50 Miles ADVICE NEEDED!!!

Build up slow and take it at your own pace. You will be there in no time

Also try and find a nice local cycling group to go out with, its much nicer to cycle with some others than on your own.

Cycle809 said:

Jake here

I'm from Bucks County PA I teach high school & middle school (also coach wrestling) Picked up a bike again about a year ago. Im looking for a "cruising bike".

I was thinking of riding the MS 50 in Lancaster PA which is mostly flat terrain. The race is in July so I have months to train. Do you think an exjock in good shape in his 30s can ride 50 miles without big problems?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Jake

Absolutely no problem. If you are already in decent general condition, it would take less than a month to ramp up to fifty, and that seems pretty slow to me. An experienced rider might go from zero to fifty in a week by riding 15, 30 then 50 with a day or two rest in between.

You will easily be able to build the endurance to ride fifty, so you will have a lot of time to work on getting faster.

Good grief yes!!! The issue for you is not fitness, but comfort. If the bike fits, you have decent cycling shorts, don't overdo the early pace, it is easy.

If you ride in tighty-whities under denim cut-offs, you will feel the pain! 🙂

Bro Deal said:

Absolutely no problem. If you are already in decent general condition, it would take less than a month to ramp up to fifty, and that seems pretty slow to me. An experienced rider might go from zero to fifty in a week by riding 15, 30 then 50 with a day or two rest in between.

You will easily be able to build the endurance to ride fifty, so you will have a lot of time to work on getting faster.

It's taken me about 3 weeks to go from being a somewhat unfit 56 year old non-rider to riding the 50+ miles I did yesterday. If a reasonably fit bloke in his 30s worked it up in that period of time he should already be riding quite a bit faster than I am 🙂

Cycle809 said:

Jake here

I'm from Bucks County PA I teach high school & middle school (also coach wrestling) Picked up a bike again about a year ago. Im looking for a "cruising bike".

I was thinking of riding the MS 50 in Lancaster PA which is mostly flat terrain. The race is in July so I have months to train. Do you think an exjock in good shape in his 30s can ride 50 miles without big problems?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Jake

You are looking for a "cruising bike" to race? Not sure what you mean there but cruisers are slow. Aside from that, a road bike will be the easiest to hammer out 50 miles on, then a hybrid, mountain bike, comfort/cruiser, in that order.

As far as being in shape 50 miles is pretty do'able for someone in shape. A 100 miles would present a bigger challenge but the biggest challenge is making sure your body is acclimated to your bike before you try it. IOW, make sure you have logged a good deal of saddle time.

Awesome post,Thanks for sharing.

ipodfansmail said:

Awesome post,Thanks for sharing.

I am also a teacher/coach, in my 30s, and live in SE PA.

I teach at Lower Merion HS and live in Broomall. I have become an avid cyclist in the last three years (I don't race or anything, but love going out for rides whenever possible).
I commute to work (7-10 miles) on a mtn bike that I turned into a hybrid with small adjustments (I am by no means a bike mechanic). Commuting to work is an awesome way to get the engine charged on the way to work if it is do-able for you (I am sure your school has a locker-room and showers that can serve as your 'shower/change into work clothes' station...there is probably a closet/coaches' room that you can store you bike in too). I tell you this bc commuting to work is an easy, time efficient way to stay and increase your cycling fitness. When I bike in, I actually look forward to my commute on both ends of the school day (unlike driving in).

I also invested in a road bike that I ride on the weekends and during the summer ($800). Bike Line and Performance are two of the more sensible places to look to purchase a bike of accessories from my experience (both are in BuckCo too).

All of the suggestions provided from your initial post were accurate, from where I am sitting. Especially the one about bike types (a "cruiser" would make 50 miles un-pleasant even for a very fit person).

Also, from the info you have given, a 50 miler is definitely achievable.

Good luck!