What is a normal pace for a newbie?

[hgrill02]

Hi girls. I am so glad I have this site to come to to read other's post and ask the questions I don't want to ask the mocho guys on my team. I was wondering how fast everyone started out at, I am currently comfortable riding about 14MPH and I hope with time to increase that, I am training for a MS150 in 11 weeks and in addition to weekend rides I am taking a spinning class at our bike shop two nights a week.

Also, where should my goal cadence be at? I was averaging 80 at my class last night going around 14 - 16mph. I could not get over 97 durring those power bursts. The instructor was like "ok lets get up to 110!" No way! Still learning and any advise is always appreciated.

Thanks everyone!!! Heather

[mimitabby]

I'm no expert, but if you're already going 14mph, that's pretty darn good.

[spokewench]

Sounds like you are doing just great for a newbie if you are doing about 14mph

Leg speed is a trained thing - it is very important - so don't give up if you cant spin at 110 right away. Try to do it for just a short portion of the time you are doing those bursts and slowly you will work your way up to it.

There are tricks to leg speed also. If you have a nice round spin, i.e feel like you are wiping your feet off on a welcome mat on the bottom of your stroke and moving smoothly over the top of your pedal stroke, it is easier to spin faster. So work on that and the speed will come. Try just a little bit less resistance too. If you are trying to train leg speed, trying to do this at a high resistance is counterproductive.

You're doing great and your working hard at it. So, enjoy all your milestones, small or large!

[Kimmyt]

IMHO 14 is good, especially if you're doing hills! I started probably similar to that (I still don't have a comp, so can only judge from other's paces etc.) although if it is a VERY hilly ride it may drop lower. I'd like to think I'm a bit better by now, but who knows. It hasn't been too long I've been doing this. On the flats I can average 18-20 and on only lightly hilly roads am averaging 15ish now in the off season. Maybe I'll finally get that dang computer installed that has been sitting on my dining room table for over a year...

I find it really hard to get my cadence up high in spin classes because I can never get the resistance right, either too little or way too much. I've never really concentrated on my real bike, but it feels like I can spin much faster without feeling like my feet are going to fly off the bike on the real thing than on the spin bike. Doesn't help that I don't have the appropriate clips for the spin bike pedals so I just use the baskets.

K.

[KSH]

Your average looks great. Keep up the excellent work!

As for cadence... I always keep mine high... around 90-100. Anything over 100 and my butt starts to bounce in the seat. You have to find a balance where your cadence is high, but your not "giving away your power".

High cadence will equal healthy knees. So, keep working at keeping it high. Cycling is not about muscling through, but turning your legs over quickly.

[hgrill02]

THanks everyone for your encouragement and for answering so quickly!

KSH - so do I want more spins or just smoother spins for a higher caidence?

[spokewench]

Smooth spin will equal faster spin - but you want both. Regular flat riding should be done at around 90 rpm. You will slow down going up hills or against a head wind. 50-60 rpm for hills - occasionally lower if it is really, really steep and you run out of gears.

[hgrill02]

Hi everyone, I went to my second spinning class last night and the rock solid bike coach made me sweat harder than I have in a long time. It was a great work out. My cadence was much better this time, I maintaned over 80 and was comfortable around 90 to 95, on the "chasing" exercise I was able to get up to 147.

Does it matter that I only went 10 miles in an hour vs. 14 miles on Monday with a lousy cadence? I guess it means that I was in a lower gear most of the time, I hope as time goes I will get stronger and be in higher gears with a 90 to 95 cadence. I felt a little dizzy at the beginning but kept drinking water and felt much better and never stopped. I better get at heart moniter...

Heather

[Geonz]

Spinning class means inside bikes... I wouldn't worry about the speed at all. (BTW, I spent years going 10-12 mph.) Effort is 'way more important, as is technique. Its' not like you're going to get left behind!@!
When you can get outside on a "real" bike, then you can actually measure speed under actual conditions.
And... what *really* matters is all yours to decide anyway :p :p Fer cryin' out loud... is somebody going to walk intot hat spinning class and say YOU ARE NOT WORTHY... I don't think so :) Those hollywood agents are also not too likely to drop by and offer us a movie role, too... so it's up to us to do things for our own reasons...

[LadyinWhite]

I switched puters on my bike just so I could have a cadence monitor. I was dying of curiousity b/c there is so much talk of cadence on the spinervals workouts.

Unless I'm actually following a spinervals workout, I tend to ride more lazily indoors. I'm watching a movie, I'm going over the grocery list in my mind, I'm daydreaming about ... err.. never mind.

Next thing I know my speed is 10 -12mph and I have to focus to get back on track, keeping it around 15mph. Out of doors, the thrill of it, the weather, the road, the hills.. all of it keeps me so pumped that speed doesn't seem to matter, I just goooooo.

Know what I mean?

[RoadRaven]

hgrill... you are only doing indoor riding?

Like Geonz says, don't get hung up on speed or averages... they mean little if you are wanting to compare them to road speeds/averages.

On an indoor bike you have no wind resistance and a very smoooth "road", so instead of your speed, you should concentrate on;

- time on the bike which will improve your endurance

- cadence, which will improve your form and ability to ride at a higher speed on the road

- technique - such as practising standing, or spinning one leg at a time to improve pedal stroke/form

Above all, have fun... thats VERY important!!!