# Your longest ride (on a MTB)?



## sarahale (4 Aug 2015)

I'm new ish to mtbing and not very good but determined to improve and keep challenging myself. I'm doing London to Brighton off road in September so have begun training for that. 

Just interested in what sort of distances eveyone else does? 

I went to Surrey hills today and did 57 miles on tracks and some country roads, was amazing!! But as I say I'm not very good and quite nervous so had to get off for a couple of steep rocky bits and took about 6 hours! But I had fun and feel like I am improving slowly!


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## ScotiaLass (4 Aug 2015)

It's subjective.
I'm 51 with health issues, still ride trails on my MTB and the most I've ridden on it is 35 miles.
I'm great on the downs and rubbish on the ups due to my arthritic knees and spine.
Just keep at it, you'll improve. 
I don't compare myself to others, I just enjoy what I can still do!


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## drummerbod (4 Aug 2015)

55 miles but it's not just distance but climb and type of ground. Just enjoy what you achieve without overdoing it and making it a chore.

57 miles is good - no matter how many hours.


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## mrbikerboy73 (5 Aug 2015)

57 miles is very respectable distance, thats great. 
I rode the South Downs Way yesterday, that was 100 miles and was extremely tough! But normally its 20 mile rides on the MTB. That was a one off!
I did the London to Brighton off road last year and it was a long day in the saddle but it was fairly flat apart from a couple of hills. Eat and drink plenty, and pace yourself and you'll be fine with it im sure. Good luck for the ride!


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## ColinJ (5 Aug 2015)

Keep up the good work! 

Reasonable health-permitting, you'd be surprised what your body is capable of if you build it up carefully. I had a near fatal illness in summer 2012 which led to a tough 8 months off the bike. I started cycling again, but then suffered a relapse in summer 2013. The second time round, I tried to carry on cycling but had to knock my efforts right back while my body healed. Less than a year after that I was back to doing longish hilly rides, some over 100 miles in length. I did a 130 mile ride a month or so back.

I don't know what the offroad is like elsewhere, but I reckon that the bridleways round here are 2-3 times as tough as the roads. The longest MTB ride I ever did was about 50 gnarly miles and that was harder than the hilly 140 mile road rides that I have done.


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## sarahale (5 Aug 2015)

I would love to do the south downs way ride, might give it a couple of years though as I've heard its one of the toughest! 

Didn't take anywhere near enough food yest (one cereal bar) and really felt that about 10 miles from home, lesson learnt! 

Wow 130miles is very impressive, especially given what you have overcome. I agree with you off road is far harder than roads. I did ride London in 2013 so 100miles on roads, was far easier in my opnion that the 32 mile very hilly off road ride I did this year (wiggle ups and downs) 

And I did London to Brighton road version last year which I really enjoyed but fancied challenging myself more this year. 

They say you should so something that scares you occasionally right?! I was certainly terrified down some of the hills yest!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (5 Aug 2015)

On a mountain bike the longest ride I have done is 76 miles (a road bike it was an easier 104 miles). It was hard, very hard, up and over 2 Scottish passes with lots of carrying of the bike over deer fences and some sections where carrying the bike over miles of bog was the only option for hours. I have done an even harder 36 mile ride on a mtb which was all off road and lots and lots of climbing and mud but fantastic (as was the café stop!). It varies, as other have said on the terrain and what you are doing, where you are in the country etc.


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## MikeW-71 (5 Aug 2015)

Longest off-road is 55 miles worth. Done by riding all the blue trails of all 7 of the 7Stanes trail centres in one day 

Longest continuous off-road ride is 35 miles in the hills around Settle.

Longest on-road ride is 111 miles near York 

60 miles on an MTB is great work, well done!


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## Motozulu (5 Aug 2015)

Longest ride? 30 odd miles - toughest ride? about half that - see what everyone is saying?


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## JohnClimber (8 Aug 2015)

Longest ride in 1 day without stopping (apart from a wee break) was the Leeds Liverpool canal last year, 132miles* West to East in 9hrs 29mins 

Plus several miles to and from the end of the route as well.

Blog here http://johnclimber.com/2014/12/11/a-ride-along-a-canal/


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## Cavalol (25 Aug 2015)

45 miles riding to Ellesmere Port, then going along the coast and round the Wirral Way. At one point we had a 29 mile wind against us for a few miles, it was absolute murder. More recently did 35 miles cycling to near Nantwich and back along the canal towpath.


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## Jody (26 Aug 2015)

Motozulu said:


> Longest ride? 30 odd miles - toughest ride? about half that - see what everyone is saying?



I'm similar. 43 miles longest ride and about 20 miles for my toughest. I could probably cycle all day in East Anglia but would struggle to do 5 hours in the peak district. 

Just try and ride for as long and hard as you can


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## Bodhbh (26 Aug 2015)

mrbikerboy73 said:


> I rode the South Downs Way yesterday, that was 100 miles and was extremely tough!



Ouch, I did it in 2 days and it was pretty hard going - 9-5 with a couple of hours out the saddle here and there. I was carrying about 8kg in a backpack tho. Don't think I've ever done longer than ~50miles continious off-road. Not having a car, means I have to ride to get to whatever route anyhow.


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## Levo-Lon (27 Aug 2015)

About 30 miles but i ride aggresively with massive cadence changes..coedy etc.im not a all day cyclist.i simply have x amount of energy and sod it..works for me..
20 miles is my favoured distance..and about 1 1/2 to 3 hrs would be enough.

A xc ride is just a bike ride in the flat lands but pass3s 2,3 hrs with ease


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## EltonFrog (27 Aug 2015)

A few years ago I did 51 miles mostly along The Ridgeway route it took blumin' ages and I was supposed to another 50 ish the next day. I didn't do it, I couldnt sit down for a week. I was unfit and had not done any training. More recently I did a 35 mile MTB sportive, Upton No Good, in 3.45 hours, which was pretty good for me. I ride mostly on road and I find MTBing harder than road riding, though I prefer it.

Your 57 miles is a great achievement.


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## screenman (27 Aug 2015)

100 miles all off road as part of a Lincolnshire police fitness challenge some years ago. Last 30 in the pouring rain, that was character building.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (27 Aug 2015)

I've just recalled my final day (last year) of the transpennie trail which we followed religiously... it wasn't on mountain bikes, but on off-road touring bikes that had camping kit, stoves, autumn weight sleeping bags (so basically winter weight)... It was 128km or 80 miles and mostly off-road. That was really hard work despite it being the last day of a 2 week touring holiday and us being exceptionally fit by then. It was up and over the Pennies with around 90-100km off road. We started at 6:30am and got home 13 hrs later!


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## leedsmick (9 Sep 2015)

JohnClimber said:


> Longest ride in 1 day without stopping (apart from a wee break) was the Leeds Liverpool canal last year, 132miles* West to East in 9hrs 29mins
> 
> Plus several miles to and from the end of the route as well.
> 
> Blog here http://johnclimber.com/2014/12/11/a-ride-along-a-canal/




I ride sections of the Canal but at the Leeds end. I do plan to explore more of it, but not that sort of distance for a longtime! fantastic effort


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