upping cycling mileage

[cyclinginmd]

background: i have had my bike for (almost) a few years but i'm starting now to get serious about it. i am 23. i am overweight (5'5 233 lbs-down 11 lbs since mid Feb :cool:) so i don't go fast or far compared to other cyclists, but i really try not to compare myself to them.

not including this week, three of the previous four weeks i rode 32, 30, and 30 miles, respectively. last week i was on vacation so i didn't ride. this week my mileage can be anywhere from 30-35. so basically:

week 1: 32 miles
week 2: 30 miles
week 3: 30 miles
week 4: vacation
week 5 (current): anywhere from 30-35 miles

i'm not sure how to up mileage. i know in running, upping about 10% each week is a good rule. i know everyone is different, but i'm wondering what your "rule" is for upping mileage.

also, for 30 miles/week that's about 3 hrs of cycling.

thanks for any info/advice :)

[maillotpois]

Are you riding only once a week, or do you do some other riding in addition to your long ride? As a general rule, adding 5 miles a week is pretty conservative and you should be fine. However, it helps to have (1) a week or so every month where you're not adding miles and (2) be doing some other riding in addition to your long ride.

[cyclinginmd]

thanks for the info :). i am riding 4x per week. long ride for me is 10 miles. usually something like:

mon-8 miles
tues-off
wed-10 miles
thurs-off
fri-7 miles
sat-5 miles
sun-off

[redrhodie]

You're doing great. I bet you can ride 12 miles right now (probably more). Can you add to that 5 mile ride? Can you stay on the bike for another half hour that day? Try making all your rides at least an hour long. You've already gotten the bike out, and gotten dressed, so the hard part is done. ;)

[Bike Writer]

cyclinginmd, Red gave you good advice about length and upping it. I was and still am not a particularly fast rider, however one of the ways that I increased my mileage on rides was to ride in a slightly harder gear than I normally cruised at. That upped my speed a tad bit and in the same time out on a ride my mileage increased. My stamina and endurance increased so therefore my mileage increased along with it. It was not really by plan, it just happened.

I suppose that's not a good or formal way to train, but it's working for me.

Congrats on getting more serious about fitness.

[cyclinginmd]

thanks for the advice ladies :)

redrhodie: i probably can ride 12+ since 10 doesn't leave me all that tired. i think next week i might up my mileage on that ride

bike_writer: i will have to try upping to another gear on my next ride. thanks for the congrats :)

[RubyTuesday]

You girls are so inspiring. I love to read about mileage progress. I am finding that as I do the same ride, I don't dread the upgrades like I used to. Sometimes, I don't even notice them. When that is happening, I am adding miles to the middle of my ride. I added about four miles this week to my ride.

Congratulations everyone. I know we will have the best legs out there!!!

[KatzPajamas]

Cyclinginmd~ You go girl! Keep in mind that you are out there gobbling up the miles! Stretch your time, speed, and distance whenever you can. Good idea to take the break on Tuesday and Thursday and Sunday...I try to reserve Saturday for a long ride. I leave early and do enjoy whatever I can do within a two hour window. After that, I find that I run out of gas and get a sore hiney. (but a month ago, those things were happening at the 1 hour time) Little by little I have gained strength and endurance and speed! Most of all ~ ENJOY! :cool:

[Carolyn.Elaine.]

thanks for the info :). i am riding 4x per week. long ride for me is 10 miles. usually something like:

mon-8 miles
tues-off
wed-10 miles
thurs-off
fri-7 miles
sat-5 miles
sun-off

That sounds just like what I'm doing and I've lost about 20lbs since I started a few months ago. I'm also doing long 32 mile(ish) rides once a week or so. You can totally do more, I'll bet. Pay attention to how you're feeling and ease up when you need to. Remember it's more about getting it done then how fast or how hard you work.