stop for rest
 

do you take any rest stops when you go out riding flats or climb hills?

If I am going for a long ride then yes, I do stop on flats. I will also stop sometimes on hills, if I feel a little tired. Take a break when my body tells me to is my motto. OK sometimes I push it too.

The few rides I did last season we would take stops every 5-10 miles or so. I did do a 20 miler without one though just to see if I could. My goal since I started riding again is to ride a century (need to ride to do it though!!!) and to do that I cant stop every 5-10 miles or it would take 2-3 days LOL. Im a firm believer that you stop when you feel like you need a break (or if doing an organised ride make use of pitstops).

Steve

I stop when my lungs scream at me to do so... usually at the top of nasty hills, and rarely in the flats... :)

I stop for great scenery. That's one of the reasons I ride my bike. Seward Park is a peninsula that juts into the lake, and about a 15 mile ride; I'll head down there and get off the bike for a while, as I take in the view. Or, occasionally the sun will break through while I'm on a ridge, and a view of the mountains opens up; unless I'm in a hurry, I like to stop and enjoy it for a moment.

So, I have been riding on a trainer to lose weight, gain fitness back and build power. I can do 60 minutes now on a trainer avg 16 mph non-stop. I did shed 25 lbs riding in the past 45 days. while riding on a trainer, I find it more efficient use of my time for exercise in between caring for my twins. Its is much different than riding on the road with headwinds and stuff. But, I am looking forward to take the bike out on the road. So, I am gradually building power, so I can hit the ground and riding....

There's a ride ive done probably about 5 times in the past few weeks. Its a 20 mile ride. I first stopped about 3-4 times. The last time I did it... I stopped for a minute to pop a gel and switch water bottle spots.
Then I was like... I'm bored... Time to keep going. :)
I hope to do the same ride today with 0 stops. Cross your fingers!! :)

If I'm riding more than 20 miles I try to take a little water every 10 miles whether I'm thirsty or not. Otherwise I forget to stay hydrated especially in the cool weather. I also carry a camera and stop for cool wildlife although they never seem to wait for me to get my camera ready. I saw a fox carrying a kit (or is it a pup) last week but she wouldn't slow down for me and all I got in the photo was her tail going over a hill.

I'll do this, too. I had to stop and take this part way up Mount Lemmon...another cyclist riding by asked if I was OK

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...00327-0930.jpg

Usually I stop at about the halfway point of a ride, whether it's 15 miles or 50.

For scenery, yes. When trying to increase miles I only stop if I can't possibly continue, such as up a nasty hill and my body is exploding. When I do stop I don't walk and when I continue I back up about five feet to make sure I covered the entire distance on my bike. I figure if I can walk I can pedal so that's why I don't move forward when not on the bike.

Having said all that I'm only riding on short hills and have not done any longer rides with larger hills. I may change my tune if I get on those.

Stop every hour or two for 5-10 minutes -- helps keep my feet and seat happy.

Going up a ridge, take a camera. You can stop and take a picture of something scenic, or a weed, or particularly trashy. As long as you have the camera out, you're stopping for a picture, not to catch your breath!

It all depends on why I'm out riding. I've been out on shorter (< 30mi ) rides where I stop all the time to take pictures. I've gone out on a flat 200k ride where I barely stopped longer than it took to fill my water bottles and get my card signed, and finished in 8h 29m. I didn't take a single picture and barely even noticed the scenery along the way.
I've done some mountain pass rides where the climb is 25 miles long with no breaks from the incline. You bet I stopped at least once or twice during those climbs to sit on a guard rail and have a break for a few minutes before slogging onward and upward!

If I ride with one of my more fragile ride partners (wife etc), I will have to make a few stops on their part.

If I ride alone I like to go nonstop. Especially if it's a climb. Many of the videos I record solo are after I have competed the climb. So on the way down, I will stop, set up the tripod, ride down then back up making it look as if I was on way up when in fact, I'm already done. I also take the pics on the dh so the little extra riding is all extra credit going back up.:D Poser!:D

I actually hate stopping on a long ride. I've done several flat centuries with only 20 minutes of stop time. Done some 10,000 ft gain climbing centuries with only 30 minutes of rest time total. A must for me!.:D

I see absolutely no problem with it - You are riding to have fun and If you can enjoy yourself more by stopping a few minutes then do it - My only problem is that when I stop I need to get completely off the bike and stretch or I start cramping...

I stop when I need to. Some days I just don't have the energy. There is part of my commute with a hill I can usually tackle with some effort. However there have been a few times where I stop and walk my bike.

I stop whenever I need to. I've done a long hill on a single-speed cruiser where I stopped about 8 times in less than a mile to rest. I've done group rides where I didn't stop because no one else did and covered 30 miles or so without any stops. Whatever works for you.

where I live there are foot hills all around, so every road that doesn't follow a stream or river is covered with short steep hills, the ones that are are higher traffic zones and little or no shoulder and narrower. I went for a ride today and i was stopping quite often, finding a gear when you have a steep mound every 1/4 mile or less i am still not quite down pat on which one where or the best way to shift, being short hills that are just stupid steep and often rolly (some are more than 20% grade) I often feel like I have to be the worst person on a bike out there lool, but today I was riding and saw the first other people on bikes, they all had to get off and walk too... my point is, because of this terrain, I feel like I'm taking a break pretty often, and even if you do sit and chill a while its not the worst thing in the world, your out there, your riding, and your having a good time. isnt that all that really matters?

Group ride is about 20 miles(26 for me because I ride to it). We stop at 10 miles out to shoot the bull, eat a granola bar and pound some water before the pace picks up for the 'race' back home. The last 5 miles is usually a lot of fun ;)

Last night our 10-mile stop was a flat fix. I still can't believe how easy it is to change out these tubes....

I stop when i want to!
Sometimes thats every ten miles sometimes more or less. I try not to worry about how long its been since I stopped last but how much im enjoying the ride. If Im on a charity ride I try not to stop more than I need but will usually hit all the scheduled stops. If Im riding in a city like Nashville I only stop for red lights with no rest breaks unless there is a hill that kicks my butt.

I really don't like to stop, but sometimes (most of them), I have to stop and take a break on big hills. I always try to beat them, but they seem to win, other than that, I will stop to give the family a break when they are so gracious to ride with me.

I'm pretty good up to 30-35 miles with a rest. After that, I need to stop, drink, rest the legs, etc.

achu717, Charity rides, it's social so I stop at nearly every rest area. Otherwise I just let my body tell me when it wants a break. During a stop I find it's important not to stay for too long or I feel like I'm struggling for a 1/2 mile or so afterwards. On a metric century or longer my midpoint stop is usually longer than usual to refill bottles and have a bite to eat.

Brad

A stop to fill a bottle and grab a piece of fruit is all I really can, once I stop its hard to keep going.

Stop about every 40 minutes or so to suck down a heater.

haven't stopped yet... almost did once.
i only stop pedaling long enough to reach down and grab my water or put it back.