How Much Should I Be Riding?

[AndersonG17]

Long story short I started riding consistently and started to push myself in June as you can see here:

And recently I've been trying to ride every other day as seen here:

Saturday I only rode about 5 miles, Monday was 7 and Tuesday was 4 cause my legs were a little sore. What should I do for Wednesday? I should add the the 80 mile week is not normal for me. lol Before this I was riding at least 15 miles 3 days a week with a two day break at the end. Id really like to start riding every other day but I want to be sure my body has enough time to recover.

 

[Corzhens]

The usual rule of thumb for me is this - when something is sore, think about it. Being new to the activity can give you sore leg muscles but when you are not a newbie and you get sore muscles that means you are abusing your body. A respite like a rest day or a day off or whatever you want to call it is a time for the tired muscles to recover. And that recovery period is what gves the muscle the oppotunity to build up. That's what I learned from my friend who works in a gym.

 

[jhuskey]

I suggest you mark a base line for your training. You can either try and map out your wattage, calories, heart rate or a combination of all. Simply tracking your miles is not adequate if you really wish to track your progress.

 

[AtlantaSports]

I suggest you mark a base line for your training. You can either try and map out your wattage, calories, heart rate or a combination of all. Simply tracking your miles is not adequate if you really wish to track your progress.

I agree with this. Once you identify the base line for training, you can plan and prepare from there.

 

[AndersonG17]

The usual rule of thumb for me is this - when something is sore, think about it. Being new to the activity can give you sore leg muscles but when you are not a newbie and you get sore muscles that means you are abusing your body. A respite like a rest day or a day off or whatever you want to call it is a time for the tired muscles to recover. And that recovery period is what gves the muscle the oppotunity to build up. That's what I learned from my friend who works in a gym.

That's true, but can I take an easy day between the hard ones?

I suggest you mark a base line for your training. You can either try and map out your wattage, calories, heart rate or a combination of all. Simply tracking your miles is not adequate if you really wish to track your progress.

I agree with this. Once you identify the base line for training, you can plan and prepare from there.

That wont be happening for a few weeks at best, and I wouldn't know how that info would give me more of an insight to my original question. I'm just wondering how many days a week I should ride.

 

[Bicycleman]

First off, please don't compare yourself with the miles I do because I have been cycling for almost 30 years. If I can ride at least 100 miles a week, I'm happy, but lately I have been doing almost 200 miles per week. I am preparing for a 200K brevet in the middle of March, but it's not always the miles you need to do, but the quality of the workout. I manage to average at least 15 mph on my solo rides and with others, average 16.5. You can always go faster in a group and make the ride go a lot faster, too.

There's a group of riders, who are in their 70's and 80's. They don't ride very fast, and when they stop, they will take a 2 hour long break at stores. They will probably cover 85 to 90 miles on a Saturday, but none of them are knocking themselves out. Me, I will go out for a ride, and I'm done for the rest of the day. Like I say, it's the effort you put into your riding that makes you stronger.

You can also go out, once or twice a week and do speed intervals. Pick a road that's not too traveled and go out and ride hard for a quarter mile, one mile, or just count for 30 seconds. To start, do 4 intervals and gradually increase them to however many you want. Then go home. You may not have done a lot of miles, but you have put maximum effort into your training. You would be surprised how much faster you will become, and the stamina it will build.

 

[Nigel Doyle]

Since you're on Strava check out their training plans. The 8 week Gran Fondo for beginner plan is probably a good fit for you.

 

[warrengeb]

The graph that you have represented is kinda okay. Most of the professional cyclists ride more than that but the average of 125 miles a month is good if you are looking to improve your skills. I would suggest you to ride at least 6 miles a day (180 miles a month) if you want to improve your general performance. Practice makes a man perfect and if you ride every day, you will learn a lot.

 

[Troy S.]

Having a goal helps like 100 miles a week when training for a long ride. If your training for climbs though you want to have some breaks in between long distance rides to build up more energy on those inclines. But it really depends on what your goal is and if your after a finisher badge of some sort on Strava or the like.

 

[TourDeDave]

Hey there! Setting a goal is definitely a great way to stay motivated while training for a long ride. If you're focusing on climbs, taking breaks between long distance rides can help you build up more energy for those inclines. It all comes down to your goal and whether you're aiming for a finisher badge on Strava or a similar platform. Keep pushing those pedals! ‍