Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Newb needs to get in shape for a 500 mile ride

Hey, I'm coming back from a torn tendon and i need to get in shape for a 500 mile ride. We'll be averaging about 25 mph. I'm riding a Trek 7300FX(hybrid). Right now i can hold about 15-17 mph for 40 miles(thats the farthest i've ever ridden). I need to know what kind of training i need to do. The only grade on the trail that i know of is 13%.

Hey, I'm coming back from a torn tendon and i need to get in shape for a 500 mile ride. We'll be averaging about 25 mph. I'm riding a Trek 7300FX(hybrid). Right now i can hold about 15-17 mph for 40 miles(thats the farthest i've ever ridden). I need to know what kind of training i need to do. The only grade on the trail that i know of is 13%.
at the risk of nibbling on troll bait: 25 mph total average time on a 500 mile ride is rather ... ambitious. is there a typo in here or is there something missing in your information?

like, perhaps, the fact that you'll be on motor scooters? ;)

(fwiw, most of the first finishers in a 600k (375 mile) brevet tend to average around 15-17 mph total time, moving average might be a little higher, but it won't be even close to 20mph )

Say, spokenword? I'm looking for advice too. I have a date with a supermodel coming up, and I weigh 300 pounds and have a serious acne problem. What can I do to loose the weight by Friday, and clear up my complexion? (I only have the one arm, so can't apply topical creams to the left side of my face.)

Thanks in advance!

Say, spokenword? I'm looking for advice too. I have a date with a supermodel coming up, and I weigh 300 pounds and have a serious acne problem. What can I do to loose the weight by Friday, and clear up my complexion? (I only have the one arm, so can't apply topical creams to the left side of my face.)

Thanks in advance!

oh that's easy, 6j. convert to hinduism, shoot yourself in the face and hope for the best from reincarnation.

though, to paraphrase Richard, if you've already got a date then that's half the battle right there!

Lol!

shows how much i know, 25 mph sounded right to me. If it's not thats right thats fine. Then i guess i need advice on how to train for a 500 mph ride at an avg of 15-17 mph.

p.s. I was sincere in my desire to ride at that pace(500 miles 25mph avg) I didn't know that that was beyond normal. BTW i'm not a troll, just not very knowledgable of the limits of human capability.

shows how much i know, 25 mph sounded right to me. If it's not thats right thats fine. Then i guess i need advice on how to train for a 500 mph ride at an avg of 15-17 mph.

What your average speed will depend greatly on your terrain, your bike, and your condition. For example, as a borderline uberclyde(290 lbs), I will only average about 10-12 mph through the hills of CT doing a century on my road bike. However, put me down in Savannah, GA, and I'll average 18+ mph. If you are only averaging 16 mph now, averaging 25mph for a 100 mile ride will be a pretty tall order to accomplish this season.

not this season next summer, forgot to add that.

shows how much i know, 25 mph sounded right to me. If it's not thats right thats fine. Then i guess i need advice on how to train for a 500 mph ride at an avg of 15-17 mph.
ok ... sorry, if we came off a bit mean. sometimes, people tend to post stuff to get folks riled up with claims of exaggerated abilities and your post unfortunately fell into that stereotype.

to your question, we need some clarifying information.

a) how soon is this ride of yours?
b) how many days are you planning on taking to finish riding 500 miles?
c) will you be self-supported or will you have someone around to help with mechanical problems and transport any gear?
d) what's the point of your ride (tour? endurance event with specific time requirements? doing it just because you can?)

but, the short answer to your question is: 40 miles is not enough. you need to go further and you need to go often.

essentially, for long distances on a bike, your training is not just physical conditioning (is my body strong /hard enough to ride x miles in y speed) but also mental, mechanical and nutritional. In general, if you can do 40 miles right now, you should try to do 60. After you do 60, try 80. After 80, try a 100. After you do a 100, your body is able to do 500 -- given certain amounts of willpower, digestive health and a lack of catastrophic mechanical problems with your bike.

The mental stuff just comes with doing a lot of hours on a bike; and also doing a lot of hard hours ... riding at night, in bad weather and other adverse conditions. You have no control over what your environment will be like on long rides. A forecast for good weather in the area where you spend your first 100 miles might lead into a rainstorm after 200. You have to accept that and deal with it; and part of that just comes from riding all the time. If you guys are planning on riding at night, then definitely train for that above all others.

Nutrition is important because it's directly related to your endurance. Your body is an engine and it needs a constant stream of fuel. Basically, you need about 250 - 300 calories per hour that you'll be riding (basically one Clif Bar or six Fig Newtons) in addition to water and electrolytes. Again, you need to ride far distances to suss this stuff out. If you're only doing 40 miles (and at a 15 mph average) you're only on a bike for 2.5 hours. Your lunch will fill that caloric need and you can get through any 2.5 hr ride with a light snack. It's when you get to more than 5 hours on a bike that the importance of eating properly starts to become apparent.

Mechanicals are pretty obvious. Know how to do basic field work. Fix a flat. Fix a broken spoken. Fix a broken chain. Know how to do it all in the rain. Know how to do it at night. If you're riding unsupported, an unfortunate mechanical problem can render all of your training for naught. You need to know how to work on your bike when you're dozens of miles from the nearest shop or friendly garage.

Of course, the importance of all of this can change depending on how intense you plan on doing the ride. if you're doing it as a tour and wanting to take your time, then the nutritional and mental stuff gets to be less important; and the amount of training you need decreases. More than a few people have started cross-country tours without having ridden more than 40 miles in their entire life. They just train up to distances as they continue through the tour. if you have specific time/speed goals that you need to hit (and it sounds like you're not sure) then it becomes more important to train up to those goals before the event starts.

The ride is next summer, we will take about a week or a little less, it's only me and a friend (no car to ferry stuff out to us), were doing it because we love biking and we want to see the country. anything else you need to know. oh yea were also doing a shorter 60 mile trip this summert and hopefully an 80 and 100 mile trip a little later.

shows how much i know, 25 mph sounded right to me. If it's not thats right thats fine. Then i guess i need advice on how to train for a 500 mph ride at an avg of 15-17 mph.

p.s. I was sincere in my desire to ride at that pace(500 miles 25mph avg) I didn't know that that was beyond normal. BTW i'm not a troll, just not very knowledgable of the limits of human capability.

no problem. I am also compelled to point out that a 15mph average pace on distances of greater than 200 miles is also within the realm of human capability, but it's a highly rareified realm. As I said, in my first response to you, the fastest folks on a 375 mile ride usually average 15-17, and these people are almost inhumanly swift. Most of the rest of us get along in the 10-12 range. Regardless of your level of fitness, your average speed will always drop off as you go further, and you will probably find that while you might be able to maintain a 15 mph average on a 40 mile ride, it will become increasingly difficult to keep that up at 80 or 120.

There are a few reasons for this: For one,, your body is using up calories faster than your stomach can provide replacement. With hard effort, you will probably be burning 600-800 calories per hour of cycling, but your stomach can only process between 250 - 300. The remaining deficit is made up of your body tapping into energy reserves in your glycogen and your muscles. That means that you will progressively get weaker and more tired as you go further.

So, if you want to hit 15-17, you need to get your average 40 mile ride speed up to more than 20 mph, so that as you get tired, you'll fall closer to 15. Unfortunately, it's difficult to do that on a hybrid as the aerodynamics work against you and because of air friction, it's will be more difficult to maintain a high speed. Essentially air drag increases as your speed increases. So you will wind up doing more work to go from 18 to 20 mph than if you were going from 15 to 17.

dream on . . .

The ride is next summer, we will take about a week or a little less, it's only me and a friend (no car to ferry stuff out to us), were doing it because we love biking and we want to see the country. anything else you need to know. oh yea were also doing a shorter 60 mile trip this summert and hopefully an 80 and 100 mile trip a little later.
oh, a week? hell, in that case, yeah, don't worry about it. Do a 100 mile ride, and you'll be fine. If you arent used to multi-day riding, then do that, too. Maybe do, like, a couple of 60s on back-to-back days, just to get your body used to doing some distances with a bit of sleep in between.

And, of course, learn basic bike mechani stuff if you don't know it already.

So let me summarize here ...

You are doing a 500 mile ride spread out over a week. So that's approx. 70 to 100 miles a day or so.

Your longest distance is currently 40 miles in one day. You should have no trouble with a 70 mile day. Keep gradually increasing your weekly distance by about 10% per week, and increase your long day by about 10% as well. So if you're doing 100 miles a week right now, next week ride 110. If you did 40 miles this past Saturday, ride 44 miles this coming Saturday.

I always find it amusing when riders want to do longer distances, and the first thing they talk about is NOT building up to the distance, but rather about the speed at which they want to do the distance. If you are planning to race, focussing on the speed is fine, but if you want to ride long distances, focus on being able to ride the distance. Don't worry about the speed. The speed can come later.

It is no wonder that people here assumed you were a troll!! You don't know if you can even cover the distance yet. You are riding a hybrid. Your current speed over 40 miles is 15-17 mph ...... and in one year's time you want to average 25 mph over a distance that is twice the distance you've ever done??? Right!!

First focus on the distance. Then once you feel more comfortable riding your daily distances, build up your strength and speed. If you increase your average mph by 2 or 3 mph, consider yourself fortunate.

I need to know what kind of training i need to do. Riding your bike a lot will help prepare you for riding your bike a lot.......

Riding your bike a lot will help prepare you for riding your bike a lot.......

I hadn't thought of that, you must be some sort of cycling expert!

I already ride my bike as much as i can, 40 miles every other day.

If you are doing 15-17 mph average for 40 miles every other day, then you are in good position to do this trip. You already have good general fitness. You need to work on gradually increasing your distance so you can do a 100 mile ride once a week. This is within your grasp. Take one day a week (usually Saturday is best) and start doing longer and longer routes. Don't worry about speed. Concentrate on distance. Ride shorter distances during the week.

I hadn't thought of that, you must be some sort of cycling expert!

He is, intentionally or not, paraphrasing the greatest "cycling expert" of all time, Eddy Merckx. When asked by a reporter "How does one become a great champion?" he replied "Ride lots."

IMO your goal should be to finish the ride. Training to this goal really is about "riding lots". If 40 miles every other day is all you can manage due to time constraints, then there is no point to this thread as you are already doing everything you can. If, on the other hand, 40 miles every other day is all you can manage due to physical limitations, then you need to A) ride more often than every other day, and B) increase your total distances by about 10% each week.

Your longest distance is currently 40 miles in one day. You should have no trouble with a 70 mile day. Keep gradually increasing your weekly distance by about 10% per week, and increase your long day by about 10% as well. So if you're doing 100 miles a week right now, next week ride 110. If you did 40 miles this past Saturday, ride 44 miles this coming Saturday.....

....First focus on the distance. Then once you feel more comfortable riding your daily distances, build up your strength and speed. If you increase your average mph by 2 or 3 mph, consider yourself fortunate.
I think anyone who can ride 40 miles at one go can easily jump up to 100, though not at a 40 mile pace. Considering that the OP is going for a week long event, he further needs to get to the point that he can ride these distances without the need for recovery in between. There is a huge difference between riding alternate days and riding every day.

I agree that the focus needs to be on distance rather than the speed. No insult twistedkosher, but I think you really need to readjust your goals. I think that you can easily be in shape for a 500 mile week long event in a year. However, the chances of completing it over 20mph are nil. Depending on your condition, a 15 mph average (including stops) might be attainable.

I think anyone who can ride 40 miles at one go can easily jump up to 100, though not at a 40 mile pace.
I'll cheerfully disagree with that one. Personally, if my condition is such that a 40 mile ride is a workout for me, 100 would be a death march. And if it takes me a day to recover from a 40, back to back (to back to back to back) 100s would be on the cusp of physical impossibility -- and miles removed from anything resembling "fun".

I think we're all agreed that worrying about speed at this point -- let alone world class averages like 25 mph -- is pointless, but in his shoes I'd be worried about even completing his event without first spending a lot of effort on adapting to daily efforts and longer distances.

I already ride my bike as much as i can, 40 miles every other day.
Be aware that by cycling standards, this is not much. There were a few months this year after I switched jobs when I was only able to put 100-150 miles a week. Consequently, I'm in the worst shape I've been in for years.

Just this month, I got hooked up with a 44 mile bike commute that I can enjoy 3 times a week and I now have the opportunity to ride much further on weekends. Although I can do my commute at an average speed of over 20mph (with average luck at the stoplights, slightly slower if luck is bad), I think of that riding as maintaining my base -- i.e. it is not training for a big ride.

The people who can maintain those insane speeds REALLY ride lots and they are born with more ability than the vast majority of other people.

When I first started racing, back before disk wheels and aero bars -- in other words, on bikes a lot like what we ride for LD -- we were happy to go more than a few minutes under an hour for a 25 mile time trial. I might be able to maintain 25 mph for 30 minutes or so these days, (300 miles/week, no speedwork) but I'd have to call 911 afterwards.

I was present when Mike Secrest set a 24 hour world record at the old Olympic velodrome in Carson. IIRC that was in the neighborhood of 500 miles at about 22 mph, and he was using an aero helmet, disk wheels, and a condom catheter with a pee bottle attached to the bike.

I did over 500 miles in a week having done a couple centuries earlier that season and built up to 40 -50 miles four or five times a week for the preceeding three weeks. The important thing is build a up a good base but don't increase your weekly milage by more than 10% of the preceeding week.

I'll cheerfully disagree with that one. Personally, if my condition is such that a 40 mile ride is a workout for me, 100 would be a death march. And if it takes me a day to recover from a 40, back to back (to back to back to back) 100s would be on the cusp of physical impossibility -- and miles removed from anything resembling "fun".

I think we're all agreed that worrying about speed at this point -- let alone world class averages like 25 mph -- is pointless, but in his shoes I'd be worried about even completing his event without first spending a lot of effort on adapting to daily efforts and longer distances.

Actually, the common knowledge I've read in several books is that a person can do a long ride of approximately 3 times what they normally (and consistently) train. Thus, if you do 35-mile rides regularly in training, you can plan on riding a century with no problem. Will you ride it fast and pain-free? Probably not, but you can do it.

When I first started cycling, I didn't know what I was doing, and agreed to do a 75-mile charity event w/ a friend of mine, doing a 65-mile (organized) ride the week before the main event. I just started training a mere two weeks before the event, and was only doing 15-mile rides. That 65-mile event HURT, and I slept for 3 hours immediately afterwards, just crashed from exhaustion, but I did it. And the next week I did the 75-miler in the mountains. It hurt, too, but less than the first one. After that, I started to realize what was really needed, and started doing real training. And my longer distance rides and tours have been more enjoyable as a result. Still, I didn't have to start out w/ long distance to jump into long distance; it just would have been better if I had.

A lot of it is mental...

So these are the constructive things i've taken away from this thread.

"You need to work on gradually increasing your distance so you can do a 100 mile ride once a week. This is within your grasp. Take one day a week (usually Saturday is best) and start doing longer and longer routes"

"I agree that the focus needs to be on distance rather than the speed."

"Keep gradually increasing your weekly distance by about 10% per week, and increase your long day by about 10% as well. So if you're doing 100 miles a week right now, next week ride 110. If you did 40 miles this past Saturday, ride 44 miles this coming Saturday."

"With hard effort, you will probably be burning 600-800 calories per hour of cycling, but your stomach can only process between 250 - 300. The remaining deficit is made up of your body tapping into energy reserves in your glycogen and your muscles. That means that you will progressively get weaker and more tired as you go further."

That and everything spokenword said. Is there anything else i should know about? From what i've read here i'm lead to believe that the only type of excercise i should do is riding my butt off everyday, Is that correct?

That and everything spokenword said. Is there anything else i should know about? From what i've read here i'm lead to believe that the only type of excercise i should do is riding my butt off everyday, Is that correct?

if you're planning on taking a week to do this, then you don't need to worry that much about eating. Most of the eating/nutrition advice on this forum is for folks who are doing rides that require a lot of eating while pedaling, which adds stress to your digestive system. If you have the time allowance to sit down and eat a meal, then take advantage of it, and you will probably enjoy more of your ride.

From what i've read here i'm lead to believe that the only type of excercise i should do is riding my butt off everyday, Is that correct?

Not every day ... rest days are important too. Ride 5-6 days a week. In addition to that, you might want to work on some core exercises.

And on your rest days you might want to read over some of the articles on this site ... especially the training and nutrition ones.
http://www.ultracycling.com/

one more thing, my seat is killing the bottom of my pelvis, is there a thread here about bike seats that dont cause you pain, cause i can't find one.

it might help if you stop thinking of them as seats, and instead think of them as "saddles".

then, that "List your favorite long-distance saddles" thread will seem to make sense.

And when you think of saddles, you might think of the leather things they put on horses .... key word there = "leather". Thousands of cowboys ... and thousands of randonneurs ... can't be wrong.

In other words ... think Brooks. :D

Hey, I'm coming back from a torn tendon and i need to get in shape for a 500 mile ride. We'll be averaging about 25 mph. I'm riding a Trek 7300FX(hybrid). Right now i can hold about 15-17 mph for 40 miles(thats the farthest i've ever ridden). I need to know what kind of training i need to do. The only grade on the trail that i know of is 13%.

To put a few things into perspective:

The Tour de France racers ride a relatively flat course at an average speed of 25 mph for about 120-140 miles.

If you as fit as this category of racer you can do your 500 mile ride in a week easily at a 25 mph pace. If you were capable of this you would have been a long time racer and would not even be asking this question.

You will need to ride about 70-80 miles a day every day for 7 days to do your ride. Even at 20 mph you would need to be very fit to do this and recover for the next days ride. If you are young and a very fit rider you can do this. In other words if you can do this easily you can ride it at 20 mph. More realistically you will have to follow most of the advice given above.

I think to accomplish what you are intending you need to do at least 2 60-70 miles rides a week at a moderate pace of say 15-17 mph and two shorter rides of 30-40 miles at a 18-20 mph average for training. It also wouldn't hurt to do one really long 100 mile ride a week at a slower pace. Maybe 12-14 mph to give you a starting place. You will need to train to ride on consecutive days and when you actually do your ride you will need to ride slower than normal to compensate for the fact that you have no recovery days.

To put a few things into perspective:

The Tour de France racers ride a relatively flat course at an average speed of 25 mph for about 120-140 miles.

If you as fit as this category of racer you can do your 500 mile ride in a week easily at a 25 mph pace. If you were capable of this you would have been a long time racer and would not even be asking this question.

You will need to ride about 70-80 miles a day every day for 7 days to do your ride. Even at 20 mph you would need to be very fit to do this and recover for the next days ride. If you are young and a very fit rider you can do this. In other words if you can do this easily you can ride it at 20 mph. More realistically you will have to follow most of the advice given above.

I think to accomplish what you are intending you need to do at least 2 60-70 miles rides a week at a moderate pace of say 15-17 mph and two shorter rides of 30-40 miles at a 18-20 mph average for training. It also wouldn't hurt to do one really long 100 mile ride a week at a slower pace. Maybe 12-14 mph to give you a starting place. You will need to train to ride on consecutive days and when you actually do your ride you will need to ride slower than normal to compensate for the fact that you have no recovery days.

What a pro cyclist can do has no bearing here. The OP is not doing anything like a TdF. A good endurance rider can do 500 miles in three days. The average speed will be much less than 20 mph, but it can be done. Thousands of PBP riders will prove that next month.

I have done multiple cross state tours that are similar to what the OP is planning. To do these, I trained by doing a lot of 100K rides on a weekend day with shorter rides during the week. I did my first cross state tour without having ever ridden a real century.

Keep in mind that if you average only 10 mph, you can easily cover 70-80 miles in summertime without even riding in darkness. 10 mph average is quite slow and would allow lots of breaks.

The OPs plan is not overly ambitious. If we was planning to do it next month, it would be a stretch, but he's planning to do it next year. A year to train for a one week tour? No problem.

one more thing, my seat is killing the bottom of my pelvis, is there a thread here about bike seats that dont cause you pain, cause i can't find one.
It is very important to adjust your saddle carefully. A couple mm too far forward/back or a couple degrees of tilt one way or the other can be the difference between misery and relative comfort. You should experiment with different adjustments until you get what works best.

You need to condition your butt a certain amount, but if you're riding 40 miles every other day, you should be used to it. If you're not, it's a sign that you need to adjust it. I just ride with the stock saddles that come with my bike and buy something relatively inexpensive when they wear out and have never had trouble.

Another tip -- I find gel shorts to a godsend when you're going to be out all day. They weigh an extra 1/4 or so, but it's really worth it.

I'm pretty new to riding, but when you talk about doing the distances you do, is that with bags or panniers. I'm thinking, you would be carrying things that you would need for the trip. Would you train with these things on your bikes?

I just use a largish (by roadie standards, anyway) saddlebag containing food, some warm clothes, tools, pump and Co2, tubes, and a spare tire. And a credit card in case things get completely out of hand. And yes, it goes with me everywhere I ride the bike. In my experience, things that only get added to the bike for that "special ride" tend to fall off. :)

I'm pretty new to riding, but when you talk about doing the distances you do, is that with bags or panniers. I'm thinking, you would be carrying things that you would need for the trip. Would you train with these things on your bikes?
Generally speaking, when you preparing for a ride, it's better if your bike heavier and slower than when you're doing the real thing than for it to be lighter and faster.

Long distance riding is largely a mental exercise and if your bike is easier to ride on the big day, you will feel better. You do not want things to seem harder when you already have so much further to go. I extra stuff (e.g. 2 or 3 extra quarts of gatorade, tools I don't normally carry, more clothing than necessary)

I'm pretty new to riding, but when you talk about doing the distances you do, is that with bags or panniers. I'm thinking, you would be carrying things that you would need for the trip. Would you train with these things on your bikes?

Handlebar bag and usually some sort of trunk bag. And yes, I train with them.

Handlebar bag and usually some sort of trunk bag. And yes, I train with them.
Thanks, I felt somewhat out of place with my bags on, as we have mostly racers here, but I have the bags you mentioned and I'll start carrying them.

Sorry I didn't mean to hijack the thread, but thanks everybody for your help.

That gives me ambition to take up a long ride. Good luck op.

I'm pretty new to riding, but when you talk about doing the distances you do, is that with bags or panniers. I'm thinking, you would be carrying things that you would need for the trip. Would you train with these things on your bikes? after planning on doing all of PBP without drop bags, I've taken to doing all of my weekend training runs with a Carradice saddlebag that is loaded with three changes of clothes, a sleeping bag, rain kit, toolkit and food. I never wind up using the clothes or sleeping bag during the training ride, but I want to be used to the weight by the time the event starts.

And I look forward to being able to climb like a beast once PBP is done and I can take all of this gear off my bike ;)

Your ideas are interesting and I think my experience my help.
I rode a bike, commuting daily about 20 miles for 12 years through London traffic. I was very fit and could beat the traffic all the time. I could ride 25 miles in an hour on open roads.
I changed jobs and for 10 years was unable to commute so just rode socially when I could.
Two years ago the opportunity to commute 22 miles each day arose and for 18 months I did just that. I lost 16lbs in weight and feel fantastic.
The first day I started it took me 45 minutes to ride the 11 miles, on open roads and it took all morning for my legs to recover.
After 18 months I had reduced that time to 30-34 minutes depending on the weather and had reduced my heart rate down to 50bpm.
I am now back to riding 20-50 miles 4 times a week and just about edging towards 20mph.
At the age of 44 I don't think I'll ever get back to the 25mph I was capable of in my early twenties unless I start doing hundreds of miles and lots of interval training.
If I were you I would be satisfied in being able to ride at 10 - 15mph rather than worry about 25mph. Anyway at that speed you are never going to be able to look at the countryside you are riding through as you will have to concentrate on the road all the time.
I wish you well and hope you and your friend enjoy your 500 mile ride.

Thanks for all you advice, it's been a real help. I'm glad i joined this forum.

I'd like to point out that 500 miles is.....

Very long. Very, very long. I can't do a 30 mile ride without getting bored. My 60 mile rides are like boredom torture. You're riding about 80 miles a day, are you sure you won't get bored doing that over and over again?

Thanks, I felt somewhat out of place with my bags on, as we have mostly racers here, but I have the bags you mentioned and I'll start carrying them.

<highjack> The group I train with is exclusively racers and racer wannabes. They definitely thought I was a fred when I started showing up with a big old saddlebag, but when they learned about the kind of distances us types ride, the heads started nodding. So I wouldn't worry too much.

The ultimate revenge is to simply get fit enough to drop the racers... </highjack>

I'd like to point out that 500 miles is.....

Very long. Very, very long. I can't do a 30 mile ride without getting bored. My 60 mile rides are like boredom torture. You're riding about 80 miles a day, are you sure you won't get bored doing that over and over again?

I think you're in the wrong forum!! In fact, I'm puzzled why you would venture into a Long Distance forum if relatively short 60 mile rides are "boredom torture".

We ENJOY riding long distances over here ... I'm rarely bored when I'm out there all day (and all night) on my bicycle. There's so much to see ... so much to think about .... :)

I just saw the title and thought "............"

I enjoy doing fast paced short rides. I have ADD. Don't blame me. It's hereditary.

I'm planning on a Century, but I'll probably get bored and just ride back after 40 miles.


"So much to think about." Thinking, along with brakes and common sense, is for pansys. A real man (or woman) blindly tears through traffic.

HOw is having ADD an excuse for being bored while riding? I have ADHD and i'm never bored while riding. Although in the city

"Thinking, along with brakes and common sense, is for pansys. A real man (or woman) blindly tears through traffic."


Thats my motto

ADD is my excuse for all my flaws.


Maybe I should switch to Mt. Biking. Falling sounds like fun.

I think you're in the wrong forum!! In fact, I'm puzzled why you would venture into a Long Distance forum if relatively short 60 mile rides are "boredom torture".

We ENJOY riding long distances over here ... I'm rarely bored when I'm out there all day (and all night) on my bicycle. There's so much to see ... so much to think about .... :)
I can't remember EVER being bored on a bike ride (though I have experienced enough pain, fatigue, or discomfort to look forward to the end of a ride on many occasions). Frankly, if I can get out on a weekend, not being out for at least 5 hours is a disappointment.

Having said that, I'm not sure how much I think when I ride. I think about things sometimes, but much of the time I simply enjoy the sights, noises, and smells and the sensation I get from riding.


ADD is my excuse for all my flaws.
I blame video games and cartoons, presuming you were exposed to them ;)