David finished a 32 mi bicycle race this distance is 4 miles less than twice the distance that he rode during last years race what is the equation explain and how far did he ride last year explain?

Let ( x ) represent the distance David rode last year. According to the problem, the equation can be set up as ( 2x - 4 = 32 ). This means that twice the distance he rode last year, minus 4 miles, equals the distance he rode this year (32 miles). To find ( x ), we can solve the equation: ( 2x = 32 + 4 ) or ( 2x = 36 ), which gives ( x = 18 ). Thus, David rode 18 miles last year.