So when does it get easier?

[monkeyevil]

I love reading posts on here and in the road forum about centuries, double centuries, etc... I have been riding off and on my whole life but I just got into riding daily for my commute. It's about 9 miles round trip, and on the weekends I would have no problem with putting in maybe 15-20 miles at this point.

100 miles? Holy crap... I need to be in some kind of better shape (other than round) for that one :lol: I did make the switch from my mountain bike to a dedicated road bike, and wow does that make the miles faster.

I'm just anxious to drop 50 miles and not feel like death at the end. :thumb:

[Tom Stormcrowe]

It never gets easier, you just get faster and can ride longer. ;)

In honesty, the only limits imposed on a rider are self imposed....;) Yeah, you might not make a Century, if you try, but your chances are infinitely better than someone who never tries. :D

[abbynemmy]

It never gets easier, you just get faster and can ride longer. ;)

In honesty, the only limits imposed on a rider are self imposed....;) Yeah, you might not make a Century, if you try, but your chances are infinitely better than someone who never tries. :D

It never gets easier, you just get faster.
When I first got back into cycling and read that quote I didn't understand it. I thought it must get easier. But after commuting for a month I totaly understand what he is saying. I'm not sure if every cyclist does this but I always find myself riding on that fine line between riding hard and riding so hard you puke. The more I ride I find I can go faster before I get to that point but I always ride on that fine line. I hope I explained that clearly enough.

[Steverino]

Ditto what Tom said - in the past year, I have increased average speed 5 mph, and built up the courage to attack steeper hills; in the end, just as tired as before, but pleased with the accomplishment.

With respect to centuries, just set interim goals. Once I was confident I could do 20 miles, I did 30, and it was no big deal. Once I did 30, a supported metric century (62 miles) was not too much of a stretch. After doing a couple of 60 mile rides, I tried a supported century. There were times (around mile 80) I was having conversations with myself wondering why my feet were stuck to these pedals, and what was I doing :) but I got through it, and had a great time.

[freeagent1970]

Im with you on this...i guess i have to just build up my stamina. I road in very breezy conditions today with somenice hills after four or five miles i was pooped out. But i am like a wall on my bike in the wind..like most of us are. Im so dang wide acrioss the shouders i can feel it grabbing me. Ill make the jump to a roadie when i get out of the 300s

[Jay68442]

It gets easier but it seems to take a long time. For me the gains have been small but still I gain. At the beginning of the season an 8 mile ride seemed difficult. Now I do 30 mile rides on the weekend. I still suffer on long steep climbs but I make it to the top and have yet to walk a hill. Of course there are guys here that do 30 mile warm-ups but hey one day I will get there.

[CACycling]

When I returned to cycling last September, 5 miles seemed like a long ride. By the first of the year I was riding daily and 20 miles seemed like a long ride. Last Saturday, my wife wanted to take it easy so we only did 35 miles. I now know that I'll ride my age by September (my 49th birthday) and a metric century will be coming sometime after that. A century still seems out of reach but I know it won't feel that way for long. Just keep riding consistently, longer and farther. You'll be amazed what your body will accomplish.

[monkeyevil]

Rode the 20.1 miles to see my family for fathers day today. It's pretty much rolling hills the whole way and took me 1:16. Not a great time, but I certainly felt like I could have rode at least 10 more miles when I got to their house. This was my first trip clipless, and WOW does that make it smoother and easier.

There was a crazy sidewind though, and with loaded panniers I could not do more than maybe 28-30 on the downhills without starting to wobble... it sucked for sure.

I did not make the ride home though, maybe next weekend I will give it a shot.

[The Historian]

I love reading posts on here and in the road forum about centuries, double centuries, etc... I have been riding off and on my whole life but I just got into riding daily for my commute. It's about 9 miles round trip, and on the weekends I would have no problem with putting in maybe 15-20 miles at this point.

100 miles? Holy crap... I need to be in some kind of better shape (other than round) for that one :lol: I did make the switch from my mountain bike to a dedicated road bike, and wow does that make the miles faster.

I'm just anxious to drop 50 miles and not feel like death at the end. :thumb:

Just build up to it. Ride longer and longer, until you get to the point you can ride 50 or 100 or whatever miles.

[Burningman]

It never does really,because if you can ride 30 comfortably..20 is no problem...

if you go 50 ,30-40 is no problem.....

if you get to 100,then 50-60 are to stay in shape for your 100...

if you spin out 100 no problem then you'll find yourself looking at those hills over there and maybe include them next time

When you start it does seem to take awhile but it will happen...then any distance is yours

[jyossarian]

It gets easier when you don't try to hit your mileage goal for that ride in the first hour, i.e.; don't try to ride a century by going as fast as you can. At 10 mph, you can finish one in 10 hrs. while talking to your friends the whole time. You just have to have a comfortable saddle.

[SalminSam]

For me it has not gotten easier, however its more fun now and I go farther. Weight reduction is slow, but after 2.5 good months my pant size has gone from 44 to 42, and I feel great.

[haenous]

when training for endurance I try to do my long miles while keeping a pace about 70-75% of my max target heart rate, once I have done my endurance miles then I work on speed intervals, currently for me this equates to riding 50 miles at a 17-19 mph pace with my heart rate around 135. I increase my distance about 10% every week or so.....

[DieselDan]

Easy? I'm not doing this because it is easy. If it seems easy, up shift and ride farther and faster. Go find the local racer's training ride and try to hang on. Then it will NEVER be easy. Racer's love to drop us fatasses.