There are no big climbs but the elevation constantly changes. The biggest challenges to keeping momentum are the bridges. The path requires a 90° turn onto and off of the bridge, which is arched, with bollards at each end of the bridge.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...15cd72bf1a.png
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bf1ad763ff.png
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c6618d697.jpeg

Tomorrow morning before the 100° heat I am going to do at least 2 laps.

That's flat. Two loops. You got it. Hydrate

Do you have any gravel rail trails and other recreational multi use trails around your area ? If you do then use them.

I don't feel wiped out after a 20 or 30 mile ride, it usually takes me about that long to get warmed up. I enjoy cycling enough that I am always in the mood to ride, and, even when I've ridden a long way, to keep going. Cycling is kind of a drug to me, besides keeping me fit, it helps maintain my sanity. I don't listen to music or other stuff when I ride, I just enjoy the scenery and the physical effort.

The old advice is that to ride farther and faster, you have to ride farther and faster. It helps to have an interesting place to ride, or to ride to, but what is important is to just get on the bike and go. Today I headed out early in the morning for a 126km ride. The first 50km wasn't physically difficult. The second 50km was tough, I was trying to get a good time for 100km, and knew that if I pushed a little, I could beat it. Which I did. When I got past 100km, I felt wiped out, so stopped and had a big lunch at McDonald's. After getting back on my bike, I got a second wind, and knocked off the last 20-something kilometers quickly.

At the moment I'm a little achey and tired, but a good sleep will take care of that, and hopefully the weather will allow another good ride tomorrow, and a longer ride on Friday.

Keep eating at mcD and there's a legiate reason to burn off what you ate.

Nope, no McDs for me.

How often a week are you riding?

Lately the weather has made it hit ir miss- storms, high wind, heavy rain.
Summer is here now so I should be out 4-5 days a week again.

If your normal week is at least 3 rides per week, then you should be able to increase the distance you ride. However as suggested, it might be a mental thing that one lap is crossing the finish line.

Might also be that you are just riding too fast for your current fitness on the bike. If you have your HR zones established correctly, then try to stay at zone 3 or lower for at least 70 percent of your ride. That might seem slow at times, but as you get fitter and able to do more distance you'll find that the speed you can stay in zone3 or less will be faster. You have to learn how much energy you can put out per hour to keep you pedaling without wearing yourself out in the distance you wish to ride. And going fast to beat your last effort on that route won't do anything to increase the distance you can ride.

However, don't exclude moments of accelerating as fast as you can or getting to the top of a hill as fast as you can. Just don't work at that effort level for the entire ride.

my sis lives in colleyville so i had a look-see for what is near you...just a mile or two south east of that lake you ride around is the Trinity Trail, looks quite extensive, miles and miles.

I hope you are kidding, but don’t see a ->;)

If anything, pushing 250 lbs on a bike is at a decided disadvantage in many respects. There is a lot of diet and nutrition advice on this forum and everywhere on the internet. Dropping 70-80lbs by eating healthy will pay long term benefits health-wise, and not just for cycling.

I have ridden part of it and plan to explore more. I listed it earlier.

If you're in your 60s don't worry about keeping up with the younger folks, that's a fools errand. Referring to the graph you posted in post #31, there's a up/down hill at about 1/3 of the way from the left side of the graph. Why don't you try doing some 'interval workouts' on that hill 2 or 3 days a week? Hammer it out going up, come down the other side, then turn around and 'hammer' back up and go down to where you started the first hill; kind of an 'out-and-back' loop or a 'repetition/rep'. Start with do a few with minimal rest between each 'rep' and see how you feel after you get home. Adjust the 'reps', then keep doing it over a few weeks and maybe try to increase the number of reps. Yes, it will be exhausting but it can get you into better shape. You can time the reps if you want but I usually just rely on how exhausted my breathing is. Then 1-2 months in the future try going around the lake at a comfortable pace and see if any improvement. Just a suggestion.

Maybe that's the problem. You should have felt somewhat judged by their comments. NGL I wish my GP was saying my heart was good. They don't. I'm 66 as well. About the same 12mph avg on a 9mi out and back. BUT this is not a ride done for fitness and/or weight loss! 3x/wk full body strength training with cardio warmup make the bike ride possible and keep weight around 210 (5'10"). You will never burn enough calories at 12mph (avg) of stop and go on a bicycle to make ANY measurable difference in your weight. If you can afford it, go on a meal plan for a few months. Join a gym. Seniors have no excuse, affordable memberships are thrown at us once we hit 60.

50Plus in an earlier post stated he enjoys a big meal at mcD during a ride

Here

I guess that makes me a fool. Catching and dropping the youngsters on climbs is one of my favorite things.

I was also kicking butt in my 60s, my strongest decade.

Off topic, but please stop hating on the bollards. That bollard in the picture is actually engineered to be very cycle-friendly. It lets you pass freely while stopping bigger vehicles, but can be removed if needed. If they wanted to slow you down, they'd put speed bumps, or a whole bunch of poles, or some steps, or a fence with a 180.

I don’t hate them and understand their purpose.
The thing that is annoying is just before each end of the bridges the path takes a 90° turn. It just slows us down.
The only real problem with them that I have seen is when a partially disabled cyclist riding a 3 wheel reclining bicycle. His rear wheels just barely make it through.

Ugh. To each their own (cardiologist) ;)

My main question seems to have gone off track.
I was just curious if riders who do 20-30 miles at a time are done in at the end. I got my answer. Thanks for everyone’s input.

One other question- on a 20-30 mile ride do you stop now and then or just go straight through?

Lucky, hard training, devil. For me it would take ‘mo powa’. A lot mo. :D

agreed. i feel stronger every year. i'm only 58 but i seem to get new PRs every season. indoor training really helps out, no down time, ever.

my commute from work to home is 37 miles with about 2K+ feet of climbing. i only stop at lights.

What is PR?

Depends. Before pandemic days our club had a 25-30 mile ride every Sunday following the long ride on Saturdays. Sunday our group would go 15ish miles and stop for coffee and snacks and chat about the previous day's ride, then cruise to the end. Great fun.
Now if I do 25 miles (solo) I stop someplace and have a banana, take a bathroom break, sit down for a minute. On our Saturday rides we stop around 25 miles for a break and sometimes again depending on distance, hills, heat, need for bathrooms, etc.

We did 42 miles last Saturday and it was hot so people were whining and didn't want to stop for snacks. A different club I sometimes ride with doesn't stop on 35 mile rides unless someone needs a bathroom break. I did 70 miles with them a couple weeks ago and only stopped once for water. When I go with them I bring extra food.

Personal record.
Regarding eating on rides, some people can eat absolutely anything and ride fine. I can eat a lot sometimes, but not overdo it.I have a friend (also a member here on BF) who has done a lot of endurance racing, including 500 mile races and even team RAAM racing. This guy can eat huge amounts of food and go climb mountains. I saw him eat a big burrito and a burger at a break in the mountains, then out climb everyone the rest of the ride.

I have seen other people eat McDonalds or similar and hammer on the bike.

Catching up, after a few days of 'vacation' , riding e-bikes with wife.... phew... I need a vacation... LOL!
so...
Everyone is a bit different. I wouldn't want to 'compare' to anyone I don't know, very personally, in the 'Real World'...
You've come a long way, and getting to know yourself well - or a side of you you haven't had...
If the Lake loop is frustrating you, with the stops, sharp curves turns, obstacles - find other routes to ride...
The out-back 15 miler might be a good option - only you would know. Also any other options in the area...
Given what you say about the lake route, I can;t imagine doing that loop much faster, without reducing your safety margin...
There is an old saying "Go slower to go faster". Meaning ride the bike at higher rpms, lower gears (which will prolly mean you go a bit slower at first). Then, over a period of days and weeks, slowly increase the gear used in small increments, but keeping the same speedy pedaling action. Do that for some months..
Try to get to riding steady at 80 rpm, without getting totally gased... Terrain may modify that slightly, but best to keep the rpms up and go smaller gear for uphills. Try not to go below 70 rpm for now...
And if you can do that for 12 or 15 miles, your body will adapt a bit quicker. 4-5 days of riding is good, keep at it !
Having new ride routes will keep the riding fun - a great thing.
As for the 'weight', you have to eat for the 'weight' you wish to be. Most of us (maybe all) have vices when it comes to nutrition. How you can control that will be key to getting your weight to a level you're happy with.
Ride On
Yuri
EDIT: Looking at the ride stats you posted... The Calories Burned number is prolly WAY OFF... At the speeds the chart shows, the elevations, the Calorie numbers are VERY High... VERY COMMON with most apps/devices which give you their 'guess' for those numbers. They try to be cheerful and motivate,,, but what this does is create mis-understanding on the person's part....
At the speeds and elevations you're riding, 35 Calories per mile (actually Kilo-calories...) would be a better estimate... When you get over 14 mph avg you can bump up to 40 Kcal/mile...
There are approximately 3500 Kcal in 1 lb. of Human fat... or 100 miles... at 14-15 mph avg...
Pls don;t be discouraged, the miles you're putting in will hopefully be joyful miles.
Be honest with yourself on your nutrition...
Ride is great, and you'll benefit from it..