how far for a returning cyclist to ride

I would do a month of every other day as you have been and then increase that by one day each week from there on in.

The every other day you have been doing will soon show up "in terms of fitness" and you shouldnt find it too hard to handle the increases.

Whereabouts in Black Country? I'm in Wolverhampton and when working for someone else used to commute by bike every day 16 mile round trip but I also cycle at weekends, etc .... have to say though the commutes definitely helped the overall training..

Good Luck!!!!

I think your every other day rides gave you recovery between rides. You are just not used to the new... No recovery rides. You might even be riding quite hard because of the recovery and you cannot sustain the higher energy out or rather lack of recovery between rides.

For me training is a delicate balance, if I do too much I get a cold not enough and I feel a failure. It has taken me over a year to build up to riding 14 miles each way to work and back (painful Devon miles); however I am the wrong side of 40. If you are asking the question and have sore legs I suspect you are overdoing it. Forget no pain no gain. 2-3 weeks is not a long time; you could try riding at an easier pace or stick to alternate days. What are you trying to achieve? Get fit? lose weight? Are you preparing to compete? Save money? Nothing wrong with either option but trying to lose weight and train hard for competition for example is a mistake; You need the food and calories if you are training. Lower intensity training is better for losing weight. Cycling magazines and websites are a great source of information but will not beat joining a club! Take it easy; train smarter not harder!