Do you usually ride the same route?

[wait4me]

Locally the lanes give me many choices from about 10 miles to 35ish. But I also take the bike when caravaning and this cetainly varies things--France is brilliant (forget the TDF I'm 65+ on a hybrid) and there are many interesting changes from Lincolnshire. The worst for me was south of Bristol--I think we've got a few hills, after the visit there this area is a billiard table. Yes I had to walk on one of them (Norton lane from Chew Magna to Norton Hawkfield) so Bristollians can take the p s mick

 

[compo]

I have 4 main routes that I ride regularly varying from 10 to 30 miles. One I can modify slightly and make it a 40 miler. Alternatively I enjoy just going out with no route or destination in mind and just meander around.

 

[tyred]

I do have a 17 mile route I do fairly regular, with the options of adding another small loop on to it to make 21 miles or taking a shortcut to make it 13, depending on how I feel. This is generally what I do if I want to get a few miles in but don't want to have to put too much thought into it, or if I'm trying a different bike, I can compare to my other ones on the same route.

Otherwise, for a Sunday ride for example, I am often to be found studying the OS map picking out the less frequented roads.

 

[Licramite]

stuck in the wyle valley I tend to have 2 road routes , - 35miles to stourhead and back or 30+ miles to wilton and back. if I try and go out of the valley its my off road mtb route which is 15miles or beyond depending if I just follow a trail. but I do tend to pound the same routes.

biggest restriction is time, rarely get more than 3 hours in a day to go cycling.

but I do have some corkers planned for the better weather days.

 

[Mallory]

I have a few set routes that i can extend/modify/shorten depending on my mood/fitness etc.

 

[Get In The Van]

i have about 4 routes that i'll choose from, although i have a favourite one purely as i know the roads will be very quiet and its an A class road so its in decent condition.
the others i can mix up and vary in length and hills depending on amount of time i have and how my day at work has been

 

[HLaB]

I like to mix it up changing my route every so often but whilst I like to explore I also like an area that I'm familiar with and know how long roughly I'll take.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

If I am going to a set place as a commute - then it is often the same (or very similar) route, though i have been 'playing' around with the commute to my mothers (which has become a weekly event and hence commute!). My college run is usually the same route once a week but that is necessity class does not finish until 1pm so I miss lunch and then have to cycle home so it is a quickest route home option...

If I am just going out for a ride, then no, I vary it, learn the roads around here, learn the cut throughs or where I can add 1/2 mile here or there on to the route. Occasionally if I only have a set period of time and want to get a longer route in, then I do have 1 circuit but I think I have only actually ridden the exact same route 3 times now despite having roughly done the same route 15 or 16 times now.

I guess I am not really a creature of habit - other than the habit of cycling but I have yet to return to work after coming home from the world tour and that almost never allowed me to cycle the same route twice, the exceptions being in Northern Norway where there are not many roads and if you want to go to Nordkapp or Grense Jakobselv or Kirkenes where you have to ride the same road more than once because there are no other roads to come back on!

 

[Accy cyclist]

I tend to keep to the same routes though i might juggle them up a bit. I find that knowing were all the pot holes and other obstacles are makes things a lot easier. Also i'm poor with road signs, so i've been known to be "heading home"..in the wrong direction!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

...Also i'm poor with road signs, so i've been known to be "heading home"..in the wrong direction!

we have all done that, trust me.

On one occasion it got me stopped by the police in the middle of the night on a desserted road for 'suspicious behaviour'. I was learning for my advanced level driving tests, driving an mk iii XR3i at 2am in the morning. When asked where I was going I simply replied 'home'. Asked where home was I gave the local town, at which point I was asked to step out of the car.... check car was not stolen etc.... turned out they had been following me 30 in the 30 area, 40 in the 40 area, 60 in the national area, back to 30 before the next 30 area. all spot on, never above or below... at 2am in the morning in what was then a very clean 'flashy sports car' and being a teenage girl dressed as a teenage boy very quickly getting up to 60mph when it was national...

I am also famously known for being on the wrong motorway as well. usually I get that 'involved' in the driving & planning ahead that I fail to actually remember I have to turn off 1 motorway onto another... but it only happens with motorway/motorway intersections not normal exits and have found myself looking at a 4 lane section on the M6 thinking the M42 has not got 4 lanes (or did not have then) and wondering where the h*** I am. Reroute home via the M1 instead of the M40....

 

[GetAGrip]

Loads of choices. I can choose an extremely hilly ride, a very hilly ride, or a moderately hilly ride. I can vary the mileage by turning left, right or going straight on at junctions. By constantly taking a left turn, all routes will eventually take you home in my experience, (well, most of the time) Of course, for a level ride, there is always the Tarka trail, very beautiful scenery but can make for a boring, slow (even for me) and congested cycle.

Also, just got to say, that so far this year, drivers of all types of vehicles, have contributed to some really enjoyable rides and I thank you one and all I do hope I'm not going to regret that last sentence

 

[HLaB]

I'm still not in the swing of getting up early and leaving sharp so I took a medium route circa 5 miles to work this morning, my shortest commute is 1.8miles and longest commute is cira 10miles. Leisure routes are less confinded and longer but tend to be in areas rather than defined routes and can be altered to suit the conditions: weather, wind, ice, light, etc.

 

[Skipper]

Not normally a routine kinda guy, but familiar routes are comforting. You know where the hills are, know the fast bits, know the dangerous bits, know how long it should take, etc. You don't need to worry about getting lost, particularly in the darker winter conditions. New roads are nice, but you can't beat the comfort of familiar tarmac ........

 

[lazyfatgit]

Almost all my rides are out and back, as there aren't any roads that join unless I ride on dirt roads. The shortest bitumen route is about 66km but involves ridng 20km on the New England highway, which is less than ideal.
I do miss the variety afforded by the Clyde Valley and Central Scotland.

 

[Licramite]

we have all done that, trust me.

On one occasion it got me stopped by the police in the middle of the night on a desserted road for 'suspicious behaviour'. I was learning for my advanced level driving tests, driving an mk iii XR3i at 2am in the morning. When asked where I was going I simply replied 'home'. Asked where home was I gave the local town, at which point I was asked to step out of the car.... check car was not stolen etc.... turned out they had been following me 30 in the 30 area, 40 in the 40 area, 60 in the national area, back to 30 before the next 30 area. all spot on, never above or below... at 2am in the morning in what was then a very clean 'flashy sports car' and being a teenage girl dressed as a teenage boy very quickly getting up to 60mph when it was national...

yes i've had that happen
my parents moved about 4 times in my late teens, so being stopped very late at night I told the officer I was going home and were - only to realise I was going in the completely wrong direction for that home !.
oops.
- fortunately it was very dark and very wet so they didn't notice my car was mostly held together with bodge tape.