So by now hopefully you are all out there on your bikes starting to put the miles in. You may be wanting to be able to ride farther but you may realize that you have nowhere near the ability to ride the distances you will need to ride each day on RAGBRAI, yet. That’s okay because you still have a lot of time to get there. But this article will give you some ideas on how to increase your mileage so that you will be able to ride many miles each day.
Increase your mileage steadily but gradually
The key to riding farther is to gradually increase your mileage that you ride in training. There are two important words in that sentence. These are ‘gradually increase’. You want to increase the mileage of your longest rides that you do as you go along.
I’d encourage you to try to add five miles to your longest ride each week. This should allow you to gradually increase your mileage without creating undue stress on your body. Your body adapts and gets stronger when you stress it, and it’s best to add stress in small doses. Add five miles this week, allow your body to recover and adapt, then add five more next week. If you do this, before you know it you will be riding 70 miles.
Train your entire body
You may think that the purpose of riding further each week is to train your legs, and that is true but it’s not the entire story. In order to sit on a bicycle and pedal for several hours a day for seven days in a row, you need your whole body conditioned. It’s one thing to be able to pedal that long, but it’s another just to be able to sit on a bike for that long each day.
This includes getting your body parts that connect with the bike used to that pressure – your hands, feet and butt. Don’t underestimate the importance of this. I am guessing that more people abandon RAGBRAI because of a sore butt than because of sore legs.
So by riding a little further each week, you are gradually introducing your body parts to sitting in this position. In addition, you will also be strengthening your back, shoulders, arms and neck for holding the riding position for hours. I’d suggest on long rides that you stop periodically and stretch and get out of your bike position for a few minutes every so often.
Ride slower to ride farther
You probably find this statement counter intuitive. You may be thinking get it over as quickly as you can to reduce the time you spend on your bike. However, the faster you ride the faster you fatigue. By slowing down, you will find you are less exhausted on as well as after your long rides. This is important for building confidence that you know you can go the distance and will allow you to recover faster for your next training ride.
So as you are out riding on your long rides, take it easy. Ride at a pace that is comfortable for you. And here’s the neat thing – as you do this you will discover that your pace increases over time as you get more fit. Don’t worry about going too slowly.
It may seem daunting that you will be riding up to 86 miles in one day on RAGBRAI. But you have all day to get there, and the other days are shorter than this. By keeping your riding pace within your abilities, you will be able to make it. So get out on your bike and gradually increase your mileage while riding at a comfortable pace. I think you’ll find you can go farther than you think.
Coach David Ertl
Find all of Coach Ertl’s Training Blogs, as well as the 2026 Training Plan in our Training section on RAGBRAI.com.
David Ertl is a USA Cycling Advanced Certified Coach. He coaches individual cyclists through the Peaks Coaching Group www.peakscoachinggroup.com/davidertl. Ertlalso provides cycling training plans and ebooks at his website: www.CyclesportCoaching.com. You can contact Coach Ertl at: [email protected].
