Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - What makes it a "Long Distance Ride"?

What in your opinion makes it a long distance ride?

Would a 50 mile ride on a 30 or 40 pound single speed Huffy or Schwinn "Beach Cruiser" on flat to moderate terrain be considered a long distance ride?

If mileage covered is the only determining factor, what is the line between "short" distance and "long" distance? Some people's idea of "a nice short ride" regardless of bike used could be 80 or more miles; in fact, I would fall into that category, I think it is a nice short ride from Homestead, Fl. to Marathon, after all, it is only 80 or 90 some odd miles and flat (except over the high bridges), and there is a bike path pretty much all the way, after the first 25 miles or so.

Is TIME and SPEED the determining factor? I know some (most?) people who do a century can complete it in under 5 hours. I have no problem going 100 miles, but I cannot go that fast with the bikes I have now.

So, What makes it a Long Distance Ride?

I think it depends on the person. If the longest you've ever ridden was 10 miles, then perhaps a long distance ride might be 30 miles.

For me, personally, I define a long distance ride as 100 miles (a century) or more.

But .... what difference does it make ... why does it matter?

It's generally distance, not time.

80 is sorta long. 100 is definitely a LD ride.

The type of bike you use and the time it takes is, IMO, is irrelevant. A strong rider can do an Imperial century in 4 hours, an average Joe/Jane could take 8 hours, but it's still a fairly long ride.

Or: if you to climb Mount Ventoux on a Schwinn Stingray and it takes you 6 hours, that either makes you a very silly person or an idiot. It still doesn't make 13 miles a "long distance."

Would a 50 mile ride on a 30 or 40 pound single speed Huffy or Schwinn "Beach Cruiser" on flat to moderate terrain be considered a long distance ride?

No, but it sure as hell would feel like it.



So, What makes it a Long Distance Ride?

For me it's 100 or more miles. Flat with no wind it's still a long way.

~~

Long distance to me is when I have to potentially manage sleep deprivation and some lengthy night riding into the ride. So that would be 400k+ on my 1990 Specialized Sirrus.

It's different for each person.

SharpT

Depends on what the rider is used to.

I do around 60 miles every day, split between dawn & eve rides, and most weekends I crank out one century and one 85-miler.

A long ride for me is anything over about 110 miles. My longest ever single ride was 127 miles, and it was a loooong one. (Of course, as my screen name would indicate, ALL of my rides are long ones, timewise.) I'm 50, weigh 145# soaking wet, and usually have a mid-price roadracing bike up under me.

But I have young neighbor who just did 25 miles... and we both consider that to be an achievement. He's 32, weighs maybe 290#, and does his 20 - 25 milers on a dual suspension mountain bike from one of the chain sporting goods stores. On platform pedals. Without any water bottles or hydration. In khaki shorts, an XXXL football jersey, and Vans. I'd call THOSE long rides.

No, but it sure as hell would feel like it.

~~

Amen. Why swing two bats?

Does "long" refer only to miles? What about a long time, or a long uphill? Several years ago I rode 51 miles, which included 7,267 feet of gain, and it took several hours. To me, that was a long ride.

For me right now, it's about 125k, 90k being the most I've done. I'm hoping to get to 200k by the end of the summer. If that's nuts, don't mess with my denial. ;):p

It does seem to be relative, but nobody's gonna say "100 miles or you can't post here!!" (I hope :cry: ).

I know some (most?) people who do a century can complete it in under 5 hours. I have no problem going 100 miles, but I cannot go that fast with the bikes I have now.

So, What makes it a Long Distance Ride?

Under 5 hours? Most people who can complete a century take less than this amout? I doubt it.

For me, however, anything > 100 miles is LD.

Under 5 hours? Most people who can complete a century take less than this amout? I doubt it.

I'd say, "I wish!" but really I don't. I'm happy with under 7 hours most of the time.

Depends upon your ability and stamina. Also terrain. 100 miles can not be all that much of a challenge, if its flat. Just take a little pause and a power bar and off you go. 20 miles can be a killer if it is 10 miles of 8% , plus grades .

My fastest ever century was in 1982... I was at my peak in my mid-30s. I did 102.5 miles in 6:07:29, at 16.7mph. I had a Fuji road bike, with the then-new Suntour indexed 6-sp RD. The ride was on gently rolling terrain, a couple of piddly eastern-US climbs, nothing strenuous.

I used to see 18.8 - 19.2mph shorter rides... There wasn't any point in filling out the TdF application, but still,
for me, man, those were the days.

Turning 40 was nothing... But 50 was a b*tch kitty.

In the past decade I haven't come in at anything under 6:40:00. Lately, I've gotten used to 15.7, 15.8, an occasional 16.0mph ride as being "pretty good." I can still do 110 miles in under 7hrs, but only just.

I can see the day coming when I'll have to toss out the bike computer and just ride until it gets near suppertime, like I used to do when I was ten.

My favorite definition for LD riding has always been the specialized skills needed. When you have to track down a special saddle... when you have to manage your nutrition for the long haul... when you have foot or stomach issues due to distance, then you're an LD rider.

I can hammer out a 60-miler with no food and just a couple of water bottles. I don't think I can make it to 70 that way

Long distance for me is over 100 km, but this is totally subjective. And I'm still trying to do a century in 5:30.

I figured that with the super lightweight road bikes used by those youngsters who compete in centuries would average at least 20 mph. I don't compete on a bike (I would lose big time). I ride for the fun of it, to save $$$ (not only on fuel, but auto insurance, registration, parking, ...). I know that when I was on my road bike (old Schwinn, can't remember the model) I would average 23 mph (according to my cycle computer, which was set to the mm for distance traveled on one rotation of the tire) in St. Pete, FL, (very flat) and was passed like I was stopped by the local bike club members when on their "relaxed" Sunday group rides. Oh well. Maybe I am just in better shape than I think, especially since I quit smoking since then, too.

I figured that with the super lightweight road bikes used by those youngsters who compete in centuries would average at least 20 mph. I don't compete on a bike (I would lose big time). ....

I know that when I was on my road bike (old Schwinn, can't remember the model) I would average 23 mph (according to my cycle computer, which was set to the mm for distance traveled on one rotation of the tire) in St. Pete, FL, (very flat) and was passed like I was stopped by the local bike club members when on their "relaxed" Sunday group rides. Oh well. Maybe I am just in better shape than I think, especially since I quit smoking since then, too.

Centuries aren't races ... they are rides ... not meant for competition.

And are you sure that wasn't 23 km/h if it was set to the millimetre for distance? 23 km/h is fairly brisk for a century.

Long distance for me is 50 miles, which I did today, given that I ride a mountain bike with front suspension and big fat knobbies. I guess the definition of LD is somewhat personal. The goal is to do 100 miles with the said mountain bike.

i think 100 km/62 mi is a good starting-point for considering a ride long distance.

that used to be my max, then it was 100 mi. then 200, 250, and most recently i did 310 mi (530 km with 30 mins sleep), my first triple-century.

but another way i define LD is any ride that gets me into another city, or even another county, state. also if you start seeing mail boxes for other towns' newspapers then you are most likely on an LD ride.

Centuries aren't races ... they are rides ... not meant for competition.

And are you sure that wasn't 23 km/h if it was set to the millimetre for distance? 23 km/h is fairly brisk for a century.

:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:

Perhaps not meant to be, but a lot of it going on all the same :)

A long ride is when you are so tired at the end that you cant work your shift levers any more.

A long ride is when you end up going through half a container of butt cream.

A long ride can be just about any distance depending on your fitness leval.

A long ride is when you are so tired at the end that you cant work your shift levers any more.

A long ride is when you end up going through half a container of butt cream.



I guess I haven't ridden a long distance yet. I haven't been so tired I can't work my shifters at the end of any ride, including my 1200K randonnees, and I rarely ever use butt cream. :)

A long ride is when you are so tired at the end that you cant work your shift levers any more.

A long ride is when you end up going through half a container of butt cream.

When it's dark when you start and dark again when you finish, it's been a long ride.

I guess I haven't ridden a long distance yet. I haven't been so tired I can't work my shifters at the end of any ride, including my 1200K randonnees, and I rarely ever use butt cream. :)
Machka are you using bar end shifters?
At the end of a long day I used to mash the brifters semi randomly, not so much anymore. What worked by instinct 8hrs earlier is suddenly a mystery.
If I'm off the MTB for a few weeks the thumb shifters are confusing too.

My rides tend to be either 30-70km or 160+. 100 is a good cutoff I reckon.

When I started riding, 20 miles seemed epic.

When I finished my first 50 miles, I was so proud.

When I finished my first English century, I was awestruck at seeing that third digit on the odometer.

When I finished Seattle to Portland in a single day (208 miles), I felt I knew what a long distance ride was. I found myself telling my stoker three weeks later at the start of RSVP, "Lynne, we only have to ride a century today." Honest, it just slipped out!

My wife got it into her head last fall that she wanted to ride forty miles. Unh-huh, honey. I picked the flattest route I could find and it just about did her in. That was a long ride.

Seriously. The thing about long rides is that they are relative to one's own conditioning and performance. A number of randonneurs have obviously chimed in, and I agree Portland-to-Glacier or Paris-Brest-Paris is pretty long ride by anyone's standards. But as the distances get longer the challenges change, they don't just get more demanding. I regard it as more of a rainbow continuum of different challenges, extending all the way from the 40 mile Saturday morning club ride to the 400Km randonneur event.


What in your opinion makes it a long distance ride?

Would a 50 mile ride on a 30 or 40 pound single speed Huffy or Schwinn "Beach Cruiser" on flat to moderate terrain be considered a long distance ride?
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Machka are you using bar end shifters?
At the end of a long day I used to mash the brifters semi randomly, not so much anymore. What worked by instinct 8hrs earlier is suddenly a mystery.
If I'm off the MTB for a few weeks the thumb shifters are confusing too.

My rides tend to be either 30-70km or 160+. 100 is a good cutoff I reckon.


No, I can't use bar end shifters. Mine are brifters, and for the most part are very comfortable and natural for me.

Long distance to me is 100+ miles a day.
My best ever time on century was 4:45; rode same century in reverse the next day at 4:50. BTW that was in Ontario, Canada and I was in my early 40s.
Best double century was 12 hours even.

The UMCA (Ultra Marathon Cycling Association) starts counting mileage at 90+ to 149 in the Century catagory and 150+ in the ultra category. Mind you some of these people are out there right now enjoying a 3,000 mile race. Speed? 200 Miles per day or 8.33 MPH was an old LAW standard.

Does "long" refer only to miles? What about a long time, or a long uphill? Several years ago I rode 51 miles, which included 7,267 feet of gain, and it took several hours. To me, that was a long ride.

"The body knows time, not distance."

That was an axiom that I picked up from a teammate when we were doing our 24 hour fleche across Massachusetts. The distance was 400km, and while many of us had done that distance before, it was a distance that could've been completed in 20 hours. The fleche felt like a more arduous task because we had to be on the road for 24 hours. It's probably the aspect of a fleche that surprises most faster riders, who see it as 'just' a 360km ride, and not 24 hours on the road, and wind up arriving far more drained than they would've on a standard 400k

It's also the axiom that gets raised when folks discuss the different experiences between faster and slower riders, and how, eventhough both groups might cover the same distance in a given ride, the slower riders always have the 'longer' journey because their bodies are asked to work for so much longer.

It's also the axiom that gets raised when folks discuss the different experiences between faster and slower riders, and how, eventhough both groups might cover the same distance in a given ride, the slower riders always have the 'longer' journey because their bodies are asked to work for so much longer.

i totally agree - it seems that slower riders (i'm one sometimes) have a harder time on the same route, since they're on the road so much longer.

also it seems that, at least with the local rando group, most DNFs happen out of the back of the pack. cause or effect, dunno.

i totally agree - it seems that slower riders (i'm one sometimes) have a harder time on the same route, since they're on the road so much longer.

also it seems that, at least with the local rando group, most DNFs happen out of the back of the pack. cause or effect, dunno.

And, as a slower rider, I think those who go fast on a route have an extremely strenuous ride.

Part of the reason DNFs happen to those of us in the back is because we start running out of time.

What in your opinion makes it a long distance ride?

Would a 50 mile ride on a 30 or 40 pound single speed Huffy or Schwinn "Beach Cruiser" on flat to moderate terrain be considered a long distance ride?

If mileage covered is the only determining factor, what is the line between "short" distance and "long" distance? Some people's idea of "a nice short ride" regardless of bike used could be 80 or more miles; in fact, I would fall into that category, I think it is a nice short ride from Homestead, Fl. to Marathon, after all, it is only 80 or 90 some odd miles and flat (except over the high bridges), and there is a bike path pretty much all the way, after the first 25 miles or so.

Is TIME and SPEED the determining factor? I know some (most?) people who do a century can complete it in under 5 hours. I have no problem going 100 miles, but I cannot go that fast with the bikes I have now.

So, What makes it a Long Distance Ride?

I don't believe that long distance riding should be defined by distance but by time riding vs. resting. For instance, most casual bike riders cannot ride for much over an hour. Stronger recreational riders can do 2-3 hours without much of a problem. However, when riding solid for over four or five hours or longer there are certain physiological mechanisms that you have to learn to adapt to which don't occur on shorter duration rides at moderate intensities.

The primary difference between touring and long distance riding is the amount of time spend stopping and resting. To be a long distance ride there should not be more than a couple of minutes of stopping in a four or five hour period. And you have to start dealing with all kinds of things that you normally don't have to. For this reason what is considered long distance is different for everyone depending on their fitness level and endurance ability.

Depends on what the rider is used to.

I do around 60 miles every day, split between dawn & eve rides, and most weekends I crank out one century and one 85-miler.


Capt Slow,
Are you retired and single without children, or do you ride so many miles to work and back?
That is impressive to say the least! 60 miles a day! How long does it take you to do 10 miles?

Tony

My faste....
I can see the day coming when I'll have to toss out the bike computer and just ride until it gets near suppertime, like I used to do when I was ten.

Thank you.

I will never buy another cyclocomputer

My favorite definition for LD riding has always been the specialized skills needed. When you have to track down a special saddle... when you have to manage your nutrition for the long haul... when you have foot or stomach issues due to distance, then you're an LD rider.

I can hammer out a 60-miler with no food and just a couple of water bottles. I don't think I can make it to 70 that way

I like this definition since it includes the "it depends on the rider" as a direct corollary.

I would say that doing anthing over 100 miles is considered a long distance ride.

Why? Because:

- the average cyclist I don't think does more than 50 miles in a day at max. I know lots of cyclists that that don't do more than 50 miles in a day but enjoy cycling
- to do the longer distances you really have to love cycling and have dedication to the sport
- to do the longer distances you have to be careful about hydration and nutrition - thinks tha the average cyclist doesn't worry about because they don't do distances that require this attention
- long distance cycling requires planning - you just don't hop on the bike and go
- most cyclist think doing 100 miles is pretty stupid - therefore lack of dedicatio to the sport
- to do the long distances and put up with everything that it entails means you have to love cycling

Therefore, that's why I think long distance cycling is 100 miles plus - you gotta love pedalling.

I try to do a century once a month. Last year I did a 187 mile ride. I have time constraints - family and all but try to have days dedicated to my favorite endeavor. Frankly, when I do long rides, sometimes I feel I can ride forever and almost regret pulling into my driveway.