Baseline fitness of active cyclists.
08-24-21, 06:30 AM
#51
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I have never done a single ride in my life without stopping.
My interpretation of his request was how long are your average rides. A ride is a continuous endeavor. You don't change your kit, you stop for traffic, you stop to pee, and on long rides, you stop to eat. There just are not many long stretches of road in the USA do to a long ride without any stops. Lander Wyoming to Riggins is the most remote, lonely stretch that I can recall riding, it is about 125 miles and if you don't stop at the motorist rest stop for water, you will die.
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08-24-21, 07:00 AM
#52
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Oh so now it's how far you can go without stopping? Don't know, but my morning rides I do a little over 10 miles without stopping (except for traffic, if needed). But on my longer rides, I usually stop and take a short break after about 10 miles. I honestly don't know how far I can go without stopping, but a few weekends back I did a group ride where we rode 15 miles without a rest break. Or, I would have but a flat tire at about mile 14 caused an unscheduled rest break. I'm sure I've done longer on an organized century ride, as one of the stretches between SAG stops was probably close to 20 miles. But then I still don't know how many pushups would help me ride that far...
08-24-21, 07:14 AM
#53
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A good baseline fitness is important for normal everyday life, not just cycling or other sports. Especially as we age, it is wise to build / maintain strength in all areas to help prevent falls that could cause serious injury. Besides cycling, I always want to be able to run, lift heavy weights, and perform well in martial arts.
Plenty of organizations use pushups as part of a physical strength and endurance test. I found this interesting Livestrong article on the subject. Being below average in this or any other fitness area is not where I want to be.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/4...for-men-women/
Plenty of organizations use pushups as part of a physical strength and endurance test. I found this interesting Livestrong article on the subject. Being below average in this or any other fitness area is not where I want to be.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/4...for-men-women/
The average number of push-ups adults can do varies by age range and gender. The norms provided by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology breaks up the results into the following categories: needs improvement, fair, good, very good and excellent. Looking at the "good" category, the average number of push-ups for each age group is:
- 15 to 19 years old: 23 to 28 push-ups for men, 18 to 24 push-ups for women
- 20 to 29 years old: 22 to 28 push-ups for men, 15 to 20 push-ups for women
- 30 to 39 years old: 17 to 21 push-ups for men, 13 to 19 push-ups for women
- 40 to 49 years old: 13 to 16 push-ups for men, 11 to 14 push-ups for women
- 50 to 59 years old: 10 to 12 push-ups for men, seven to 10 push-ups for women
- 60 years and older: eight to 10 push-ups for men, five to 11 push-ups for women
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08-24-21, 07:19 AM
#54
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I have no idea why the OP is asking or what he is trying to ascertain, which is why I asked in one of the posts.
I have never done a single ride in my life without stopping.
My interpretation of his request was how long are your average rides. A ride is a continuous endeavor. You don't change your kit, you stop for traffic, you stop to pee, and on long rides, you stop to eat. There just are not many long stretches of road in the USA do to a long ride without any stops. Lander Wyoming to Riggins is the most remote, lonely stretch that I can recall riding, it is about 125 miles and if you don't stop at the motorist rest stop for water, you will die.
I have never done a single ride in my life without stopping.
My interpretation of his request was how long are your average rides. A ride is a continuous endeavor. You don't change your kit, you stop for traffic, you stop to pee, and on long rides, you stop to eat. There just are not many long stretches of road in the USA do to a long ride without any stops. Lander Wyoming to Riggins is the most remote, lonely stretch that I can recall riding, it is about 125 miles and if you don't stop at the motorist rest stop for water, you will die.
Anyway 9 hours is about my tolerance for not stopping, but my average endurance rides are more like 4-5 hours. The 130 km event I did last weekend took 4.5 hours and according to Strava I stopped for less than a minute in total (due only to the accumulation of traffic junctions).
08-24-21, 08:02 AM
#55
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Maybe it's a language thing. But over here when people say they did a non-stop ride, it means they didn't stop for anything other than momentarily for traffic and maybe a very quick water bottle fill / pee on a longer ride. I rarely stop at all on my rides, which are anything from 1-9 hours long. It's just my strategy to get the best finish time. Most people stop at the feed stations for a break, while I just go by and eat on the move. Saves a good 5-10 mins and keeps the momentum going. Quite often have some interesting leap-frog battles with guys who are riding a little faster, but stopping a few times.
Anyway 9 hours is about my tolerance for not stopping, but my average endurance rides are more like 4-5 hours. The 130 km event I did last weekend took 4.5 hours and according to Strava I stopped for less than a minute in total (due only to the accumulation of traffic junctions).
Anyway 9 hours is about my tolerance for not stopping, but my average endurance rides are more like 4-5 hours. The 130 km event I did last weekend took 4.5 hours and according to Strava I stopped for less than a minute in total (due only to the accumulation of traffic junctions).
Heck, if you look at the OP, it just asks "how long is your average bike ride". I don't even know if that's average distance, time, or what. Assuming fairly level terrain and neutral wind conditions, there's a whole hell of a lot of difference in fitness required to cover 130km in 4.5 hours vs. say 50km in the same time.
Using your definition, I did a lot of non-stop 100 mile rides (6-6.5 hours, usually) last year for the simple reason that there was nowhere good to take a nice indoor break at. Quite a few of those were done without bathroom or water refill breaks, but I could only pull that off when the weather was relatively cool so the water requirements were relatively low.
I'm really not interested in riding around a closed track again and again to do 100 miles without any traffic stops--I think that's the only way that could be done around here.
Anything over 100 miles, I want a nice lunch break of an hour or so.
I don't think it's going to come as any kind of shock that cycling doesn't do much for people's upper-body "fitness". This thread has absolutely no point.
08-24-21, 09:22 AM
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08-24-21, 10:32 AM
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So, does the 5 minute average bike ride include breaks, or is it continuous?
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08-24-21, 10:38 AM
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A good baseline fitness is important for normal everyday life, not just cycling or other sports. Especially as we age, it is wise to build / maintain strength in all areas to help prevent falls that could cause serious injury. Besides cycling, I always want to be able to run, lift heavy weights, and perform well in martial arts.
Plenty of organizations use pushups as part of a physical strength and endurance test. I found this interesting Livestrong article on the subject. Being below average in this or any other fitness area is not where I want to be.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/4...for-men-women/
Plenty of organizations use pushups as part of a physical strength and endurance test. I found this interesting Livestrong article on the subject. Being below average in this or any other fitness area is not where I want to be.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/4...for-men-women/
- Read the other day that a good indication of adult male upper body/core fitness is the ability to do 40 push-ups with out a break. I am happy with doing 30-35.
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Last edited by rsbob; 08-24-21 at 10:49 AM.
08-24-21, 10:42 AM
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08-24-21, 10:51 AM
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5 minute bike ride? Are you a track pursuiter?
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08-24-21, 11:11 AM
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Back to the OP's OP:
1. Clapton
2. Beck
3. Page
1. Clapton
2. Beck
3. Page
08-24-21, 11:33 AM
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1. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
2. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
3. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Just joined a classic rock band on bass. Most of their songs required almost no effort to learn, although I did look on YouTube to nail down some details. But they do several Pink Floyd songs (Time, Breathe, Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here) that are killing me. I had to write those out.
Not because they're difficult, but because they're so similar---nearly the same chords, minimally reordered, with all of the songs performed at roughly the same funereal tempo. Luckily, YouTube allows manipulation of playback speed, so I listen to and learn those songs at 2X the original tempo, a speed at which they sound more or less normal.
Must have been tough when their resident songwriting genius, Syd Barrett, who wrote all the best songs on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, disappeared irretrievably into a druggie haze. Imagine if Shakespeare had disappeared after Hamlet and four illiterate spear-carriers were recruited to keep the hits coming.
2. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
3. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Just joined a classic rock band on bass. Most of their songs required almost no effort to learn, although I did look on YouTube to nail down some details. But they do several Pink Floyd songs (Time, Breathe, Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here) that are killing me. I had to write those out.
Not because they're difficult, but because they're so similar---nearly the same chords, minimally reordered, with all of the songs performed at roughly the same funereal tempo. Luckily, YouTube allows manipulation of playback speed, so I listen to and learn those songs at 2X the original tempo, a speed at which they sound more or less normal.
Must have been tough when their resident songwriting genius, Syd Barrett, who wrote all the best songs on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, disappeared irretrievably into a druggie haze. Imagine if Shakespeare had disappeared after Hamlet and four illiterate spear-carriers were recruited to keep the hits coming.
08-24-21, 11:42 AM
#66
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1. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
2. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
3. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Just joined a classic rock band on bass. Most of their songs required almost no effort to learn, although I did look on YouTube to nail down some details. But they do several Pink Floyd songs (Time, Breathe, Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here) that are killing me. I had to write those out.
Not because they're difficult, but because they're so similar---nearly the same chords, minimally reordered, with all of the songs performed at roughly the same funereal tempo. Luckily, YouTube allows manipulation of playback speed, so I listen to and learn those songs at 2X the original tempo, a speed at which they sound more or less normal.
Must have been tough when their resident songwriting genius, Syd Barrett, who wrote all the best songs on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, disappeared irretrievably into a druggie haze. Imagine if Shakespeare had disappeared after Hamlet and four illiterate spear-carriers were recruited to keep the hits coming.
2. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
3. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Just joined a classic rock band on bass. Most of their songs required almost no effort to learn, although I did look on YouTube to nail down some details. But they do several Pink Floyd songs (Time, Breathe, Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here) that are killing me. I had to write those out.
Not because they're difficult, but because they're so similar---nearly the same chords, minimally reordered, with all of the songs performed at roughly the same funereal tempo. Luckily, YouTube allows manipulation of playback speed, so I listen to and learn those songs at 2X the original tempo, a speed at which they sound more or less normal.
Must have been tough when their resident songwriting genius, Syd Barrett, who wrote all the best songs on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, disappeared irretrievably into a druggie haze. Imagine if Shakespeare had disappeared after Hamlet and four illiterate spear-carriers were recruited to keep the hits coming.
08-24-21, 12:33 PM
#67
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Oh so now it's how far you can go without stopping? Don't know, but my morning rides I do a little over 10 miles without stopping (except for traffic, if needed). But on my longer rides, I usually stop and take a short break after about 10 miles. I honestly don't know how far I can go without stopping, but a few weekends back I did a group ride where we rode 15 miles without a rest break. Or, I would have but a flat tire at about mile 14 caused an unscheduled rest break. I'm sure I've done longer on an organized century ride, as one of the stretches between SAG stops was probably close to 20 miles. But then I still don't know how many pushups would help me ride that far...
I managed to ride the 112 mile segment of my 2014 IMFL as a no touch - no stop ride. Carried enough liquids and nutrition for the ride that took me 6:10:50. Could not go all out since I still had the marathon after.
08-24-21, 02:05 PM
#69
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Yeah good point. I was just thinking of Gilmour as being the leader, but I guess that's highly debatable! I saw Roger Waters play in Birmingham about 20 ish years ago. They played the whole Dark Side of the Moon set. He was getting on a bit by then, but still pretty cool.
08-24-21, 02:13 PM
#70
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08-24-21, 03:21 PM
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Maybe it's a language thing. But over here when people say they did a non-stop ride, it means they didn't stop for anything other than momentarily for traffic and maybe a very quick water bottle fill / pee on a longer ride. I rarely stop at all on my rides, which are anything from 1-9 hours long. It's just my strategy to get the best finish time. Most people stop at the feed stations for a break, while I just go by and eat on the move. Saves a good 5-10 mins and keeps the momentum going. Quite often have some interesting leap-frog battles with guys who are riding a little faster, but stopping a few times.
Anyway 9 hours is about my tolerance for not stopping, but my average endurance rides are more like 4-5 hours. The 130 km event I did last weekend took 4.5 hours and according to Strava I stopped for less than a minute in total (due only to the accumulation of traffic junctions).
Anyway 9 hours is about my tolerance for not stopping, but my average endurance rides are more like 4-5 hours. The 130 km event I did last weekend took 4.5 hours and according to Strava I stopped for less than a minute in total (due only to the accumulation of traffic junctions).
08-24-21, 10:13 PM
#72
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I'm 76 for a little context.
1) 30
2) When I was 18, I did 200 1-legged squats off each leg. Now, I dunno. I just got back from backpacking up and down 2400', up one day, down the next. I did get tired, but I'm out of shape. My legs don't feel like doing 100 squats right now. In my late 50's. I'd do sets of 30 barbell squats at 85% bodyweight.
3) Average? Why would I calculate that. I'm down to ~50 miles for a good Sunday tandem ride. My indoor roller rides are usually ~20 miles. When I was 74, I rode 154 miles & 9,000' in 10:17 moving and 11:41 elapsed. My longest day ride has been 400k.
I'm fairly typical for an experienced club rider, lots of folks faster, lots of folks slower.
1) 30
2) When I was 18, I did 200 1-legged squats off each leg. Now, I dunno. I just got back from backpacking up and down 2400', up one day, down the next. I did get tired, but I'm out of shape. My legs don't feel like doing 100 squats right now. In my late 50's. I'd do sets of 30 barbell squats at 85% bodyweight.
3) Average? Why would I calculate that. I'm down to ~50 miles for a good Sunday tandem ride. My indoor roller rides are usually ~20 miles. When I was 74, I rode 154 miles & 9,000' in 10:17 moving and 11:41 elapsed. My longest day ride has been 400k.
I'm fairly typical for an experienced club rider, lots of folks faster, lots of folks slower.
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08-25-21, 04:16 AM
#73
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Let's be honest here. What you were trying to convey is that you can do a 1200 km "non-stop" ride in response to my 160 km non-stop ride. Of course I get it.
08-25-21, 06:09 AM
#74
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Looks like your leg endurance is on a whole different level than a non-biker.
How old are you?
08-25-21, 06:10 AM
#75
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From your post above in another thread, I would suggest that your "baseline fitness" is not actually very impressive. You would easily beat me on the number of push-ups you can do, but on the bike you have a very, very long way to go. My longest non-stop ride this year was 100 miles with 13,000 ft of vertical elevation, which took around 8 hours (with only 4 mins of stopping time to re-fill bottles). Plenty of guys were considerably faster as I'm not the best climber in the world at 175 lbs. Your best effort above would not even count as a recovery spin for me or any other half reasonable cyclist.
1) How many consecutive pushups can you do (without pausing at top for rest)
2) How many consecutive air squats can you do (without pausing at top for rest)
