My longest ride so far...short for most

[coffeejo]

Well done. The day will come when you start to think of 20 mile rides as "short". I nearly fell off my bike when that thought first crossed my mind

 

[ianrauk]

Alex, keep up with regular riding, 5, 10, 20 milers, you will soon find that stretching the mileage out is easy enough. It doesn't take your body long to adjust to the extra work.

 

[Hip Priest]

The best advice I had was to keep on riding! You'll be surprised by how the mileage adds up. Not too long ago I was made up to do a 10 miler. Last week I got annoyed because I only managed 31 miles in the wind.

Hoping to start doing sportives next year.

 

[johnpembo73]

Well done hitting 20 miles. Now you have done this you'll be able to hit 30 miles in a few days. Go for it.

 

[Alexvs]

Thanks guys for the feedback and advice, loving this forum so far and have learned plenty from the few months I've been lurking. Will definitely keep going, I'm getting addicted to it, never thought I'd say that about exercise

 

[coffeejo]

Thanks guys for the feedback and advice, loving this forum so far and have learned plenty from the few months I've been lurking. Will definitely keep going, I'm getting addicted to it, never thought I'd say that about exercise

I don't view it as exercise, since I remain seated for the duration

 

[Alexvs]

Well you were all right about the miles coming to me, I clocked up 34 miles after going out for a mapped 25

It was only hunger and house chores that made me head home lol

Have to say as well that there were plenty of cyclists out today and near enough all gave me an acknowledgement, one older guy with his wife said good morning. I even saw a big group going the opposite way in all different team kits which made me feel slightly better about wearing my BMC replica ss jersey lol.

Anyway I've decided cyclists are the friendliest road users around

 

[Thomk]

It's about 4 months since I hopped on a bike and did a 44 mile ride yesterday which is 17 more than I've done before. The first time I went out on the bike in July I staggered off half way on my 8 mile loop on a moderate (Ok very easy) drag and sat on a conveniently located bench for 10 minutes while my chances of dying reduced. Improvement is very slow but steady and I found the only way to improve significantly was to push myself constantly. It's just as hard now as it was 2 weeks after I started because I go as far and fast as it takes to stay at that intensity. Love it though...

 

[coco69]

20mile is a great starter distance....keep going.

 

[Moss]

Well done Alex!!

20, miles is an achievement in the target distances you've set yourself, not to long before your telling us your riding a 50, miler on a regular basis.

I did 30, in the wind yesterday, with the first 10, rising to 1500, ft, I felt like I'd ridden a 100, miler by the end of it! Bloody wind.

 

[Chris-H]

Good for you Alex well done mate,sounds like your making great progress.I've only been road riding since the end of September and already gone from an average 10 miler to a thoroughly enjoyable 32 miler and noticing the difference in how much faster i'm climbing the hills compared to the last few weeks

 

[eml1909]

Not trying to steal your glory, but I also did my first ever "long" ride today. I started riding in February 2011 but broke my hip the first time I used clipless pedals, so spent 5 months on crutches

I bought a new bike in the Summer to motivate myself to get fit and lose weight (a Condor Titanium touring bike). Been commuting (8.5 miles each way) for the last few months but today I did a 35 mile ride (averaging 15.5 mph) in the Hertfordshire countryside.

It was absolutely amazing and I am chuffed to bits! Loved every minute of it...

Aiming for 50 miles next weekend.....

 

[Alexvs]

Thanks guys, the 34 today didn't feel too bad I was really surprised as thought it would kill me lol. I was too busy looking at the scenery as was nice areas I rode through. If I get the chance to go out next wkend I'm gonna just go for it and get upto 50 or until I can't ride no more lol

Seeing all the roadies with drops is really making me want one now I even stopped off at my lbs to check prices and have some cake from their home made range as I was really hungry

 

[Alexvs]

@eml1909 good stuff, was a good day to get out in the sticks as wasn't too hot or cold perfect enjoyment weather. Hopefully next wkend we can both say we achieved the big 50! Good luck

 

[aberal]

Thanks guys, the 34 today didn't feel too bad I was really surprised as thought it would kill me lol. I was too busy looking at the scenery as was nice areas I rode through. If I get the chance to go out next wkend I'm gonna just go for it and get upto 50 or until I can't ride no more lol

Seeing all the roadies with drops is really making me want one now I even stopped off at my lbs to check prices and have some cake from their home made range as I was really hungry

There's no getting away from it - you are now officially a convert.

You may well be able to do 50 next week - depends on your base fitness level. But I'd suggest aiming for 40 first. Once you get over the 30 mile limit, things get progressively harder and its best to increase your mileage incrementally. There's a sort of rule of thumb that you should increase your rides by about 10% at a time. I've found that upping the mileage by 5-10 miles per ride makes it all the more achievable.

It's a pity that winter is coming on as it will certainly upset your routine. Think about getting a turbo trainer or joining up to spinning classes for the winter months. The benefit is huge come the Spring and if you manage to keep up your base fitness, you will find that you don't have to go through the pain barrier once you start again in Spring.

p.s. you must now buy a road bike....