How far do you ride?

[15wilsonwu]

Hi guys, I just wanted to see how far people ride their bikes. Just leave a comment below
btw, I ride about 30km. . embarassing, but i'm just 13

[trailgumby]

Dude, that's nothing to be ashamed of at 13. Wish i could get my 16yo to do that much without whingeing my ears off

On the weekend I did 50 on a 1x10 geared 29er, about half of which was on off-road trails... so would roughly equate to about 75km if all was on road with skinny tyres.

2 x a week commute is about 22km if I don't throw any hill repeats in. Used to be 30, which I kinda miss.

This probably sounds like a lot, but you do build up to it over time.

The way it usually goes is like this: you go on a long ride with some mates with someone fitter than you and nearly die. Then, when you go back to your normal route it somehow seems too easy. So then you go looking for a route with more hills and more distance, and set your alarm clock half an hour earlier in the morning. You go ride with your mate again and it's not so uncomfortable. With a bit more time you're challenging him. He then lifts his game and challenges you back and the cycle starts over again

That said, don't be in a rush to do massive distances. You're going or are about to go through a massive growth spurt over the next few years, which puts your joints, muscles and ligaments under a fair bit of stress and it is easy to do long-lasting damage. It's one of the reasons junior cricket has strict limits on the workload bowlers and batsmen can do in a match, and why there's a limit to what gearing juniors can use in track cycling.

Focus on enjoying yourself Maybe join a club where you can be under the watchful eye of a knowledgeable coach?

[cyclotaur]

30kms is good for 13yo. The main thing is to enjoy the ride and get home with something left in the tank, I reckon.

I get to ride when I like and have all day so my rides can vary from 30-35 up to big rides of over 100kms (not very often!!). For example I rode 57kms today, mostly on bike trails and routes. I try to ride 3 or 4 times per week and aim for about 150-200kms per week.

[MREJ]

The usual way of comparing this sort of info is how much per week. I typically do 100 to 200 a week, with most rides between 30 and 60. On the weekend I'll sometimes get in a ride of 100 or so, when I've got time. I'm 52 and work full-time. My rides are a mix of commuting, social group rides with friends or my wife, occasional training bunches and racing.

By the way, it's interesting to hear what other people do but I think it's not good to get hung up about it. Ride as much as you enjoy and that fits in with other important things - that's the main point.

[15wilsonwu]

Dude, that's nothing to be ashamed of at 13. Wish i could get my 16yo to do that much without whingeing my ears off

On the weekend I did 50 on a 1x10 geared 29er, about half of which was on off-road trails... so would roughly equate to about 75km if all was on road with skinny tyres.

2 x a week commute is about 22km if I don't throw any hill repeats in. Used to be 30, which I kinda miss.

This probably sounds like a lot, but you do build up to it over time.

The way it usually goes is like this: you go on a long ride with some mates with someone fitter than you and nearly die. Then, when you go back to your normal route it somehow seems too easy. So then you go looking for a route with more hills and more distance, and set your alarm clock half an hour earlier in the morning. You go ride with your mate again and it's not so uncomfortable. With a bit more time you're challenging him. He then lifts his game and challenges you back and the cycle starts over again

That said, don't be in a rush to do massive distances. You're going or are about to go through a massive growth spurt over the next few years, which puts your joints, muscles and ligaments under a fair bit of stress and it is easy to do long-lasting damage. It's one of the reasons junior cricket has strict limits on the workload bowlers and batsmen can do in a match, and why there's a limit to what gearing juniors can use in track cycling.

Focus on enjoying yourself Maybe join a club where you can be under the watchful eye of a knowledgeable coach?

hmm... i'll try your method and see how much i improve. Oh btw, it's pretty impressive that you can do such a long ride (at least i think it is lol) when you have a 16yo !

[dougalh]

I'm only 15 and I'm just getting into cycling (about 5 months) and commute 15ks on my fixie about three times a week then 50ks with TBE on saturday, 80k hills ride with SPR and I'm looking at also going to the sprint training for an hour with SPR.

[15wilsonwu]

30kms is good for 13yo. The main thing is to enjoy the ride and get home with something left in the tank, I reckon.

I get to ride when I like and have all day so my rides can vary from 30-35 up to big rides of over 100kms (not very often!!). For example I rode 57kms today, mostly on bike trails and routes. I try to ride 3 or 4 times per week and aim for about 150-200kms per week.

haha yea, i agree with you. Before when I finish my ride, I feel pretty good but after I saw how far people ride on this forum, I started to question myself. Now i'll just enjoy the ride and not give a f*** about far others ride, lol.

[15wilsonwu]

I'm only 15 and I'm just getting into cycling (about 5 months) and commute 15ks on my fixie about three times a week then 50ks with TBE on saturday, 80k hills ride with SPR and I'm looking at also going to the sprint training for an hour with SPR.

wow, seems like I have a far way to go!

[munga]

it's all relative. when i was 13 i used to ride about a km to school and back. by the time i was 15, we had moved house, so i was riding 6km each way to school, 5 days a week, plus riding about the same distance twice a week for my casual job, plus another 3 trips for sport, so that's about 120km. that doesn't count riding to the shops or riding around to mates houses etc on weekends.
fast forward 20 years and i'm riding about 40km a week, because i'm lazy, i have to drive to work, and i have more commitments than when i was 15. back then, i didn't even think of it as exercise, or training. it was just getting around. ride as much as you want. just enjoy it.

[15wilsonwu]

it's all relative. when i was 13 i used to ride about a km to school and back. by the time i was 15, we had moved house, so i was riding 6km each way to school, 5 days a week, plus riding about the same distance twice a week for my casual job, plus another 3 trips for sport, so that's about 120km. that doesn't count riding to the shops or riding around to mates houses etc on weekends.
fast forward 20 years and i'm riding about 40km a week, because i'm lazy, i have to drive to work, and i have more commitments than when i was 15. back then, i didn't even think of it as exercise, or training. it was just getting around. ride as much as you want. just enjoy it.

Yea, i agree with you. But one thing, it's hard to think of it as a "fun" ride instead of training because... idk, but I just like to think of it as training.

[ni78ck]

When I was 13 I use to do cycling for sport at centennial park. The teachers tried to get us to do 6 laps (about 22kms).
I thought that was amazing!
I then stopped riding for almost 20 years, now I do 250-300kms a week for training and wish I had time to do more.
Keep it up, you'll get there.

[yarravalleyplodder]

at 13 I was doing a paper round on my bmx, probably 10km to 15km 6 times per week. I hit 15 and did 2 rounds, so probably 20km to 30km 6 times per week. Plus the 10km round trip to school. Got my license and a car and the riding stopped.

fast forward to now and I only get to ride once and sometimes twice a week on the weekends. Depending on time I have a nice 60km route for saturday morning when I have to be home by a certain time and when I get the chance for a long run on a Sunday I will do anything from 80km to 120km depending on the length of my leave pass from the boss

I agree with others just to get out there and have some fun and over time you will find your riding further and faster

[Tornado]

wow, seems like I have a far way to go!

Everyone starts somewhere. To build on where you are to where you want to be you need to increase the workload steadily. No big jumps in miles. Find a distance that is comfortable for you now. Ride it 3-5 times a week. Add say 10% to your distances each week. Don't ride too hard. If you are stiff for days after you are going too hard. Google "base training" to work on getting distance/endurance up. Get a good base then work on pace and targeting the type of riding you want to be good at.

My distances are at the moment.

35km each way to work twice a week

30 or 40 km ride on Saturday with my LBS and a spin on Sunday to loosen up the legs if I have any heaviness from Saturday.

[shann]

I live a 65km drive from work, so I only get to ride after hours (I get up at 5:30 for work and am not prepared to get up earlier to sneak in a pre-work ride). I ride between 25 and 35km several times a week, aiming for 15 rides per month. My schedule can be quite irregular - and the weather is a bit mental here - so I find it better to work on a monthly average rather than a weekly one.

[jamesn184]

I commute 4 days of 2x15km, then try and do 2x70-87km
Looking to do just one ride at 70ish km to do some intervals etc and 1 long ride of 100k + to train for atb this year

[arand18]

Like everyone else has said 30km for a 13 year old is very good, when I was 13 I could only do about 10km, now im 15 and I do about 3 rides a week 2 of them is training, hill repeats becouse I live in brisbane there are a lot of hills. So to the point when I do a proper ride I do about 40 to 50km. Longest ride so far was 75km was dead after thought.

[Mustang]

Dont forget quality, when I ride with the LBS on hill repeats, its much harder & more beneficial than a flat lengthy ride on your own, don't get caught up with kilo numbers alone.
If I were 13 I would sus out a good coach, we have a 14yo girl in our shop ride & under steady no frills coaching she is riding with the A grade group.

[15wilsonwu]

I can now easily do 70k, and thats a relaxing ride. Furthest ive rode was 120-130 ks.

Whaddaya reckon bout my improvement?

[yarravalleyplodder]

thats pretty good in 6 months, well done.

I am still only doing 60km to 70km rides but have switched to hills so when I was doing 400m of climbing I am doing 1200m in that 70km

Keep it up, at your age you will only get fitter and stronger, skys the limit

[15wilsonwu]

thats pretty good in 6 months, well done.

I am still only doing 60km to 70km rides but have switched to hills so when I was doing 400m of climbing I am doing 1200m in that 70km

Keep it up, at your age you will only get fitter and stronger, skys the limit

Ahaha, do you think its silly for me to be even thinking of being a Pro in the future?

[Red Rider]

13 was when I stopped riding as I caught the bus to highschool. I wish I rode there instead! I just didn't even realise that I would be able to ride that far. If I had that time over again! I started riding again at 25. Now I ride about 12km to work each day and a long ride on the weekend.

[jamesn184]

Well my commute has increased to 200km a week and training rides are a min 100km

[g-boaf]

That's quite an increase 15wilsonwu! Well done.

I do about 30km on each week day usually (only afternoon) and on the weekend I try to do a longer ride above 60km.

I work full time so I often don't get much time.

[PB12IN]

Ahaha, do you think its silly for me to be even thinking of being a Pro in the future?

If it is what you want then go for it and ignore what the naysayers tell you.

[foo on patrol]

Ahaha, do you think its silly for me to be even thinking of being a Pro in the future?

How much are you prepared to sacrifice is my question to you and if you can answer honestly and tell me your answer I'll give you mine.

Foo