Miles per day?

[dave54]

I am just curious as for planning purposes, how many miles per day do you figure into your itinerary?

I know there are a myriad of variables -- type of road or trail, how much gear you are carrying, elevation changes, duration of trip, level of fitness, etc.  But what are your working numbers?

All of us have done a century or more in a single day, but not getting up the next day and doing another, then another, etc. (unless your name is Lance...)  So multi-day trips are obviously going to have less per day than the distance covered in a single day trip.

And how often do you factor in a layover day to let the body recover?

[Pivvay]

It's really trail dependent. If I'm racing I'm planning on close to 20 hours a day which is 100-200 miles pretty regularly. If the trip is more for "fun" (ha!) then I plan around more 12 hours a day of riding which is 50-100 miles.

GDMBR is 150 miles/day easily where CTR I rode more hours and was lucky to get 100-110/day. Exploring can easily knock that all down to 40-50/day in a hurry with no trail, finding the trail, making wrong turns etc.

I usually feel worse after days off so on big trips I just don't stop until I'm done but I have cut the miles back a little bit (1-2 hours more off the bike) and felt a little stronger the next day.

[tomimcmillar]

Thru my meager experience and the picking of brains, 60-80 seems like a reasonable, enjoyable day on the bike. 

[ScottM]

You listed many variables, but I'd say the biggest is the terrain.  The others are much less important, in my experience.

Rather than a day off, I prefer a "recovery" day.  3-4 hours of riding, hopefully on easy terrain (roads maybe?).  That can do wonders for dead legs.  Taking time in town can mean back-to-back square meals, too.

Everyone's physiology is different, but I think you'll be surprised what kind of efforts you can put in day after day.  Certainly not what you can do in a single day push, but sometimes pretty darn close. 

Some trips I feel pretty good after covering 30 miles, with 9 or 10 moving hours.  On others I may rack up 12 hours moving, cover 80 miles, but burn fewer matches and feel like I haven't accomplished as much.  Usually due to terrain, though I admit that how "strong" I'm feeling plays in there too.

[Slowerthensnot]

I tend to plan for hours vs miles.

I don't much care for riding at night unless I have to.

I shoot for 10-12 hours on bike an hourish for lunch and a few shorter breaks

[craig]

I figure 30 to 100 miles per day. This is affected by 3 basics. 1. (Most important) How good a shape is my body in? 2. Hills/mountains enroute (Some so steep I got to walk my bike up, rewarded on the downhill rush). 3. How much gear. too much drags you along. These 3 conditions are greatly helped by very frequent "coffee breaks". I take a at least one break every hour. A 5 to 10 minute rest to stop and smell the roses or cactus. Standing up and cracking my old joints a bit. Or listening to a song or two on the Walkman.

Pedal plenty
Craig

[sean salach]

on road: 30 miles on an 'off day', 80-110 on a 'normal day', 110+ on a 'good day'. i dunno off road. maybe 2/3's of those numbers? and even more heavily dependent on terrain.

[Mike Brown]

What's the priorities? 
Somtimes, I like to ride for about 7-9 hours.  I also sleep in, drink coffee, stop for side hikes, put my hammock up and take naps, swim if possible, stop and drink a beer when I pass through a town in the middle of the day, read books, etc.
Other times, I've ridden for 12-14 hours- eat, sleep, repeat. 
Honestly, I prefer the first option.

[dave54]

Thru my meager experience and the picking of brains, 60-80 seems like a reasonable, enjoyable day on the bike. 

I'm with you.  I typically feel about 60 is a good day's ride on dirt.  More than that and it gets to be an ordeal and I find I am no longer enjoying the ride.  The last several miles become a trial I must endure.  If you are no longer enjoying the ride why continue?

I like to have enough spirit left at the end of the ride that I am a bit wistful it is over.

I was curious as to where I fit with others.

[BikePacker]

Given a fully loaded rig, decent weather, multi-day trip & I am 'on in years.' -
Paved (< so as to not introduce surface variables) flat I go 50 miles.
ALL up hill ( i.e., > 4% grade), ALL day (e.g., Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive or North Cascades) I go 25 miles.