ganchan

I would like to try an extensive bike tour someday, but I would want to take it extremely easy at first. I'm still at the stage where a handful of miles is a pretty decent workout. But I notice that I only need a short break before I get rolling again with no problem. So maybe I could go, say, 5 miles, take a little rest, go 5 more miles, take another little rest, etc. It might take me all day to go 30-40 miles, but I'd get there eventually. Or would those little breaks be sufficient to keep the cumulative effort from pooping me out?

I know, the only way to really determine that for myself is to try it. I was just wondering about the general effects of multiple riding sessions by the end of a day. Over time, of course, I'd build myself up until it was longer an issue.

TheLibrarian

If you're not committed to doing 50 miles in a day then it should be ok depending on your health. Looking at some touring blogs some say you'll get your conditioning on the road. IDK though I was pretty sore after my first long ride and it took a week to a few weeks to recover. It was unusual though and I think I have some other knee problems.

You will eventually tire yourself out of course. Muscles don't need sleep to recoil but they do need rest.

mstateglfr 

No idea if the short rests would be enough for you, but I have done many rides similar to what you describe.
When I go on longer rides with my kids, we stop every 5-8 miles to let them explore/play/snack. Different reason from you, but the result is still the same. I really don't mind it much either.
A lot of rides that I do, either single or multi-day, have towns every 5-10 miles. We will often stop at them for anything from water to restrooms to restaurant to bar to small town antique interest and any other random reason(it seems). It spaces the ride out, sure, but you also have all day to get where you are going(presumably) so why rush it?

You could ride at 8am and go 40mi to your final desitnation and be there by 12noon only to then spend the day there, or you could start out at 8am and break the 40mi up with stops which gets you to your destination at 3 or 4pm. You still have some of the afternoon and evening at that town.

djb

heck, nothing wrong with taking little breaks, nice for the body in general, so to answer your question directly, I see no issues with lots of breaks other than you will of course cover less ground if you end up stopping the equivalent of hours and hours and hours--but then, even if you do, thats ok.

There are no rules here, just do what works for you but be realiistic of the distances you can/will cover.

I would add however that your question shows that you don't ride that much, and really the only way to get gradually stronger and to be able to ride for longer periods of time is to simply ride regularly. Gradually increasing distances and time, but in the end, you just have to put the hours of keester on the bike seat to get stronger--no different than any other physical activity.
Starting slowly and increasing bit by bit is certainly the smart way to go.

fietsbob

If You go someplace Interesting, the distractions along the way Provide natural Breaks

boomhauer

I think it is a great idea.....

I stop every 10 miles or so just to stretch my back muscles for a few minutes.

indyfabz

Do some math. Let's say 50 miles. At a 10 mph average, that's 5 hrs. of pedaling time. If to took a 5 min. rest every 5 miles that's only another 45 min. If you were to start riding at 8 a.m. you would finish at 1:45 p.m. Even during short fall days that's very early with time to spare for photos, a longer lunch break, etc.

gorshkov

I've done this in a couple of different ways. Unless I'm in a big hurry (which generally only happens when the weather is turning bad), I stop at pretty much all of the historical markers, overlooks, and so on. It's awesome. I stopped so many times on Going to the Sun Road in Glacier NP that it turned into a pretty easy climb. In Yellowstone, I stopped to do short hikes, waited for a couple of hours at Old Faithful, and so on. I ended up only doing about 30 miles per day (Compared to 80-100 miles per day going across Kansas), but since that is the spacing between campgrounds anyway, it worked out pretty well.

When I toured in Oklahoma in the summer (btw, not a great idea, but it was when I had time off from work), I tried to get most of my daily mileage in before noon. I'd find lunch in whatever small town I got to about lunchtime, then hang out in the public library or someplace out of the sun during the heat of the day, before continuing a few more miles in the evening.

Tourist in MSN

On a bike tour, I like to stop every hour to hour and a half, eat about 200 to 250 calories, then get rolling again. I try to stop for no more than about 4 or 5 minutes, if I stop any longer it is harder to get rolling again.

If I am climbing up a really tall mountain of several thousand feet in elevation with a full load of camping gear, I like to stop every 250 to 350 feet of elevation gain (my GPS tells me the elevation), take a 4 or 5 minute break and start pedaling again. Those stops are more frequent than on the flat and level, but they mentally make the climb less of a chore.

Trevtassie

That's what touring should be IMHO. Stopping to look at stuff all the time. Start somewhere flat and interesting for the first few days. Stop in at shops to get an icecream or a drink. Figure out you need a widget from the hardware to make your camp just right. Take lots of pictures. Look for the small details you'd miss otherwise.

Also if you do do some training at home, make it a challenge to see how much useful stuff you can find on the side of the road... that'll keep you occupied and give you some breaks.

staehpj1

Have you tried going a little slower and riding longer?

Riding every day starting out with whatever mileage you can manage comfortably and building slowly from there will usually yield decent result fairly quickly for most people. I'd suggest doing a bit of that at home before you start loading up a bike and leaving on a tour. You will probably get to where you can ride 20 or 30 miles at a time pretty soon. I am all for training into fitness on tour, but I can't imagine heading out on a tour only being able to do five miles at a time.

On the other hand, maybe your multiple 5 mile segments might work for you. I'd say to at least try it two days in a row at home before seriously thinking of doing it on tour.

djb

I too really like frequent snack breaks of about the same time between snacks as you and try not to have them go too long. I don't know if it's because I'm slim, but the snack thing really works for me, and stops that change your body position, read end, hands, neck, for me anyway, help me with general aches and pains throughout a day.
Plus it's always nice to take a look at stuff or whatever, but I do agree that keeping them to not too long helps in the long run.
When it's really hot, shade breaks and or ac store and cold drink breaks make a difference.

Happy Feet

Not exactly the same but I like to take about a 5 minute walking rest every hour or so when touring. I usually try to time this with a hill. You use different muscles for walking than biking so I get a micro rest and feel refreshed and it gives my butt a chance to get some blood flow. By doing this I can usually ride 8+ hours without stopping. Even when walking I do 5-6kmh up hill. I figure fast or slow is good as long as I'm moving forward.

spinnaker

Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. The point is to just do it and have fun.

Why not just load up your bike and go for a ride around your house some weekend? You can test you theroy without commitment. If you get too fatigued then make a bee line for home or have someone standing by when you know, you just can't make it.

Not really the best test since in touring sometimes you just do what you have to do. Sometimes going out of your comfort limits. But a ride around home should get you at least close to reality.

350htrr

You can do it any way you want, but using mileage is not necessarily the way I would go, because some miles are harder than others... Time is what I use in general, 1 Hr riding and 1Hr stopped...

Tony Marley

For me, one of the fun things about touring is that you can stop whenever you want. I believe my then 10-year old daughter and I stopped and read every historical marker between Seattle and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Plus stopped at pasty shops, some local museums, and even playgrounds on occasion.

As you ride yourself into better condition on a tour, you will be able to increase the distance/time between stops, as well as your overall daily distances.

rawly old

ganchan, That's precisely the way I tour,(being 67). I'm in no hurry; my butt tells me
when it's time for a short break. Depending on the terrain, averaging 6/8 mph over
5 or 6 hours will get you 30/40 miles without knocking yourself out. At my age recovery
of oxygen and fuel for muscles takes longer. So does eliminating lactic acid from muscle.
I'm not saying I can't do more mileage than that, but in terms of sustainability it makes
sense to hold some reserve.