Originally Posted by
PhilFo
I have an 11.5 mile commute to work so I'm doing 23 miles a day, three or four days a week, when the weather permits (not above 85 degrees, not pouring rain, not both). I'm turning 47 next month and by the end of the second day of riding, I'm ready to do the commute in the car the next day. When I manage to get in three days per week, the evening of that third day I'm just about dead. Mentally it still beats sitting in traffic in the car, and my commute home is always quicker on a bike. Doing 52 miles in a day would be rewarding once in a while, but as a sole means of transport, it would get really tiring (pun intended) really quick.
I did a 10 mile commute each way in NYC 2 or 3 times a week and that was completely within my energy level, even at 64 up until I retired. In fact towards the end I was riding even more frequently as work just started taking a back seat to the rest of my life. I never had to drive though, the alternative was the subway. I was also in kick-ass shape, so I'd be blasting up the bridge and the small hills.