What Is The Farthest You've Ever Biked?

[Avocadogirl]

After seeing the interesting places many of you have gone on your bicycles, I'm curious: what is the longest distance you have ever biked? Was it for an event? Did you have a specific destination in mind? Who were you with?

I personally have never biked any great distance, but that doesn't mean that I'm not curious about the rest of you.

 

[Froze]

I rode 158 miles once from Bakersfield California to Santa Barbara California for fun. I left Bakersfield around 5am so I could get off the desert floor before the heat started to crank up. If you know the area I took Panama Ln out to 43 to Taft Hwy to hwy 33 all the way to Mira Monte where I left 33 and took Casitas Pass Rd which turns into Foothill rd somewhere in Carpinteria to Via Real which turns into Ortega Hill Rd in Summerland which turns into Coast Village in Montecito then various surface streets to get to my in laws house to meet my wife who drove there. I got to the in laws at just after 5pm.

There was a shorter route but that route had no places to stop for food or water. I pre-drove the route I eventually did in the car about a month prior and made notes of where places were so I could get food and drink, I was riding a road bike and not a lot of room to carry all that I needed for the ride, and got a trip map from AAA with all route highlighted and stops noted. I had planned to stop 4 times, once in Maricopa, once in Ventucopa at a small cafe, then in Meiners Oak, then the final time in Carpinteria before getting into the house and followed that plan to the letter. The most worrisome part of the ride was from Ventucopa to Meiners Oak due to the length of that section with no places to stop along the way and heat, it was only about 50 miles but it was a lot of climbing and combined with 90 to 95 degree heat wasn't the funnest part of the trip, so it felt good when I hit Meiners Oak which has a cooler semi coastal climate. I carried a handlebar bag with a light jacket due to sometimes along the coast it can get quite cool and that's where I put my food and my pre-measured powdered Gatorade packets. I had 3 24 ounce water bottles plus another smaller bottle in the bag and a 70 ounce Camelbak.

It was a fun ride but my **** hated me for the next 2 or 3 days.

 

[JoanMcWench]

Wow, Froze you put me to shame. 80 miles was the most I believe I ever rode. It was riding to the Lakeshore in Chicago & then riding the entirely of the bike trail that goes along Lake Michigan in Chicago. It was a blast & I've done it a few times but I don't know how well I'd do at double that. <_<

 

[swampy1970]

374 miles - or about 600km. It was a 600km brevet - a fun day (literally 25 hours inc rest stops, with an 8pm start). A nice ride up into the Sierra Nevada courtesy of a very long but gradual incline of about 70 miles that climbed ~5,000ft.

While I'm not really a 'brevet' rider, I like the events the local clubs hold that have routes off the beaten path with the minimalist rest stops along the way. As long as I'm fairly fit, I don't find the extra distance much of an issue, it's more about the sheer time in the saddle - 24 hours in the same bike kit gets uncomfortable, not pressing on the pedals as hard as usual puts more weight on the hands/arms so they tend to hurt more

 

[Dora M]

Wow, the distances some of you put behind you seem enormous to me. The farthest I ever went is about 200km. Actually, I do it once a month with a friend, when we go camping in a nearby National Park. In the past I used to ride my electric bike to work, which was about 30km away from my home. I did a combination of pedaling and using the the electric power on steep hills, or when I was exceptionally tired during the hot and humid summer months. Sometimes, riding a bike in 40C+ for 30km can seem like 300km...

 

[Connie858]

My single longest day on tour was 143km (about 82 miles I think) which was in Norway to see the midnight sun - the weather was changing and we could see a storm front coming in, so decided to make 2 days into one. The day included over 4,000m of climbing because of the terrain along with 15km in tunnels and dropped to 212m below sea level. We also got to cycle in the midnight sun as well!

Otherwise I have only ever once completed a 100 miler which was last summer with a friend on a very hot day. He wanted to prove to me that I could actually cycle 100 miles in a day because despite all of my touring and cycling, I had never done a 100 miler. It was a great day out but totally exhausting for me. He actually cycled over 150 miles that day because he had to cycle 10 miles to our meeting point and then having made sure I made it home to the door (and after coffee and cake) he then had another 18 miles to get home, but decided to take the longer route!

 

[sylvia_louise]

As a recreational rider, my usual route is to just go on the bike trails in my neighborhood, when down in Florida. I feel fortunate that my area is set up this way. My usual route takes me between 10 to 15 miles. I do this at a slow casual pace, while taking in the scenery and the fresh air. It revitalizes me. I think my furthest bike ride was about 30 miles. I am impressed with the distance, you, other cyclists have completed. It sure is an exhilarating experience to ride a bike, isn't it!

 

[Froze]

Wow, Froze you put me to shame. 80 miles was the most I believe I ever rode. It was riding to the Lakeshore in Chicago & then riding the entirely of the bike trail that goes along Lake Michigan in Chicago. It was a blast & I've done it a few times but I don't know how well I'd do at double that. <_<

I only did that once, the most amount of miles in one day throwing that one out was 120, I don't do those frequently! I usually do a 100 mile ride 2 maybe 3 times a year. That 158 mile ride was fun but my **** didn't like me much for about 2 or 3 days!! That's one of the reasons I took the car home with my wife at the end of the weekend. There are some people who do 200 miles in a day called double centuries, I never want to do that! I'm allergic to pain, and 200 miles in a day on bike would be very painful.

 

[Mr645]

My longest ride was 385 miles, 600k. It was last year as I completed a Randonneur SR series, which is 200k, 300k, 400k & 600k, Since that I have been riding 200k or 300k rides at least once per month

 

[ZXD22]

Longest I have ever biked was probably around 70-80 miles mainly around my county. We just had to bike back and forth a couple times due go stands. It was a really nice and pleasant day so we could all use the exercises. I have been planning to biker farther and longer for this summer though. Really want to break that 100 miles in a day mark haha!

 

[Weatherby]

Around 3,000 miles on a month long tour in New Zealand.

In one day? Just under 600k. 600k Brevets take me more than 24 hours.

 

[kana_marie]

This is kind of embarrassing but I've only made 5 miles and back. I just have to all on my stamina and getting more comfortable before I can go much further.

 

[kana_marie]

This is kind of embarrassing but I've only made 5 miles and back. I just have to all on my stamina and getting more comfortable before I can go much further.

 

[sylvia_louise]

This is kind of embarrassing but I've only made 5 miles and back. I just have to all on my stamina and getting more comfortable before I can go much further.

Five miles is nothing to be embarrassed about! In the big scheme of things this is an accomplishment within itself. For some people cycling is a sport, for others it is a form of a recreational activity with the added benefit of good exercise, for others it is a mode of daily transportation. We all have our individuals reason to bike.

 

[gavinfree]

I've done a lot of 40 mile rides out in the mountains and trails, but I've never really exceeded that distance. I don't think I would want to do 100+ miles, though I like the challenge aspect of it. I prefer challenging terrain and obstacles rather than going for distance, so that probably explains things. Maybe I should try a longer ride sometime in the near future.

 

[Susimi]

The longest distance I've ever rode was 16 miles in total. It was to a neighbouring town and back, so 8 mile there, 8 mile back. It wasn't any sort of event, I was riding to a youth club I used to attend and I'd been wanting to ride to the place for a long time. I was really pleased that I did it.

 

[BikeBikeBikeBike]

Oh wow you people are machines! My record is just shy of 80km. I was supposed to be a 50km ride but we got lost! Ended up going way out the wrong way before the group leader noticed and got us on the right path. Some of the older riders had a really though time with that one. any further and we would have had to call in a truck to come and get them.
I am hoping to work my way up to 100km in the next 5 years.

 

[Tryner]

I feel like such an amateur compared to you guys! The most I've ridden is a ten mile trail at the local campground.

I'd really like to ride longer distances, but I'm not sure where I'd go.

 

[AlexKabam]

You guys are crazy! I have biked 10 kilometres once and I was terrified of losing my way, even though I know my neighborhood very well. The distances you guys are putting out there are insane. 158 miles of biking is unfathomable to me. Keep it up guys!

 

[Doctor Morbius]

On September 20th, 2004 I rode 100 miles by myself just to see if I could do it. According to the cyclometer it took 6:15:43, but in reality it was more like 7 hours as I took a couple of rest room brakes. Average speed was 15.9 mph.