Faster!

I'm a relatively experienced rider but I am slow. I do about 1700 miles a season, mostly on my own. I realize whenever I do a club ride (B) that on my solor rides I just don't push myself enough. I get dropped on hills. I am slower than many newer riders.

I did a climbing clinic last night and it was great, although I was the slowest climber by a good bit. Humbling. The coach gave me a lot of advice on how to build my aerobic base- mostly by doing intervals and pushing out my solo rides more. Oh and by repeating hills.

I have friends who don't seem to have to work at it like I apparently must. They get a bike, start riding and can hang with most packs (though usually they are men). It's funny- some things in life come really easily to me- speed on my bike does not.

I'm just curious whether anyone here has improved their speed through deliberate training. My goals are not huge- just to be able to do the usual centuries and such at the end of the season but do them with more confidence and the ability to hang.

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Originally Posted by sonicmolasses

I'm a relatively experienced rider but I am slow. I do about 1700 miles a season, mostly on my own. I realize whenever I do a club ride (B) that on my solor rides I just don't push myself enough. I get dropped on hills. I am slower than many newer riders.

I did a climbing clinic last night and it was great, although I was the slowest climber by a good bit. Humbling. The coach gave me a lot of advice on how to build my aerobic base- mostly by doing intervals and pushing out my solo rides more. Oh and by repeating hills.

I have friends who don't seem to have to work at it like I apparently must. They get a bike, start riding and can hang with most packs (though usually they are men). It's funny- some things in life come really easily to me- speed on my bike does not.

I'm just curious whether anyone here has improved their speed through deliberate training. My goals are not huge- just to be able to do the usual centuries and such at the end of the season but do them with more confidence and the ability to hang.

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Well I certainly have although I haven't been at it long and I probably am not up to par with people who do club rides. (Maybe I will be able keep up once I have a road bike.) Anyway, I have been really methodical about training and have gradually worked my way in both distance and speed. With the computer and the HRM, I am constantly competing with myself to beat my last speed up a hill or overall average. I have done some hill repeats although I really should do more...

barb

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Originally Posted by sonicmolasses

I'm just curious whether anyone here has improved their speed through deliberate training. My goals are not huge- just to be able to do the usual centuries and such at the end of the season but do them with more confidence and the ability to hang.

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Yes. But the training is painful and requires incredible focus. I'm learning all about it this summer. I whined a lot at first but now that I'm starting to see results, I'm not whining as much.

HOWEVER, I'd say that "fast" or "faster" is relative and maybe you need to cut yourself a little slack! There will always be faster and slower people. Does your lack of confidence stem from your century time(s)? Do you feel like you should be going faster? Why? If you're not happy with it, then yes, train harder. But I'm willing to bet you aren't as slow as you think you are! The really hard training can take the fun out of cycling if you aren't careful. I know I've been on the edge many times this year.

I have a few people that I ride with that I can't hang with for long. Riding with them pushes me and though I may not like how it feels at the time, it's good for me. But then I also have ridden with others that had trouble hanging with me. Then it's my turn to "return the favor" and help push them a little bit (if they want to be pushed).

Do you have a training buddy (or buddies)? It really helps.

Good luck!

I would agree with yellow that you could just be hard on yourself.
as an example, The president of our club and his wife can do sub 5 hour centuries with no problems. I did a 'timed' century ride once. I wound up 4th, with a time of little over 7 hours. I was talking with him. The century came up and I asked him how I did. He acted dissapointed!
You can get Faster and better through training, but I think you have to remember that the only person you can really compete against is yourself.

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Originally Posted by Fredwina

I did a 'timed' century ride once. I wound up 4th, with a time of little over 4 hours.

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OHMIGAWD!!!!!!!!!!! you did a century in just over 4 hours! a sub-5 hour one! EGADS!
http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/223.gif http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/223.gif http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/223.gif i'm not worthy!

my fastest century was 6 hours 21 minutes! and that's only cuz it was relatively flat! add hills and that adds a LOT of time! (took me 8 hours to do the bear!!!!!!!!!!)

4 hours! i'm in AWE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by caligurl

OHMIGAWD!!!!!!!!!!! you did a century in just over 4 hours! a sub-5 hour one! EGADS!
http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/223.gif http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/223.gif http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/223.gif i'm not worthy!

my fastest century was 6 hours 21 minutes! and that's only cuz it was relatively flat! add hills and that adds a LOT of time! (took me 8 hours to do the bear!!!!!!!!!!)

4 hours! i'm in AWE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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A typo, it should be 7 hours, 4 minutes(Hemet, this year). It took me 10 hours to do the bear! knew I shold have proofread that post!

SonicM.

I believe speed comes with time on the bike. The more time you spend on your bike the stronger you will become and in turn I think your speed will increase. I found last year that if I increased my weekly milage by just 10% great things began to unfold late in the summer. I felt stronger on my bike and my average speed increased each month. I rode my very first century in Sept of last year and my average speed was 16.6. I simply set my goal last year to ride as much as I could, aiming for 500 miles/month but more importantly my goal was to have fun. When riding my bike becomes work it will be time to put it away for a rest. I also purchased a trainer to use during the off months so that I would not lose all I had gained last season. When the new season (outdoor) started this year I was right were I wanted to be. Bottom line is you simply have to find what works for you and what is fun so you keep coming back each day for a little more fun. Don't get discouraged, ride your ride.

Better! Otherwise I was going to tell you to find a pro contract. Even the world TT champion can only do 28 mph for 13+ miles.

and i thought i was the queen of typos!!!!!!!! lol!!!!!!!!!

phew!

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

Better! Otherwise I was going to tell you to find a pro contract. Even the world TT champion can only do 28 mph for 13+ miles.

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I almost put down if could do a 4 hour century, i wouldn't be sitting at a desk in El Monte, CA;)

Some people do get faster more easily than others - prob'ly a genetic thing. I got faster by working on technique (get the most from every stroke) and doing little things like nudging up my speed by one or two mph for "intervals" - until I got tired, and then I'd do it for oh, 100 more times around the pedals, on the grounds that that extra effort would make the difference. I did it solo sort of to prove I could do it, and because I wanted to be able to speed up and slow down whenever I wanted, and because group riding is a whole 'nother thing and I can only do a half 'nother thing at a time (I'm a klutz). However, I"d been on swim teams and trained really hard, and stayed pretty slow, so I was used to training on my own terms. I didn't push as hard biking - just "pushing" was enough. (Itwas a serious surprise, and a whole lot more fun when I actually got pretty fast :-)) I still usually prefer to ride slowly... and have aggressively recruited other people to do so. It's hard to tell from your description whether you're really slow, or whether you just have a fast club :-)

Oh!!! And please recognize that people, especially men, LIE about how much they work. LIE LIE LIE LIE LIE. They will train their little bazoombas off and then "oh, yea, I don't do much."