Is Cycling Every Day Healthy? You Might Be Surprised!

Those who really get into cycling make it their go-to option as far as workouts are concerned. There are plenty of advantages to cycling, and doing it throughout the week can keep a person in outstanding shape.

Is there such a thing as cycling too much? Is cycling every day healthy? Like any type of exercise, it really comes down to listening to a person‘s individual body. They will be able to tell if they are pushing it too much, or if they need to relax a bit so that their body can recover.

This is a deeper look at the effects cycling has on the body every day. Some of it is good, and some of it is a little problematic. However, with the right plan and mindset, cycling regularly will never be a bad thing.

Is Cycling Bad For The Legs?

Legs will be the most vulnerable part of the body if someone is going out and riding every day. The most important thing is to listen to the body and try to understand whether or not the limit has been reached.

Most of the time, people are going to realize without needing anyone to tell them. Their legs will feel wobbly, or even worse, there will be shooting pain somewhere below the belt.

If the goal is to ride very frequently, try to build up to longer and longer distances to avoid having any leg issues whatsoever.

It is much easier for legs to get used to a certain distance and gradually move up, instead of going out there right away and being pushed to the limits.

Remember that just a minor leg injury can start to linger for quite a while. For someone riding every day, it is only going to worsen if left untreated without any proper rest.

Healthy people are going to have legs that can withstand riding at some level of intensity every day, but no one should ever just blindly do as many miles as possible while ignoring the leg pain. (Source)

Is Cycling Bad For The Rest Of The Body?

Sitting in the same position for a very long time can certainly be bad for the body. It is important to work on quality bike posture so that there are no issues as far as positioning is concerned.

If there are pain issues from riding every day, try to do whatever possible to get the positioning just right so that it stays away.

For example, it is very important to make sure that the bike being used fits exactly as it should. Make the adjustments necessary so that the arms are not stretched out too much, the pedals are the right height, and the seat is in the right position.

More often than not, those facing pain issues and other parts of the body because they are riding every day are doing it on a less than a stellar option for them.

Do not try to overcompensate for some type of pain by changing up how riding happens. This is a great way to cause more severe pain in other areas of the body. In many instances, people actually make it worse by trying to make it better.

If it seems impossible to get things just right with the current bike, unfortunately, it might be time to make an upgrade.

No one wants to hear that they need to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on a new bike, but it could be great for a person’s long-term health.

Riding a bike every single day that is not fit for a person of that size is just going to cause a lot of doctor visits after a certain amount of time.

There is a reason why bikes come in so many different sizes, and the sizes can then be tweaked to fit an individual.

How To Prevent Injury When Cycling Every Day

Those adamant about cycling every day, or close to it, should keep a couple of tips in mind so that they reduce the chance of injury.

Obviously, an injury can occur at any time, but this is a way to reduce that risk as much as possible.

Varying Up Intensity

One of the best ways to ride every day and not worry as much about injury issues or even burning out is dialing back intensity on some rides.

There is no reason to go out and ride as fast and as long as possible, every single day. That is a great way to get injured, and the body will not be able to recover after doing that so many days in a row.

Any type of high-intensity workout is going to do damage to a person’s muscles. For those not that familiar with working out, muscle damage is necessary to build muscle and get a lot out of a workout.

The problem that some people run into is that they do not let their bodies heal from the damage, and they start to push themselves when they should be resting.


People in great shape can ride their bikes for very long distances without ever getting burned out. In fact, looking at the Tour de France as one of the most challenging rides in the world. There are plenty of cyclists who can cover over 2200 miles in three weeks.

Even though they train for years and years to put their body in that kind of shape, it shows that even the average person should be able to build up to quite a few miles in a week.

The longer the ride, the more time that is needed to recover. However, it also relates to intensity as well, as some people can go on slower rides and be gone for ten or more hours without ever having to stop.

What To Eat And Drink When Cycling Every Day

While the obvious answer for what to do on a rest day is to simply rest, there are more specifics to that in order to allow the body to bounce back and be ready to get back on the bike as soon as possible.

For example, eating and drinking the right things make a huge difference. Part of the recovery process in order to stay healthy to ride every single day is eating the right way, and drinking lots of fluids.

What is going to make an impact on riders more than anything else? It does not have to be a super strict diet by any means, but there are certain foods that will help keep a person energized.

The body needs a lot of carbohydrates and protein to survive a grueling cycling schedule. While there are many diets that encourage people to stay away from carbohydrates, cycling, they are never going to be an issue.

It makes more sense to go with carbohydrates to avoid it altogether, which is why so many people are eager to try it.

Riders should be replenishing their fluids as much as possible when they are recovering from a ride. It can be very tough for the body to bounce back if it does not have the vitamins and fluids in it at all times.

It is very easy to become dehydrated when logging a lot of miles on the bike.

How much water is too much? Strive for a gallon of water a day, especially during recovery. That might seem like a lot for people who are not used to drinking that much, but people start to get in a rhythm that makes sense for them.

What Type Of Cyclist Needs The Most Rest?

Those on both extremes of the spectrum, as far as age is concerned, usually need the most rest in order to bounce back properly.

As much as older cyclists do not want to admit it, they get to a point where they have to slow down a bit. Fitting in more rest days will allow for better rides when the time comes.

Kids also need more rest when they are riding long distances than one might think. Not only is this to make sure that their body is staying in shape and not abused too much while it is still growing. But there is also something to be said for making sure that they are enjoying it every step of the way.

When younger cyclists start out, the last thing any parent wants to see is their child burn out of something that they enjoyed at one point in their life.

If it seems like riding is becoming monotonous, it might be time to fit in some rest days to try something else.

Athletes who do truly like to ride their bike will be craving the opportunity to get back out there and enjoy everything as much as possible.

Bicycle Maintenance For Daily Cyclist

Propper Bike Maintenance

When a bike is in use every single day, it will definitely need tuning and maintenance more often than something that is only used a few times a week or less.

It is important to keep up with maintenance because that will make the ride as efficiently as possible. There are way too many people who blow off doing regular maintenance checks, and then their bike starts to age pretty fast.

Make sure to pay attention to how the bike operates, as well as the tread on the tires. Bicycle tires do not have as much tread on them as other options, so it starts to show age a little bit quicker than most people realize.

Also, without any travel, it will be much easier to slip around and maybe have a pretty severe accident if something goes wrong.

Riders who are going out frequently are usually going to spend time to make sure that they can do some repairs themselves.

It can get costly going to a shop all the time, and others want to fix their own bike out of convenience or pride. Whatever the case is, make sure that checks are kept up so that the bike performs in the best way possible.

There is nothing worse than having a great bike, only to see it stop working so well due to lack of maintenance.

Cycling Every Day as Warm-up For Other Activities

Watch a live sporting event, and chances are there will be an athlete using a stationary bike to warm your legs up. It is true that there are basketball players, soccer players, and more who will want their legs by riding every day.

Since this is not exactly the most strenuous activity by any means, it makes a lot of sense from a warm-up perspective to do it every day.

It gets the blood flowing a bit, and athletes get into a much better rhythm when they transition to their actual sport. Most do not really count this as cycling every day, since they are only logging maybe a couple of miles at most.

Final Verdict On Everyday Cycling

When approached the right way, everyday cycling is healthy. Riders just need to be smart about it and listen to their body in case something goes wrong. Once there seems to be some type of trouble, dial it back down and go from there.

Since cycling is a low-impact sport in general, it is much easier to do this every day than plenty of other activities out there.

Too many people do not listen to their bodies, and that is when they ultimately get in trouble. With a mixture of longer, relaxing rides and intense endeavors, most can find a happy middle ground.

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