Riding for a Healthier Life: The Fitness Cyclist

YOU LOOK AT A BIKE AND YOU SEE A WAY TO TEST YOUR BODY, get your heart pumping, and maybe lose a pound or two. You’re not looking to race anybody ... well, at least not right now, or maybe just your buddy up the next hill. You mostly want to spend time in the saddle getting fit and healthy, setting up personal goals and knocking them down.


Why Fitness Riding Might Be Calling You

Many people find themselves at a crossroads these days. On the one hand, it seems like so much work to get in shape—especially if you’ve never experienced any sort of athleticism. There are a lot of people who have never played sports, so they feel like cycling for exercise is a good, private place to start since you can do it alone and have your space—potentially not encountering anyone you know. Working out in a gym can seem both claustrophobic (being inside with loads of other sweaty people) and exhibitionist (rubbing sweaty elbows with the same folks 3 days a week)—not to mention it’s hard to resist comparing yourself in that gym mirror, which can be an exercise in self-loathing.
Many people come to cycling as a way to make themselves healthier without the embarrassment or competition of other sports. You can head out on the road solo, or with a few supportive buddies. It’s a common occurrence in bike shops that someone who has never been “fit,” “athletic,” or a participant in any sports outside of high school physical education walks in and buys a road bike. Since most of us—big or tall, hefty or thin, sporty or nerdy—have ridden a bike, it’s an accessible and fun option for making ourselves healthier.
Some bike buyers find themselves heeding a doctor’s warning that without some better choices, they’re heading toward a lifetime of medication. For these individuals, fitness riding can be a solution and a savior.
Others have come from the doctor after their current activity has either caused or is causing too much damage to their bodies. Lifelong runners often find themselves hitting middle age with bad knees. Weekly “friendly” basketball games can wreak havoc on joints when middle age hits.
Or, it may not quite be time to give up your favorite activity yet, but you’re looking for an opportunity to cross-train in another discipline. One famed world-class motorcycle racer came to bicycling to build his cardio and mental endurance to condition him for moto race-day speeds of over 120 miles per hour. Finally, you might be inspired by the pro riders, with their machine-like endurance for altitude and pain. Every spring the men and women of the pro peloton bring themselves to the furthest reaches of their own capabilities. The alps they slay on the screen might be calling you to come test them yourself, but you have to start somewhere a little closer to home.


What a Fitness Ride Looks Like

As with any riding, this will vary from rider to rider. While cycling, the heart rate will be at a perceived exertion of somewhat hard to hard—an effort that feels hard but that you can maintain. If you’ve already got a solid athletic base, your first ride will be longer than if you’re starting out fresh. Fitness riding is defined by the amount of time spent on the bike combined with the effort at which you’re riding. Usually this type of rider will spend a minimum of an hour riding, working up to an average of an hour-and-a-half to more than 3 hours per ride, between 2 and 5 days a week.
This can be quite a time commitment, but it’s also a great excuse to get away from the hurly-burly of our chaotic, plugged-in lives. This will also likely help you explore the place you live. You’ll be branching out to the undiscovered, quiet, low-traffic roads surrounding you. There will be new places you’ve never seen and places you’ve seen that you’ll observe in an entirely different light.
These rides usually take you outside of the city or on designated bike paths. If you’re lucky enough to live in a more rural area, you can roll out from your door and spend less time stopping and starting at the stoplights that get you out of town.
Actual mileage will depend a lot on how fit you are, and even then how fast you are. Women often ride 2 to 3 miles per hour slower than men, even on their best days. So a 2-hour ride might take her 30 miles, while a man might be able to go closer to 40 miles. It all depends on the rider. Terrain and weather conditions will make a difference, too. A flat route might seem easier than a hilly one, but flat routes are also typically windier and not necessarily faster. In any case, most cyclists like to mix up their terrain.