Your right stapfam, despite the simple topic it can be a difficult thing to quantify exactly.
1. I am a road rider, love the feel of cruising along on a nice piece of paved country highway or backroad.
2. Mon thru Fri I ride for exercise (15 mile course) usually 3, 4 mornings a week. The exception is during the winter if the temp is below 30.
3. I consider myself to be fit, but nothing more. Exercise was initially my motivation for riding. I hate running and had always owned a bike. My doc had put me on Lipitor as my Chol ratings had finally climbed into the danger zone. By riding and steady exercise I was able to drop the meds and maintain a chol rating in the normal range. That alone is almost worth the whole effort to me. Also I wanted to avoid slowly sinking into couchdom.
4. Since beginning to ride for exercise I have found that I enjoy going for nice solitary weekend rides, somewhere between 20-40 miles depending upon the demands of the day
5. Since getting into better shape I had a desire to try some distance riding and have participated in a couple of organized rides culminating last summer in 2 century rides, one of which was an organized ride. With the support that offered, having multiple rest stops, food, drink, etc. I was able to do the century with an average of 17.3 mph. I thought this was pretty good.