As some of you may have read in an early post, I want to take up biking as my cardio as I feel it is the best fit for me. But I do have a few questions.

Obviously with biking you're primarily using your legs and butt muscles. Did you find you got fairly toned from consistenly biking?

When I was going to try jogging (which I did, and it's just not for me), I was going to try HIIT. Moderate biking with bursts of high speed. Do any of you do this? Have you felt any different from it? I'm not going to jump into that right away, but I'd eventually like to.

How far and how long do you go for? I'm aiming at, at least 30-45 minutes of 13-14mph, 4 times a week.

Any other thoughts anyone would like to add? Obviously as you can see I'm new to biking and the strategies of it. Thanks!

I'm an avid cyclist and I LOVE my bike. I started cycling maybe 2 years ago? I started with an entry level, hybrid, cr@ppy little bike and once I proved to myself that I was actually going to ride and get serious I majorly upgraded. I bought the 2012 cannondale synapse road bike about 9 months ago.

My legs are definitely stronger from cycling - my quads specifically.

I do endurance rides and HIIT for triathlon training.

I average 17 mph currently and I'm training to do 18mph. My HIIT is usually a 17mph'ish base and a 21mph 30 second sprint. On a good week I average 50+ miles. Biking is my thing, though. I can't clear my head when I run or do anything else. I clear my head when I ride and feel at peace.

I am doing a 45 mile race/ride next weekend called Up The Creek Without a Pedal. hilarious name! I'm hoping to finish sub 2:45.

Let me say though - I did not start there. I started riding for 30 minutes as fast as I could - which was probably 12-13mph. I went around three times a week. I struggled...a lot. Now I can't get enough. lol

Happy to answer any questions!