Can or should a relatively unfit person cycle 10 miles?

[Frequency]

Mostly up hill. Said person is overweight and has never been on a cycle in over 20 years.

It's me.I am said person. I'm having one of my moments of madness. Is it possible for me, a mid thirties, size 22 woman, to cycle 10 miles to work? The bus takes over two hours. Google tells me I can cycle it in an hour but should I attempt it or will I die?

I walk a lot without getting out of breath. I can run up and down stairs without getting out of breath but me and exercise in the traditional sense don't see eye to eye. I don't like it and it tends to make me pee in my pants.

I would trial it on a non work day when you have someone available to pick you up should you realise it’s too much effort

Def give it a go though, from what you’ve said you don’t sound unfit!

I would always suggest building up to that, especially if uphill. I wouldn’t fancy a hilly cycle and I’m relatively fit.

I tried a similar distance and I’m really unfit and size 22 and hadn’t rode since my school days about 20 years. My legs turned to jelly when I got off the bike and I couldn’t stand literally fell to the floor. Also my arse felt bruised for about a week! Never again! Maybe build up to it

Only on an ebike. You could build up to it though if you do a bike version of couch to 5k , but make sure your workplace has showers for when you arrive.

I wouldn't personally try this without working up to it. Why do you work a two hour bus ride away?!

Absolutely but I suggest you get your bike serviced, practice a bit and the ride it on a nonwork day first.

Work up to it but I should think so.

Build up gradually and make sure you have lots of time so you aren’t under pressure. But have it as a target, why not? I used to cycle 12 miles to work sometimes, it was great. I felt so good when I arrived.

Proper padded cycling pants are worth investing in, and chamois cream, to stop chafing. I had two pairs of cycling pants, one for the journey in and one for home, as clean pants are always more pleasant to put on!

The thing about building up to it is I don't have time. I work 6-7 days a week and it takes me almost four hours getting there and back. The bus routes are crappy. I waited over an hour for my bus home.

Although, I don't own a bike so it might be a plan to borrow one and spend an hour cycling before I invest in one.

Have a road bike too.

Is it 10 miles each way or 10 miles in total? I think 10 miles is do-able as long as you gave decent gears, you can get off and push if you need to and you have food and drink with you. Building up to it if you can would be a good idea though and allow yourself more than 1 hour.

If you think it's going to work out look at ride to work schemes. One of my colleagues well into 50s cycles 8 miles in.

Can you cycle one way and get bus the other, then do the reverse the next day? Would mean you could build up to cycling both ways.

I would build up to it- I accidentally did 5 miles somewhere then on the way back was almost physically sick from the effort I'm pretty unfit. Legs were like jelly too. Oh and it was totally flat.

Do it, I'm a size 24 and cycle regularly. (40 miles is my limit! But usual ride is 10-15 miles) Main problem is getting kit the right size. On a bike it will only take 2-3 weeks to build up to 10 miles. You won't be fast, but you will get faster quickly

Just seen your update. Do you know anyone with a folding bike that you could take on the bus for some of the journey?

Not just going out and getting on a bike tomorrow, no.

But within a month you'll easily do it if you go out every day and build up your distances.

You'll get very sweaty though. Have you a shower at work and a good bag for your bike to out fresh clothes in? Your hair will be plastered to your head and you're going to stink!

I wouldn't and I run three times a week. Uphill ten miles I'd be too sweaty.

Anywhere near you do a total of an electric bike?

I wouldn't personally try this without working up to it. Why do you work a two hour bus ride away?!

I don't. It's 40 minutes by bus and the rest of the time is spent walking to and from bus stops and standing in the freezing cold waiting on buses. If I time it right I can get to work within an hour and 15 minutes but the buses won't schedule themselves around my start and finish times

I'm taking driving lessons but getting really fed up of late buses and buses that just don't turn up. Getting there is fine, mostly, it's getting home where the issue is.

Does your work do the cycle to work scheme? My last bike was bought through that.

You can do it, I’m sure - but the main thing is, leave yourself plenty of time so you don’t have to rush. Then you can just concentrate on keeping the wheels spinning rather than having to push yourself into the ground.

You could also get prepped by taking a bag of stuff into work (assuming you have a safe place to leave it) with things like a towel, hairdryer or dry shampoo etc. We didn’t have a shower at work but we had proper self-contained bathrooms rather than loos with a row of cubicles so I took two towels, stood on one to keep the floor dry and had a stand up wash at the sink when I arrived.

There is a couch to 5 k equivalent for bike riding.
I did five miles once for cycle to work day (well twice I've done it now) and I could barely work the rest of the day I was so shattered.
But if you can somehow fit in some sort of bike riding to build up I say go for it!

I'm 39,thin and relatively fit (running), I rode into town anf back (4 miles?) a couple of small hills, amd it nearly killed me. My legs!! You must build up to it, or try an E bike, but do try it, you'll lose weight in no time!

Do your bus routes do real time? Then you could see exactly when they are going to turn up and not have to wait so long. You can usually do this using Google maps by putting in 'bus times'.

If you cant cycle just 10 miles you owe it to your fitness to do this irrespective of wanting to get off the bus. Start doing it at the weekend, or evenings as the days get longer and eventually you will get to a point where you think nothing of 10 miles on the bike.