How many days a week do you ride your bicycle?

[la bicicleta]

Do you take off 1 or 2 days off a week? I'm referring to just riding for fun, fitness & exercise to lose weight - maybe 2 - 10 miles. Not competitively. Do you feel that your body needs to recover? What about those that commute daily? Do you take a rest day from your bike? I'm just wondering how important it is for the body.

I've also added walking with light bouts of jogging. A few minutes of dumb bells at home - 8lbs.

[Veronica]

Most weeks I ride 6 days, sometimes 7. But some days that's just my commute of 4 miles round trip.

V.

[wannaduacentury]

Do you take off 1 or 2 days off a week? I'm referring to just riding for fun, fitness & exercise to lose weight - maybe 2 - 10 miles. Not competitively. Do you feel that your body needs to recover? What about those that commute daily? Do you take a rest day from your bike? I'm just wondering how important it is for the body.

I've also added walking with light bouts of jogging. A few minutes of dumb bells at home - 8lbs.

I try to get a few short rides in during the week. When I'm busy doing other important things, I consider those my rest days off the bike. Jenn ;)

[redrhodie]

I never ride 7 days per week because I do need at least one rest day. I try to ride whenever the weather permits, and since I'm a little whimpy, it usually adds up to about 4-5 rides per week. My short rides are about 13 miles, but at this point in the year, most rides are at least 20 miles long.

When I started riding a few years ago, 8 miles was far. As I got stronger, I added miles. It's been a very gradual progression for me.

[CCinSC]

NOT ENOUGH!!:eek: Now, only once or twice and its only about 4 or 5 miles! I'm aiming for every other day and at least 10 miles. My goal is to be able to ride in a Century race next year. That is, um :o , after I learn and ride a lot more.

[Torrilin]

I mostly shoot for getting my 30-40 miles in every week. I'm not trying to push mileage past that right now, because I need to get better about doing my weight work and core work. If I put too many "shoulds" on myself, I collapse into a heap and don't do what I need to do to feel good. This is a Bad Plan when the only way to get groceries is by bike :D

Also, I'm shopping for a bike that will handle my normal utility riding a bit better, and has "room to grow" into longer distances. I'm not particularly counting test rides as exercise.

[mimitabby]

It depends. up to 5x a week, sometimes only once or twice.

[lph]

I commute, and I try to patch in one rest day a week, thinking it'll keep me happier in the long run :) In other words, if I'm really raring to ride a lot more than my commute, I try to do it on my way home or immediately after getting home.

[light_sabe_r]

6 usually. I commute to work 5 days a week and occassionally I'll ride on a Sunday depending on my mood.

Saturday I'm generally doing housework or chores so no ride that day!

[DebW]

I usually commute 2-3 times per week, 26 miles round trip. I'll do one or two weekend rides of 15-30 miles if I'm home on the weekend with no other commitments.

[amy]

I'm actually trying to build miles toward a century in February. But right now I do a longer ride (only about 20 miles right now) on Wednesday and Sunday. Those are my days off from work. I usually get up at 5 am at least three other days to do 8-10 miles before work. I really am not a morning person, so this is huge for me. I'm working towards commuting in the next couple weeks. It is 32 miles round trip. I also do a lot of yoga. I try to do a little bit every day on my own, and I do a 2 hour private session on Wednesdays. And I usually do at least a little arm strengthening at work with my patients. Wow! I'm actually lying in bed sick right now, and I've been feeling sorry for myself and feeling very lazy. Typing my routine makes me quite proud of my current activity level (sick days excluded). I used to rock climb every Sunday, but cycling seems to have won out.

I would also like to say this was a long time coming. Four years ago, I weighed about 70 pounds more and didn't exercise at all. I think people need to be gentle with their bodies and find their own unique way to fitness. If that is 1 mile on a bike or 30, it is your path... be proud!

[Tuckervill]

Amy, talk more about your transformation, please? :)

Over the last 3-4 years I have been making numerous little changes to my way of eating, my attitude, my life. Over the last year or so I have begun to reap the rewards and am discarding the weight I've carried (although I've been on a plateau for long time at this weight even though I have upped my mileage since July).

I'm always looking for role models. Do you have a blog?

Karen

[sandra]

OH! you mean y'all actually RIDE your bicycles? :eek: I thought you just collected them, talked about them, fixed them up and drooled over them.

Just kidding.

I don't ride mine nearly as much as I'd like to lately with the days getting shorter. That's why I'm planning to fix up the mixte to hop on really fast and ride around the neighborhood.

My road bike I usually take over to the rails to trails and that takes more time.

[GLC1968]

For me, it really varies. I fit riding in when I can, so there are weeks where I'm riding 6 days (rare) and weeks were I'm lucky to get in one ride. Typically, I ride 3-4 times and usually total about 100 to 150 miles.

On a good week, I also weight train twice a week and try at get in at least one session of some other type of cardio (running, step, kickboxing, etc).

I end up resting when life gets in the way of my workouts, so I rarely ever actually plan rest days. I do try to vary my workouts to avoid over-stressing my body (ie. alternate upper body weight training with cycling to rest the legs).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Anywhere between 4 and 6 days a week I ride.

[ibcycling]

It depends on the week but I'm trying to ride 4-5 days a week. The club I joined has 3 rides/week so I've been doing those plus another day or two. The past 2 weeks I put in over 100 miles and I'm hoping to keep that up. :p

Lora

[ChickWithBrains]

I work three days a week, leaving me 4 for training. Of those, two are bike days, two are run days, and there's some swimming or other crosstraining in there somewhere. Multisport is wacky like that -- but it's what keeps me interested.

[Grog]

These days, zero. :(

Well, if you count the 1k out and 1k back riding to work, maybe two days a week. I've even been caught walking to work more often than not.

I've decided it was okay. I'm not very excited about the weather in Vancouver right now, and I'm more focused on running. Yet I look forward to long winter rides, fully dressed up with two spare pairs of gloves in my pockets. Go figure.

Sometimes I wish I had to commute a serious distance (at least 10K to work), that would certainly get me to ride more...

[teigyr]

These days, 0 to 1. I work four days a week and on those day, I am gone 12 hours or so. In the winter, it's dark when I leave the house (mostly) and dark when I get home. DH and I are looking to get a dedicated indoor bike along the lines of a spin bike, either that or a trainer for our bikes.

I work out, however, 5-6 times a week. For the winter, I'm working on swimming, building a better run base, and yoga because I'm not aligned or flexible or anything like that. I do weight training and my shorter runs on work days. Today, for example, I am doing 1 hour of yoga, 1 hour of spin class, and I will run about four miles on the treadmill.

In the summer or when I live in a year-round warm climate, I ride 3-5 times a week.

[indysteel]

I typically ride 4x a week. For at least the bulk of the summer, I did "training" rides on Tuesdays and Thursday. Twenty four miles with about a 4 mile warmup. Since Labor Day or so, however, I've skipped the trainer in favor of slightly more laid back rides. I typically do long rides of 50 to 75 miles on both Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes, I'll on Monday and/or Friday, too but that's probably more the exception than the norm.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I try to do yoga, but my beloved teacher isn't teaching during the week anymore, so I'm at a loss at the moment. In the winter, I'll continue to ride when I can and supplement that with spinning classes and/or more yoga.

On days when riding seems like a big chore, my body is generally trying to tell me something. Those days are generally rare, but my rule is to skip the ride in favor of rest.

[SlowButSteady]

Average 4 days a week. In "peak" season, more like 6. I ride 10 to 25 miles each time, as daylight-after-work allows.

In winter I'll ride about 3x a week, sometimes on my trainer (I HATE it). But I intersperse more swimming in winter (2x a week) and I'm not above running after dark.

I won't cycle (outdoors) after dark.

I really regret not getting on many of the group rides but they have all of them when I can't participate. They tend to ride a bit further than I'm willing to do all by myself. Also, I'm really slow and they tend to leave me in the dust.

[RoadRaven]

Hmmm- somewhere between 2 and 7

I try to make it 5-6 days a week

But last "week" I rode 10 days in a row... But I have not ridden since Sunday - 3 days off the bike in a row.

I need to get out this evening after work as my legs are aching... plus there is a 50km race on Sunday... so I better make sure my legs are gently ready for it!

[7rider]

I just checked my BikeJournal.
I have 108 "rides" - including rollers - for 2007. As we are now in week 41 of the year (I think I counted that right), that equates to about 2.6 rides per week, on average. Some weeks, I might ride 5-6 days (rarely, 7). Some weeks, I don't get to ride at all. :(

[OakLeaf]

Mostly two days - 30-ish on Wednesday evenings (getting shorter as the days get shorter) and 40-60 on Saturdays. One day running, aerobics 3 to 5 days, try to do Pilates one day, not nearly enough strength training.

And yes, there are rest days in there, just not rigidly scheduled ones. I don't train that hard, so it mainly depends on how much impact I've been doing, or if I had an extra long ride.

[Geonz]

Oct. 1 was my 200th consecutive day riding, tho' one of 'em only had a mile, returning that rental car.

I don't need a rest day from walking; I don't need a rest day from riding unless I've gone hard, and a rest day means more restful riding. Unlike running, riding doesn't break the body down.

[ilima]

Not as much as I'd like!

I ride about 3 times a week. Twice during the week for about 20-25 miles each and once on the weekend for 40-60 miles. I'm training for a marathon now, so running 3 days a week. When that's over I'll decrease my running and increase my cycling.

I'd like to commute once or twice a week and am getting a bike ready. I live close to work, but I live on a ridge. So getting home means two miles of real hurt.

[emily_in_nc]

This summer it's been about twice a week -- one mountain bike ride with a friend after work, and one road ride with DH on the weekend, but I've missed several of those lately with buying our boat. Other than that, I try to get to the gym 2-3 times a week. Usually one time is a run, the other two are lifting and ab work, and I walk with DH on our trails several times a week. As the weather finally gets cooler here in NC, hiking will start coming back into the picture on weekends, maybe some trail running, and when daylight savings time is over, weekday riding outdoors will go by the wayside and be replaced by riding the indoor trainer a couple of times a week after work. Variety is good, I think!

Emily

[Jo-n-NY]

Although I will have put on the most miles than ever had in a given calender year, I rode only 3 times a week. Both weekend days and only one weekday. I kept trying to aim for 4, but I will try to incorporate that next year.

Today is usually my one weekday ride after work. I think within the next few weeks my weekday rides will be indoors on the trainer, I will get in at least 2-3 days of that besides my weekend rides.

This is my only form of exercise besides walking during my lunch hour.

~ JoAnn

[onimity]

7. I commute b bike 21 miles RT, usually do a long ride on Saturday. Sunday is my day for errands, so that usually amounts to 10-12 miles, broken up into short segments. I find that that is enough of a 'rest day' for me, but if I'm feeling run down I'll work from home or take the bus all but 5 miles or so. If I'm sick, I just stay home, no riding.

[kdskaggs]

I weight train four days each week and ride my bike two or three. I usually Saturdays off each week with no exercise to let my body heal. There is definitely a balance for me between enough and too much exercise. Currently I'm riding between 20 and 25 miles each ride. I'm working on getting that up slowly. I don't want to shock my body and cause it to lose weight. This is the first time I have ever been able to ride my bike consistently and maintain my weight. :)* If I eat every three hours, I'm good. If I don't, I drop weight right away.

Kenda

[sundial]

Well, I used to ride 4-5 days a week. Now I'm down to weekends for now. Darn it! :mad: