This is the first time I've ever done forty miles. Before that the longest distance was 28mi. Took a little over 3 hours but felt great when i was done, like I could've gone for more. On the Little Miami Bike Trail from Morrow to Spring Valley and back. Next milestone: 50. Can't wait.

Great job Brian!!!! keep it up. I spent the day at a festival stuffing my face

Congratulations, keep at it, and don't forget to have fun, too.

Oh Yeah, 40 miles is a pretty good distance by anyone's account.

Congrats.

Thank you very much. It was fun. I honestly don't think I could hane done that 1yr or even six months ago, but it makes you want to push harder. It is addictive.

40 miles is a nice ride. 2-3 hours on a crisp autumn morning.

Nice distance.
What do you ride?

When I get past 30 miles, my hands/wrists start to hurt too much to make it any fun.

An '08 Schwinn Super Sport. I know, not a "top-liner" , but I got What I could afford from a LBS. My hands started hurting too, but I have a few more options on hand position than my hybrid. I have to get some new gloves when I can and padded shorts. I like the seat on it, but man, it takes some getting used to.

Congratulations! 40 miles is great. Just think, once you do 50 you can start saying you have done half centuries.

Great! I remember my first 40+. It was before the padded bibs. Then came the first 60+ then nightly 30's. etc... It gets into you quickly.

Great accomplishment! How'd you feel at the end? Did you have another 10 in you?

I felt pretty good. The next leg was to Milford, another 13. If my buddy wouldn't have sprinted the last mile and a half, probably would have felt better. He was on a Trek Madone, and was just gone. I followed him as long as I could, got up to 22 mph and he still kept pulling away (I gotta do some more sprints!). Next time, we're going to try 50.

Nice distance, nice time too. The more you do the more you will want to do.

If you can pedal it OK and it shifts then it is just fine. You don't need to spend a lot of money on the bike.

Forget about the padded shorts (if you mean the gel type shorts) been there done that . Just get regular bike shorts (ones with a chamois).

Talk to you LBS about a fit. They might be able to tweak some things for you.

And it is a saddle not a "seat". Yes it takes getting used to. You might want to invest in a new saddle. But give this one a couple of more weeks. Talk to your LBS about a saddle. Most will let you try one out a week or so. Saddles are s very personal item. What works for you might not work for someone else and visa versa. I happened to like a Nashbar gel cell saddle. Others like to have a hard saddle and still others like a real plush saddle.

Good job on the 40 miles. You will be riding a century in no time at that rate.

Great job doing 40 miles at a good pace. My folks live in Dayton Ohio and my Dad has ridden that trail.

The key to prevent your hands from going numb or hurting is to change your hand positions often and before you start feeling it. Also a quick stop for a 5 minute rest can do wonders to break up your ride.

I started out the same way and kept on increasing my rides. Before I knew it I was riding to a town 25 miles away and back nearly every weekend. Friends and neighbors all think I am insane for riding that far. Of course that distance is a ride around the block for many posters in this forum.

Good Job!

try to do that on a daily basis
and you'll be guaranteed to be fit in no time.

I'm waiting to take it back to the LBS for 30-day service and will ask them about adjustments. I'd love to do it every day but I have time-, kid's school, job- constraints, not that I'm complaining. I commute when I can (about 18 miles), usually 3-4 times a week. I save the long rides for the week-end. One of my goals is to do the breast cancer ride next year. I want to do the farthest one they have.

Thanks again for the encouragements.

Nice job!

We did most of that same ride/distance this weekend (South Lebanon to Corwin).

If you want use Corwin as a nice lunch/break stop, then starting at the Kings Mill Powder plant will get you around 45 miles, and starting in Foster will get you around 55 miles.... or you could start in Kings Mills and go to your Spring Valley turn-around to get a Metric Century.... OK... that's probably more than you asked for!

Good luck! ...and most of all... HAVE FUN!!