Speed question

[thebluestreak]

Okay, so I'm a newbie. Was training (spinning) with a group of guys all winter. Now out on the road with my new bike. First trip I took with the guys I couldn't keep up. Their pace kicked. Mine didn't.

Two questions: What is a good speed (mph) for a fit chick to maintain? Yesterday I couldn't hold 17mph for more than a minute or two (very windy).

What do I do to build strength so I can ride with the guys or fast gals?

[indysteel]

There is no particular speed that a fit person should be able to maintain. Rather, the speed is generally a reflection of how you're training. When I was making a concerted effort to get faster, I could keep up at a group ride that averaged 22 mph for 25 miles. Alone, I could average 18-19 over just about any length of ride. Now, not so much because I'm not training that way.

The best way for you to get faster is to ride with people faster than you. Go with this group of guys and keep trying to keep up. Eventually you will. Intervals can also help, although I personally don't have the discipline for them.

[Skierchickie]

Ride, ride, ride! And keep riding with people faster than you are. Among other things. 17 in the wind isn't that bad, by the way (says someone who hasn't made it up to a 17 average yet this season). Uphill, downhill, flat, steep, gradual, etc - it all makes a difference. Were you drafting? That makes a huge difference in keeping up with a group.

There is no "good speed" vs "bad speed". It's all about the individual, the terrain, the bike, the weather,......... I think ya done good!

[lo123]

It also depends on terrain. I'm much faster when big hills aren't involved

Really, the best thing you can do is keep riding. Chase those boys, and gradually you'll notice you're getting better and better.

Qualifier: Sometimes, your body has limits. You may not be able to be as fast as those boys, but it doesn't keep you from trying . The trick is learning when to back off so you don't overdo it. I have a slight problem with that skill.

[chicagogal]

Okay, so I'm a newbie. Was training (spinning) with a group of guys all winter. Now out on the road with my new bike. First trip I took with the guys I couldn't keep up. Their pace kicked. Mine didn't.

Two questions: What is a good speed (mph) for a fit chick to maintain? Yesterday I couldn't hold 17mph for more than a minute or two (very windy).

What do I do to build strength so I can ride with the guys or fast gals?

I was going to simply agree with what all the previous posters said. Namely, that speed depends too much on terrain to really be able to say. Then I saw that you are from Chicago! Being active on the Chicago cycling scene, and thereby having ridden with lots of different clubs, shops, etc. I think I can answer your question.

Most (sane) club rides around here average 18-22mph. Keep in mind that this is in a relatively large group where the benefit of the draft is substantial. There are several race training rides that are faster, averaging in the order of 22-27mph, but these are usually dominated by upper category male racers.

The local racing crowd (women) can usually maintain 20mph cruising speeds on calm non-windy days for a reasonable amount of time (1-1.5hrs) without the benefit of the draft. However, wind in Chicago is definitely a factor, and riding into a head wind is like riding uphill and will slow you waaaay down. On windy days I don't really worry about speed, but just try to keep my effort steady (constant power output if you have the luxury of a power meter).

To build strength/power, I do simulated low cadence hill climbs indoors on the trainer during the off-season, and regular interval workouts outdoors throughout the season. And I ride A LOT!!!!!!

Are you riding with any groups/clubs/shops? If you have any questions relating to the Chicago cycling scene, you can respond to this thread or send me a PM.

[marni]

I would be the first to say I am slow, I have slow twitch muscles and I am in it as an endurance and distance rider so any day I can hit 17 mph on a consistent rate for several hours is a great day. I ride flat but texas fl;atland prairies are constantly windy with the headwindds consistently at 15-20 miles an hour on average. That being said, when I started five years ago, it killed me to ride an mile- I was quite a bit heavier and riding a hybrid. After a couople of years and one cross country I was up to fifteen mph so I switched to a real road bike (trek pilot 5.2) and gained a mile an hour because of the change in weight on the bike. This year I have been working o speed intervals on and off the bike so I can hit 17 mph for an hour or so pretty consistently and sometimes on the rare occassion there is actually a tail wind, I can even hit 19 mph for a while but betwen the head winds and the traffic and lights I have to get through to get out where I can ride, 17 mph seems to be it for this year.

It all depends on how hard you want to push yourself. I am 62 and am riding for enjoyment not to race anyone. I also ride solo by choice as I don't do well in crowds.

As long as you are feeling stronger, or getting a bit of speed, take it aall in stride.

marni

[Geonz]

Yea, the answer is: It Depends. Terrain, traffic, who you're riding with (the right paceline is magic), and yea, your bike... oh, and whether you topped off your tires and lubed ye olde chaine... oh, and the weather. My speed this week is 2 mph less than last week, but it's up around 90.

If you're biking for numbers, it's harder to find happiness

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My speed this week is 2 mph less than last week, but it's up around 90.

Wow, are you on a motorcycle!?

If you're biking for numbers, it's harder to find happiness

That's my motto!

Lisa "9mph is the new 17mph" Bleecker

[Jiffer]

I started noticing a big improvement in my speed when I started doing intervals. There are lots of ways to do them, so do some research to figure out what makes sense for you. A basic way to get started is to find a route with some distance where you won't have signals or stop signs stopping you. After a 10-15 minute warmup, push yourself as hard as you can for maybe 30 seconds. This is maximum effort. The length of time you do the interval for will vary based on what you can do, so you have to figure out what that is. Could be 15 seconds, could be 2 minutes. The first day I did this, I believe I went 30 seconds for my first and a minute for two or three more. Eventually I got to 2 minutes on future rides. However, on a specific route I do, I can't go a full 2 minutes in certain areas, like between a signal and stop sign, so I do it in those places for distance and keep a record of how fast I did those specific sections.

Always do some good recovery between intervals. Spin at a super easy pace for 2-5 minutes. The length of recovery kind of depends on the length of intervals. But the better recovered you are, the better you'll do your next interval. So recover as long as feels right to you, but may be longer than you'd think.

Lately I sometimes do intervals the way a coach has my husband doing them. Two minute intervals with the first minute standing and the second minute sitting. If you do those, (which might be 15-30 seconds standing if that's all you can do at first) ... it will build those muscles and your ability to stand and catch the group if they're starting to get away ... maybe on a small climb, after a turn or if they take off faster at signals than you can keep up with. Sometimes you can stand and get on someone's wheel faster than you can do it sitting.

You also have to ride smart. I often ride near the front of a group whenever possible. Draft the 1st to 3rd person if I can (without having to pull if they'll be nice and allow you to draft near the front without pulling). The farther back you are, the harder you have to work because of what I call the accordion affect. With a big group, when someone near the front slows even briefly, and then speeds up again, as each person behind that person slows and speeds back up, the further back it gets that quick little "touch the break and speed back up" becomes exaggerated, making you slow more than the people in the front and then have to work even harder to catch back up to speed. If they guys you ride with understand this and are willing to work with you, they'll let you draft near the front and not pull. If they don't "get it" and tell you to draft in the back, explain to them that it's harder to draft in the back than the front. The pace is more consistent in the front.

When you find yourself in the back for whatever reason, the next time the group stops at a signal, cruise around the side of them to the front. Or on a downhill where maybe they're not pedaling. You pedal and work your way to the front. Be assertive in getting on someone's wheel. Be focused and ready to push yourself to stay with them when they are about to anything where you realize you fall back sometimes. Like if they are about to go over a hill, maybe a freeway over pass, be ready to shift, pedal harder just "before" the climb starts and push yourself over that hill at their speed if you can. I have learned sometimes it is simply in being focused and aware. I have to do the same thing at turns. Sometimes I expect a group to slow more on a turn onto another street than they actually do. I have learned to expect that they will maintain pretty close to the same pace we are already going, and ride accordingly. Sometimes they do slow more, but I am prepared either way. But if they do get away from me, hopefully my standing intervals will help me catch up.

Also, be careful who you draft. Whenever possible, I try to get on someone's wheel who I am already familiar with and trust, or who at least appears to be riding a consistent pace, without swerving too much to the left or right, and who points out things in the road. Some people are not the greatest to draft and you figure that out the more you ride.

Intervals, intervals, intervals! When you push yourself your maximum effort for short periods of time, you teach your body to go at an over all faster pace for longer periods of time.

[lph]

What Jiffer said. I also noticed when starting riding with a group, that it's ALL about successful drafting, and keeping that small gap means a lot of focus and a lot more small quick accelerations that I had been used to when riding on my own. Alone I can just slowly crank it up until I'm going as fast as I'm up to, no barriers around me, and then regulate my speed to the terrain and my fitness level, but training with a large group I found myself braking and accelerating a LOT more, and having a much jerkier, tiring ride. I got used to it and got faster reflexes and more relaxed about close quarters after a while, but one consequence was that I never knew where we were or had been training, because I'd spent 2 hours intently focussing on the exact position of the rear wheel of the guy in front of me...

[thebluestreak]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Jiffer, I'm all over the interval gig. I need to find a route with a few longer stretches.

I've been riding alone lately which I actually enjoy because I can focus on my ride instead of on someone else's speed. Nonetheless, I am sort of disappointed in myself. I think I'm in great cardio shape. Not sure why it is such an effort to go balls out for longer periods. Wish I could blame the bike. Ha!

[chicagogal]

Seriously, PM me, and I can tell you all the best places to do interval training in chicago. i can even tell you where to do hill reps!

For intervals, I highly recommend fort sheridan. You can go round and round with no interruptions and you get one nice smooth corner in each lap to practice your high speed cornering.

[tiva]

I look forward to hearing about your interval training.

Here, in the hills, cycling alone, into the wind, I was happy to average 15 mph over 2 hours. (This pleased me because I just got my first real road bike 3 weeks ago, so all this is new to me). I'm faster alone than with my friends, who are more experienced than me, but also more mellow. (They're much faster than me on skate skis, so it all evens out.) I'm lucky to know a bunch of women, all older than me (I'm 48, they range from 49 into their 60s), who are all fit and active.