I’ve had a blog post in my head all summer about summer cycling and distance goals. It’s called “Is 50 km my new 100 km?’
In past years when I’ve done the Tour de Guelph in June, I did the 100 km distance but this year I picked 50 km. It seemed the natural choice. Now, I said I did that because we were trying to attract first-time riders for whom 50 km would be a reasonable goal that early in the summer, but also at the end of June, the Tour de Guelph was only my second 50 km ride of the season. It felt like the right distance for me.
July was a hot mess of family tragedy and wildfire smoke.
See Sam’s summer movement plans go awry: Some problems … and Sam and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Summer.
This month I’m struggling to find the time to ride 200 km. I chose that distance for my Great Cycle Challenge, thinking it wouldn’t really be much of a struggle. I thought that even if bad things kept happening and all my plans went to hell, I’d still be able to manage 200 km in a month easily.
Not so easy, it turns out.
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My friend, former graduate student, and twitchy spouse of Natalie, Michel rode 600 km in a weekend recently. A weekend! 600 km!
Twelve years ago I rode 1300 km in August. I know, I know. Comparison is the thief of joy. but still.
Ten years ago I wrote, “What’s your favourite distance? I like 100 km because I can have a normal day after. Ride 100 km in the morning, done and dusted, and get on with the weekend. 160 km requires serious refueling and serious naps. Next thing I know it’s night and my Saturday is shot. How about you?” See here.
Now 100 km feels like a big challenge.
I’m not alone, I know. See Nat’s account of her recent 100 km ride.
So, I know I’m older. But I don’t think this is about age.
I know what I have to do to make long-distance riding comfortable and easy. I need to ride more.
In the years I found the bike rally’s 660 km easy, it’s because I was a) regularly bike commuting, b) doing 30-40 km training rides one or two nights a week, c) doing a long ride on Saturday, often more than 100 km, and sometimes a recovery ride on Sunday, and d) doing bike vacations where we rode bikes every day.
Now I’m just bike commuting and doing an occasional 25 km bike ride on the weekend. No wonder distance goals seem hard.
I’ve realized it’s also an issue with my word of the year, expand. Yes, I’ve been swimming and skating and all sorts of other things but the only thing that makes you a better cyclist really is time on the bike.
What’s my plan then?
Well, I’ve signed up for the half bike rally next summer to raise money for the Toronto PWA–I’m planning to ride from Kingston to Montreal. This event is important to me because the money raised goes to help people living with HIV/AIDS. People who need food, wellness care, peer support or just to be in a place that is welcoming and safe for them. You can donate here.
I’d like to do the full distance, Toronto to Montreal, in 2028.
At some point, I want to ride 200 km in a day. Maybe that’s a Fall 2028 goal when I’m on research leave.
In the meantime, I’m looking for people to ride with in Guelph.
I’m looking for destinations for winter riding that aren’t Florida or Arizona, to be clear, aren’t in the United States at all.
Here’s my past winter rides:
March 2022 Alton Illinois. See here and here and here.
January 2020 Mount Dora, Florida
January 2019 Clermont, Florida
2015 Arizona in February and South Carolina in March
February 2010 Arizona, see here.
But while Trump is in office, I’m not going to the United States. I need another plan!
My goal for 2026 is 2,500 km, and I’m at about 1,100. There are 18 weeks left in 2026. That’s 77 km a week to meet my goal. But the problem is that the mileage goal alone isn’t motivational. I like achieving the goal when I fill my life with riding.
See you out there!
A reminder for all of us who have had tough summers:
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I have been thinking a lot about these distances we think are discrete units. On my road bike with nothing but a few gels and hydration, on a flat Ontario road with little wind, I used to think that 100km was a simple “done and dusted.” But bike touring really changes my relationship to distance, especially when there are things I want to stop for. Heavy hybrid + constantly making sense of a twisty GPS map + sharp and winding ridges and rolling hills + puzzling out alternatives when there’s a detour + “is there anywhere to get a snack” + wind means I think in terms of time, not distance. Today’s less windy 52km was not remotely equivalent to the windy, asthmatic 55 km that shattered me on Monday. So maybe we don’t have to keep up with that little muscle on a stick michel :-).
That makes such a good picture! The guy who has given me advice on training for quite a while always insists that I look at hours pedaled rather than miles/kilometers achieved. It’s pretty hilly here. It shouldn’t feel like I’m getting the same training on a 40 mile flattish ride as on 40 miles that climbs a total of 5000 feet!
Ohhhh I feel this in my bones!!
We both know what needs to happen to get those longer rides feeling better. We got this!
As for winter cycling locations, Randonneur Brenda Wiechers (follow her on Strava!) goes to Tenerife in the Canary Islands for winter cycling.
The Azores also offer modest price points and cycling.
Greece and Turkey offer lots of cycling tours. I’m sure you can find something inspiring to sign up for.
I get it. After riding across North America twice, training for the Death Tides (125 miles, 15,000′ of climbing) three times & finally (technically, meaning I reached all 5 summits, but was not allowed to ride back to the start thanks to road work & darkness)) finishing, I am now also working my way back to 100k rides. For years, that was my ho-hum, pretty much every weekend distance. It slipped back to much less for a couple of years., mostly because my rider friends weren’t training for anything big.
I am so sorry for all the hard times that have slowed things down for you, but I can tell you that you shouldn’t have to worry about age at all. And that working back up to it gently but persistently is not all that difficult. You are faster & stronger than I ever was.
I wish you could come here for winter riding, but totally understand your choice not to cross our border when we are all being subjected to the dreadful executive branch now in office. We are counting the days to the next opportunity for change. It’s a long, long way to travel, but I have had some pretty nice southern hemisphere riding in Australia in January…