30 a day habit......

Daddy2Coull

i've been cycling now for around 6 weeks and i've managed to push my daily ride up 30 miles with no stops at an average speed of 15-16mph (on an mtb)

my goal was to do a 50 but would i be better trying to up my pace rather than hit bigger miles? i'm not training for anything, this is purely for my own well being and fun.

any suggestions would be appreciated

noiseboyfeetman

I'd say an average of 15-16mph on a mtb is pretty good going, i'd personally stick with your original goal and up the distance which will improve fitness and probably improve your pace over shorter distances. To up your speeds as well use slicks on your mtb if you don't already.

rogerthecat

Increase your mileage; too many people get hung up on speed. Three things to consider:

1. Enjoy what ever distance / speed you do on what ever bike with what ever on it.......
2. Feed & hydrate your body.
3. Make sure you rest, it's difficult not to ride I understand that; but you must give your body a chance to recuperate, which will lead to better performance.

Daddy2Coull

thanks for the advice, it's much appreciated. i am already on slicks pumped up nice and hard and at what point should i be resting, should i be taking a break on my 30 mile rides or is only required on longer rides.?

i'm consuming 500-750ml of plain water on my rides, but i do find it difficult to consume this much.

is upping the distance by 10 mile steps reasonable until i get used to it or is pushing for the 50 straight away a better plan?

Adam

suzyb

I think Rodger meant resting as in not cycling. It seems it is important to give yourself some days off the bike as that lets your muscles recuperate.

andrewlwood

I think the comment about resting is 'make sure you take days off' rather than 'make sure you stop mid-ride'. I find that I'm 2-3mph faster after a rest day, and if I do 7 days without a rest I get destroyed by the hills.

mcj78

If you're planning on doing 30-50 miles a day i'd also advise a rest day now and again, otherwise it might catch up with you all at once leaving you totally knackered for a couple of days.

Might also be worth checking your cadence at that sort of mileage - I have a tendency to push too high a gear thus knackering my legs out quicker & have recently started making a point of spinning faster which seems to make a difference - i'm only commuting 20 miles per day too.

Enjoy!

Daddy2Coull

ah yes. i see what is meant by resting now. up until now i have been cycling 7 days a week. sorry for yet another question. but what would be a good regime to stick to? is one day off a week enough or maybe 3 days on and 1 day off?????

thanks

adam

MountainMonster

Daddy2Coull wrote:

thanks for the advice, it's much appreciated. i am already on slicks pumped up nice and hard and at what point should i be resting, should i be taking a break on my 30 mile rides or is only required on longer rides.?

i'm consuming 500-750ml of plain water on my rides, but i do find it difficult to consume this much.

is upping the distance by 10 mile steps reasonable until i get used to it or is pushing for the 50 straight away a better plan?

Adam

That's a 2 hour ride with only a small bottle. For me personally not enough, but everyone is different.

As far as the ride, you should have full rest days in between rides. You will wear your body out too much if you don't give it a chance to properly rest and regenerate muscles.

Daddy2Coull

a full rest day between every ride wouldn't be practical as i'm using the bike for my daily commute.

MountainMonster

Daddy2Coull wrote:

a full rest day between every ride wouldn't be practical as i'm using the bike for my daily commute.

That was the ideal, but of course doesn't work for everyone. I'd say give yourself at least one good rest day every week where you relax completely1

andrewlwood

One rest day after five days of riding is good enough for me (though I only do about 20 miles a day on average). If I were doing longer, I'd take every fourth day off - so just under two rest days a week.
It's a bit of a personal thing though.

Xommul

On your rest days you can try a little yoga.

Also make time for stretching, this will improve your muscles and stretching them will release built up lactic acids and tension.

You can alway drink a recovery drink which is a combinations of protein, carbs, vits and minerals.

Also drink an energy drink on your ride not just water. Water will flush out the goodness without putting it back so something like Go Active by SIS is good for hydration.

Plan a few routes, join a mtb club or see if there are riding buddies for you to go out with.

GL Xom

fnegroni

What about just taking it a little bit easier every other day? I do about 32 miles a day now, used to be 24. Never took regular days off, just the occasional (a couple of times a month) trips by train, but I found that slowing the pace a little does as much as days off. After all, wind resistance grows with the square of speed, so for every mile per hour slower you go (on average), you recuperate twice as much energy.
Try commuting at 12 mph average and yes, it will take longer, but no, the hills won't kill you. If anything is the perfect excuse to spin a lower gear faster!