500 miles?

[Melalvai]

The "Healthy For Life" project at work has a program called "Ride to Wellness". It was a followup of the "Walk to Wellness". For "Walk to Wellness", you paid $15 for a pedometer and when you had walked 1 million steps you got your money back and a t-shirt. You were supposed to do it in 100 days, but it took me 125 days.

For "Ride to Wellness" you pay for an odometer, and you get your money back after you've biked 500 miles. I already have an odometer so I'm just doing it for fun, or the t-shirt (as if I need another tshirt.) Again, it's supposed to be done in 100 days.

The lady who gave me the materials & info, asked if I thought that was a reasonable goal. I laughed. "I just biked 744 miles in 11 days," I told her. "I'm probably not a typical cyclist."

Crazy stunts like that aside, 500 miles in 100 days is 5 miles a day. The shortest distance I ride is 6 miles a day, that's my round trip commute. So it's still a really easy goal for me.

Otherwise, I think it might be very difficult to reach that goal, if it weren't part of my travel. I don't see me going for a 20-30 minute ride every day in addition to everything else I do.

What do you think? How many days would it take you to bike 500 miles?

[Blueberry]

That directly depends on what season it is. I can't commute to work (lots of reasons, even making a hybrid commute not workable). However, in 100 days - no problemo.

Perhaps we should do a TE 500 mile challenge? Of course, then we'd have to decide if trainer miles count;)

[OakLeaf]

I think it might be very difficult to reach that goal, if it weren't part of my travel. I don't see me going for a 20-30 minute ride every day in addition to everything else I do.

What do you think? How many days would it take you to bike 500 miles?

It's been a long time since I rode more than a couple of miles every single day.

Most people I know, myself included, ride a couple of days a week in the evening or early morning, and then a longer ride on the weekend. It usually works out to a minimum of 80 miles a week, up to 200 miles depending on the season and the individual. The other days are for whatever other sport/activity you like. :)

[Trek420]

Perhaps we should do a TE 500 mile challenge? Of course, then we'd have to decide if trainer miles count;)

I think you can form teams on Plus3 now.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=27190

[shootingstar]

Probably alot of TE members could easily do 500 miles in 1-1.5 months or alot less.

But it sounds like a great goal for a newbie in cycling or cycle-commuting. For all the full-time jobs I've had, my cycle-commuting distance daily during the workday week, was for least amount of distance: 13 kms. /day which was part of a multi-modal and twisty daily commute. Some years it was 26-32 kms./day.

Depending on the route, stops, etc., I would be cycling 50-60 min. each way, to or from work. I consider that the norm for the (large) cities where I've cycled and lived. I've had jobs closer to home but deliberately lengthened my daily route 4x and throwing in a hill, just to get decent fitness ride. :)

During lst yr. of returning to cycling, I was so intoxicated by cycling itself, that I got home by subway. Then jumped onto bike and cycle for 54 kms. in the summer evening on a work day. Then it dawned on me, I should consider cycle-commuting to work. :o (which was only a 32 kms. round trip at that time) which would leave more evening time to do other stuff.

[Owlie]

If it were actually part of my day, I think I could do it in less. As it stands, I might need the full 100 days--I don't get much time on weekdays (I live near a hospital and university, so mornings and evenings are out!), so I'd be out there on weekends.

[Melalvai]

I finished the 500 on Friday. It took me 75 days. That includes 11 days of no biking at all, when I hurt my back.

[Eden]

I'm not typical - but it would probably take me 2.5 to 3 weeks at the most. I probably put in 150 to 200 miles/week at this time of the year. Much of this is not commuting, but rather training rides.