Acceptable ride distance for a newbie
 

Ive been averaging 16 miles per ride three times a week since I picked up my new ride. I would like to know what the average distance most of you roadies ride. Thanks

16 miles per ride, 3 times a week is a great place to start. :)

If you feel really comfortable with that, you might add an extra day or two ... but perhaps only do 10 miles on those days.

After a bit you might want to pick one day and start increasing your distance a bit. The general recommendation is to increase the long ride by 10% per week.


These days, I ride anywhere from about 10 km (6 miles) on an evening after work when I don't have much time ... to 160 km (100 miles). :)

Ride as much as you want, and as much as is fun.

Over time, both increase.

You should slowly ramp up your distance. You might bump up from 16 miles, to 20 miles. Keep that distance until you're comfortable with it, then bump up the distance again. How much depends on you, but don't over do it. You might also alternate between a "long" ride and a "short" ride. Perhaps long is 25 to 30 miles and short is 15 to 20, then slowly add distance to both. At this point you're building up "base miles". Don't worry about speed. It's more about "saddle time" and building endurance.

Thanks for the input! This knowledge is helpful.

Just bump up one of those 16 mile rides per week to 18 and see how you feel about it. If you are OK with that distance one week, then the following week do 2 days at 18. Don't overdo anything, just take it easy and ride. I am up to 30-40 mile rides on the weekends with my longest being 58 miles. I do ride 10 miles during my lunch break through the week and when I can I will attend a group ride on Thursdays that is about 27 miles of tempo. The B group is 20-22 mph! I just started riding in April for reference.

Ride what ever distance your body says is ok. Dont worry at all what other people think or say.

I rode 17.5 miles Monday I felt great. sounds like a good group ride, eventually ill look for something like that.

I do agree with you. I enjoy it either way and I like to get the most out of the time I spend riding

Just go for it. If your relatively healthy, just go for it. Life too short to ask what your ceiling is. I was doing 12m rides after work than one day I just randomly decided to do a 40m ride with a lot of hills and I pulled it out. Now I do that loop 3x a week and 22miles on the other days, one day off every 7 days. Less than one year of cycling and I'm on a hybrid bike, not a roadie.

It depends on your level of fitness for the most part.

Someone who is out of shape and basically sedentary may find a 5 or 6 mile ride a challenge when starting out.

Someone with great aerobic fitness already, may find 15-20 mile rides not especially difficult.

How fresh do you feel after rides? You may want to check your heart rate after a ride as reference.

I mostly ride for errands and commuting. About 10 to 16 miles to get anywhere, with a daily total generally in the 20 to 40 mile range, but sometimes a bit higher... 181 miles in a day a few months ago.

After the rides the only problem's are my neck because of herniated discs, my hands I think the bars are to narrow and the hind quarter because I'm not used to the saddle yet.
wife suggested we get heart rate monitors.
Thanks

This. Resisit the temptation to judge yourself by the accomplishments of others. Some will always be able to ride faster or farther than you. Still others will never be able to ride as fast or far as you. It's your ride.

I would also add that intensity makes a huge difference too...

I was commuting 7 miles each way for several months, then immediately jumped up to a 24 mile ride...but it was not a very aggressive speed, so I felt fine...Now my normal rides are around 20...but once or twice a week I do a 8.5 mile loop that has 1 steep hill, and I try to push myself up that hill, and then do sprint intervals throughout the ride...That ride wears me out more than a slower 20 mile ride!

What ever time and fitness allow. I average 35-40 miles per ride but depending on the available window of opportunity it could be longer or shorter. When I first started it was more like 10-15 miles in 1 1/2 hours three times a week but because my average speed increased I was able to double the distance that in the same time. Now I have a little more time and ride 4 times a week.

if you want to increase your aerobic capacity and endurance increase the distance on one of those rides from week to week. You can have two 16 mile days and gradually increase distance on the third day by 10 % a week till you find your self doing 40-50 miles. Then take one of the short days and increase your speed on that day so that you are riding at the edge of a conversational pace. Push it a bit. Keep the pace relaxed on the long day so you are not trashed at the end and easier on one of the short days. Follow the long day with the easiest day as recovery. This is pretty basic and can be made more complicated but for a new rider that is the way I would go.

My commute is 12 miles each way. I ride it 1-2 times a week.

On the weekends I occasionally participate in beginner level (under 15 mph pace, more like 10 mph) casual group rides that last about an hour. I just bike to commute, get groceries, and have fun. I'm not a "roadie" - don't even have a road bike.

If you're into training for races and that sort of thing, check out the Road Cycling and Training/Nutrition forums.

I ride between 200-250 miles a month. Nothing shorter than 10 miles , nothing over 35 miles.

How far a person rides is not a question where anyone will get an answer in a forum like this... other than one case I will get to.

What is reasonable depends on what your goals are. For some, they don't care if they ever ride even the 16 miles you ride. For others, they want to ride their age (more challenging as you get older), and others want to ride a century, or get into brevets or other long distance rides. Some want to race, and among racers there are different specialties.

So to summarize what others have said here, and put my own spin on it. Unless your goal is to ride the average distance ridden by random posters on a thread in a cycling forum, you aren't going to get a single answer here. :)

I am a 58 year old 300+ pound man, and I am pleased when I ride in a week the amount that you ride. Sometimes I do more, but usually, at least this year I do less.

One person who has raised thousands of dollars to support his ride across the country rides a lot less than you do. He has been riding for a couple of months and has ridden about 100 miles. Admittedly he weighs over 500 pounds, and is hauling a trailer with more possessions than most people in third world countries keep in their homes... so it all depends.

Enjoy the ride, and if you want to ride further, I am sure you will. :)

In addition ride whatever distance YOU feel like riding, any distance or no distance is acceptable to the only person whose opinion on the subject matters.

Rydabent is 100% correct ( :thumb:)about not worrying about the opinion of "other people", especially anonymous strangers on the Internet.

I'm new also. My first ride was July 10th doing a very lazy but rolling hills 10 mile ride with another newbie and an experienced rider on an introductory ride. As a stay at home dad I can only get out twice a week and am thinking of a trainer for my 7 month olds nap time. Im currently doing 10-17 mile mid-week solo ride and a 26-30 mile weekend group ride. I use Strava (I'm a huge stats guy and keep all kinds of numbers for my golf game) but only to see how I am improving compared to myself and don't watch numbers while riding. I love seeing how not only am I riding faster but also have more energy when I get home despite the ride and am not sore the next day even if I pushed myself in the moment.

I guess it depends on why you're riding.

If you're doing it for overall health and fitness, a general rule is to push yourself slightly at first, then increase the time or distance gradually. Overdoing it can lead to burnout or injury, so ramp up gradually and eventually you'll find a balance between effort, result, and the time you have available to devote to it.

If you're doing it to simply relax and "get out of your head for a while," take as much time as you need! Some days are longer than others, lol.

Bike touring on the road does not a roadie make.

Please clarify, what "makes a roadie"? Sugar and spice and everything nice? Or something else? ;)