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6 min read<\/p>\n6 min read<\/p>\n
Figuring out how many miles to ride your bike each week, not to mention on each ride during those weeks, can be a complicated math problem consisting of variations like free time, responsibilities, cross training<\/a>, and distance goals<\/a>. Your personal sum of this equation will depend on several factors, as well, including how many miles you\u2019re currently able to cycle per week and your experience level.<\/p>\n The most basic guideline to follow for determining weekly mileage, though, is looking at your goal race distance. \u201cIn general, it\u2019s good practice to train at least three to four times the race distance per week to ensure proper endurance<\/a> and fitness for the event,\u201d Jakub Novak<\/a>, a USA Cycling-certified coach and former professional cyclist tells Bicycling.<\/p>\n But to help you better determine how many miles to ride, we tapped three experts to explain the basics of mileage for cyclists training for a race, those who need to build a base<\/a>, and riders who get on their bikes for fitness.<\/p>\n Related StoryHow Many Miles to Ride When You\u2019re a Beginner<\/p>\n Before thinking about miles, a beginner cyclist<\/a> should focus on time in the saddle, Dean Somerset<\/a>, C.S.C.S., an exercise physiologist who works with cyclists, tells Bicycling. As a starting point, aim to head out for about an hour, two to three times a week.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to stick with time over mileage to start, because after about a month of steady cycling, you\u2019ll be able to figure out how the terrain (hills versus flats and wind, for example), as well as your fitness, determines your overall distance accumulation.<\/p>\n After that initial month, start to add 10 percent per week for about eight to 12 weeks, which will likely be enough to lead you into a base-building phase<\/a> before kicking of a race training plan<\/a>, Somerset explains.<\/p>\n Related StoryHow Many Miles to Ride When You\u2019re Building Your Base<\/p>\n Before training for a race, you want to make sure you have a solid base of low-intensity. mileage. \u201cBase training<\/a> is the foundation of any cycling plan,\u201d Novak says. The goal is to build your aerobic engine<\/a> to efficiently handle more mileage and more intensity.<\/p>\n The longer the race, the higher the mileage requirements, which also means the longer the build phase should last. While base building can extend anywhere from four to 16 weeks, the specific length depends on your fitness, the volume you\u2019re already hitting, and how much time you have. Beginners may require a more extended base-building phase while more experienced riders may only need a few weeks, Somerset says.<\/p>\n As for distance guidelines, the number of weekly miles you need to reach during the base period depends on what race distance you\u2019re training for. Ideally, you\u2019d be able to complete at least 50 percent of the race mileage. For example, if you have your sights set on a 50-mile ride, you should build up to 25 miles during your base training.<\/p>\n Somerset suggests building your base up to at least two times the race distance over the course of a week. So for a 50-miler, you\u2019d be able to ride 100 total miles in a week.<\/p>\n During the base period, aim for steady, lower-intensity rides<\/a> at about 60 to 75 percent of functional threshold power (FTP<\/a>) that gradually increase in mileage, Novak says. Avoid high-intensity efforts during this phase, he adds, and focus on accumulating miles instead.<\/p>\n Related StoryHow Many Miles You Should Ride, Based on Your Goal Race<\/p>\n Your target number of weekly miles depends on many factors, but here\u2019s a rough guide based on common race distances<\/a>, per Novak:<\/p>\n 15- to 20-mile race: 50-75 miles per week To divide those miles up throughout the week, experts say that most people schedule their longest rides for the weekend and try to ride at least twice during the week.<\/p>\n No matter how far the total mileage and type of race, your workouts will always fall into three categories: long ride, speed training<\/a>, and recovery<\/a>.<\/p>\n 1. The Long Ride<\/p>\n The long ride is when you build toward your projected race time, Novak says. On this ride, keep your effort within 60 to 75 percent of your FTP.<\/p>\n 2. Speed Training<\/p>\n Speed training<\/a> workouts are shorter\u2014usually between 60 and 90 minutes\u2014but more intense, with a focus on developing strength and power (think intervals<\/a> or hill repeats<\/a>), Novak says. For example, you might do four five-minute bouts at 90 to 95 percent of your FTP.<\/p>\n 3. Recovery Rides<\/p>\n Novak suggests dedicating Mondays and Fridays to recovery rides<\/a>, which should be at an easy pace and lower mileagethan your long ride. Recovery rides are usually 30 to 60 minutes at very easy pace, just spinning legs at almost no power, says Novak. This can actually speed up the recovery<\/a> and ease fatigue.<\/p>\n Related StoryWhat to Know About Century Ride Weekly Mileage in Particular<\/p>\n Training for a century ride<\/a> is similar to other races: You\u2019ll split your weekly mileage into a long ride, one to two recovery rides, and one to two speed-focused rides. \u201cWork up to 70 to 80 miles on your longest ride before your event,\u201d Novak says.<\/p>\n Century rides typically require a longer training plan<\/a>\u2014usually 12 to 16 weeks once you\u2019ve built a solid base of 50 to 70 weekly miles. \u201cThis type of prep helps ensure that you\u2019re accustomed to longer rides and can handle an increase in mileage, both from the physical and mental side<\/a> of the ride,\u201d Chris Mohr, Ph.D., R.D<\/a>., an exercise physiologist tells Bicycling.<\/p>\n Physically, Somerset notes, \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of tissue adaptation that has to happen to successfully make it through a century ride,\u201d Somerset notes. A longer training period gives you time to build a base and gradually increase mileage to minimize injury risk. It also accounts for recovery weeks, pains or injuries<\/a>, illness, vacations, and other training obstacles that can hold up weekly mileage increases.<\/p>\n In other words, don\u2019t rush through your training, and set your century goal<\/a> well in advance to give yourself time to build a base and then build up to that distance. Related StoryHow Many Miles to Ride When You\u2019re Looking to Maintain Your Fitness<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have a race on the calendar and you cycle to maintain fitness<\/a>, keep your weekly mileage to around 50 to 75 percent of your peak training amount, Mohr says. For example, if reached 200 miles in your peak week of race training, you could aim for about 100 to 150 miles a week in the maintenance phase<\/a>.<\/p>\n Somerset notes, though, that your weekly mileage matters less than whether you\u2019re having fun, because consistency is key when it comes to maintenance.<\/p>\n \u201cTo challenge your body, you could add miles, increase speed, work in more hills<\/a> or sprints<\/a>, or ride with some friends who are just a little faster than you,\u201d Somerset says. This will not only keep you fit, but will also keep your mind engaged.<\/p>\n Related StoryGeneral Rules of Mileage Building, No Matter Your Goal<\/p>\n As you create your schedule, \u201cmake sure you don\u2019t increase your mileage more than 10 percent per week,\u201d Mohr says. So, if you ride 50 miles one week, stick to 55 miles the following week.<\/p>\n It\u2019s often easiest to tack those additional miles onto your long ride, but you can also add one or two miles to a speed-focused workout, Somerset. \u201cA big key is to add volume without shifting the overall intensity higher,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, if you have a long ride and two tempo rides that take about a half an hour to an hour each, don\u2019t push all the new miles onto the tempo rides, as that will increase volume, as well as shift the average intensity for the week higher.\u201d<\/p>\n For more improvement, reduce your mileage for one week every few weeks to give your body time to recover<\/a> and come back stronger. That means cutting your current weekly mileage by 20 to 30 percent then resume your usual training the following week, suggests Mohr. (Many training plans will include this recovery week!)<\/p>\n As you progress your weekly mileage, remember to pay attention to other training indicators<\/a>. \u201cMileage can be a useful metric, but your body\u2019s response is more important,\u201d Novak says. \u201cIf you\u2019re feeling fatigued or have heavy legs<\/a>, consider reducing intensity or taking an extra recovery day.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories Lauren Bedosky is a freelance health and fitness writer who specializes in covering running and strength training topics. She writes for a variety of national publications, including\u00a0Runner\u2019s World,\u00a0Prevention, Experience Life\u00a0and\u00a0Women\u2019s Running.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"6 min read Figuring out how many miles to ride your bike each week, not to mention on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[11875,6647,102,5136,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-495930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-core","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-service","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
25- to 50-mile race: 100-150 miles per week
50- to 100-mile race: 150-250 miles per week
>100-mile race: 250+ miles per week<\/p>\n
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