How long would it take an unfit cyclist to cycle 1000 km?

Answer 1

No way of telling. Is he an experienced rider, what kind of road is he riding on, what kind of terrain is he riding through, will he have support or will he have to carry all his gear? There's a race in Europe called Paris-Brest-Paris, in which competitors are expected to cover 1200 km in under 80 hours. A reasonably prepared rider travelling with minimal gear( AKA credit card touring) should be able to do it in 5 days in reasonable comfort, assuming he's staying away from mountain ranges and on tarmac.

Answer 2

That's pretty much like asking how long a piece of string is...

There are plenty of things that'll influence the result.

A guy that's generally fit, but not used to cycling will probably suffer tremendous saddle sores trying to pull that off. Can easily be bad enough to force him to give it up.

A guy that's used to cycling but not very fit will have a better chance of simply grinding it out.

And there's the riding conditions, flat, mountainous, road/off-road, temperature. Both extreme heat and severe cold will add time and difficulty.

And there's ride conditions. Credit card touring - buying everything you need along the way, staying at hotels etc takes a lot less time/effort than carrying equipment.

Assuming the rider manages to avoid saddle sores, I'd say 6-7 days of riding to travel 1000 km. This'd be on road, decent weather, flattish terrain, and only carrying a day pack.