BadBreaks

Ok guys,

I've increased my distance to 8 miles, later in the week or next week I will do 10.

Today I did my 8.1 miles in under an hour, say, 50 mins. The rode is on pretty bad old roads and some OK roads. It involves a good few kilometres of climbs also. It's by no means flat or main road riding.

Does this sound like an OK time for a beginner? What should I be aiming for?

BadBreaks

bpohl

Hey Bad, That sounds great! When I first started, I was very proud to be doing mileage like that. I was 340 lbs, and 8 miles was really pushing it for me. Believe me, you'll be amazed at how you can start racking up the miles very quickly. You should keep a spreadsheet of each day and how many miles you travel. That way, you can look back on these days when you're doing 50,60,70 -100 miles with no problem. Keep at it!

TheNJDevil

that is about a 10MPH average. That's not too bad for a beginner on roads that aren't flat.

If i were you I'd be shooting for averaging 12MPH for a full hour.

But the real question you should be asking yourself is:
What are my goals in regards to riding?

bpohl

Goals are good. My first goal was to average 12mph for an hour. It took me forever to do it, but when I did, man was I excited! I never dreamed that I'd be racing and finishing in the top five seven months later. It's amazing how quickly you can progress when you put your mind to it.

H23

Are you aiming to exercise?

Don't worry too much about time and mileage. Be sure you are getting aerobic intensity-- just enough so that you can barely maintain a conversation with full sentences, and not more intense unless you feel really compelled on a particular day.

Stubacca

Way to go! I used to set myself goals (weight, average speed, distance), and buy myself a bike-related present whenever I reached one.

BadBreaks

I think it works out at a bit better than 10mph more like 12 or 13, if it is 8 miles in under 60 mins, no?

BadBreaks

supcom

Your average speed was 9.72 mph. But at that level you should not be worrying about whether this is good or bad. You should be concentrating on maintaining a proper heart rate over an increasing exercise time. You should be aiming for 80% of maximum heart rate and work on increasing your endurance. Speed will come naturally with increased conditioning.

BadBreaks

You're right. I did not calculate the speed correctly.

Bad Breaks