Road Cycling - How long you ride?

Please excuse me if this is one of those reduntent threads... I just have not seen any similar to it, but if there is please point me to it.

Anyways, just curious how much you guys ride on average. I know many here do centuries, etc. but I doubt anyone does that on a daily basis. What I want to know how much u ride in the long term. i.e. daily, weekly, or monthly.

I'm always impressed by how much time and distance some of the memeber of this forum have under their wheels. I'm personally prone to half-hour sprints to various points in the city. My ride to work is about 25 minutes each way covering aout 10 or 15 kms each way I think.

I do cherish time where I can hop out onto the highway and just ride for an hour or two without lights and turns and stopping in general. Times like that seem very few and far between lately.

It depends on the time of year. At the high point of the season [July, August] I'll get 450-500 km per week. In fact, last week was my first 450+ km week aeftr a bunch of 300 km weeks. I had 18 hours in the saddle last week.

At the high point of the season, I'll be doing a century-type ride [sometimes longer, sometimes shorter] every week... So I will get 5-7 hour rides. Most of my rides are in the 2-3 hour fange, though. I almost never bother with less than two hours except for early and late season rides and cyclocross.

My short rides are 20 miles, my longer rides are 50 t0 75 miles --mostly 50's. Usually do one 100 miler during the summer or Fall.

I have friends, in California, who regularly do 200 milers on a weekend. Out there there are organized rides of that distance, and longer, almost every weekend. I'm glad I live in Maine where those temptations are none existent.

I usualy ride 15 - 25 miles a day, M-F. Sat rides usualy end up ~40miles. All in all, about 150 miles a week, with about 10hrs of saddle time.

Anywhere from 20-50 km on average, but when I have time, which lately it doesn't seem there is enough of, I'll try and get some 80-100 km rides in.

Since I work nights, I get a lot of road time during the day.
My daily rides are from 35 to 70 miles, depending on weather, hills, company and the kid's needs.

Tarantula. Your city was one of the towns I passed through on my returnn from Big Sur last Fall. You are lucky, great riding potential there in Central Coast. Slightly less development than further South in California. Like here -can either take on the hills or the coast all times of the year.
During the season, Summer- I can easily do 200 miles a week, including my commute to work time. On my days off- usually get in 1-2 30-40 mile rides and once a week 60-80. During our awful winter, I might fall back to 400-600 miles a month.

If the allows it, I do 45-60 km daily, and once a fortnight a nice 140 km ride. The lack of time makes that ~3000 km a year.

I ride on average about 100 miles per week. 6 days a week: M-Th from 10 to 20 miles, on weekends, around 25-30 each day.

As a retired guy, I ride a lot--135 miles per week. That puts me about 10 or 11 hours in the saddle per week. We have a fairly mild climate here, so that rate does not vary much during the year. Unless it's an all out storm, rain does not keep me home. But this spring we have had some fierce winds which put me on the training stand in the garage rather than out on the road.

Rich

Well since I'm in school most of the time during the year, I'm 14, I dont ride to much maybe a few 30 milers a week. But during summer I ride a lot more, ussually I will go on 30 mile rides on Monday through Friday and then on either Saturday or Sunday I will go on a longer ride with my dad, like 70+ some thing like that. Sometimes I'll skip a ride during the week though. :p So during the summer i have something like 220 miles a week depending on how long of a ride I'll go on during the weekend and during the time I have school it may only be 60- 90 miles a week. Ahh the joy of not having to work for a living and getting summer off.

I don't even keep track on how long my rides are. I just ride till my legs start hurting, then cell phone my mom to come pick me up. Thats the way to do it!:D

I've been doing rides of 2 to 4 hours on the weekends and 2 or 3 rides during the week of 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

However, last weekend I went for a big one: 84 miles and 5,000 feet of elevation gain. And then two days later I went the 84 miles and 4,500 feet of elevation in the opposite direction. Believe me, the miles weren't the problem -- but all that climbing was definitely a challenge. It was humbling to say the least. I had planned to do the ride back the next day, but my legs were so sore, I had to have a layover day before I could even think about riding back over the pass to my car.

Wow, now I feel like a wimp. I do 500-1000 during the summer. Short rides are 20 and I do one century a year. If my backside did'nt complain so much I'd do more.:eek:

I try to get some cycling in each day; if nothing else, it's just a ride to school. When I can get time to ride, I try for an hour or two. On weekends I'll be out all afternoon (and running up a huge sports drink tab):lol:

since your body recognizes time and not miles, i calculate in hrs on the bike. during the 'season' i do 12-14 hrs per week on the bike. but it depends. i am married, have 2 kids (with another on the way) and work 50 hrs a week.
also, living in the chicago area can be somewhat of a handicap in that the number of livable, let alone ridable days seem to get fewer and fewer each year.

Originally posted by Dan
If my backside didn't complain so much I'd do more.:eek:
If you rode more it wouldn't complain so much. :D

Seriously, that IS the secret. What kind of saddle do you have? Maybe it's the problem. If it isn't comfortable it may be "preventing" you from riding.

Originally posted by Dan
Wow, now I feel like a wimp. I do 500-1000 during the summer. Short rides are 20 and I do one century a year. If my backside did'nt complain so much I'd do more.:eek:

OK, there is something I just don't get here. Maybe it's just my age showing. Most of my rides are in the 30-40 mile range. Also quite a few in the 40-55 mile range. I've done one metric century (65 miles). Because of the very hilly terrain around here, I rarely exceed 14 mph on a long ride, actually it's more like 13. That means seven or eight hours in the saddle for 100 miles. And that's not including the stiff afternoon wind factor. With that kind of mph I can't complete one hundred miles within a reasonable time if I want to make some stops too. So, Dan, if you are not riding that much, how the heck do you make it through a century?

Rich

I ride one of two tours from Grand Rapids to Lake Michigan and back each year and work up some extra miles beforehand. It's pretty flat and the wind is usually mild and at my back on the second half. I make nearly all the stops too, which are 15-20 miles apart, that includes a half hour or so lunch break at the lake. It's not a piece of cake and if I had the hills and wind that it sounds like you have, I'd probably take the shorter routes. My speed is about yours.

Year-round commuting. Normally 3 times a week at 13 miles in the morning and 13 at night during the winter months. 3*(13 and 20) during the spring school months. 3*(20 and 20) during the summer months. Weekend rides wherever possible, and a century or two (hopefully more this year) during the summer/fall.

Commuting is the only way to go.

Hey, Dan, I know the area you're speaking of. In the 1970s I taught at Grand Valley State. I used to commute from near downtown GR out to Allendale. If I was in a hurry I'd go directly out Lake Michigan Drive. Sometimes, if my memory serves me right, I went out Leonard Street through Lamont. That was really a lovely ride in the morning. Except for one thing: In those days I used to commute wearing a suit and tie. Suit and tie on a bike=redneck bait. Guys in pickup trucks had an irresistable urge to run me off the road into the gravel shoulder. I discovered that wearing a corduroy suit gave excellent protection against the gravel. Wow, it's been fun reminiscing about cycling 30 years ago!

Rich

Hey Rich, I've ridden the roads you speak of, Lake Michigan Dr. gets pretty hairy, especially near the bridge by the school, you must have nine lives.:D Leonard goes out to Grand Haven through Lamont and others, which is one of the nicer stretches around here. As a matter of fact I'll be riding it this saturday in the "100 Grand" tour, sponsored by the Rapid Wheelmen BC. Maybe they were around back then.
You may know Grand Valley has grown a lot, they're now a university...GVSU with a large second campus downtown. Also,your boss Arend Lubbers retired just this year, very long time on the job. My brother and many friends were students there when you taught.
That's pretty cool.

I usually ride three times a week 25-35 rides and once a week 50-100 ride. When I'm training for a tour, I'll ride 2-4 days in a row for 50 miles a day. Each year I do 2-3 tours. Last year I did TOSRV, Michigan West Shoreline (Grand Haven to Mackinaw), and Cycle North Carolina. This year I'm doing RAGBRAI, a week-long ride in Maine in August and DALMAC. On the 25-35 mile rides I'll try to work on hills or speed. On longer rides, I pace myself and usually ride by myself. On the longer rides, I'll do loops, I ride 25-30 miles, go back to my car -- drive further down the road and loop on the bike again. That way I'm never more than 10-15 miles from my car. I'm a "girlie", so if I have any type of mechanical problems other than flats, I'll be walking back to the car. Oh yeah, I work the midnight shift--gives me more daylight riding time.

On a short ride wil do 30 to 50 K, on a good sunday ride withmy cycling buddies and there are no chores waiting for me at home will ride a double

Doesn't it depend what you want to do with your miles. If your just riding to stay in shape you would train differently than if you were racing. It would also effect where and when you ride. I commute in the DC area and have 7 miles to and from work, but get a hard fought 25 miles in at lunch, usually in about an hour or less. Then either race on the weekends or spend it out on several group rides usually about 3-4 hours on satuday and 2-3 hours on sunday. But there really wouldn't be a point in spending that much time on a bike just to stay in shape, unless your passionate about riding or just love to inflict pain on yourself.

As a matter of fact I'll be riding it this saturday in the "100 Grand" tour, sponsored by the Rapid Wheelmen BC


Actually the 100 grand is Saturday June 7th.

I try to ride every other day, 10-30 miles at a go. My next immediate "big" goal is to ride 50 miles, then work toward doing a century. I am not a "speed demon"-just ride for pleasure. My long-term goals are geared more toward touring and doing recreational events at some point soon. When I don't get to ride it's because of family time or the weather. I never get to ride "as much as I'd like"! :D

Last week I did about 300 miles and about the same the week before that. I get out and do a training ride early in the morning during the week and about 60 miles on Saturday and Sunday. Here in Central Florida, it is hard to do long rides for 2 reasons: a fair bit of traffic and it gets so dern hot and humid that after noon is a bit like the DEATH ZONE you get on Everest. Not for everyone mind you, I have a friend who almost gets hypothermia at below 70 degrees.

I know I have done a 500 mile week but I don't kow if I have ever broken 600 miles in a week. I have done over 10,000 miles in a year though. Of course, I am a piker compared to Freddy Hoffman.

I have ridden approximately 2,000 miles in the last year. Right now I ride 9 miles at lunch at 15 to 17 mph pace and then I ride 8 miles with the wife in the evening at a 10 to 11 mph pace. I do this 3 or 4 days a week. Then on the weekend with the wife we do 20 to 30 miles at a pace of 11 to 12 mph.

In the last 11 weeks with the riding and less food, I have gone from 258 lbs. to 234 lbs. in weight and still losing. Last year I just did the riding and the weight did not change much. I think my age at 55 may have something to do with the pace, oh yes and the weight.

My goal this year is 3,000 miles.:D :D

I have a theory that (for most people) distance per weeks is usually offset by average speed. The faster they ride the more recovery time they need, and so probably ride less miles than a slower rider.

I ride all year round and my routine is this:

Monday: rest day
Tuesday: ride to work 45km easy pace 480m climbing @ 26kph
Wednesday: ride to work 45km easy pace 480m climbing @ 26kph
Thursday: ride to work 45km harder effort 480m climbing @ 29kph
Friday: rest day
Saturday: Race 65-80km 600m-1200m climbing @ 34kph
Sunday: Recovery ride or rest.

Also I try to get in a +100k ride once a month on my flexi-day

Not a huge amount of kilometres but a good pace with all the climbing.

I have been riding since 1994 and have NEVER done a century.



CHEERS.

Mark

I ride 150+ days per year (the last 4 years average) - and, yes I'm retired. My daily average is 35 miles per day. We have great weather here in the Florida panhandle so I can ride every week in the year. Lots of wind and almost no hills. Usually throw in a couple of cross state rides to change the scenery.

Right now I'm riding anywhere from 285-315 miles a week, at 30-70 miles a day. I started out around 200 and will keep it where I'm at for now until early july, and then I'll bump it up to around 350.

-Matt-

ride to work every day 18.5 miles each way often take the long way home 35 to 50 miles. in the summer I do a century on the way home on wednesday. I do a century on saturday and an easy 50 on sunday. weekly milage runs from 280 to 400 and my yearly is just around 13,000 miles give or take a few. I ride year round in rain, snow and on the ice.

I just checked my excel spreadsheet log. I was suppressed to see that I have not had a week in 2003 without some mileage. That includes this (very cold) January and February.

My weekly average for all of 2003 is 62.3 miles per week. That should go up as the summer progresses. I'm averaging 75 to 80 miles a week this month and increasing my goal 10% per week.

My daily rides are usually at least 10 miles long. I prefer a minimum of 20 miles. It takes at least 5 to 7 miles to warm up, so I don’t want to quit just when it’s getting good.

Short rides 20 - 30
Longer rides 30 - 60

According to my records (I use ironcoach.com's free tri training log), I've got 1700 miles and 101 hrs of saddle time this year. I'd like to get 4000 miles in by the end of the year.

Lately I've been averaging about 125 miles a week, mostly by making my 4 mile commute into a 20-30 mile detour. ;)