Thanks for the kind words, folks, but it is not all about the distance. I'l try to explain...
How long did it take?
Id, for this ride I started at 05:00 and returned at 23:00 so was gone about 17 hours, mostly because of the slow going in the forest/mountains due to the grades and the road surfaces; the paved portions went pretty quickly. The average overall works out to 9.7mph/15.6km. Riding average is a little higher but but not much 'cos I didn't stop often or long.
From your past posts I assume you do little riding in the winter due to weather conditions, how do you keep up your fitness through the winter?
A few years ago, I added daily 5mi/8km walks to stay in shape, especially in winter. I have developed osteopenia (thinning bones) secondary to celiac sprue disease (gluten intolerance) and partly, I am told, because cycling is not considered a weight-bearing exercise. I enjoy hiking and when it snows, I take out the cross-country skis.
I do ride in winter, but much less as you have observed. At 57, I no longer ride in ice because I don't have much margin to tolerate more closed-head injuries and concussions. Deep snow packs up in my mudguards and locks the wheels and winter rain is always colder -- though cold temperatures alone are not a stopper. I start my cycle "training" in March by increasing my mileage, and am at my peak for the year starting in early-mid August, so that's when the big-distance day rides take place. I take just under 24 hours to ride 400km (10.3mph/~16.4km average), and by summer's end that means a lot of riding in the dark, when I don't see very much of the countryside beyond my headlight beam.
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The "If too long, don't read" version:
I started riding with real purpose at age 17 following a car crash that badly injured my knees. I am grateful for this because it forced me to develop knee-healthy cycling habits, good form, and an appreciation for low gearing.
At University, I began riding more as my knees healed and I joined an early group of "distance" athletes who charted their mileage publicly (think: pre-Internet Strava). Reinforced by this and a highly self-competitive nature, my cycling became obsessive and and I rode 8,000 to 12,000 miles (~13,000-19,000km) annually sick or well and I also worked as a professional (paid) tour leader. I fell into a "mileage trap" and began to display classic signs of overtraining and my performance fell off as well.
I made a decision to ride for pleasure and removed my cyclecomputer to help make it so. In a zenlike way I gained by letting go and performed better as I rediscovered the joy of cycling as play.
I was later knocked flat for a time by four tick-borne diseases and a fatal prognosis and survived a random murder attempt while cycling. In my darkest days, a "Tour de Neighborhood" came to mean as much as any longer ride. Fortunately, I recovered but I've downplayed my mileage since -- not out of modesty but because I don't want to fall back into a state where distance matters more than enjoyment.
I still enjoy riding and riding long distances as they happen, mostly because I want to see a new area. The exception is early in the season when I ride "utility miles" on a circuit to get in shape quickly after winter. On loaded tours my daily mileage hovers a little north of 70mi/112km each day because I want to see and experience more of the areas where I am traveling and photograpy and tourism afoot come into play, slowing the riding pace.
Over the last 40 years, I've learned and integrated all the little tricks that allow me to rest various muscle groups on the bike pedaling almost continuously and I don't really think about it. Bike fit is critical so nothing in particular hurts afterwards (except for my hands, which hurt from a kind of chronic tendonitis).
All the best,
Dan.
