First outdoor ride of the season=bike fit woes

[emily_in_nc]

What Crankin said. Going from 30 to 60 miles in one fell swoop is not a great idea for your body. Maybe if you're 25...I don't know your age, but I could never get away with it (I'll be 50 in April).

I've always read/heard the rule of thumb that you should only increase 10-15% per week. So my last five "long" rides have been something like 20, 22, 23, 26, 23, 30 miles (with a few shorter rides sprinkled in). No problems increasing like that, but I would never dream of riding 60, or even 50, yet. Next week, maybe 33-34 max for me.

Be kind to your body -- it's the only one you're likely to get.

[Catrin]

I learned the hard way last year that it does indeed pay to build slowly but surely. I was taught to never increase more than 15% per week for my 'long ride" and no more than 10-15% for monthly mileage increase. My other rides during the week will be a bit shorter.

I am champing at the bit wanting to ride more than that, but today I only rode 25 miles, my long ride next week won't be longer than around 27.5 or so. My legs and body thank me for that and feel much better than if I were trying to push it harder than that. I may not have much riding experience, but my over-use injuries of last year are well remembered.

Just something for you to consider...

[nscrbug]

Well, yes of course it makes sense to do shorter rides and gradually build up from there...which was my intent. But...my cycling buddy was a bit more "antsy" to go further today, and so I guess I just went along with the idea thinking it wouldn't be that bad. Looking back on the day, I really didn't feel all that terrible...just some minor butt soreness from not being in the saddle for that length of time. It'll pass the more I ride and eventually my butt will toughen up again.