Shall we try 20 miles?

[Lazy-Commuter]

When the activity at the 'turn point' becomes the object of the ride, the ride itself becomes a 'commute' or transport as 'a means to an end'.

A cyclist either rides a bike for the enjoyment of pushing pedals with the legs - adrenaline rush, ( and/or outwitting motorists ), or uses the bike for transportation to another place.

If it's the latter, the self gratification is knowing Hydrocarbons haven't been burned in the process. With no enjoyment of the actual muscular effort, the use of a bicycle will soon be replaced by some other vehicle where muscular effort is less.

Can't it be both? Both the enjoyment of the ride itself and the activity at the end?

 

[jimboalee]

I would like to read the OP reply with....

"Yeh, we'll ride ten miles to a duck pond, throw a loaf of bread at a duck and then get straight back on our bikes because we enjoy cycling more than feeding ducks".

 

[rh100]

Can't it be both? Both the enjoyment of the ride itself and the activity at the end?

I'd agree, when I get somewhere, shopping or the duck pond or a relative's or whatever - I still enjoy the fact that I got there under my own steam and all the benefits that that brings.

When increasing my mileage - I do it in one of two ways - a 10 mile run solo trying to increase my speed so getting even fitter - tends to be a fixed route so I can time myself and any improvement. Or, if out for the day with the other half, the purpose of the ride is the ride itself, but at an easy pace with a target in mind such as a pub or whatever at the furthest point, rather than just riding in a big circle (although we do still do that aswell sometimes).

 

[jimboalee]

I'd agree, when I get somewhere, shopping or the duck pond or a relative's or whatever - I still enjoy the fact that I got there under my own steam and all the benefits that that brings.

When increasing my mileage - I do it in one of two ways - a 10 mile run solo trying to increase my speed so getting even fitter - tends to be a fixed route so I can time myself and any improvement. Or, if out for the day with the other half, the purpose of the ride is the ride itself, but at an easy pace with a target in mind such as a pub or whatever at the furthest point, rather than just riding in a big circle (although we do still do that aswell sometimes).

When I go on a DIY 200, I look for a pub so I can eat the duck...

 

[adds21]

When increasing my mileage - I do it in one of two ways - a 10 mile run solo trying to increase my speed so getting even fitter - tends to be a fixed route so I can time myself and any improvement. Or, if out for the day with the other half, the purpose of the ride is the ride itself

...Or even both at the same time. I regularly cycle "the long way" home on my commute, simply because enjoy the journey. "The long way" is sometimes just an extra mile, or sometimes an extra 10. Just depends on my mood, and whether I need to get home quickly.

A.

 

[belairman]

At the risk of prolonging a discussion which is somewhat off post ... I would suggest that having a destination or aim in mind does not make a ride a commute, or the bike merely a means of transport. Imo that would only apply if the destination was the principal purpose of the trip, e.g. shopping, or work.

Having an end point to a "ride for riding's sake" is just an additional incentive to those (many) of us who are still struggling to build up the distances.

Well done OP on the 20 btw. Keep it up and the distances will rise quicker than you thought possible. My first 25 was a big milestone, but now anything under 30 I think of as a short ride.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

...Or even both at the same time. I regularly cycle "the long way" home on my commute, simply because enjoy the journey. "The long way" is sometimes just an extra mile, or sometimes an extra 10. Just depends on my mood, and whether I need to get home quickly.

A.

Same here. I have two main types of ride: commute; and family.

The commute is done on my own and varies between "getting to / from work as quickly as possible" to "meandering about enjoying the weather and Autumn colours" and anything in between: often with a large dose of "can I be quicker than yesterday". [That latter is not compatible with Autumn colours of course]

Family rides are done with the family (no, really!?) and can simply be popping out for half an hour for a bit of a lap, but are usually done with a (modest) target, such as "let's ride to such and such park for a picnic" or "let's ride to grandma's house" as we find it's best to give the children something to aim for. The main "purpose" behind those rides (besides having fun, of course) is to get the children outside getting some exercise and fresh air, to give them a bit of road sense and to increase their stamina so that we can gradually increase the distance they can walk / cycle to give us a better range.

I'm not interested in competing, other than with myself, so don't need to train up for any kind of race. For me, a bike means fun, exercise and a means of transport. The mix of those three factors will vary day to day and, ideally, will be all three on any given day. I accept that it will mean different things to others.

 

[jay clock]

Sounds like you are doing well. I have a few comments

1 Ignore your age. A real irrelevance in my view.
2 Do lots of short rides as well as longer ones. If you nip out to the shops, or 5 miles to a friend's house you will be getting bike handling skills, a bit of exercise, and very soon will be thinking "pah, no distance at all" when a few weeks back that would have seemed a lot
3 At the risk of being critical, I suspect as you get more and more into cycling you may wish to change your bike. Lower priced full suspension bikes tend to be heavy, poor quality components and you are expending masses of extra energy overcoming the suspension, the knobbly tyres and the sheer weight. A lighter hybrid might suit you better in the longer term. But no rush.

Happy cycling!

 

[Brahan]

Just enjoy

This is the ONLY thing that matters Smudgley.

Enjoy your bike and the limitations it allows you to surpass.......

 

[Fab Foodie]

Well done OP on the 20 btw. Keep it up and the distances will rise quicker than you thought possible. My first 25 was a big milestone, but now anything under 30 I think of as a short ride.

This is the magic of the bicycle, it's a very efficient machine.

Also agree with all of Jay's post especially the bit about your age, it's no issue.
I ride wiy=th a load of overweight 45 to 55 y/olds some of which only got on a bike exactly like you guys a couple of years ago. Now everyone can ride 100 milers over rolling terrain and bimble along a 20mph on the flats (thy have recently moved to road bikes too, but all started on MTB's and hybrids).

 

[Arch]

Can't it be both? Both the enjoyment of the ride itself and the activity at the end?

Of course it can. I ride for many reasons - to get to work is one of them, and I ride because it's quicker than walking and cheap, and I enjoy it. I cycle at the weekend for fun, but nearly always with a destination in mind, a cafe or sometimes a pub. I eat to refuel, but I ride out to deserve a treat, the two are interlocked. I could (and have) gone out on long rides sustained only by a packed lunch and water, and enjoy the riding, but having a place to stop and let someone else make you a cuppa is nust so much more fun.

Good advice about getting lots of little rides under your belt too. Fitness is cumulative, and even a mile helps to lubricate the joints and get the heart rate raised a little.

After a couple of 15's, 20 will seem easy.

 

[Telemark]

We did take some photos, I'll try & load them & post tomorrow. We didn't really plan a route, thinking about it, we should of done, but instead we just set off and went wherever we felt like, problem was it was too hilly

you promised us some photos

BTW, with "planning" I didn't mean necessarily mean making a rigid plan and sticking with it, come what may, but looking at the general area, seeing where the interesting bits are, both for cycling and for sight seeing/food/views etc. Some days you'll feel great and want to explore just a little further than you were planning to, some days you'll want to turn round earlier (or have a handy train station nearby for an easy escape . At the risk of repeating myself, just have fun

If we explore an area that's new to us, I like knowing the lay (sp?) of the land, where the hills etc. are ... Hills are great viewpoints, when you are ready for them, just start with smaller ones . As you are getting stronger (which you'll notice very quickly if you keep enjoying rides out), going up hills might become a fun challenge, you never know ... and then there is of course whizzing down the other side .

T

 

[bannvalley]

Its not about the bike,its all about the person pedalling it.You do the twenty,and as someone said,stop as many times as you need to,take a banana,or even some Jaffa cakes,or better still,you could take a turkish delight.small,full of energy,and 92 per cent fat free.Most importantly,drink loads,and drink before you need to drink,if you know what I mean.In 6 months,you'll be doing twenty miles,just to warm up....seriously!!
Good luck,and all the best,Sean,Bann Valley road Club,N.Ireland.

 

[Smudgley]

 

[Norm]

Nice.

Off road miles count for an extra 50%.