Avg. Distance

As all of you have said in one way or another- this is really an individual thing. A lot depends on what you do off the bike, the weather, time of year, family etc.

As for me, I generally do at least 2 metric centuries (62.5 miles?) a week plus an early morning ride before I work that is (because of time changing morning light) a little over 10 miles. However, I also work out at the gym 1-3 days a week in the morning before I go to work. I consider my gym time as strength training for my cycling which is why I mention it here.

I do think having goals are a great way to keep you going and to help focus your efforts to the end result.

Thanks for all the responses ladies. I guessI just wanted a general idea of what "normal" people do. Afraid that going for 30 mile rides might get me classified as a freak. I am curious though at how those of you who do short rides during the week have the endurance for the longer weekend outings? I also need at least a day between rides to recover, how can you ride long distances on both Sat. & Sun?

this was my 1st year cycling, and what my 'average' was varied greatly by time of year and where I was experience wise. I'm considering the outdoor season all but over here, so while I'll continue to do some longer rides on weekends, I am not training for them, and they're ramp down rides instead of building rides for something like a long ride or century. It now gets too dark to ride during the week, at least with the hours I work. Instead, I am going to the gym to spin class, run, etc.

But let me answer your latest question:

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how can you ride long distances on both Sat. & Sun?

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Only by training & adding mileage slowly. The general rule of thumb is to increase your total distance by 10% a week. You can do up a quick little spreadsheet that reflects this and see that at a certain point in time you'll need to do back to back rides on the weekend to continue increasing. And you don't jump into long rides both days either - what I'd say is at the beginning plan one longer day and one shorter day, and add miles to both til the longer ride hits your objective. Then you can add the miles to the shorter ride til both are even or near even.

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Originally Posted by jusdooit

Thanks for all the responses ladies. I guessI just wanted a general idea of what "normal" people do. Afraid that going for 30 mile rides might get me classified as a freak. I am curious though at how those of you who do short rides during the week have the endurance for the longer weekend outings? I also need at least a day between rides to recover, how can you ride long distances on both Sat. & Sun?

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It will all come with time and training. Tygab is right: don't increase mileage too fast. But eventually you'll get at a good mileage base and your body will be used to that volume of exercise, and need less no-riding recovery time between rides. What I mean by "no-riding recovery time" is just that. However you might still need recovery days, i.e. if you ride very hard one day it's probably wiser to take it easy the next. But you'll be able to get your rest on the bike instead of the couch. :)

Of course, when you stop for many weeks or several months, you have to start over building your base. But it should take you less time, unless it's been many years :eek:

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Originally Posted by jusdooit

I am curious though at how those of you who do short rides during the week have the endurance for the longer weekend outings? I also need at least a day between rides to recover, how can you ride long distances on both Sat. & Sun?

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Just take it up slowly, for instance ride on saturday a long ride and then on sunday a short ride, start of with 1 hr on an easy pace. And slowly up the time you spend on the sunday.

And yes, on the sunday you will have to warm up slowly to get rid of the muscle aches of the saturday ride. :rolleyes:

And how much times you spend depends on what goals you set for yourself. I want to ride competition next year that's why I make the milage.

During the season, when there is ample daylight, i tend to ride 2, maybe 3 times a week after work. Those rides are usually 15 miles. Most of the time I try to go for speed here (and improving the speed on my climb back to my house). I do at least one longer ride on the weekend, usually around 50 miles (sometimes it's less but that usually involves a lot of climbing). Usually, I will do another shorter weekend ride, or go mtb.
During the summer, when I'm not working, I do a group ride on Wednesday and Friday, plus one or two short rides alone. The Wednesday one is social, but with a nice pace of about 14-15 av. The Friday ride gradually increases in pace from the beginning of the season to the end. The last one I did on Labor Day weekend was about a 16.5-17 mph average, and it was hard for me.Both of these rides are between 30 and 50 miles. What I have found is that the faster my speed gets, the more time I need for recovery. I'm pretty sure this has to do with my age, but just this morning my husband and I were wondering if some of the men in my Wed. ride group who are about 65-70 feel as sore and tired as we do! They seem unfazed by anything. I also rode less this year with my riding partner, who is much slower than me. Going on rides with her forced me to slow down, but I was still out there. I think this is a better strategy for me. Too much exercise and not enough recovery does bad things to my immune system and I have had a series of allergy, asthma, etc. things since I finished training for and completing a century and a 50 mile charity ride within one week of each other. I thought I rested enough, but I guess not.
The season is winding down, so i will be getting back to spin class, weights, and hopefully x-country skiing. It's probably healthier to try to combine cycling with some other activity, even during the season, but it's hard for me not to just get out and ride every day that I can!

Its funny, but last year when I started out riding, I was super excited to do a 30 mile ride on the weekend and I planned it out like it was a century. This year, a 30 mile ride is a 'nice ride'. You will find that as your experience grows, your mindset changes!

Over the summer, I was riding between 100 and 150 miles per week. Shorter rides during the week (30 miles or so) and then longer ones on the weekend ramping up to a century ride in August and another one in September. Now I'm also commuting (14 miles each way), so I hope to maintain an 85-100 mile/week pace through the winter. (On top of regular gym workouts :) )

I often have to work seven days a week so my training time varies according to my work schedule. That said, I've been riding since August and try to get in three rides a week, each between 20-35 miles. I add one day of swimming and one day of combined weight training/running, and two rest-recovery days.

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Originally Posted by jusdooit

I'm still fairly new as a rider (well, return rider), only been riding since June '06. I am curious to know what the average distance of ride most folks go for. I made it through 26 miles yesterday and would like to get to 30 miles, and do it at least 3x a week. Just made me curious about what most of you ladies ride, how often, etc.

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Well, for me... my distance depends on what group I'm riding with.

On Tuesdays I was riding 20-25 miles. Last week was my last time to do this, until Spring next year.

On Wednesdays I was riding 30 miles. I stopped this about a month ago due to it getting dark early.

Saturdays I ride 35-45 miles. During the summer when I was training for a rally, we would sometimes ride 45-60 miles.

Sundays 30 miles. If there is a special ride on Sunday, I will do 35-45 miles.

But, these are really "out of my control", as I ride in groups. Of course, I pick groups going the distances I want to go.

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I am curious though at how those of you who do short rides during the week have the endurance for the longer weekend outings? I also need at least a day between rides to recover, how can you ride long distances on both Sat. & Sun?

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Well, with time and training... as someone else pointed out... your mind set will change... and so will your endurance/body.

I know when I first started riding I was in "awe" of going 10 miles.

Now days, I won't even bother taking the bike out for 10 miles. Too much hassle (I have to drive somewhere) for 40 minutes of riding.

Also, the more you ride... the better it gets. Pretty soon, you won't need a day to recover. I know I generally workout (run, bike) 5-6 days a week. I get one or two rest days. More than that is too much.

AND... who's to say you can't have a "recovery" ride. I know I might hit it hard on a ride on Sat., but on Sun. I go on a "recovery ride" where we ride slow and just enjoy the scenery.

Just because you ride 2 days back to back, doesn't mean that you are working really hard both days.

well, first off, there's no such thing as normal :)

Also, miles aren't the same... five miles for me, on the easy plains of Illinois, are a different animal than a place with hills.

I do lots and lots of miles - but nobody would call me normal :) . In our bike club, we've got people who do 300 miles a year, lots of folks who do between 1,500 and 3,000 and year, and then those of us with a bicycle lifestyle who end up with 7000+ because our bikes are how we get most places and we like to ride for fun, too. THe addiction starts slowly ...


a typical ride distance would be anywhere from 15 to 40 miles. Longer takes more planning.