Advice on how to increase miles riddwn

[ny biker]

I think setting goals is a great way to see what you are capable of doing. I set goals for many things that help me through life. I set them for work because they help the community I serve. I set them at home to help the family I love. But they never stress me out and really they never have. I think they are great as motivation but each person has to do what is best for their own comfort level. I know several people who will hit 10,000 miles this year. I know two people who moved from riding paved trails to road riding in traffic. I don't think there is a person here who would qualify those accomplishments. It doesn't have to be a competition for people to work outside of their comfort zone and push themselves to expand and grow. The feeling that it's a competition comes from within. I love seeing what other people do in all areas of life...not just cycling...because they are where I'm heading and where I've been and it's nice to know the possibilities and also how I can help.

I think the important thing is that what works for one person could be a disaster for another person. If someone is indicating they feel they have to ride more simply because people on the internet say they have ridden a certain number of miles this year, then I think a mileage goal could turn out to be stressful for that person.

One of my cycling friends rode more than 11,000 miles last year. But he didn't do it because it was his goal. He did it because he loves to ride his bike. He rides almost every day. He considers riding a century to be the best possible way to spend a day, and he'll get up and ride 50 or more miles again the next day because he just wants to.

Setting goals can be good motivation in the right context, but they can also backfire. Unless you're a professional racer getting paid to ride your bike, I think it's important that any cycling goals you set have an underlying element of fun. It can very easily go from something you enjoy to something you have to do even though you'd rather be doing something else.