Over 50 and slooooowwwww....

[jobob]

Geeze, and here I am thinking 14 mph is pretty good ..

- Jo "there's a reason they call me pokey" bob

[Veronica]

14 IS good!

V.

[snapdragen]

Right now I'd be happy with 14!

Seriously Slow, Slothful, Snapdragen

[Trek420]

14 is good! but we always want more, don't we ;-)

On my last club ride I felt slow compared to the fast gals I rode with but what was odd is I was in much bigger gears than usual, spinning, not grinding them, looked down "I'm never in my big chain ring!?". In the big ring where I'd normally be in the middle, the middle where I'd be in the granny, the granny but with gears left where ....etc. No tailwind I think and I don't draft.

I think it's cause I've been taking the stairs at work, jogging up 4 flights (it's a telecommunications central office so the ceilings are huge, not normal stairs) and whadya know, got some power...now if I can only make it into speed. But 14 is fine, anytime I'm in double digits I'm ok.

[wawaski]

From a displaced CA native (Sac). Thanks for the insight!

[wawaski]

Hey Pedal faster...
Thanks! Stiff (15-20) winds and solo all the time...no females to ride with, and the small "guy group" is at the 18-24 mph times...so it's just me and the pavement. I'm on a Giant OCR 3 w/ a 8 spd triple....what really made me crazy is one of the "guy groups'" riders came up alongside me and was coasting while I was having to pedal! He rides a carbon frame, but jeeze.
I'll give the weights a shot...I do al lot of slalom waterskiing, but that's about it other than the bike...so I'll "get after it"...
Thanks again!

[Dogmama]

You're in Texas - where you can see the curve of the earth? I'll bet you have some winds!

I learned to ride in wind. Now, wind doesn't bother me nearly as much as other people. I call it "my personal trainer." So, just think - if you ever escape "the middle of nowhere" (very cute) you'll be faster than a rocket!

Oh, and I turned 50 last month, so I'm right there with ya.

Do you get really out of breath (in which case, intervals are what you need) or do you run out of leg strength (in which case lifting weights) would be your Rx.

Also, are your recovering completely between rides? I've noticed that I don't recover nearly as quickly as I did 10-15 years ago (ahem....) and require off-the-bike days or at least slow recovery rides.

[wawaski]

Out of breath more than out of strength....I use a Vetta H/R monitor that interfaces (by sheer luck) with my Polar so can see on a 45 min ride how long I'm in, over or below my target H/R.
I did my usual 10 mi ride today in 40:12, was never below and was only "in" 9 min's of the ride, the rest was over....so it's not like "I ain't tryin'"... .humph. Your user name is a riot....

[cyclingnewbie]

14 mph sounds pretty good to me! I too ride alone on the bike paths. I joined my local cycling club, but 98% of their organized rides are way too fast for me. I have been working this year on using smaller gears and increasing my cadence instead of mashing the bigger ones, and that increased my average speed by about 1 mph. And, I am convinced that some of it is the bike. I have a Fuji hybrid and I am positive that it will only go so fast overall, not matter what I do. Don't get discouraged with 14 mph; that is a nice pace for recreational riding.

[wawaski]

Thanks for all the insight! Re: Hybrid, yeah, weight makes a huge difference, friend of mine rides a carbon frame and he coasts while I pedal!

[Dogmama]

I just read some research about strength vs. aerobic capacity in cycling. The upshot was in order to become faster, you have to ride more.

Hey! I want to apply for that funding!

[wawaski]

TITS, eh? (Time in the saddle).....sounds like a plan...just wish I could see faster improvement!
S.

[KTeach]

Riding with others definitely helps me go faster...
I too have relatively strong legs but aerobic capacity is lacking... I did intervals at the gym 2x a week for about 9 months! It helped the cycling but it was a challenge to keep at it... & everytime i ride with others there's still someone faster ... My new philosophy is to ride AND ENJOY ! As long as I'm relatively fit and having fun it's all good...

[KTeach]

BTW I am also 50 and been riding for about 3 years... So......maybe we're "slow" because we didn't start 30 years ago!

[wawaski]

I'll go with that...although a freind of mine was riding with me today on his Fuji and like the other guy that has a Kestral, was coasting while I was having to pedal..maybe I need to look at my hubs?
S.