Rolla

I don't really keep track of mileage, but I estimate I do five 25-mile rides a week on street, trail, and singletrack. Been doing this for as long as I can remember, usually on a singlespeed. I turn 62 in a couple of weeks, and don't plan on changing my habits now!

MinnMan

What's a sweet spot? On a summer Saturday on a road bike, it's 80-100 miles. Sunday, 50-70. On a summer weekday, it's 30-50.
In the winter on a cross bike, with or without studded tires, it depends on road conditions and temperature. Say 20 °F and clear roads? 40-60 miles. 0 degrees and bad road conditions? 15-25.

I'm 60, and these numbers haven't gone down any.......yet.

Carbonfiberboy 

For hard training rides, 4 hours is the sweet spot for most folks, 6 hours being the upper limit for a training ride. If you're not doing hilly 4 hour rides, gradually work up to it! I try to get in one of these a week whenever I'm strong enough and the weather is decent enough. This January, I'm at 3 hours, very gradually increasing it. I'm looking for 45'-1 hour of Z4 and some Z5. Mileage doesn't matter at all, only time. 4 hours is the sweet spot because it's hard to get in enough high end work if one goes longer, and it's high end work that makes us stronger. I've never been able to go over 6 hours without starting to bonk if I take every hill hard, no matter how much I eat. Of course there's also a place for long easy/moderate rides of any length.

This sweet spot isn't going to change, only my ability to do the work. This past Sunday, I did 37' of Z4 and 4:29 of Z5 (HR) during a 2:50 ride, 2123' climbing. That's normal for me in January. Of course I'm a lot slower than I used to be - I was pretty fast in my late 50s - but that doesn't matter, just the time spent. If your measure is mileage, you're doing it wrong. That leads to disappointment. Just go by time.

Hondo Gravel

Whatever the legs say they want to due for that particular day.

AlgarveCycling

I did 20 216km (12 564mi) and 210 226m (689717ft) elevation last year. The most since my 20's!

3hrs is probably my sweet spot.

davester

For those of us who live in hilly or mountainous terrain, the number of miles is almost irrelevant. It's the number of feet of climbing that matters. Around here, every 10 miles horizontally results in about 1,000 feet of climbing. My typical ride is around 4,000 feet of climbing so that generally equals about 40 miles. There are a very few somewhat flat routes that we do and the relative effort is so low that I can ride much farther on those routes if I don't get bored.

bblair

Around 60 miles is my sweet spot. Short rides are not really an "adventure" and centuries cause me to lose too many brain cells. Of course, weather dependant.

fastcarbon

My sweet spot revolved around 150 - 200 miles per week for almost 40 years; at 79 and retired my training has become more serious and I have a coach and do intervals 3 days a week, usually for 1hr and 15 min. on Zwift/ smart trainer. Weekends are for competitive group rides of 60 mi on Sat. and 31 on Sunday. I do run 8 mi on hilly trails on Monday, my rest day and play golf on Fridays. I am continually seeking accelerated recovery methods and do occasionally have to take a couple days off. I use software (WK05) to stay on top of recovery. I do have extensive medical issues which have been with me for years but have not advanced apparently due to my cycling.

shelbyfv

Along with so many others, my normal ride is 40-60 miles. The distance hasn't changed much over the years but I'm slower. I don't care to go out for less mileage.

bblair

...but in another way it has gotten longer. No need to get home to help with kids, or take them to their activities. No work to get ready for and plenty of free days to finish home projects. The lawn? That can wait for another day.

Chuckles1

You people are awesome with your 40 and 60 mile sweet spots. Seriously!

I prioritize fitness activities, cycling and walking while golfing in Summer, walking country roads and doing yoga and a little light weight work in winter.

At 65, my cycling sweet spot is 16 miles. I do 19.5 miles quite often, and go up to 45 miles on my ebike, but nothing beats 16 miles to the post office in next town and back on my road bike. It leaves me with plenty of energy left for other activities, with none of the cramps or fatigue that longer rides can cause. And nice roads and scenery all the way.

I enjoy my rides more when I'm not pushing myself hard except up long steep hills. Fortunately there are a lot of those nearby, so I get some "interval training" whether I like it or not.

Respect to those who still do 40 plus miles; you are truly amazing!

rsbob 

Hats off to you cold weather warriors. In my 30s and 40s I used to commute 30 miles a day, rain/shine/freezing weather, whatever. In my 60s I feel like I have suffered enough discomfort and have relegated cold and rainy days to the indoor trainer. 30 miles is about all I can stand on the trainer before getting bored. Outdoors my range varies from 30 to 50 miles but climbing is always involved between 1000 to 3000 feet, like another poster mentioned. Mileage might not the best indicator rather than effort, but it’s the best we have. Oh, another consideration is effort level. Riding at 10 MPH versus 18-20 average is another factor. I tend to ride at the upper end which pulls the mileage down.

Perhaps a better way to look at it is:
1. Mileage
2. Elevation gain
3. Average speed.

Yup nothing is straightforward.