How long are you comfortable cycling for on a regular basis?

[Webbo2]

Not really interested in some extreme ride you do once in a blue moon but rather your regular average.

For me it is about 4 hours. At this point I hit a wall without food.

I haven't yet tried going past this with food. Before I didn't have a bike bag and got used to not riding with a backpack but have bought a nice 18L one which will give plenty of storage for food if I so wish.

Generally I don't feel like I want to go longer as at about 2 hours, considering the round trip, I think to myself that there are other things I could be doing with my day besides riding and 4 hours is a good amount for me to freshen the mind.

On the other hand there are some very interesting landscapes nearby, one of which is a national park I have yet to explore in any depth, that lay just out of reach while restricting myself to only 4 hours so have thought about pushing on. When I am on the usual timed ride I will see them just on the horizon or even reach within the perimeter, but then the tank was empty since no food and was just wanting to get home.

How much food do you will need to do another couple of hours I.e. up to six. 18 litre rucksack will probably be good for 3 or 4 days food shopping. Just stick a sandwich and a couple of grain bars in your jersey pocket.
Or when you need to top up your bottles buy a sandwich or go mad and stop at a cafe.

 

[Arjimlad]

I reckon I need to eat every 30 miles at least, and that's about 2.5 hours for me. At the moment I'm just commuting though and doing the occasional ride with my wife, who had a shoulder injury 2 years ago, an operation in June, and is due some more treatment in January. We used to go out & do 20-40 miles together and she'd manage 20 before food, so we're hoping she'll be able to build up to that again next summer. Always a good idea to have an oaty bar on you in case you get stuck, or need some scoff.

 

[Jameshow]

The most I've ever been on he bike in one go is about 6 hours, and I probably won't do that again any time soon, but should my life offer me an abundance of free time and willing riding friends again, then I'll be carefully considering my options, I probably need a club to ride with, and if I manage that then my love of tea and cake can only help bring the riding hours up. Right now my rides are typically around an hour because I'm doing them after work and before I need to cook dinner, it's a squeeze and the lack of variety of routes available in that time really doesn't help.

28 hours Bradford to Bournemouth.
With a short overnight in derby!! 400k. 😳

Seriously I like a break after 2 hours and a good stop after 4 hours.

 

[Moodyman]

28 hours Bradford to Bournemouth.
With a short overnight in derby!! 400k. 😳

Seriously I like a break after 2 hours and a good stop after 4 hours.

I can understand you wanting to get out of Bradford, but Bournemouth is a bit drastic isn’t it? Was there nowhere closer you fancied moving to?

 

[Webbo2]

I usually do two four to five hour rides a week plus a couple of shorter ones. I was doing 5 to 6 hours plus early in the year. These are club rides which usually has a coffee and cake stop. As I like to ride for a bit longer than club rides, I usually do hour or so before or after the club ride. If I go out on my own for four or five hours I will just stop for a pee and eat a grain bar or gel. If it’s hot I might need to buy some more fluid.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

1.5-2 hour rides became my norm this year, once I got my ebike and got over two, three week respiratory infections that came in quick succession after delivery day. Typically 5-7.5 hours per week indoors or out, usually one race or hill effort ride a week.

I've done a few 2.5-3.25 hour rides, but they were a rarity and they all used ~90% of my ebike's battery.

Since '17 I've usually taken 250g Tesco jelly babies on longer rides, but in the last year I've discovered High5 drink powder with carbohydrate and caffeine, great on turbo races and outdoor rides. I only tend to take the jelly babies now if planning a ride over two hours.

 

[Jameshow]

I can understand you wanting to get out of Bradford, but Bournemouth is a bit drastic isn’t it? Was there nowhere closer you fancied moving to?

It's where my folks live so an obvious target!

 

[Ianonabike]

Around 2 hours is my sweet spot.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Normally my rides are between 2 and 3 hours because that's enough to keep me relatively fit and to keep my interest up, without taking up too much of the day. Very occasionally in the Summer I fancy a longer ride and they are around 2 hours out and 2 back. I've only once done a century (actually it was 97 miles, my bad) and it took me all day on a mountain bike because it was partly off road.

Illness followed by a feeling of ennui has meant I have ridden just twice since May, but when I get up the will to start back again I will hopefully go back to the 2-3 hours.

In the same way, before I took up cycling later in life I ran regularly for twenty years but my runs were always around 5 miles and I was never interested in marathons or half-marathons.

 

[PaulSB]

Anything between 4½ - 8 hours. Today was a standard winter ride at 4½ hours, longer than this will wait till spring. We stopped for coffee and a sausage roll. Obviously I eat on the bike as well.

 

[Fastpedaller]

I'm pretty much on the same sort of time as most here - generally 4 hours, maybe down to 3 if the temp is below 10 degrees C. I won't go out if the temp is below 4 degrees (too old for falling on ice! If I do less than 2 hours, I don't consider I've done a ride and get all tetchy

 

[Big John]

When I was with a club the Sunday ride was always around 4 hours, no stops. Food consisted of energy bars/gels plus one bottle (winter) and two in summer. Maybe two 100 mile rides a year taking perhaps 6 hours, no stops. Along came COVID and retirement from work (chance of redundancy after 35 years which I grabbed with both hands) where I switched to solo rides. Three rides a week all year, health permitting, all around 3 hours. Still enjoy it and I hope I'll be doing it for a few years yet.