pretty public place (lots of cars or pedestrian traffic).

Koffee

Once i leave home,i wont stop until i get home again.Keeps the heart rate up.

It depends for me... if I am just going out doing 20-25 miles.. I don't bother stopping... a couple weeks ago i did a 40 miler... rode from my house down to the beach... took a break at about the midway point... about 20 miles, right around an hour in the saddle... only a short break... about 10 minutes... had a balance bar, watched some surfers, then got back on the bike and kept rollin'

Made the whole 40 miles in about 2.5 hours with a break... good time for me :-)

Jeff

I usually stop to use a tree after an hour or so, if I ride after work and have four liters of water floating around. But, I can typically cover 50 miles or so before a break if I am riding in the morning and don't have much extra water in my system. I'll stand every ten to fifteen minutes, depending on conditions, and stretch. As for centuries, it all depends on my riding partner, if I have one.

Anywhere from 30 to 50 miles, depending upon the temp and how much water I have aboard.

Dave

Koffee, there was a thread in the womens cycling forum about taking breaks. It had a look of good information. I think it is on the first page still, might have gone to the second. I read it just theother week, it was an old post.

As for me, I stop when I am done. 10 miles or 120, there is no need to dismount, unless I run out of water. Then it is a very quick stop to get back moving again. When nature calls just make sure no one is behind you. Also pay attention to the wind direction (yes, I have made a mistake). I do stand up to strench here and there.

I get enough stopping and starting on my commutes.

A couple of hours usually.

Originally posted by Styk33
Koffee, there was a thread in the womens cycling forum about taking breaks. It had a look of good information. I think it is on the first page still, might have gone to the second. I read it just theother week, it was an old post.

As for me, I stop when I am done. 10 miles or 120, there is no need to dismount, unless I run out of water. Then it is a very quick stop to get back moving again. When nature calls just make sure no one is behind you (emphasis added). Also pay attention to the wind direction (yes, I have made a mistake). I do stand up to strench here and there.

I get enough stopping and starting on my commutes.

Does this mean you answer nature's call while you are riding the bike?

I can usually go about 40 miles before needing a break. But there are sometimes when Nature calls a little early. I like to eat and drink while I ride. But if the hills get too long and too steep I admit I may have to stop a few times. But its all good.

When I rode 158 miles in 10 hours last summer, I only stopped for a quick pee whenever needed on the side of the road and stopped about half way at a Am/Pm mini mart to get more fluids and food which took about 5 minutes . I got out of the saddle to stretch and pedal every 30 minutes for about 3 minutes, plus some mountain climbing got me out of the saddle more, and when I went down a mountain I would get up and stretch. I ate and drank while riding.

So far this year, my longest rides are about 25 miles... I do the whole thing all at once. I get on the bike and go.... sometimes when I ride with friends, they like to stop fairly often, sometimes 3 times in a 12 mile ride. But when I ride alone, most often, I just ride the whole thing.

Hey Beany,

here's link about the guys at Calvin's Challenge, a 12 hour time-trial in Ohio, last week, they rode 256 miles in 11:56, 4 minutes stopped because they had to have their numbers "punched" 16 times by officials at checkpoints.

http://geocities.com/mercian753/calvin2

Well that depends. The farthest I have gone without stopping was a century. We had a mass start and some real hammers in front and they had some police holding lights open for us for awhile. It was not a paceline but a peloton and I checked my speedometer when we slowed down and it was generally at 27 or 26 mph. I was a ways back from the front and the draft was great so I figured I would hang there until I sucked my camal back dry. I noticed people getting tired and then some of them literally riding off the road into the shoulder to stop. Strange strange ride. The group got progressively smaller. I finally stopped at a rest stop at 64 miles with a 24 avg speed (we did hit a light or two and a couple of windy roads).

I can do a 50 mile ride without stopping but usually I will at least take a fast stop to water the bushes.

On centuries, I often like to stop oh 3-4 times just to take a pit stop, have a snack, and give the contact points (hands, feet, hinder parts) a rest. Even a short stop can make a big difference. It depends on whether I hook in with a group or not and what they do. If the group goes on, I will tend to go with them. But if the group stops and takes a long time, I will just leave them.

I am training for a marathon, so my spring rides have been prettynon-existent so far. Got on the bike last friday and did 30 without a stop, but then when I did stop I almost could not straighten up....gee, the muscles for riding & running really are different, aren't they. So if it is a limited ride - just a couple of hours, I can go fer about 30 miles before I stop & stretch.

For the long rides, over 2 hrs, I make it a point to stop every hour. Take on food & replenish liquids, otherwise at the end of about 4 hrs, or about 2000 calories the 'wall' is what stops me. As long as I stop every hour & stretch/replenish I can pretty much keep up the pace all day. When you get done you are also relatively fresh, rahther than killed.

Originally posted by Prosody
Does this mean you answer nature's call while you are riding the bike?

Yes. Just make sure no one is behind you. It takes some practice, but i pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Slowing a couple MPH during a race is better than completely stopping.

I have known people that do not slow down and just go. Not sure about the rest of you, but I could not ride comfortably sitting in that.

The last race I was at I must have seen a dozen people on the side of the road doing there business.

Periodically stand up to stretch my legs for a couple of seconds, while I'm riding. But will usually stop at the half way point to stretch, drink, and eat (if neccessary). This goes for all my 20 - 60 mile rides. Haven't gone beyond 60. Although I went for a 46 miler once without stopping and was totally fine.