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Longest Ride, Average Ride, Shortest You'll Go Out For

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Longest Ride, Average Ride, Shortest You'll Go Out For

Old 01-30-20, 01:30 AM
  #76  
bpcyclist
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1. 125
2. About 30
3. Depends on the weather. If it gets really bad, I am not too proud to turn around. I rode three whole miles the other morning because it was so windy and pouring simultaneously and I just did not want to be in it any longer. I am a wind wimp.
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Old 01-30-20, 08:37 AM
  #77  
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Longest - 103
Average - 35-40
Shortest I'll do - any. My 7 year old just got a bike and I had as much time riding a mile up the street with him as I did riding a century
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Old 01-30-20, 11:20 AM
  #78  
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194/35/15
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Old 01-30-20, 12:08 PM
  #79  
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220/20/15
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Old 01-30-20, 12:17 PM
  #80  
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101
35
6.5 (my work commute)
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Old 01-30-20, 12:42 PM
  #81  
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around 350 miles
50 miles Spring through Fall / 35 miles Winter
12 miles
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Old 01-30-20, 12:50 PM
  #82  
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It would also be nice to add one more statistic to the poll:
what is the fastest speed achieved going downhill.
My fastest was 56 mph over 20 years ago. Now I do not even attempt to go over 40 mph.
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Old 01-30-20, 01:12 PM
  #83  
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For us old heavy guys maybe we can add slowest mph while climbing without tipping over. Mine is 4.2 mph.
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Old 01-30-20, 01:28 PM
  #84  
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  1. What's your longest ride (distance) ... 88 miles, thought I was doing a century but miscalculated, oops
  2. What's your average ride (distance) ... road bike 20-40 miles, MTB 5-13 miles
  3. What's the least mileage you'll bother getting kitted up and out for? ... 5 miles as recorded, but I had intended on doing about 10 that day

fwiw - I prefer to ride for a cpl hours, regardless of speed, distance, weather, type of bike or road/trail conditions. I've driven my bike up to 3 hrs to ride for less than that, but that's not the norm or my desire. I don't mind driving far to explore a new trail but I want to get in at least a cpl hours of riding, hopefully a lot more if it's a far drive. right now, at this place in my life, I can justify driving 2 hrs (ea way) to ride for 4 hrs total. so it winds up being the same amount of time in my car as on my bike. but I might only do this a cpl times a year. I used to have a nice 30 miles loop that took a cpl hours from my house, no car required. that was a good year, or so. during the winter I might drive 15 minutes to ride an hour & while that's less biking than I prefer, at least I'm out of the house & on my bike
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Old 01-30-20, 07:41 PM
  #85  
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Originally Posted by CAT7RDR
For us old heavy guys maybe we can add slowest mph while climbing without tipping over. Mine is 4.2 mph.
Great category! I was once riding a long road bike event ride in Washington State. At approximately 100 miles into the ride there is a long semi steep 11 mile climb. The guy I was riding with is a bit slow when it comes to hills. I told him I wouldn't leave him on the hills and I was true to my word. On that day I learned that at our slowest point you can ride at 2.7mph and the bike won't tip over!
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Old 01-30-20, 09:36 PM
  #86  
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Longest: 133
Average of late: 14 w/1250 ft of climbing
Shortest to go: almost any distance
Top speed: 57.5 mph in the early 90s.
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Old 01-30-20, 09:40 PM
  #87  
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Long: 80-100 mile w/little to 10,000’ elevation gain.

Typical: 20-40 w/little to 3500’ elevation gain.
(switch up with mtb 10-20 mile mostly flat single track w/up to 500’ elevation gain).

Short: 10-15 mile w/little elevation gain.
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Old 01-31-20, 07:16 AM
  #88  
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Originally Posted by friday1970
Shortest 15 miles. Anything less is a waste of time.
You can get valuable training in less than 15 miles. Short rides just have to be more intense to induce a training stimulus. For example a 30 minute ride consisting of a 10 minute warm up, then one minute intervals at max effort, on one minute rest for 15 minutes, then a 5 minute cool down will definitely be a workout.

you don’t have to always ride long to train. You have to be more purposeful if time’s short.
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Old 02-01-20, 08:32 PM
  #89  
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Originally Posted by CAT7RDR
For us old heavy guys maybe we can add slowest mph while climbing without tipping over. Mine is 4.2 mph.

I can bring it down to 4 km/h (2.5 mph) ...
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Old 02-01-20, 08:36 PM
  #90  
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
You can get valuable training in less than 15 miles. Short rides just have to be more intense to induce a training stimulus. For example a 30 minute ride consisting of a 10 minute warm up, then one minute intervals at max effort, on one minute rest for 15 minutes, then a 5 minute cool down will definitely be a workout.

you don’t have to always ride long to train. You have to be more purposeful if time’s short.

Absolutely! Some of us are doing a #itsonly10miles thing to encourage us to get out more often, even if it is for a short ride. I think this is beneficial for both Rowan and me as we build up strength again.
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Old 02-01-20, 11:22 PM
  #91  
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
You can get valuable training in less than 15 miles. Short rides just have to be more intense to induce a training stimulus. For example a 30 minute ride consisting of a 10 minute warm up, then one minute intervals at max effort, on one minute rest for 15 minutes, then a 5 minute cool down will definitely be a workout.
Thanks, I might try that this year. My focus this year will be different than the last few years. The last few years were about longer distances, mostly centuries and 200-300k brevets. Also, getting more miles in that the previous year. This year, as I turn 50, I'd like to focus more on speed with what youth I still have left. Maybe a Fondo or two, amateur races and such. Also losing weight for PR'ing Strava segments and climbs. So any advice for getting faster is welcomed.
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Old 02-02-20, 09:12 AM
  #92  
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100/35/18

Since I usually don't "kit up" when I'm on my fitness bike, those 18 mile rides are in regular street shorts and shoes about 1/2 the time.
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Old 02-04-20, 12:38 PM
  #93  
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1. 750 miles (4 days) or 501 miles (41:39 or so) or 1200+/- miles (8 days) or numerous 600k (2-day) and 400k (1-long day), depends on how you define a "ride".
2. I've never figured the average, but riding in the evenings, it's either 20 or 30 miles, on most Saturdays, a 200k.
3. I've ridden to the grocery store before, 2 miles each way, just wear street clothes and ride a cargo bike.
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