# Recreational riders, how many miles per week?



## bikerboy (Jul 16, 2005)

I apologize if this has been covered recently, but my search didn't come up with anything related to recreational cyclists, only those who are training for races.

So the question revolves around those who ride for fitness and fun and are not hindered by weather or work more than what might normally be expected. Here in Texas, we haven't been getting hardly any rain, so I would be thankful if I got caught out in a shower, but I digress.

Personally, I work an M-F 8-5 job, so I have time to ride about an hour or 2 each weekday and then wide open on weekends (at least more so since I don't particularly like riding in the heat of the day). I just got back into road cycling and my first week I managed to ride just over 100 miles. I want to compare notes to others to see where I might like to set some goals, particularly since I would like to start doing a charity ride every so often. Ultimately, I want to do the MS150.


----------



## edhchoe (Jun 3, 2007)

It's been exactly 9 weeks since I started riding and I have 632 miles as of today.
That is 10 miles/day! I work 40 hr/wk and I mostly ride on weekends.


----------



## lalahsghost (Aug 27, 2007)

bikerboy - I'm in the same bag as you... kinda.

I work 8-5 too, at a youth summer camp (playing ball, swimming, etc) When I'm out for the day on a ride, I try to do a minimum of 25 miles. This would be a decent 175 mi/week if going on mere calculations. Oh. I also commute to work on non-pool days. Add however many miles for that. This weekend was kinda crappy due to rain, but I got in about 86 miles. 

I've been trying to hike up my time on the saddle since I was recruited for my college's cycling team (but that doesn't start for a bit)... If I hit 250 mi/week, I've scored. Anything under...."at least I rode".


----------



## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

I've had about 15 days ride time since I got my bike about two months ago. So far I've logged about 220 miles with the same MS150 goal. I work over 55 hours a week and have a family. Thankfully my wife supports my dreams of riding. And fm528 between Alvin & Friendswood is an excellent ride.


----------



## Gimme Shoulder (Feb 10, 2004)

*Ya ride when you can.*

I have a job in field sales. The hours aren't regular, but I probably average 50-60 hrs a week. I'm on the road 1-3 days (and nights) a week, so can't ride every day. On the weekdays that I do ride, I usually try to do 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the late afternoon. The weekends are boom or bust. For instance, I did 100 miles this three day weekend - 75 on Friday and 25 today. Did a hilly 50 last weekend. But there are some weekends that don't include cycling for one reason or another. So it's not unusual for me to do 150 miles one week and 25 the next. All of that said, I've averaged about 80 mi per week over the last couple of months.


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

My wife and I ride 300-400 miles a week for our recreation. Figure about 40-60 miles a day during the week and a couple a centuries or a long ride most weekends.

Sometimes more.


----------



## IAmCosmo (Jul 26, 2005)

MB1 said:


> My wife and I ride 300-400 miles a week for our recreation. Figure about 40-60 miles a day during the week and a couple a centuries or a long ride most weekends.
> 
> Sometimes more.


Must be nice to have time to do that. I'm lucky if I can get in 50 miles a week. With a job and two kids, I rarely have time to ride.


----------



## abiciriderback (Jun 8, 2005)

Outside sales here on the road about 1.5 weeks out of the month, but my bike goes with me or I don't go. It works out to about 225-275 per week. Alot of that is rain riding here in the Seattle area.

Ray Still


----------



## Claudio14 (Jan 25, 2008)

I strive for 150 miles per week, but 75 to 100 is the norm for me.


----------



## RIDERUBICON (Jun 19, 2008)

I work from home and basically can dictate my days hours.

My day starts at 4 30am...ride all the horses by 7am and then try and do a minimum of 30km a day. Then off to do my consulting.

Weekend I'll do a big ride ( if not competing on our horses) of a approx. 100 - 120km round trip.

So I guess on a good week I can do 200km.

Purley fitness, the bike gives my horses a break from carrying my ass around


----------



## dphoenix (Nov 11, 2007)

I do most of my miles riding to work, it's 30 miles a day round trip. If the weather is good I will ride to work 4 days a week. On on the weekend I might do 50 to 80 miles. I do an average of 170 miles a week.


----------



## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

One of the best ways to consistently increase your mileage is to bike commute. I average about 140-150 miles/week year-round, about half of that mileage from commuting. During warmer months my mileage increases because there is more daylight and better weather for longer rides on weekends, but I'm still able to ride 125-130 miles/week even during winter by commuting.


----------



## Loraura (Jun 30, 2008)

I'm in Texas, too, and work 40-50 hours a week. I also just got into cycling about 3 months ago. I'm hoping to get in 400 miles in July.

Typical day is commute to work by bike, 6 miles.
Longer commute home, 8-10 miles.
Weekend rides, 20- 30 miles.

I'm also addicted to Spin class, 2-3 times a week, which would be additional "miles" not counted here.


----------



## jlgoodin78 (Dec 13, 2007)

I get out after work on Tue, Wed, & Thu and then both Sat & Sun, averaging about 200 miles/week. I manage to get this in despite 12 "lost" hours during the work week (the time it takes from when I leave for work until I get back home). With a little shorter work day I'd bump my miles up by 50-75/week. Granted, I don't have kids and have a wife who's quite understanding of my need to get out and ride, so that definitely works in my favor.


----------



## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Last week was 314 miles but that was very high for me...In the summer months, I average around 200-250.. Commuting really make it easy to add on the miles.... my round trip commute is 25-30 miles depending on the route...


----------



## Billy516 (Mar 4, 2008)

IAmCosmo said:


> Must be nice to have time to do that. I'm lucky if I can get in 50 miles a week. With a job and two kids, I rarely have time to ride.


Same here. I try and ride my fixed gear 10-15 miles 3-4 days a week. Trying to stretch the rides out a bit more now that my legs are coming back (off bikes for about 15 years and just back into it at the beginning of May).


----------



## New_World_Man (Feb 12, 2007)

Billy516 said:


> Same here. I try and ride my fixed gear 10-15 miles 3-4 days a week. Trying to stretch the rides out a bit more now that my legs are coming back (off bikes for about 15 years and just back into it at the beginning of May).


Same here. I have way too many interests and hobbies. I think I need to break them up into seasons and let summer be my riding dedicated season.


----------



## rbart4506 (Aug 4, 2004)

I work 7:30am-4pm...Ride 350km a week, but now will be getting closer to 450km a week...I'm starting to commute twice a week by bike...Besides that I ride in the evening, with a long ride on Saturday and a shorter recovery ride on Sunday...


----------



## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

It varies, obviously, especially with mountain bike rides. Howver, I ride 200 + miles a week, enerally around 8-12 hours a week. Nowadays, I commute 15 miles each way to work almost every day, which accounts for a lot of it.


----------



## indysteel (Jul 21, 2006)

I work until 4:30 most evenings and am able to ride several nights after work and, weather premitting, both weekend days. I'm usually somewhere in the 150 to 200 mile a week range. It just depends on the week and whether I'm actively training for an event. I have a little over 2600 miles for the year (from early March). My long rides have gotten longer this year but my weekday rides are almost always between 20 and 30 miles.


----------



## benchpress265 (Nov 7, 2006)

Leave for work at 6:30 in the morning (1 hour commute) then back by 5:30 PM. During the spring, summer and fall, weather permitting, I bike on Sunday 40-50 miles in the morning, on Monday work out at gym in the evening, on Tuesday 20 miles in the evening, on Wednesday work out at the gym, on Thursday 20 miles in the evening, Friday have to take wife out to dinner to keep the peace, on Saturday 40-50 miles in the morning.

Winter schedule (late November through mid March), is mostly in the gym (weight training, elliptical etc) and if the roads are clear and the weather is reasonably nice I will slip in some bike rides.

Just picked up a Polar CS200 at Performance for $119 less another 10% (and no tax too, got it in Delaware) to keep better track of my miles. Also, the heart monitor is a plus! And I am getting a calorie count off of it too.


----------



## capnron5177 (May 9, 2008)

I have a newborn baby and it really put a damper to my weekly rides. On weekends I only get about 10-20 miles until I figured out my commute last month. My commute is a bit far for me at 25 miles one way, right now I can only do 2 days of the week. 

Still, it is definitely worth it as it keeps me in shape, and I do see some gas savings. Hopefully later on I'll be able to do it 3 days a week which would result in nearly 200 miles/week.


----------



## Timmons (Jul 6, 2005)

I get in about 7-10 hours of riding per week. The mileage varies. I've done a few a races, but most of my riding is group stuff, just for my entertainment, socialization and general fitness. I just enjoy riding my bike. I've heard/read that time in saddle is more important that distance ridden. Also, supposedly, the sweet spot for hours per week is 10. 10 hours of riding per week gets you the most fitness return for what you're putting into it. I would have to say that I agree with that. On the weeks that I've ridden more, it's taken longer to recover.

Back to the distance, 100 miles a week is a good start. That's on pace for 5000 miles a year.


----------



## GTScott (Dec 6, 2007)

I ride anywhere from 120-160 mpw recreationally. I run between 50 and 60 miles a week. Often times I will swap one for the other.


----------



## B15serv (Apr 27, 2008)

about 100-175 a week. Although ill be commuting an extra 125 a week starting very soon


----------



## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

I've read several articles suggesting that 10 hours a week for a recreational cyclist (even a racer) will get you to a very high % of your potential.

My schedule is:
Saturday - long ride 80-90 miles
Sunday - recovery ride 50 miles
Tuesday - indoor trainer workout (intense climbing, intervals, etc) about one hour
Wednesday - 40-60 miles depending on my mood

That generally ends up being close to 12 hours.

One thing I like is having days off to recover.

Of course we occasionally have these long holiday weekends so I ride 220 miles over three days.


----------



## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

typically, I ride 4-5 days/wk and distance ranges from 18-35 miles, so doing the math that works out to be ummm, yeah whatever...


----------



## bikerboy (Jul 16, 2005)

It looks like this week may not be starting off too well, thanks to the rain. At least we need the rain badly and it is costing me a fortune to water the yard. Perhaps it will dry out in a couple of hours and I can get a small ride in. Funny how I mentioned how it hasn't been raining at all and now look. 

I am hoping to gradually increase my weekly mileage. I think when I start getting in better shape, I will be able to ride a bit faster and further.


----------



## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

I am averaging 150 a week for now........


----------



## CampbellU (Jun 26, 2008)

average 50-60 hours of work a week and average 80-120 depending on how many early morning rides I can get in in the morning. When traveling ride the exercise bike at the hotel.


----------



## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*75 miles/week.*

I'm on my way out of the sport and now limit myself to five 15-mile rides a week. Three of these rides are intense, two are very easy. So far, the only thing that's gone away is endurance—a 25-mile ride is my limit now. Speed over 5 minutes or so and climbing is still good, if not better than when I rode 150 miles a week.


----------



## myk (Jul 4, 2008)

I'm just getting back into riding recently(last Friday), so it's difficult to say how many miles a week I'll ride. I'm hoping to average 75 -100 miles a week for the first month or so. After I start feeling a little better on the bike, I hope to increase that to 150 or more a week, at least until I get my endurance up some more. I'll just have to so how it goes.


Mike


----------



## knucklesandwich (Feb 23, 2007)

Ride to work.

I average about 150mi/week. 92 or 115 riding to work (4 or 5 days), and 50-100 on weekends.


----------



## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I usually average 200-250 per week. A bit more in the summer, less in the winter.


----------



## Alan Ross (Mar 2, 2002)

I get 200 miles a week. Mornings in the summer are beautiful at 5AM no cars. I have been stopped by a cop at 4:30 in the dark with no light he was sympathetic and did not write me a ticket just gave me a stern warning. I now wait til the first hint of day break.I have been doing this for the last 20 years and really never have the need to do more and never do less except in winter.


----------



## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Everyone's situations are different. I have two kids and my wife works weekends. For me to ride on the weekends I have to either take my kids with me or find a sitter. Neither situation works all that well as the farthest I have ridden with the kids (7 and 11 years old) has been 8 miles. I've worn out my welcome with kid sitters except for my riding buddy's wife but she's starting to complain, too. As much as my mother-in-law loves my kids my wife doesn't want me to bring them over there as much as I would like to.

About my commute: I live at 400 feet above sea level and my work is at sea level. The ride home has me climbing 750 vertical feet as I have three hills to climb to get home. This usually is enough to wipe me out for a day or so. No back-to-back rides in to work. Not yet, at least. I know, I need to ride more. I'm working on it.

At my previous job I was only riding on the weekends or during my lunch hours so I was doing well when I got 200 miles a month. Yes, you read that right. 200 miles A MONTH!

Last month I logged the most mileage since I've been keeping track: 326. That's because my new job has allowed me to ride all the way in to work and back, 27 miles round trip. It's trying to get rides in on the weekends that is tough because of my situation with my kids. I can't wait until they get old enough that I can either drag them along on some 25+ mile rides or I can leave them at home without worrying about them destroying the house. For now I'm content with getting what I can get.


----------



## zooog (Mar 18, 2002)

125-150 in good new england weather.


----------



## ownedbybiggs (Jul 8, 2008)

*Milwaukee*

I ride 120-300mi a week, depending on schedule..... Felt F3 FTW!!!


----------



## jskash (Sep 30, 2013)

I average between 70 and 80 miles a week. I ride 9 to 10 miles every day early in the morning before I go off to work and 12 to 13 miles on the weekend. I have not tried to ride much more than an hour so far. I am in the best shape I have ever been in and feel really good about riding daily.<textarea id="adlesse_unifier_magic_element_id" style="display: none; "></textarea><input type="hidden" id="triggerLogout"><input type="hidden" id="signupTrigger">


----------



## Buildingmaint (Apr 3, 2007)

I try and keep a 7 day average of over 300 miles. That way it is easier to get to 1000 miles for the month. In August of this year I had 750 miles by the 15th and got to 1000 on the 20th, but I knew I was going to have a few days of no riding , ended up with 1216 miles that month .


----------



## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

Currently at about 95 miles/5 hrs per week and riding stronger than when I was racing, it's almost all at a fairly high intensity.


----------



## AZ.MTNS (Jun 29, 2009)

200. It will go up now that its cooling off a bit.


----------



## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

You went searching 5 years back for this thread??!!

I'll chip in, anyway. My goal always used to be 100 miles a week, but this year it has been closer to 60-65 miles/week. Used to get an extra 25-30 in a week commuting, but can't really do it with my current job (no good route except along a dangerous road). So pretty much still getting in the recreational rides, just not the commuting.


----------



## Guest (Oct 13, 2013)

I have been a cyclist for about 50years now. Different levels of cycling over the years with job, marriage and 6 kids. However at 65y/o I am riding about 60miles a week after work and on Saturdays. Next year I will be retired and I will ride more and maybe up to 100 miles per week. Hard to say as I have other things I want to do and I want to be a real good Grand Pa. I enjoy woodworking and want to spend a lot of time making stuff for our home and our kids homes.


----------



## morgahorse (Jun 23, 2013)

Just started riding this past May and I have a little over 900 miles in and counting for this year. Just found a book _The Time Crunched Cyclist_ by Chris Carmichael which I'm hoping will give me some pointers to do more with the little time I have.


----------



## RichardT (Dec 12, 2010)

4 times a week, about 160-190 miles on average. That's an increase over what I was riding last year. The 60 mile Saturday ride has turned into 70. The 40 mile Sunday ride has turned into 50. The extra miles have gotten a little easier over time.


----------



## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

I'll do 40-200 miles a week excluding the commute to work which is less than a mile in each direction. Since moving to Manhattan I've noticed that even though I've gotten better the benchmark(peformance of the average rider) has increased even more. I attribute this to Lance Armstrong. In the 90's most of the bikes I would see would be entry level road bikes or not even that. Now people are on Carbon wheels and meet up with groups to do morning spins so they'll be even faster on the weekends. The number of cyclists who can ride consistently above 20 mph is higher than it has ever been.


----------



## Doug B (Sep 11, 2009)

Work 50 hours a week, but I have been averaging 90 miles per week since mid March. I rode 2300 miles last season. I'll easily make 2500 this season, but shooting for 2900 before the snow flies and the roads get yucky.


----------



## bellzisu (May 1, 2013)

During May, June, July, and August I do about 150 a week, The rest of the time it depends on the Iowa winters since I only have a road bike and don't feel like killing myself in either snow or below freezing temps. This year I bought a trainer so that should change some.

Sept-November if varies week to week depending on college football schedule. I only get 7 weekends to tailgate and I will sacrifice biking for it. 

I also work 50 hours a week, have a 2 year old, and my wife will only bike 20 miles at the most with me when she feels like it. So all day Saturday or Sunday rides are few and far between except during the summer. So mostly I ride 20 to 25 miles non stop 5 times during the week. And commuting 100 miles round trip to work is out of the question. Although I have done it a few times the last couple years.


----------



## Dave Cutter (Sep 26, 2012)

I am at 2000 miles for the year now (which is/was my coal)... and could likely get in 2600 before new years. Although I might have to count trainer miles to accomplish that. 

2600... of course... is a weekly average of 50 miles.​
However I live and cycle in the Midwest... my primary riding season is about 5 months out of the year. So during "peak season" my weekly average is double that of my annual weekly average.


----------



## Social Climber (Jan 16, 2013)

I work long hours during the week. I leave the house around 7 and don't get home until 8. So riding outside during the week is usually out of the question except for a couple of weeks in the summer. I put my time in on the trainer during the week, usually about 45 minutes to an hour. I guess that equates to about 45-50 miles assuming I do that three times/week. Then I usually try to get in 2 longer rides over the weekends. Lately I've been averaging about 100 per weekend, more on the ones where I've done full centuries. 

So I guess that works out to about 125-150 miles per week.

One thing to keep in mind: It may be better to think more about time in the saddle and than actual distance travelled


----------



## kansukee (Jul 17, 2012)

I usually ride between 3-4 days week, 50 miles a day, then between 100-130 miles on the weekend so between 250-330 miles, depending...


----------



## jskash (Sep 30, 2013)

I usually ride about 85 to 90 miles per week. I ride 11 miles every day before I go to work and between 13 and 16 miles on the weekend. <textarea id="adlesse_unifier_magic_element_id" style="display: none;"></textarea>


----------



## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

jskash said:


> I usually ride about 85 to 90 miles per week. I ride 11 miles every day before I go to work and between 13 and 16 miles on the weekend. <textarea id="adlesse_unifier_magic_element_id" style="display: none;"></textarea>


When the weather is good I like to get a century ride in every two to three weeks. If he weather is above 40 I'll try to do 40-60 miles minimum, more if I have the time at least twice a week. I don't do pre-work rides in the morning, but do commute back and forth to work via bike, but the rides are fairly short and more about time and saving money than getting in a good work-out.


----------



## Silchas Ruin (Oct 24, 2013)

I do a lot of mountain biking, so miles aren't the best gauge for me, but I try to ride 8 - 10 hours per week. My MTB rides average 10 to 15 mile, road rides 25 to 35 for work days. Sundays I put in 80 to 100+ depending on weather.


----------



## nigel91 (May 16, 2012)

240 km this week with 4600m of climbing - it's the second figure that interests me more


----------



## Silchas Ruin (Oct 24, 2013)

nigel91 said:


> 240 km this week with 4600m of climbing - it's the second figure that interests me more


Me too! I averaged over 100 ft. of climbing per mile last year according to strava. Not to brag.:blush2:


----------



## rm -rf (Feb 27, 2006)

On another forum, I charted the yearly mileage and climbing feet for the first 125 posts that listed a year's total. Some didn't have elevation, so they run along the bottom of the chart. EDIT--it's from a road bike thread.

From my post:
About 50 feet per mile over the whole season seems quite common. That's the 45 degree diagonal line from the 0,0 point. But the riders over 4,000 miles tend to be above that line, more like 60+ feet per mile.

The flattest territory award goes to fmy906, with 3,052 miles and 8,068 feet. Wow, 2.64 feet per mile!
Hilliest is robbyville, 3,546 and 284,311 feet. 80 feet per mile.​
(And the guy with 2.64 feet per mile commented: "actually flatter than 2.64 ft/mi. I did one ride away from home with about 1100 feet of gain" )


----------



## Silchas Ruin (Oct 24, 2013)

rm -rf said:


> On another forum, I charted the yearly mileage and climbing feet for the first 125 posts that listed a year's total. Some didn't have elevation, so they run along the bottom of the chart.
> 
> From my post:About 50 feet per mile over the whole season seems quite common. That's the 45 degree diagonal line from the 0,0 point. But the riders over 4,000 miles tend to be above that line, more like 60+ feet per mile.
> 
> ...


 Well, I rode over 2500 miles in 2013, with over 250,000 feet of climbing. I'm no mathlete, but...looks like 100ft. per mile.
On mtb rides my avg. is nearly 200 feet per mile. Road riding drags my avg. down.


----------



## nigel91 (May 16, 2012)

Silchas Ruin said:


> Well, I rode over 2500 miles in 2013, with over 250,000 feet of climbing. I'm no mathlete, but...looks like 100ft. per mile.
> On mtb rides my avg. is nearly 200 feet per mile. Road riding drags my avg. down.


If my metric conversion & math is any good then mine is over 90 ft per mile. It would be much higher if I didn't have to come back down the hills lol.


----------



## adjtogo (Nov 18, 2006)

I'm fresh off of emergency hernia surgery and had a second emergency surgery to remove and repair a hematoma and ruptured blood vessel the day after the hernia surgery, so I'm taking it slow getting in my miles. I've been between 60-80 miles per week so far, and plan on increasing my mileage over the next few weeks as I get my legs and lung strength back. I'm also going to need to work on core strength as well. I should be back to my average of 150 miles per week within the next few months. I'm self-employed and live in Florida, so I can manage when I ride much better than if I worked a full time job.


----------



## RIL49 (Apr 27, 2012)

I try to ride 75 to 100 miles per week, when I can.


----------

