SkaXc0re

So my primary goal in riding in weightloss and I found a loop that is exactly 2.5 miles, with a bit of hills and what not. This helps me track how far I've approximatly gone. Iv'e made it 10 miles only once but working on it.

I find I go further/harder if I have somewhere to go so this is almost perfect.

ALMOST becuase its residential and I drive by the same houses up to 4 times in an hour with flashy blinky lights so I dont get hit with a car.... Little selfconcious about this.

So like I said - do you take the same comfortable paths to work out (obviously not explore)?

kingsqueak

I just started again and have been riding a 5mi MUP loop in a local park. One, it's easy riding to get back to basic shape, and two, I'm in such bad shape, not having to deal with traffic is actually nice. I'm starting to get bored with it, but there is an appeal to a nice route that allows for a mind freeing escape in the saddle.

There is value to a comfortable loop for general fitness and unwinding rides.

Oh and I drive to ride to get to the MUP as there are no convenient local loops without irritatingly bad cycling + traffic connecting routes involved, some of which are two lanes that people can't seem to stay within in their cars without a cyclist on the road.

RPK79

I have several different routes of varying distance and difficulty and I choose one based on how I feel that day or how much time I have. I try to avoid seeing the same things too often.

I tried to do a 10 mile loop near my house and I was bored with it by the 3rd time around.

jowilson

+1. I used to do a loop near my house that was ~15 miles round trip. I could've kept going after 40 miles but it was getting boring. Now I go for rides and never have a destination or distance in mind, I just ride wherever I feel like.

GTryder

We only have one MUP that goes 3/4 the way around our small city. Using that with connecting streets gives several routes, however I mainly stick to about 3 or 4 of varying length,
So yes, I take the same path quite often and in doing so can track fitness by either doing multiples on the short routes or trying to lessen my times on the long ones,

Retro Grouch 

I do it but I don't recommend it.

Ideally, I think that you should mix it up. Try not to ride the exact same route too often and certainly not two days in a row. Try to alternate some shorter, faster rides with some that are longer but more leisurely. It's less boreing and you'll get better sooner.

Looigi

I always mix it up. Try different routes, and do them in the opposite direction. You might as well make as interesting as possible.

Condorita

Some people like concrete riverbeds. And because concrete riverbeds are boring, my riding is generally done elsewhere.

Machka 

My husband and I have 4 "usual" routes for after work riding where we are currently living, with possible variations to each. 3 are country road routes which are about 25 km long, depending on how far we go before we turn around. 1 is a rail trail route. And there are some other options as well (i.e. hill repeats, meandering around town, etc.)

And then on the weekends we travel further afield and do quite a bit of exploring..

I've used loops like what you describe to pad out a longer route ... do a couple loops, do a longer route somewhere, and return to do a couple loops. Or if I don't want to go to far ... for example, riding in Winnipeg in the winter I didn't want to be too far from home.


As you start increasing your distance, why not try doing your loop once, then venturing out somewhere else, and then doing your loop again. Mix it up to get some variety.

And you can get an inexpensive computer to track your distance.

BayouFlyFisher

I'm sort of new to all of this. After an almost 40 year lapse, I started riding again two months ago. I ride the same 6 mile route twice each morning and then again each evening. My goal right now is strictly to develop some endurance and strength. I listen to a book-on-tape (well, actually they are on my sdcard in my Galaxy Note 2) and I do not get bored. It's still a training regimen at this point. Soon I will start riding off-road trails and local gravel roads. But for now I'm just pounding it out. With that said, I still love doing it and look forward to it each morning and evening.

BTW, I'm 67 years old and lost 68 pounds since last September. I'm at 221 right now and my target is 170.

OldTryGuy

to you!

Don't mind looping at all. I have a 1.2 miler around the block I use for marathon training and bike warm-up in addition to longer loops. Very useful when I'm not feeling the best but have got to get out training.

CandSAdventures

First, congrats on making the first 10 mile ride. It gets easier, just do small increases.

I ride the same loop, about 10 miles around, on the weekdays when time is shorter. I do my "exploring" on the weekends early in the day for the longer routes. I personally do better with a goal so having a known distance helps. Sometimes i change the direction just for a change of pace.

Don't worry about the things other people think about the blinky lights or spandex shorts.....I was worried about it too at first. Now, after a long ride, I go get a shake at Braums or sumsuch place and don't even think about it. If all they have to talk about is the sweaty looking fat man in the spandex shorts....Glad I could help them entertain themselves.

SkaXc0re

Thank you all for the feed back. I 100% love riding and do look forward to it EVERY night after work. Its hot, but the breeze isn't. I sit at a desk for 12 hours, then im flying (at 10 mph avg but working on it :-P). I don't mind the "major" roads even tho im slowish. I feel AWESOME when I am on them, liberated. Past that part of self doubt atleast. My favorit part of my loop is the brief moment im on a major road. (We dont have back streets and what not around here to ride without ending up somewhere like that).

I find I get tired if I dont have a "goal" or "destination" so when I ride around and feel tiredish theres nothing saying JUST ONE MORE and I could have gone 4 miles. As boring(?) as the 2.5 loop 4 times is, least i know where I was in relation to my goal for the night.

I was actually starting to do that.. take a sidestreet for a bit and rejoin my loop. I use Strava on my phone. But thats in my pocket so I cant see it as I go as a motivator.

no spandex yet for me.... not sure I understand that part of this activity yet.

jowilson

Following a repetitive path is probably beneficial for weight loss because you can track your workout a little better. I don't cycle for weight loss though so but more for just the physical activity and funsies. If I was doing it for weight loss though I would imagine I'd try to find a path that is easy to follow and a good distance for my physical state. What you're doing is great so continue with that and you'll be fine. If you haven't already, I'd suggest browsing the Clydesdales/Athena's topic for more advice on cycling as a weight loss solution.

Rogan

For my fitness rides I almost always ride the same 3.34 mile loop in my subdivision. I ride this loop four to five times each day the weather permits. We have serious lightning / thunder / rain storms this time of year in Florida. In the last two months I have done close to 700 miles on this loop. Quite a few of the homeowners along the route have started waving at me when I go by.

brianogilvie 

I live in the country where I have the luxury of lots of interesting roads without much traffic. 90% of the time, I start over the same 3.8 miles: left out of my driveway, a nice 70-foot climb to warm up, a thrilling descent to the river valley, then a few miles north through flat, fertile river bottom land.

After that, options: north on the flat terrain, east toward gentle, then increasingly insistent hills, and variations combining elements of both. For days when I don't have much time, I have a few 14-18 mile options, depending on whether I want to climb or not. When I have more than an hour, the options multiply. I'd get awfully bored around here if I did the same loop all the time.

However, when I lived in a city, I found myself doing a number of fairly similar, if not identical, rides, because there was one nice route to get to the woods as quickly as possible, and then a limited number of options in those woods (Paris and the Bois de Vincennes).

If you track your rides with a GPS or smartphone and then upload them to Strava or another site like that, you can compare performance on segments of the ride, even if the total ride is different.

jon c. 

I enjoy the same luxury of a nice supply of country roads that I can mix and match to create loops from 6 to 60 miles. Most of my rides start out heading east down the beautiful 4 mile road I live on and diverge from there, but I if there's a stiff west wind (I hate finishing into the wind) or I'm just taking a short evening ride, I have another set of variable distance loops that will leave me finishing on a long downhill from the north. I only started riding again a couple years ago after a long absence and was very fortunate to happen to live in the best biking area in the region.

Machka 

It may be beneficial at first, but after a while your body gets used to a particular type of workout and you may need to shake it up.

One way to shake it up a little bit (and this was mentioned earlier) is to ride the route in the opposite direction. Hills and wind patterns can be different one direction from the other.

Machka 

You can pick up a basic computer for about $10 at Walmart.

And the lycra shorts are for comfort on longer distances. Probably not something you have to worry about just yet.

Retro Grouch 

You're doing fine. It's obvious to me that you are in the process of figuring it out. Wandering farther afield stretches you because you have to ride back. If you ride loops, you keep having to decide whether or not to start another lap. If you wear a wristwatch try to convert your thinking from "miles" to "minutes". Do you really care how far you've gone or do you just want a comparative measure of how much you're doing?

rydabent

I have 3 usual 30 mile routes that I ride. The middle one is a circle that I can and do ride both directions.

However like my ride yesterday, I just rode at random thru the turn of the century huge old homes. I do this ever so often just for a change.

Any of these rides are what is great about cycling instead of running. Runners just dont have the time to vary their runs very much, so their exercise must be rather boring.

3rdcoast

I have a hwy leaving my town that is smooth as glass. It's also heading NW from the coast where there is always a SE wind from 12 to 20 mph. I have a town at 17.7 miles, 31.8 miles, 45.6 miles and 63 miles. Depending on time and how I feel, my favorite is the 31.8.
To make up for the tail wind and flatland, I ride at 90 cadence, 145 heart rate and varying speeds 17 to 25 mph. My wife is more than happy to pick me up on the other end if it gets late.

caloso

Variety is the spice of life and you have the perfect machine for exploring your corner of the world.

Machka 

+1

And all around the world.

Tel0004

I pretty much only go on group rides, and I always go Sunday,Monday, Thursday. Monday and Thursday rides are always the exact same, sunday varries, and sometimes I lead, so I choose where it goes. I might go a different day due to scheduling, or rain, which means going out with another group. I'm also going to change it up a bit as I progress to faster speed groups.