Long Rides? Not for Me

Secteur

Hello,

Just musing over the thought that although I ride every day (all non-commuting - I have a car for that), I rarely ride for more than 1hr 10 mins (the length of time it takes to do my local circuit).

It's not that I get tired, I just dont get any pleasure from rides longer than that.

WHat's wrong with me??!

bompington

You're going too fast. Cut your speed by around 45% and you'll be going for 2 hours.

craker

Depends what your ambitions are. If you're happy with your riding then great. For motivation try signing up for an audax or a sportive.

ollyridesfirst

It all depends....what distance is the circuit you do?

I'm not a fan of long rides, but if i'm with mates during a nice sunny summers day (not many of them), then there's nothing better than getting out for 5+ hours

Secteur

it's a pretty hilly 17.5 miles, really nice country route, very undulating as well as the big hills - lovely route.

I only every cycle alone, so maybe if I had company I'd go further, but I just dont seem to have the want to go further, and I appreciate that this is probably limiting my abilities and "training".

I used to regularly go away for 2-3 hour rides.

I think after getting knocked off (on a busy road, in the cycle lane) and then a puncture far away from home, maybe my confidence has been knocked as my route is "safe" and quiet, and never that far from home.

gmacz

Clockwise and anti, two totally different routes and both short and safe.
Feeling healthy, do both in a day. 2hr run.

HoHoHoBlueGiant

Phew, I was thinking it was just me !

I'm about the same, I do about an hour each morning, I've got about 3 or 4 different routes I can do, and then do a longer ride Saturday mornings. But the 'longer' ride on Saturday's is getting shorter and shorter. Last weekend I got to the junction where I can either carry on or turn home, I turned home :oops:

I don't think it's the fitness, I used to do 50 or 60 miles Saturday mornings, I just feel at the minute WHY bother ?

(I am on a bit of a general downer at the minute, so just ignore me)

BigJimmyB

Secteur wrote:

it's a pretty hilly 17.5 miles, really nice country route, very undulating as well as the big hills - lovely route.

I only every cycle alone, so maybe if I had company I'd go further, but I just dont seem to have the want to go further, and I appreciate that this is probably limiting my abilities and "training".

I used to regularly go away for 2-3 hour rides.

I think after getting knocked off (on a busy road, in the cycle lane) and then a puncture far away from home, maybe my confidence has been knocked as my route is "safe" and quiet, and never that far from home.

Only riding more will improve confidence - that and a spare tube....

suzyb

I don't like going longer rides cause it seems to take me so long to do them.

Doing my short loop I feel like I'm keeping a decent speed even up the hill back into town. On longer rides, which are generally more hilly due to the terrain around here I always feel like I'm going really slowly (although my average speed ends up being only a mile or two less).

cougie

70 mins isnt even a ride ! Blimey in the winter it takes longer than that to get ready ! ;-)

That said I've usually got something to train for - and doing 17 mile rides wont be enough.

Can you not find a nice cycling cafe thats say 20 miles away or so ? Or a scenic destination ? I've some lovely 90 milers that the view makes worth doing.

markos1963

The best bit about cycling is that you can do what you want and develop yourself for it. There is nothing in the manual that says you have to ride hundreds of miles to qualify as a 'proper' cyclist( I blame Sportives for this to a certain extent) Short high intensity rides are just as beneficial for you and you are more likely to do them. I know TTers who never ride more than 50 miles in training and then go out and compete in 100mTTs. Plenty of road racing at sub 50 miles distances if the fancy takes you, or just potty about the countryside enjoying the wonderful countryside you have.

danowat

markos1963 wrote:

I know TTers who never ride more than 50 miles in training and then go out and compete in 100mTTs.

:oops:

Peddle Up!

The best thing about a long ride is that it's good when it's over.

Seriously, I find most long(er) rides a journey in more ways than the obvious. When I did my first century recently I started out fresh, got stuck in and made good progress until the three-quarters mark when I really started to doubt my ability to do it.

Although not a full-blown mental crisis, I was starting to think seriously about calling in the "broom wagon" but I managed to MTFU ( ) and finish the ride in a none-too-shabby (for me) time.

At the end I felt like the King of the World, and I don't think you'll ever get that from hour(ish) rides.

RoadyForever

I like going for short rides, just came back from a 1hour ride now. It's great fun pushing yourself (spent nearly all the time in the drops) and cycling all-out.

I also do a lot of 2-3 hour ride at a slightly gentler pace and taking in the county a bit.

Then a few 4-6 hour rides (pending time) and making a day of it.

I don't think there are any rules stating how long you should ride for. If you enjoy it cool!

crescent

I think variety is the key. I have a number of routes I do throughout an average week. They vary from a 6 mile blast when I don't have time for anything else to an 18 mile bread and butter ride that I alternate clockwise and anti. I have consciously decided to try longer distances this year and have built up to 30, 40 and 60 miles. I plan the longer rides in advance and enjoy the sense of occasion they bring once I have committed to doing them. I tend to cycle alone, not because I'm anti-social but I just like the fact that I can please myself in terms of speed, distance, duration and stops. The weather is a factor at this time of year, it's just on the turn for the worse and certainly less enjoyable I feel.

Cheers

Ringo 68

I am just starting out on my cycling adventure and all my runs are short.

I have a 15, 20 and 30 mile route and enjoy all of them. The 30 miler has a climb of Alpe D'huez proportion (ok, that bit is an exageration but that is what it feels like to me) at the half way stage. I get to the top, fall off my bike and cough my guts up for 5 minutes. Then I turn around and ride home.

I would like to do some longer rides and they wil come as I get fitter and stronger.

nhoj

Variety is the spice, as they say, and someone said above. I often ride a 17.5 mile route fast, I try to fit a longer ride in each week (though that doesn't always happen), and some days I do hill repeats of 5 to 10 miles. So a fast ride, a long ride, a hilly ride, and maybe a recovery ride too, working on form.

Alibran

I sometimes like long rides, and other times I just can't be bothered. I've done long rides (for me) of around 3 hours or so on the last 3 Sundays, and I know I won't be doing the same this Sunday. I just feel like staying close to home, which is unusual for me because I generally like going off and exploring new places and seeing new views. Maybe I'm just a bit tired?

Anyway, my OH is very much like you at the moment, Secteur. She has the same shortish rides that she's happy doing all the time, and doesn't have any desire to go off for longer rides. It works for her, and she's happy, healthy and very fit, so as long as you're happy with what you're doing, don't change it just because you feel you should.

Evil Laugh

Christ, I'm not even warmed up until an hour in. Always feels like hard work then the muscles go all elastic, the lungs open up and I feel I can ride forever.

Have you tried a longer ride, say 50 miles?

Peddle Up!

Evil Laugh wrote:

Christ, I'm not even warmed up until an hour in. Always feels like hard work then the muscles go all elastic, the lungs open up and I feel I can ride forever.

Have you tried a longer ride, say 50 miles?

+1 But not quite forever.

Secteur

I think I did a 50 miler once, a 43 miler about 4 times and then lots of 25-35 milers.

Time is a big problem - I struggle to find more than 2 hours all in (including getting ready, riding, having a shower afterwards).

I suffer on anything over 35 miles++, although I can do them. I think my problem is that I cannot, simply CANNOT go at a medium pace - as soon as I clip in I seem to think I'm Cavendish and I go as fast as I can the whole way, which is obviously bad for trying to do long rides.

RoadyForever

What do you eat/ drink on ride more than 2 hours?

Sounds like you're hitting the wall (your body is using up all it's glycogen reserves), leaving you with literally no energy.

nickel

For me the thing that motivates me is that awesome feeling of achievement when breaking a mental barrier that long rides pose. For example, I did a 60 mile ride to the middle of Exmoor and back a couple of months ago, it was a ride I'd wanted to for ages and although I'd cycled 60 miles before this was 60 miles with 4700ft of climbing, more than I'd ever attempted. When I got home I felt so elated, in my mind I had built the ride up thinking it would destroy me but in the end it was honestly the most pleasant 4 hours I've spent on a road bike. So I'd say set yourself a challenge, pick somewhere you want to visit/sights you want to see, for me I love Exmoor and it was pleasure to cycle along roads with stunning views.

kettrinboy

I used to do a fair few 60-90 mile rides but now very rarely do over 50 miles, if i want to ride new roads now, i bung the bike in the car and drive beyond the range any of my previous rides from home and do a hopefully enjoyable 40-50 mile loop on all new roads, rather than riding longer and longer loops from home to reach new roads and probably not enjoy it.

fish156

The fact that you're posting probably means you want to do longer rides.

To me it simply sounds like you're bored.

Secteur wrote:

I rarely ride for more than 1hr 10 mins (the length of time it takes to do my local circuit).

Do some different routes.

Secteur wrote:

I only every cycle alone ...

Ride with others. Chat. Share experiences. Stop with others for coffee & cake. This is why cycling clubs exist.

Secteur wrote:

... then a puncture far away from home, ...

Puncture a mile from home or 100 miles from home, it's no different. Learn to how to fix a puncture in the comfort of your own home so that when it happens on the road, it's not a problem. Note, if you ride with others, they're unlikely to abandon you with a flat. There will certainly be plenty of advice.

Secteur wrote:

Time is a big problem - I struggle to find more than 2 hours all in (including getting ready, riding, having a shower afterwards).

Everyone on this site has 24 hours in each day and we all choose how to use them, fitting in what we choose our commitments to be.

In the end, if an hour+ ride is what makes you happy then be happy & don't worry about doing longer rides.


P.S.

Secteur wrote:

... as soon as I clip in I seem to think I'm Cavendish and I go as fast as I can the whole way ...

Cav only goes as fast as he can ot the last 100 or so metres. The rest of the time he's just sucking wheels on a nice long ride.

thegibdog

Nickel wrote:

So I'd say set yourself a challenge, pick somewhere you want to visit/sights you want to see

This.

Secteur, you have loads or brilliant places to ride within a 40 mile radius of you - the Peak District, Forest of Bowland, even the Yorkshire Dales. Obviously you have time constraints, could you maybe cut out a couple of the shorter rides to make time for something a bit longer?

Clearly you enjoy doing shorter rides but one of the joys of cycling for me is getting out to places I haven't been before and making a day of it. Partly because I have to go 10-15 miles before I'm in the countryside admittedly. Once you get used to doing bigger miles you learn what pace you can sustain simply because you have to.

alihisgreat

The best thing is to cycle new routes on unfamiliar roads, then you won't get bored and you will be riding slower as you won't know if there is a climb round the next corner, or a hard stretch on the last leg of the ride.

Garz

81 miles last Sunday to Southport and back. That's what you need to do Secteur!

mattward1979

I tend to find that time is a factor... Wanting to do more miles in the same amount of time because life doesnt stop just because your wobbly bits are plugged into a saddle.

If you have an hour to train, you will feel stressed by doing an hour 10 mins because your body is telling you that you have more important stuff to be doing!

I would place money (about 58 pence) that you work quite hard and treasure your cycling time, but it is regimented!

neilo23

I usually spend 30 minutes farting around with different bits of clothing, sticking my head out of the window deciding what I need to put on, bring with me etc... I very rarely go out for less than 2 hours as the preperation time wouldn't be worth it ;-)

However, I also have motivation problems as I win the Tour (my original, unrealistic goal). But this is how I motivate myself to train more: (several have already been noted)

1) The "unknown" always inspired me to ride longer: Can I get back? Where am I? Nice scenery etc

2) A typical grande tour stage is between 4 and 6 hours: do I want to wimp out after a quarter of what the pros do?

3) When I can "go" for 6 hours, 4 will seem like a walk in the park

4) Isn't life good?

sagalout

Join a club.

We do a 50-60 mile ride every Sunday, and the first 20 pass in no time. Chuck in a cafe stop, some good conversation, varied routes and an early start and it becomes an enjoyable habit, even in the depths of winter.