What's a good time to complete 22 miles?

[rebecca_f]

No I didn't get a proper fitting on my bike although I was told what size bike would fit me.
Yes I did have funthe speeds I got up to where amazing Although was worried I might fall flat on my face forgetting I still had my feet in the toe clips

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

One person's 'hilly' is another person's 'flat', and vice versa.


Over twenty miles is what I'd consider a big ride for a first ride! I'm thinking it'd be pretty normal for you to be plenty sore tomorrow.

[sgtiger]

Whatever your average time was is a good average! It all depends on the skill level, strength, endurance level, type of bike, type of riding (casual vs. commuting vs. racing), terrain, etc. And, I totally agree with Lisa above. A ride that I would consider hilly, Dh would probably think it rolling at best.

[Grog]

Forget about speed and time, just go out there and have fun!

And, yes, if you can get someone to have a look at how you're fitted to your bike it could be a good idea. It's normal to have a bit of aching while you adapt to the riding position and stuff like that, but you don't want to cause permanent damage either!

enjoy!

p.s. Cute puppy.

[tctrek]

Did you have fun? Were you happy with your accomplishment? That's really all that counts. I'm really "slow" as compared to how my DH rides, but I'm pleased with myself every time I go out and conquer the road, the hills, the wind, whatever!

Great job in getting out there and doing 22 miles on your first ride. That's awesome!

[MomOnBike]

Any time you can go out and do 20 miles is a good time.

You could, after all, be cleaning the house, instead.

[RolliePollie]

22 miles is a long ride for your first ride!!! Congrats and don't get bummed out if your soreness lasts a few days.

I got some excellent advice when I first got my bike 2 years ago. Start slow! I was advised to not ride more that 8-10 miles at a time for the first couple of weeks. Your body needs to get used to the feel of the bike, new body positions, and using new muscles. The goal is to have fun and want to get back on the bike, not to immediately push yourself too hard and end up in so much pain that you don't want to ride and you feel like giving up. I remember after my very first ride, which was only about 8 miles, my hands and wrists and shoulders were killing me, and I thought I broke something "down there" because I could barely sit down for a couple of days. But all of these initial aches and pains dissipated as I got used to riding.

I know everyone is different, but I took this advice and started slow. Within two weeks of short rides, I was able to do 20-30 flat miles without too much soreness afterwards. And within a month, I was riding 15-20 miles of hills pretty comfortably. And I'm talking about pretty good hills...2,500 feet of climbing in 20 miles types of hills.

By the way, average speed and ride time does vary a ton. My slowest ride averaged 8 mph (24 miles in 3 hours)...but it was like a 5,000 foot climb. I guess that was also my fastest ride because the ride back down only took an hour! My fastest ride on flat terrain would probably be around 18 mph.

Enjoy your new bike, take it easy, and pop a couple of ibuprofen for your aches and pains!