# How many hours a week do you spend riding your bike?



## cyclepath78 (Oct 4, 2012)

I am looking for an idea on how many hours a week I should be riding to become a competitive cyclist. I am currently riding between 7 and 8 hours a week and most rides are in the range of 1.5 hours long at a perceived exertion rate of about 8 on most days(sorry no HR monitor yet). I usually fit in one easy day and one day off from any activity. If I didnt work weekends I would race and do AA pace group rides but I gotta pay the bills... I am mostly looking to become stronger for self gratification and to be that guy that blows up the peleton on those intense group rides  I am not there yet but I can hang with most if I can hold their wheel! If work ever gets out of my way and I can take racing serious, I would then like to be ready. It would be my goal to eventually hold a cat 1 credential, obviously not easy but its a goal that I plan on achieving even if it takes me 15 years. 

Here are my stats if this helps... 34 years old this Novemeber, I am a lean 205lbs at 6'6''. I have been down to the low 190's before to see if I would be any faster but I was not. 205 seems to be my sweet spot.

As far as training...
Mondays..... 30ish road miles with about 1800' of elev. gain at around 19.5 mph
Tues............. 35ish of about the same above.
Wed............... same as above
Thurs................20ish road miles 1200' elev gain at 20mph
Fri....................Easy ride or MTB fun ride for 1.5 hrs
Sat..................10 mile time trial with 900' elev. gain at 20ish mph
Sun.................Off

Thanks for any input!


----------



## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*7 hour plan*



cyclepath78 said:


> I am looking for an idea on how many hours a week I should be riding to become a competitive cyclist. I am currently riding between 7 and 8 hours a week and most rides are in the range of 1.5 hours long at a perceived exertion rate of about 8 on most days(sorry no HR monitor yet). I usually fit in one easy day and one day off from any activity. If I didnt work weekends I would race and do AA pace group rides but I gotta pay the bills... I am mostly looking to become stronger for self gratification and to be that guy that blows up the peleton on those intense group rides  I am not there yet but I can hang with most if I can hold their wheel! If work ever gets out of my way and I can take racing serious, I would then like to be ready. It would be my goal to eventually hold a cat 1 credential, obviously not easy but its a goal that I plan on achieving even if it takes me 15 years.
> 
> Here are my stats if this helps... 34 years old this Novemeber, I am a lean 205lbs at 6'6''. I have been down to the low 190's before to see if I would be any faster but I was not. 205 seems to be my sweet spot.
> 
> ...


From Basic Training for Roadies (Basic Training for Roadies | Road Bike Rider) by Fred Matheny: here's a 7 hours a week, weekly schedule that works for many riders:

Monday: Rest day with 15 minutes of resistance training.
Tuesday: Ride 1 hour with 3-8 sprints or other short, hard efforts.
Wednesday: Ride 1 hour at a steady, moderate pace.
Thursday: Ride 1 hour including about 20 minutes of any type of hard effort.
Friday: Rest day with 15 minutes of resistance training.
Saturday: Ride 1 hour at an easy pace.
Sunday: Ride 3 hours at a varied pace. Group rides or hilly courses are good choices.

Remember, intensity is one key to this program. If you could ride 200 to 400 miles per week, sheer volume would guarantee a high level of fitness. But you can't.

From your description you need more variety and more focused intensity. Unless you are massively gifted in the genetics department you will NOT get to Cat. 1 on this much training, and maybe not on double the amount. Note that in the US, at age 35 you become a masters racer and categories don't have the same meaning.


----------



## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

13 - 14 hours a week during the summer...or 240 - 270 miles per week. Intervals on Monday and Wednesday, hard group ride on Saturday.

Once my leg heals up and I get back into the rhythm of riding...I'll be getting in just under 18 hours a week between the road and my trainer. Basically 45 minutes of spinning before going to work, 2 hours after work (Mon - Thursday), 3.5 - 4 hour group ride on Saturday and 2'ish hours on Sunday.

I'm a good Masters 1/2/3 racer...But far from great.


----------



## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Time Crunched Cyclist has some insights on what to do with 6-8 per week. 

You can supplement intensity for volume up to a point. Rest is very important. You'll gain more from three quality days a week than from seven junk days.


----------



## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

Mondays........... 8-10 mile run at Sub 8min miles
Tues............. ....30-45 miles at endurance level or more
Wed................. 6-8 mile run moderate pace (sometimes do team ride at high level 25 miles)
Thurs.................30-35 miles at good spin pace
Fri.....................Off or sometimes short 3 mile run
Sat....................50-80 mile hardcore ride with the team Full pain!
Sun...................Short run before church (2-3 miles) then MTB around noonish for 20 miles.


----------



## locustfist (Feb 21, 2009)

Depends on time of year and what races I have coming up. 

I always get at least 6 - 8 hours per week.

During a build phase for an A race I'll get 12-14 hours for a couple weeks.

During a few weeks during in the fall/winter I'll put in 20 - 25 hrs.


----------



## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

If you're talking Cat 1, have you won a lot of races and what category are you right now?


----------



## cyclepath78 (Oct 4, 2012)

Thank you for your responses. For the next few months I will have more time available to ride, probably close to a 12 hr week. Would it be more beneficial to have a structured 8 hr regime or a 12 hr loosely based plan? At what point does volume outweigh structure? An above post mentioned something in the 200-400 mile a week range. I'm fairly certain I can achieve 200-220 miles per week this winter. Lastly, do you folks use a trainer to get in more miles when life gets hectic? Or, is the trainer just a foul weather friend?
Thanks for the help!


----------



## cyclepath78 (Oct 4, 2012)

In reference to cat1 it's more of a milestone so to speak of, it's more about being that caliber of rider for me. I would like to show up to a group ride with cat 1/2's and be able to stay in the mix. I don't have weekends available to race with my work schedule. I had some good luck during my local Friday night crits, I raced in the B race which is comprised of cat 3/4/5's me being a 5. I always finished in the top 5. When I have vacation time to burn I do endurance MTB races which have open fields, pro down to a cat3. I have had great success there with several podiums. I feel though that MTB endurance racing (6-12 hr) and road cycling are like apples to oranges though.


----------



## rockdude (Apr 3, 2008)

For most mortals to be fast it takes lots of time on a bike. Minimum hours for me is 12 hours a week up to 20 hours Max a week. I am in this range year around. Being in my late 40's, I have to be careful of over training, If I was younger, I would train more. There is a strong correlation between time on bike and getting faster.


----------



## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

cyclepath78 said:


> Lastly, do you folks use a trainer to get in more miles when life gets hectic? Or, is the trainer just a foul weather friend?
> Thanks for the help!


During the winter, the trainer is the only way to go around here. It's too dark at night and I don't trust drivers especially when it's raining a lot. 

On the weekends, when not working it's pretty easy to get out for 3-4 hour rides.

I'll spend 11-12 hours a week on the trainer (and another 6-7 outside) in the winter to work on base and get started on intervals as the season gets closer.

If you live in a southern climate where you have better weather and longer nights, you might not need to resort to the trainer much.


----------



## Poncharelli (May 7, 2006)

Success in a particular category is dependent on 2 big factors, IMO:
-Genetics
-Work ethic (i.e. training hours, diet, rest, etc.)

Some people can have good success with few training hours. Some people can have mediocore success with many training hours. 

I've also seen the case where some individuals tried their hardest in MTBing, didn't really ever podium in Cat1MTB, then moved to road cycling or cylocross and had great success; in many instances demolishing the same riders they mtbed with. So some people need to choose a cycling event that more suits their strengths. 

In my case, I don't really have a natural propensity for cycling but work really hard, even up to well structured 15 hour weeks when working towards a key event (I can only maintain that for 6 months max). Currently I'm the back end of the elite state-level Masters guys overall (Cat 1 MTB, and Cat 1-2-3 Road).

I'm good friends with a recently upgraded Cat 1 roadie. He's 25 years old, great genetics and build for cycling (5'9",142 pounds), great power across the board (LT~5W/kg at 5000ft, 1300W 5s), and a great finisher. But even with all these gifts, he still puts in the hours. He told me about his long 18 to 21 hour base weeks. He recently did his first Pro-1 stage race and that was a tough experience for him. 

But it seems, if someone is going to become a 1, they become a 3 in less than 2 years of racing (sometimes 1). There are exceptions, but I've seen this over and over.


----------



## locustfist (Feb 21, 2009)

spade2you said:


> If you're talking Cat 1, have you won a lot of races and what category are you right now?


It's super competitive here in Austin. I'm not interested in ever cat'ing up to 3 and getting shelled all year. Those dudes put in a constant 12+ hrs a week here. I have a life off the bike. Add to the fact that I rarely race crits (the weekly here puts the 4/5s together so it's a crash fest).. so I probably couldn't put up the points any way.


----------



## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

locustfist said:


> It's super competitive here in Austin. I'm not interested in ever cat'ing up to 3 and getting shelled all year. Those dudes put in a constant 12+ hrs a week here. I have a life off the bike. Add to the fact that I rarely race crits (the weekly here puts the 4/5s together so it's a crash fest).. so I probably couldn't put up the points any way.


Nebraska isn't _that_ competitive, but I'm NOT suited for crits and most of the RRs aren't hilly enough for me to really make a mark. I'd like to consider TTs a secondary focus, but the types of local races make it my primary focus. My previous attempts at racing in Oregon with lots o' hills were thwarted last year by a lack of available vacation time in 2011 and a baby in 2012. 

I think I could do better if I would have figured things out a little sooner than I did. With the baby, I'm probably a Cat 4ever at this point. Family and job first. :thumbsup: 

I agree that if a racer doesn't make it to Cat 3 super fast, they're probably not going to be a Cat 1. Oddly enough, several riders I know that upgraded fast and made my life hell got burned out and quit racing completely. It's a shame they did because they were amazing.


----------



## brady1 (Aug 18, 2011)

spade2you said:


> Nebraska isn't _that_ competitive, but I'm NOT suited for crits and most of the RRs aren't hilly enough for me to really make a mark. I'd like to consider TTs a secondary focus, but the types of local races make it my primary focus. My previous attempts at racing in Oregon with lots o' hills were thwarted last year by a lack of available vacation time in 2011 and a baby in 2012.
> 
> I think I could do better if I would have figured things out a little sooner than I did. With the baby, I'm probably a Cat 4ever at this point. Family and job first. :thumbsup:
> 
> I agree that if a racer doesn't make it to Cat 3 super fast, they're probably not going to be a Cat 1. Oddly enough, several riders I know that upgraded fast and made my life hell got burned out and quit racing completely. It's a shame they did because they were amazing.


You're from Nebraska too? I thought I was the only one here... I've found the same race issues here too. I feel your pain. I'm a pretty small rider and would love to have some hillier races too. I've focused more on endurance races as opposed to switching to TTs as I don't think I would make much of an impact there either...other than competing against myself.

Anyway, to address the actual thread subject, I averaged about 10 hours a week this year. Overall, I'm satisfied with how it turned out but I want to bump that up a couple hours next year.


----------



## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

brady1 said:


> You're from Nebraska too? I thought I was the only one here... I've found the same race issues here too. I feel your pain. I'm a pretty small rider and would love to have some hillier races too. I've focused more on endurance races as opposed to switching to TTs as I don't think I would make much of an impact there either...other than competing against myself.


Yup, all my life here. There have been a few Nebraskans posting, but not many seem to stick around. ...not sure if it was something I said. 

I can't complain too much about having to _settle_ on a TT focus. I have gotten pretty consistent results and it's very easy to duplicate the efforts. My luck in general is always pretty weak and I got tired of being just a hair too far back when the split forms or caught behind a crash.


----------



## brady1 (Aug 18, 2011)

spade2you said:


> Yup, all my life here. There have been a few Nebraskans posting, but not many seem to stick around. ...not sure if it was something I said.
> 
> I can't complain too much about having to _settle_ on a TT focus. I have gotten pretty consistent results and it's very easy to duplicate the efforts. My luck in general is always pretty weak and I got tired of being just a hair too far back when the split forms or caught behind a crash.


Moved to Papillion about 4 years ago. I still haven't purchased a red shirt yet...

I was actually toying with the idea of getting a TT bike when I was road bike shopping for the same reasons you stated. Before, I was doing primarily gravel races. It's an excellent cross-over to road. Besides, I can always still do TTs...Eddy Merckx style.

So this post isn't a complete hijack, I try to split my weekly training hours about evenly, probably slightly in favor of the gravel bike since I also commute on it.


----------



## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

brady1 said:


> Moved to Papillion about 4 years ago. I still haven't purchased a red shirt yet...
> 
> I was actually toying with the idea of getting a TT bike when I was road bike shopping for the same reasons you stated. Before, I was doing primarily gravel races. It's an excellent cross-over to road. Besides, I can always still do TTs...Eddy Merckx style.
> 
> So this post isn't a complete hijack, I try to split my weekly training hours about evenly, probably slightly in favor of the gravel bike since I also commute on it.


There seems to be a bit of a gravel scene with the Gravel Worlds. Papillion has one of the area's toughest crit courses, too.

If they have the same Cornhusker State Games TT course, you might be alright on a road bike due to the amount of climbing. Yutan is a little long and flat without any aero gear, especially with our lovely wind.


----------



## dougclaysmith (Oct 17, 2009)

I think it all depends on you and what your schedule can handle.

I workout 6 days a week. At least 1 day in the gym doing weights, high reps, low weights, don't want to bulk up. Right now since I have a tri coming up, (first one, I'm a roadie that got talked into it) I've backed off the bike a bit and do about 2 or 3 rides a week, (2 hour rides) jog 2 a week and swim 2 or 3. I will double up some days. A mile swim and then 3 mile run. Or a ride then jog. It's been interesting to switch up all riding with some jogging and swim. It has really added to my fitness level. 

Have fun, don't get too wrapped into a tight schedule.

Getting to cat 1 takes years. And not just fitness, but bike handling skills, strategy, etc. if you really want to get to cat 1, hire a coach.

And one last tip, make sure you take turns pulling in the pack. You'll get an ear full if you just suck wheel the whole time.


----------



## Flanders20 (Oct 9, 2012)

13 - 14 hours a week during the summer.


----------



## Rhymenocerus (Jul 17, 2010)

7-12 hours. 60/40 easy/hard split.


----------



## johnss (Sep 21, 2012)

Nowadays few to ride a bicycle, less time, only occasionally a ride


----------



## tnvol123 (Sep 11, 2012)

I average about 10 hours a week.


----------



## BlackIce619 (Sep 14, 2012)

Mine is going to sound boring compared to some of you, but I will keep the format the same. 4 hours total. 

Mondays........... None (LAME!)
Tues............. ....None (LAME!)
Wed................. None (LAME!)
Thurs.................None (LAME!)
Fri.....................None (LAME!)
Sat....................30-40 Miles - Between 1hr 30min to 2hr (about)
Sun...................30-40 Miles - Between 1hr 30min to 2hr (about)

The ideal goal would be to ride to work everyday!!! 28.2 Miles each way (56.4 miles round trip). The problem is that there is no showers avaialble in my office/building. I seriously want to ride at minimum 1 day a week to work, but just can figure out the shower part. Should I just rinse in the sink?? hahaha


----------



## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

I'm a Cat3 in NorCal, but I've been a 3 for a long time as I raced almost exclusively in Masters 1/2/3s, and it's hard to get the upgrade points. I can generally go top 10 in criteriums, but I'm a non-factor in road races. I Cat'd to 3 in 2 years. 

In the off-season, I look for about 15 hours a week, but bumping up my mileage does make a big difference. I am my most successful when I'm not only putting in more miles, but also when I'm making sure to make many of those miles Zone 1/2. For example, my entire Sunday, about 5 hours, is Zone 1/2 without a single hard or even medium effort. This serves as recovery from a hard Saturday, and I find that my intense Tuesday intervals end up much more successful this way. 

I will agree with everyone who has said that it really depends on the person, the body type, the goals, and the time at your disposal. There are a lot of ways to get this right, and just as many ways to get it wrong. By far, the biggest mistake I see are people out there trying to Strava-fy all their rides, 7 days a week. "You have to ride slow to ride fast" because an oft-uttered cliche for a reason.


----------



## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

depending on season and conditions...somewhere between 2 - 10 hrs.

my yearly numbers show that if I ride 5000 miles at an avg speed of 17 mph, that requires that I spend 5.6 hrs per week on the bike.


----------



## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

5-25 hours/week, depending on the time of year. 10-15 is pretty usual and I'm a successful cat 3. I don't think there is any reason to ride more than 13, unless you're a PRO. Hours/wk is a very unimportant metric, though. Figure out what your short term goals are and how to achieve them (either through trial and error, reading the right books or hiring the right coach).


----------



## Cableguy (Jun 6, 2010)

In online discussions, I train way harder than everyone else. 
I average 110+ cadence, and ride 18 hours per week. Minimum. 
I tend to average 28mph - uphill. 
Do not ask me to prove any of this, my excuses are irrefutable.
I'm at least 2 steps ahead of you, both figuratively and literally. 
I have averaged 16,000 miles per year, every year... since birth. 
I'm posting this from my bike, while sprinting. 
I have never been passed, and everyone I pass... I pass at least twice.

I am... the most interesting poser on the internet. 

I don't always post exaggerations online to inflate my ego, but when I do... I choose RoadBikeReview.

Stay exhausted my friends.


----------



## BlackIce619 (Sep 14, 2012)

Cableguy said:


> In online discussions, I train way harder than everyone else.
> I average 110+ cadence, and ride 18 hours per week. Minimum.
> I tend to average 28mph - uphill.
> Do not ask me to prove any of this, my excuses are irrefutable.
> ...


^ I vote this post... "Best post of the YEAR!" :lol:


----------



## jldickerson3 (Mar 9, 2006)

*Phenomenal!!!*



Cableguy said:


> In online discussions, I train way harder than everyone else.
> I average 110+ cadence, and ride 18 hours per week. Minimum.
> I tend to average 28mph - uphill.
> Do not ask me to prove any of this, my excuses are irrefutable.
> ...


+1 Best Post of the Year


----------



## GDeAngelo (Aug 9, 2009)

Mid January to mid September 15-18hrs a week, sometimes longer if I'm "sick for work." 
September - Early January 8-12 hours, also my race season and harder efforts.

I don't care about distance I care about saddle time. The speed will come when saddle time is in check.


----------



## climberevan (Sep 28, 2012)

When I was racing seriously in my twenties I was doing about 18-20 hrs a week. I was a Cat. 2 in my second year of racing, and it was an eye-opener to do my first big P12 crit. I went from destroying the Cat. 3 field to barely hanging on. I have recently returned to riding seriously and will race again next season at 37, but I'm sort of dreading putting my hat into the NorCal M12 ring...

Getting to Cat. 1 after starting at 34+ years old is a stretch unless you live in a fairly uncompetitive area or are extraordinarily gifted. Either way, I think you need to be riding 15+ quality hours a week to get to that point. Realistically if you have any kind of life outside of cycling getting to Cat. 1 is a very mean feat. Good on you for setting your sights on it, though!


----------



## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

climberevan said:


> When I was racing seriously in my twenties I was doing about 18-20 hrs a week. I was a Cat. 2 in my second year of racing, and it was an eye-opener to do my first big P12 crit. I went from destroying the Cat. 3 field to barely hanging on. I have recently returned to riding seriously and will race again next season at 37, but I'm sort of dreading putting my hat into the NorCal M12 ring...
> 
> Getting to Cat. 1 after starting at 34+ years old is a stretch unless you live in a fairly uncompetitive area or are extraordinarily gifted. Either way, I think you need to be riding 15+ quality hours a week to get to that point. Realistically if you have any kind of life outside of cycling getting to Cat. 1 is a very mean feat. Good on you for setting your sights on it, though!


You'll be fine in the NorCal Masters 1/2/3s. It's really positive racing, and there's always a break up the road. If you're fit, you're in the break. If you're not, you're pack fodder, but not in difficulty. I had a handful of top 10s in this cat 3 years ago when I quit, but all in crits. I knew I had no business at all winning any of them though. I'm still a 3, and as I raced this cat almost exclusively the last two years, I would remain that way. I plan to get back into again this coming season after the long hiatus. I'm averaging almost 200 miles a week now, and that's actually quite a bit more than I averaged before I retired. With your talent, you should end up an animator before too long. 

As for starting racing for the first time at 34 and becoming Cat1 in a competitive district? Well, I can think of the most talented Masters rider out here right now, and he started at a later age than that I believe. Of course, he was a dedicated runner before he made the transition. If you have the background, Cat1 is doable. If it's a "couch-to-Cat1" type of thing, I'm not seeing it.


----------



## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

When I raced I rode about 10 hours a week avg. I was a cat 2 that raced mostly masters 1/2/3s - I raced TTs Crits and Track and hardly ever did road races for the last 3 years I raced. I know some people rode alot more than me I just focused on doing lots of intervals. 

Before I moved to Norcal I did more group rides but the groups rides sort of suck here so for the last 2 years its mostly been solo rides.

Now that Im not racing most of my hours are commuting - still around 8-9 a week. Im guessing I could jump in a flat masters crit and hang on right now but not really race.


----------



## Undecided (Apr 2, 2007)

The Human G-Nome said:


> As for starting racing for the first time at 34 and becoming Cat1 in a competitive district? Well, I can think of the most talented Masters rider out here right now, and he started at a later age than that I believe. Of course, he was a dedicated runner before he made the transition. If you have the background, Cat1 is doable. If it's a "couch-to-Cat1" type of thing, I'm not seeing it.


If you mean who I think you mean (CP?), he's also pretty freakishly talented. Hard to count on finding out that you're freakishly talented.


----------



## shawndoggy (Feb 3, 2004)

The Human G-Nome said:


> You'll be fine in the NorCal Masters 1/2/3s. It's really positive racing, and there's always a break up the road. If you're fit, you're in the break. If you're not, you're pack fodder, but not in difficulty. I had a handful of top 10s in this cat 3 years ago when I quit, but all in crits. I knew I had no business at all winning any of them though. I'm still a 3, and as I raced this cat almost exclusively the last two years, I would remain that way. I plan to get back into again this coming season after the long hiatus. I'm averaging almost 200 miles a week now, and that's actually quite a bit more than I averaged before I retired. With your talent, you should end up an animator before too long.
> 
> As for starting racing for the first time at 34 and becoming Cat1 in a competitive district? Well, I can think of the most talented Masters rider out here right now, and he started at a later age than that I believe. Of course, he was a dedicated runner before he made the transition. If you have the background, Cat1 is doable. If it's a "couch-to-Cat1" type of thing, I'm not seeing it.


This ^^^

(and me too!)


----------



## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

Undecided said:


> If you mean who I think you mean (CP?), he's also pretty freakishly talented. Hard to count on finding out that you're freakishly talented.


Yes, CP. I rode with him during his first park sprint. He looked like he had never road a bicycle in his life. He still kept up with the fastest guys, and no one could drop him.


----------



## Vibe (Jan 11, 2011)

CP = Central Park?


----------



## The Human G-Nome (Aug 26, 2002)

Vibe said:


> CP = Central Park?


No, just the initials of a certain Masters freak who has been terrorizing all comers for years now in NorCal. Still, the nicest guy off the bike you'll ever meet.


----------



## jsedlak (Jun 17, 2008)

I ride, on average, 10-14 hours during the week. More if I'm trying to pack in a lot of really long workouts.
Right now though I'm probably closer to 6-10 for the rest of the year, mostly due to limited light.


----------



## nolight (Oct 12, 2012)

You guys ride a lot. I only ride during the weekend but I jog every weekday. I find jogging much more efficient in building stamina (your body does all the work!).


----------



## Cableguy (Jun 6, 2010)

nolight said:


> I find jogging much more efficient in building stamina (your body does all the work!).


On the weekdays when doing intervals on the trainer my power meter reports 800kJ or more of work per hour, upwards to 940kJ. I'm pretty sure that's a lot higher than jogging for an hour, and without the impact!


----------



## Poncharelli (May 7, 2006)

nolight said:


> I find jogging much more efficient in building stamina (your body does all the work!).


Yes!! That's why the Kenyans dominate cycling.


----------

