Is a cycle ride of 30 mins a short one?

[Fram]

30 mins by bike, roughly to my local shop, nearest public transport etc. It's a ride, neither long nor short.

 

[Scotty55]

It’s a long ride for someone not used to cycling. It’s a short ride if you are.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Short ride for me, about 6 or 7 miles, enough to get me nicely warmed up.

 

[cougie uk]

It's all good. I've done shorter and longer.
The more bike rides the better.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Even for little old me, 30 minutes is a short ride. Short in time and even shorter in distance, I go very slowly! I'd want to be out for at least an hour for 'a ride'. Heck, I only overtake the very slowest of joggers!
HOWEVER it had better not be uphill. If it is uphill, 30 minutes is both an impossibly long ride as it will take forever, and impossibly short, as I will get nowhere.

 

[cyberknight]

depends on how hard your going , if your pottering about no but if your going full on TT mode you can be just as knackered as a long ride

 

[Ian H]

depends on how hard your going , if your pottering about no but if your going full on TT mode you can be just as knackered as a long ride

Yebbut... I'd need to spend at least that long warming-up beforehand.

 

[Drago]

I can ride about 40 miles in 30 minutes, so that would be classified as a short ride for me. TBH id probably jog a mere 40 miles, wouldnt even bother changing out of my jeans and doc martens.

 

[homebuilds]

10 miles in 30 minutes is 20mph. Hardly a record breaking average speed even on open roads.

You're assuming that everyone rides similar style of bike, similar age bracket, similar fitness level, similar health as yourself

 

[Sharky]

Re 10 miles in 30 minutes.
Have a look at the vtta age standards for 10 miles. Even a fit 40 year old is only expected to do it in 26mins and someone of my tender age is expected to do it in 29:30. The latter, this year I've found to be quite a challenge and only once got inside 30mins.

And this is on a timetrial course, which is basically fairly flat and riding bikes designed for speed, although I am on fixed.

For a non racing person, 20mph for 30 mins is a stretch target.

 

[Alex321]

Well I normally ride after work (or to & from work when in the office), with those rides varying between about 35 and 75 minutes, so 30 minutes is a short one for me.

And that is usually between 10 and 18 miles.

And with reference to the 10 miles in 30 minutes comment above, I have never managed to average 20mph for a full ride (though my rides are fairly lumpy - even the 10 mile rides usually show 700+ feet of climbing.

But until the last fortnight, I was riding a hybrid. Now I have a decent road bike, I am getting a bit faster - did 30 miles at 18.1mph average today.

10 miles in 30 minutes my not be "record breaking", but it is out of reach of the majority who aren't cycling several hours per day I suspect.

 

[Oldhippy]

Why the rush? A ride is to savour, not blat through the world as fast as possible.

 

[biggs682]

That's a nice pre or post work spin out

 

[Drago]

In my heydey I'd ride 13 miles to work, ride anywhere between 20 to 40 miles at work while wearing 2 stone of kit and carrying another stone of equipment and paperwork, then ride the 13 miles home. It was great, I could eat kebabs every meal and not put on weight!

A 40 mile ride on my rest day on a modern racer wearing lycra felt like id been given wings.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Yes......and No.


I love the subtle pecking order this sort of thread teases out.