How many miles do you ride?

[Yemmi530]

As a beginner to cycling, how many miles should you ride?
I am very new to the cycling world, specially to road bike. And I wonder how many miles should i ride as a beginner? I had saw some people riding 40 miles or so. As of right now, I am riding 15 miles every time when I jump on my Trek 1.2 WSD. Plus, I am getting a new pedal "Look KeO Elle". Any opinion? What pedal and saddle are you gals using? Any recommendation?

[Kalidurga]

My advice is to get rid of the word "should". Ride as many miles as you want to ride and as your schedule and fitness will permit. Fifteen miles is plenty for some people, while forty miles is not enough for others. Only you can decide what distance you can and "should" ride.

[lo123]

My advice is to get rid of the word "should". Ride as many miles as you want to ride and as your schedule and fitness will permit. Fifteen miles is plenty for some people, while forty miles is not enough for others. Only you can decide what distance you can and "should" ride.

++

DO what you feel like and want to ride.

For someone else's perspective... I started out doing 10-15 mile jaunts. AFter a month of that, I was up to 25-30 mile rides.
I've been riding just over 6 months, and my longest ride was 75 miles. I had planned to complete at least 1 century this fall, but both were rained out. There's always next year!

[Yemmi530]

Wow, up to 75 miles. Good for you and Yes, there is always Next year. I wish you will have a great race next year. Me, I will take the advise "riding whatever i want" starting out around 15 miles. Hopefully, next year this time I will be able to ride longer "just like your gals" long and fun ride. So, did you gals join a local term or club? So, you can ride with some cycling buddies?

[Kalidurga]

I've never ridden with a club, but I do often ride with women in my area that I've met through this forum. But I also love to ride by myself, it's a great way to just clear my head and escape.

Where do you live, Yemmi?

[Yemmi530]

I live in Fresno, California. And you? I totally agree with you, sometime it is such a great way to clear your mind; some relief from this busiest world. With this type of perfect weather, riding by myself "made me felt good as well". However, I would like to meet up some local cyclist "like a group ride" never try it before but as a group activity, i think i might be a fun ride "if i can caught up :P".

[Kalidurga]

I'm all the way over on the east coast, but there are a lot of TE ladies from California who could probably give you suggestions of groups to look into.

[annielynn]

I made the mistake when I first riding to keep track of the number of miles I was riding. It would always depress me. Now that I have been riding for 2 months I don't keep track of the miles riden but the time that I am out. I love to be on my bike and often think about riding. It is my time and I love it. If you have an hour to ride cool, if you have 30 mins to ride even better. Just being out there is what matter.

In the beginning I was riding about 15 miles at a time last weekend I just completed 30. Both times I felt accomplished. My goal is to complete a metric century by this time next year.

[Owlie]

I started out doing one or two miles to get used to the feel of the road bike when I first got her (I hadn't been on a bike since I was ten). I bumped it up to five or ten after a while, and then have been trying to move up to fifteen or twenty. Then I got the flu, and now doing three miles has me tired. Do what feels right. There's no "should" here. Well, I know I should ride more before winter sets in, but alas, Cleveland's weather, terrible pavement, and school conspire against me...okay, mostly school.

[Lakerider]

Ride as far as you feel like and/or time will allow. My first ride 16 months ago was 2 miles and I really thought I had accomplished something! Well, I had since I hadn't ridden a bike since I was a kid. Now I usually ride between 20-40 with my longest ride being 101. Yesterday I rode 30 and today 70 so I'll call that a 2 day century. Have fun riding!

[redrhodie]

What works for me (and by that, I mean I feel really good) is rides around an hour and a half to 2 hours total. I'm giving lengths of time instead of distances because depending on terrain and conditions, distance can vary so much. I fear overuse injuries from riding more than that, but lots of people love doing longer rides than I do.

I ride 4-5 days per week.

[Grog]

Ride however much you want. Just remember to step out of your comfort zone now and then, and ride a few miles further.

[shootingstar]

Like everyone else says, ride what your heart (soul, as well as the real pumping heart) and legs want to do.

Extra comments:
I never belonged to a cycling club or group for just riding around. I did belong to women's cycling group for a few years where I was one of committee organizers for events, workshops and rides. But I rode to lead or sweep some rides. Commitee members that I knew closely had busy lives and lived in different areas that it was tough for just us to find time to ride far together..outside of coordination work and meetings. It was a volunteer organization.

I occasionally have joined on some large event group rides or small group rides of friends,...hmmmm 3-4 times per year. Rest of the year, I ride with my dearie/partner or I ride solo. Hope you find a cycling friend to occasionally ride with.

I did track my mileage during first few years of returning to cycling. It helped motivate me, understand and estimate distance, my cycling endurance (or lack of ) at different times of year so that I could improve after a long snowy winter of no cycling.

Distances that I occasionally post here on TE, are based on known routes and distances that my partner does with me (or I do same routes solo at times) because HE tracks his mileage daily. So I can estimate very closely how much I do ride. But have given up a daily cycling mileage journal for past decade or so.

I still have the journals...they include trip memories. Still valuable. But now the photos are more valuable and my fitness/health also.

[PamNY]

Ride however much you want. Just remember to step out of your comfort zone now and then, and ride a few miles further.

This is good advice. I ride just for fun and don't pay much attention to mileage, but every so often I like to challenge myself.

Pam

[Owlie]

I try to get myself to a round number, but if it doesn't happen, no big deal.