Curious to know...

[Bicyclette]

Hello -

I am a new rider and have been following the daily ride threads. I'm curious to know how long it has taken people to build up to the mileage that I sometimes see on there as a daily ride. My husband and I got bikes in May and my longest ride so far ( today actually ) has been 50K. I see some people doing 50 MILES for a daily ride. I'm working toward 100k but I think it will take awhile - we have nothing but hills where we live - I get tired just thinking about 100k of hills!!

Pat

[DeniseGoldberg]

Pat -
From not riding at all just a couple of months ago to 50k now is a great accomplishment. It's really important that you not compare yourself with everyone else but that you set your own riding goals. For example, while I can happily ride long distances, I ride at a slower pace than many other riders here. But my riding makes me happy, supports my habit of carrying a camera with me, and prepares me for touring on my bike - which is something that is very important to me.

Welcome to TE, and welcome to riding!
--- Denise

[Grog]

Hi Bicyclette,

Denise is right. Don't worry about what others do too much.

But also be confident that you can and will (if you want) increase your daily mileage. I now quite regularly ride 100 km+ fairly hilly rides (usually every Saturday), something I could only dream of doing when I started cycling two years ago and that little hill I had to ride up to commute back from work terrified me. Experience and practice will increase your endurance. It's good that you live on hilly terrain, you'll get stronger faster.

Good luck!!

[margo49]

Hi Bicyclette,

Denise is right. Don't worry about what others do too much.

Good luck!!

That is what we are about here at TE.
The main thing is you are on a bike and enjoying it.

[pooks]

I still haven't broken 7 miles in a single ride! This heat is killing me. We rode at 6"30 this morning and it was already 85 and muggy. Made the mistake of eating breakfast before riding and one 2.2 mile loop was enough.

I've got to figure out how to feed my husband AND ride with him before work. He has to leave for work by 7 at the latest, and it's not light enough to ride much earlier than 6:15, so eating first seemed the only way. I'll work on that, though.

[mimitabby]

I still haven't broken 7 miles in a single ride! This heat is killing me. We rode at 6"30 this morning and it was already 85 and muggy. Made the mistake of eating breakfast before riding and one 2.2 mile loop was enough.

I've got to figure out how to feed my husband AND ride with him before work. He has to leave for work by 7 at the latest, and it's not light enough to ride much earlier than 6:15, so eating first seemed the only way. I'll work on that, though.

How about let your husband feed himself for breakfast, and then make him a nice(er) dinner?

At my house except for some sunday breakfasts, breakfast is the "you're on your own" meal.

[MomOnBike]

Don't worry, we'll love ya no matter how far you ride.

And don't think that your mileage won't increase if you stick with it. Two years ago I was straining my shoulder patting myself on the back because I was huffing and puffing through a whole 3 miles a day. Now my daily ho-hum ride is ~15 miles.

A couple other thoughts:

There are people here for whom a 50 mile ride is just a nice warm-up. Just tell yourself that they are nice people, really, and try not to think about it.

My "best" mileage days just kind of happen. I start playing tourist in my own town, poking about here and there, finding out where roads lead, and when I get home I'm amazed at how many miles I've accumulated, and how slowly I rode. That's OK, it's not a race, and I'm really starting to know my town.

Finally, there is an odd tradition of "riding your age." That is, riding say, 51 miles one day the year you turn 51. Some people insist on the day, but I don't, my birthday is in mid-summer, and I'm not suicidal. DH's comment this year after his Age Ride as we were hauling our tired bodies into the house was "I can't wait 'til I'm 100." I don't think he meant it.