Recreational & Family - I just want to ride

Does anyone on bike forums just ride(rhetorical)?

I am lucky in that the northern VA/DC area is rampant with paths and trails. I bought a new bike just so I can go out and cruise the paths and trails, get some exercise, and relax.

Although I enjoy reading about all of the different kinds of training, I just want to work my way up to doing 40-50 mile rides. How do I train for that without doing sprints, climbs, spurts, centuries, etc?

Just keep riding?

Does anyone on bike forums just ride(rhetorical)?

Just keep riding?

that's what I did. I started to get in shape for a charity ride last summer. But mostly I just enjoyed getting out and riding.
I just tried to add 5-10 miles every week or so. No sprints or anything like that. After a couple months I was able to do 40-50 miles.
There may be better regimens for training but that worked for me. Enjoy riding an area that has a lot of options for trails/paths. Where I'm at only has a couple well maintained paths so they get a little crowded sometimes.

Don't feel like you have to keep up with the Joneses in the other forums. Some of the Joneses have serious game. Some of them type a serious game.

I ride when I can and wish that it could be more. Enjoy your bike and the fresh air and have fun!

Just keep riding?

Finish each ride feeling good and wishing the ride had lasted longer - you will look forward to the next ride.
Finish the ride tired and glad it's over - you will lose motivation for the next ride.

If all you did was just ride, you wouldn't be on Bike Forums.

Slowly increasing your milage each week will do the trick no problem.

All the sprinting and intervals and stuff will just make you faster and stronger quicker. Not necessary if you 'just want to ride' but helpful if you want to 'train' to a specific time / distance goal.

Finish each ride feeling good and wishing the ride had lasted longer - you will look forward to the next ride.
Finish the ride tired and glad it's over - you will lose motivation for the next ride.

Amen. The crappy weather had me indoors almost an entire week. Last night, I only had time for about 21 miles, and wished I had time for 50. It felt really good. Mid 40s, light winds, just a perfect evening for January in the Northeast.

Although for the OP, I would suggest getting off the trails, and at least try some rolling terrain. Trails get boring. They make it hard to stay motivated, too, seeing the same things over and over and over. And hills will get easier the more you do them. If you have to walk the last part of the grade, walk it. Don't feel self-conscious. You're riding for your own pleasure, not for anyone else's.

To answer the first part of your question: Does anyone on BF just ride? YES! I do and my wife does also. We have no goals for the week, month or year. While we do write our rides on the calender, we don't add up the mileage. I can't tell you how far we rode last year and don't really care. I suspect there are a lot of others like us. We don't report "stories" because there is very little to report. We just spent time outside on our bikes. It is a lot of fun just to ride.

The BF is a good source of information and we enjoy reading it. Thanks to all.

Just ride!!!!!!!!! I keep thinking about "training" etc.. but I'm lazy and have no interest in racing.. maybe a charity ride someday.. but that's not a race anyhow. I started doing 10-20 miles a trip, eventually started just exploring on those trips.. getting up to 3-4 hour fun rides.. and started realizing the mileage was getting fairly high.. last month I tried a 50 mile trip and made it in a little under 3 hours.. considering some of that riding was in the hearts of the largest towns around, not bad I think. Just enjoy it and ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just use your bike for everything and extend the miles you go out for and maybe find friends to go for longer rides with it helps cope with the increased distances and it doesnt seem so far when you are enjoying their company.

I had to cycle into Manchester 3 times a week for job training which was 5 miles each way and was also going out on bike rides with my bike club so got gradually fitter doing that and was often quite impressed with the mileage I had covered.

My wife and I usually ride to get something to eat, or just go out for coffee. I've always felt the best part of bicycling is stopping to eat. If you ride 20 miles stop for a leisurely Chinese or Tai. lunch and ride home you've had a nice day.

Just keep riding?
Yup. I don't race or do any sort of formalized training. Just ride and push the distance a little further periodically. For me, the stamina for distance has been coming easier than sheer speed. Probably because I don't "train".

Finish each ride feeling good and wishing the ride had lasted longer - you will look forward to the next ride.
Finish the ride tired and glad it's over - you will lose motivation for the next ride.

I love what you just said there bobdell! I am more motivated now to start training although I am still in the process of choosing the best bike that I could use. I am so looking forward to the day that I could finally ride for miles and miles.

I bought a wired bike computer for $25 and love it. It gives instant feedback on distance and MPH. It allows me to challenge myself if I want, or just get an idea of how far and fast I go on a "lazy ride" Something else I like to do each ride is go a little further or down a different path/street. Usually I will forget about my time/distance just by enjoying the view

The computer gives good information, I used to log all my rides and compare average speed.

After a few years of that, however, I found I was a slave to the device. I found myself looking more at the computer and less at the world around me.

I finally took computers off all my bikes and enjoy riding much more. I wish I could have the computer and not be so focused on it, but thats just me. I've even thought of turning it upside down, but that would look dumb.

Riding a bike is a personal experience shaped by the individual. Nobody can tell you what type of bike to purchase or how to ride it, that's all up to you.

I bought a hybrid bike to slowly get into riding and get some exercise at the same time. My desires don't consist of being a Lance Armstrong wannabe. I could care less what those people think when they see me on the road, or the path, cruising around real slow at my pace. If they want to spend thousands of dollars on a bike, dress in spandex and pretend they're racing that's up to them. :twitchy:

You enjoy your bike for what you want to gain from it.

You will need a $5,000 carbon fiber racing bike, a heart rate monitor, power meter, head-to-toe pro kit, a personal trainer, Strava, a case of Gu, custom mixed electrolyte drink, quit your day job, leave your family . . . oh, wait . . . that's the other forum :innocent:

Ride lots, have fun, stop to smell the flowers, you're on the right track. Ride mostly for enjoyment but once a week or so set a goal to push yourself a little further. For example, you could make Saturday your long ride and just add 5 miles or so each week, try a few hills, sprint a little on the straight-aways. Make it challenging but keep it fun. You should be tired but not miserable. Again this is only about once a week, otherwise just have a good time.

You can make a science out of your riding or just ride the bike and enjoy whichever gives you the most enjoyment. MY M O is to just ride when I can as I can. I finished my first century that way and did it after I decided I wasn't in good enough bike shape to start it. I was in the two month training program for a century, wasn't able to stick to it at all so decided to scratch the ride. So, the night before the day of the century, I went to swim team practice, swam hard and got up the next morning a little tired. After milling around about an hour, I told my better half I was going to go ride the century and finished it. The last 12 miles were hell but mind over matter led me to the finish. I enjoyed it in spite of the pain. Key word in all this is "enjoy". Read the last two lines of my signature.