Faster?

[nafula]

Is it naturally going to happen as I ride more and more, getting stronger with each ride, and pushing myself a little bit more each time I ride, OR is it something you really have to work at?

I see the club rides in my area and would love to participate, but my average speed is not 17-19mph for the B group. Maybe on flats, but in Atlanta there is no such thing as flat.

My average last year (first season riding) was usually around 12mph. So far this season I'm sucking wind at 10-11mph.

Am I going to get faster naturally, or do I need to incorporate some sort of training?

[Kedwards]

Most people get faster by just riding more - up to a point. Whether you've reached that point or not, I don't know.
An organized plan for your training will certainly help. Adding some spin classes to get your legs moving faster might help. I also wouldn't discount group rides. Ask around at the shops, look on the internet, ask at the clubs ... chances are there are some group rides around that go at slower paces and focus either on beginners or people interest in a relaxed, social ride.

[RolliePollie]

I'm trying not to focus too much on speed and instead think about the fact that I'm getting a great workout and feeling more comfortable out on the road. But I do tend to almost get competetive with myself...I always want to go faster! The fastest average I've had on my local up-and-down hilly routes is 13.7. I find it really interesting that even if I feel crummy and sluggish one day, my average will still be close to 13.7. And if I'm feeling really strong and energetic, my average will still be 13.7! And believe me, the only thing keeping that average at 13.7 is all the downhills at 35+ !!!

However, I can empathize with your dilemma regarding club rides. I'd be very intimidated by a ride that is supposed to average 17-19. On the other hand, I also find that I can ride faster if I'm motivated by other riders. But on the other other hand, I got really down on myself after trying to do a group ride about six weeks ago. I just could not keep up and after being passed by everyone else, I ended up turning around early and heading back to the car all by myself. So I guess you have to be kind of realistic and strike a balance. Is there a group that goes a little slower? Maybe you could start there and evaluate how it goes? I don't really know much about this because I'm a new rider myself, but it seems like speed should go up with more time on the bike. Whether you're averaging 10 or 19, at least you're out there riding!

[RoadRaven]

I would recommend a ride where you try a little bit harder once a week.

Maybe even join the B group for a ride and just hold on as long as you can.
Then each week make your goal to hold on 5 minutes longer, or 1/2 a mile or a mile longer...

Riding with others slightly faster than you can assist you in your goals - as long as you realise that initially your might get dropped (this is where I am in my grade, but last week I was wrapped because instead of being dropped at my usual 5kms out, I hung on til 10kms... I was thrilled even though I had to ride the remaing 29 kms on my own!

Ride often, ride challenges you set yourself.

I also suggest you choose a course you ride often, and measure yourself on it every 3-5 weeks. Ride it as fast as you can each time, and slowly but surely your should begin to see improvements.

Remember, you are asking your body to make a metabolic change - for your heart to respond differently to stress - this takes time so be patient with yourself

[Jiffer]

RoadRaven always has good things to say. As a newbie myself, I can't really speak from experience, but I know with running and with what DH tells me about cycling, it's good to do at least one "speed workout" a week. (Which RoadRaven also suggested.) Do a shorter route than you might normally do and just go for it. Keep track of your time.

Do you sprint? If not, you might want to incorporate that into your riding. Standing and pumping hard in intervals can get your speed up. I do it at the beginning of climbs sometimes, or the middle of a climb even, after slowing down or stopping for a signal, at the bottom of a hill going into a flat when I want to keep my speed up. This works completely different muscles, so it might take a while to get used to it. The first time DH and I stood on a hill on our tandem, I could barely go five seconds and I was dying. But I'd suggest standing on the flat at first, if this is new to you, which it may not even be. I've been working on standing on my single and now I'm getting better at it on the tandem and hills. DH and I went for a tandem ride the other day and I am SO impressed with myself at how long I can stand going up hill now!

DH said that Lance Armstrong used to (or still does?) a training ride where he'd stand for a bit and sit for a bit ... throughout the entire ride. You might start with standing for 5 or 10 seconds, then sit for a minute, then stand, etc. As you are able, start adding length to your standing time.

I've yet to consider doing a group ride myself for the same reason. I did my "speed" workout today in fact. I went 12 miles, with hills, in 15.5, but I don't think that's going to cut it in a group. At least not the group I have the opportunity to ride with. It's possible I would do okay, but I'd rather work on my speed more and feel more confident before I try.

Oh ... gosh I'm just full of information! Working on hills is also a good way to make you faster on not only the hills, but on the flat. Anything that makes you work harder, makes you stronger, which makes you faster. (I get most of my riding tips from DH, who is a pretty fast rider. Came in 4th out of over 300 at a 10,400 foot elevation century recently.)

[indysteel]

I don't have any specific advice; I just thought I'd share what I've done over the last year--and what seems to have worked so far. I would note that I live in a generally flat area, ride a steel road bike and do almost all of my riding out in the country.

I don't have a formal training program. When I started riding last year, I concentrated more on bike handling and getting used to riding on the road. Increasing the average distance of my rides ended up being more important than speed. When I first started riding, my average speed seemed to be around 15-16. As the summer and fall wore on, that increased to between 16-17, at least for rides where I was consciously pushing myself. My average average speed, however, was closer to 16 than 17.

I continued to ride until the weather took a turn for the worse at the very end of December. Beginning in September, I supplemented my outdoor rides with about two spinning classes a week and continued to do that through the winter and early spring. I decided in December to get an HRM and to work on building a better aerobic base because when I first started to ride, I hadn't been exercising regularly for a while. So, for about six weeks, I kept my heartrate at or around 75% max. Once the six weeks were over, I increased my intensity and found myself getting more and more comfortable getting my heart rate up for longer and longer stretches. In addition to spinning, I took a lot of intensive yoga classes (which worked any number of things, including deep breathing) and did some light and somewhat sporadic weight lifting.

When I hit the road in March after the weather finally turned, I saw some degree of improvement, but it still kind of depended on the temperature and wind. We had a really windy spring, so I tried to embrace the wind as a "training partner," and specifically went out on days when it was pretty darn gusty. Those rides kind of sucked, but they really helped my strength and endurance. Beginning in mid April, I started riding a lot more and have since averaged about 175 miles a week. I also started going fairly regularly to a local training ride with a posted average speed for their B group of 18mph. I got dropped at first but started to hang on pretty regularly by mid-May. So far this year, I've also done a number of what I would consider (for this part of the country) hilly rides, including a century in Kentucky.

All those things put together have helped me increase my average speed. I wouldn't say dramatically, but an increase all the same. Our training ride averages--and we're working in a paceline on these--are now at the 20 mph mark. If I'm riding more loosely with a group, I'm averaging between between 18 and 19 mph and I've done a few solo rides recently where I've gotten over the 18 mph mark. I ride with a number of people who were stronger/faster than me when the year started but haven't been able to ride as much this year as I have. I'm starting to notice some differences in how long and how fast each of us can go now so I feel like my weekly mileage is starting to have a training effect, too. Hills were my nemesis last year and the biggest reason that I focused on building a better aerobic base over the winter. I noticed that my heartrate would just skyrocket on the steep climbs that we have in southern Indiana. From a strength perspective, I can get up the steeper stuff with less difficulty. I still blow up here and there, but I'm getting better at pacing myself.

I have to admit that I'm really pleased so far with how the year is going. It's fun to go faster, but speed in and of itself wasn't my goal. My primary motivation was to keep up with more and more of my friends at more and more rides. Many of them had been riding for a long time and I had no expectation that they'd slow down for me--at least not by much. I'm accomplishing that for the most part, and it's fun to feel more confident getting in with faster packs at club rides and staying there. I also like the feeling of going to the front of a paceline and holding my own. There is a downside to it though in that getting fixated on speed can take the fun out of it sometimes. I've learned to better ignore my speed on days when I just want to have fun or when I'm dealing with high wind, hills or cold temps. Same holds true on recovery days or days when I just feel kind of sluggish. I like pushing myself, but when it starts to take the joy out of riding--making me not want to ride--I try to take a deep breath and step away from the speedmeter.

Good luck.

K-

[Kano]

Well now I have a question.....

upping speed.....

Bike's faster, I'm stronger, and a hair lighter (I think some fell out, Raven, which compensates for it being longer, yes? ), but my average speed really hasn't improved this year over the later part of last year, at least not yet.

Hills still slow me WAY down, and according to DH, it takes a LOT of miles of 20+ mph to make up for that 1 - 1.5 miles of 3-6mph.

I'll go up a mile long hill at an occasional top speed of 8.5 mph.

(if a hill is a mile long, is it a mountain?)

Granted, this is lots faster than the 3.5 I was struggling to reach last year, but that 8.5 is rare and for just a few feet, and the 3.5 threatens on a fairly regular basis. 5-6 is more like something I can maintain for some distance on most of my hill climbs, and thrills the heck out of me for two reasons: it's a huge speed improvement AND I'm actually getting up hills I couldn't last year!

(last year, I rode up hills chanting to myself: "I hate hills, I hate hills, I hate hills." At some point I realized that it's all hills, and I needed to change that mantra to "I will not hate hills" and now I've decided they're something to celebrate!)

Then I read about those of you who seem to climb mountains like molehills. I used to feel bad when I read those posts, (not your faults, ladies!) until I started thinking things through and realized you've got more experience than I. I started seeing pictures of you, and you're much smaller than me. And I realized it didn't matter that I don't ride like you. YET. I'm a beginner. Once you who are my idols were beginners too, and probably struggled with many of the same issues I have and will continue to discover.

So anyway, while I know I'm getting stronger, and am able to generate more speed than I did a year ago, doesn't matter which of my two bikes I ride (I like my dainty blue road bike way better though for many reasons!) am I stuck with these 12-13mph average speeds until I drop those other 50# or so that I carry around on my rides?

Or is it that I'm doing more to seek out climbs now that I have figured out that I CAN do them, and that they will make me stronger? Would it make a difference if I would just find those flat stretches where I can simply go like the wind forever and avoid climbing like the plague, then I would have some of these amazing sounding average speeds?

Is THAT why y'all ladies who write about "only" 17-18mph averages are so fast? You stay away from hills of any sort, and like my bike, you "weigh air"? Or is it that you have fancy computers that shut down the "averager thingie" for your speed as soon as they sense a positive incline? (and if so, where can I get one of those?)

And now another question that just popped into my head: I'm not sure I've seen my "mountain goat idols" posting their speed info? Maybe you ladies avoid these discussions of "I go this fast" ??? Those of you who regularly do climbs like Mimi's amazing ride last weekend: if 17-18 are "only" averages, do you have "miserable" average speeds too?

Disclaimer: I'm PROUD of my speeds at this point -- big improvement over last year at this time. It took me about 800 miles of riding to get from about 8mph to 12-13mph. I think that my being "stuck" at this speed for the last almost 700 miles is the difference in where I ride now. The only reason I choose the word "miserable" to describe this is because of the descriptives that go with what I think of as truly amazing "onlies"!!!

Now, questions of my own asked, I do have some input on the original question:

"Is it naturally going to happen as I ride more and more, getting stronger with each ride, and pushing myself a little bit more each time I ride, OR is it something you really have to work at?"

I think about "the early days" often, and mention them to DH too: remember how we used to get so excited about 10mph on this or that stretch of road? I remember being hugely excited about having raised our average average to about 10 - 10.5 after a few months on our bikes. So yes, I do think time in the saddle, even without things like the interval training and sprinting that have been written about here, will help you build speed!

Karen in Boise

[indysteel]

Karen, speaking for myself, I don't focus much on my average speeds on climbing rides. They're just a whole other kettle of fish. I live in an area that allows for a lot of flat rides so I only compare apples to apples in determining how fast I'm generally going. If my average ride included hills, I think I'd try to avoid looking at my average speed unless I was comparing different passes over the same route. To measure my climbing "performance," I go more by how the climb or hill "feels," how steadily I paced myself, whether I felt in control, my heartrate, etc.

I would note however, that we don't have long, long climbs (over 2 miles) in my neck of the woods so I don't get to measure my speed or performance on the kind of climbs that our TE members in mountainous states do on a regular basis. I'd love to try though. For me, climbing is the thing I'd most like to be good at. The stuff around here is short and steep as a general rule and those walls of pavement really put the fear of God into me on some days. They take a certain fortitude that I'm just starting to acquire. I would gladly trade a fast ride on the flats for a strong climb.

I think any talk of average speed has to include the caveat that there's no real point in comparing yourself to another rider who might be riding totally different terrain, on a different type of bike, who is younger/older/thinner/heavier/better trained, etc., etc. There are too many variables. The better practice is to compare your own progress, in light of your own goals. For me, I didn't want to be the one bringing up the rear at every ride, so I've worked hard at improving my speed. It's not a goal in and of itself and every time I've gotten too worked up about it, I've had to keep my eye on the bigger picture: that riding my bike at any speed is more fun and better for me that sitting on my couch.

[mimitabby]

Karen
two things. I'd say my average (NOT on hills) is under 12mph. (read my earlier post on this thread)
on hills.... it is miserably slow as we've already discussed.
HOWEVER, my dh was saying to me; just wait those hills that have been bullying you around aren't going to be so bad anymore.
So I rode to work yesterday and going home there's this 8% grade that always bites me. My legs are stiff and sore from Saturday. I start going up the rise, my legs are screaming, but... what? I was done with the hill without the normal hystrionics!!! even sore; that big climb diminished my commute climb!

Raleighdon made a goal last year of some insane number of climbing miles. As a result, he is now faster all over. So as much as we hate the hills, they are our friends. The more hill work we can do, the faster we're going to get.

And a good lighter bike helps too. (Although Raleighdon was riding his 40 lb bike saturday and he was still circling me!)

[SouthernBelle]

If your average hasn't improved, even though you feel your skill has improved, perhaps it is because you are now tackling bigger hills?? If you are progressively tackling tougher routes, and hills you were afraid of before, your average might appear lower.

Um, or not.

[kabewyou]

Hi nafula: The Silver Comet trail starts in Smyrna and offers a round trip of 75 miles of flat trails. The first fifteen miles are pretty active and then it starts to get a bit quieter. During the weekends, particularly in the mornings, it is quite busy. There was a murder there last summer and the victim was a woman cyclist riding on a week day afternoon. Women tend to be a bit more cautious out there now; but many still ride on their own.

Southern Bicycle League has a listing of current group rides on it's site and does have some at average speeds less than 17 miles per hour. The website is www.bikesbl.org

North Atlanta Riding Club offers a variety of group rides. It costs about $60.00 per year to join, typically includes a jersey and several rides that are free due to your membership fee going towards it. Below is information about a ride they had last weekend. There are also some rides on the southern side of Atlanta that offer rolling easy inclines and little traffic. One is called 'Silk Sheets' and the name definitely fits.

This past weekend's NARC ride informatoin

Judy is organizing a Ladies intro road ride for this Saturday out of Rockmart. Our initial discussion indicated she'd be doing a 47mile route on the scenic Taylorsville Loop. Of course this will be a no-drop ride and good opportunity for the new riders to experience the wiles of west Georgia and our more seasoned experienced lady riders to come out and share there experiences. Lunch post ride at Frankie's.

More details later.

Please post any questions you may have or send me a PM. Don't worry if you think 47miles is too much, I'll likely add some shortcuts to the route, just in case. Judy asked me to ride sweep, so I'll be hanging at the back to help with stragglers or mechanicals.

For those that might not be familiar with NARC, the North Atlanta Riding Club, it is the largest active cycling club in Georgia with ~600 riders and a great ride program to support it's members.'

[Kano]

Karen, speaking for myself, I don't focus much on my average speeds on climbing rides. They're just a whole other kettle of fish.

Ain't THAT the truth!

I think any talk of average speed has to include the caveat that there's no real point in comparing yourself to another ride who might be riding totally different terrain, on a different type of bike, who is younger/older/thinner/heavier/better trained, etc., etc. There are too many variables.

Again -- I agree mightily! As simple as this idea should be, it took me a while to learn and to put it into practice. I think it was even more challenging to ride with people, even DH, who's been in this same boat all these years, and SEE the differences! I would struggle with things they made look easy and get horribly frustrated, mostly with myself, because DANG: what I've done to myself over the last 20-some years and how much fixing it's going to take! Until I could ACCEPT the knowledge that I'd only just gotten on this path and need to work at it for a while before I can get anywhere near where I want to be, well...

Fortunately, the positive results I mostly feel sure help!

The better practice is to compare your own progress, in light of your own goals. For me, I didn't want to be the one bringing up the rear at every ride, so I've worked hard at improving my speed. It's not a goal in and of itself and every time I've gotten too worked up about it, I've had to keep my eye on the bigger picture: that riding my bike at any speed is more fun and better for me that sitting on my couch.

Oh yes, bringing up the rear on every ride -- the first time I was NOT last was one heckuva day for me! And, it's pretty cool to be more in the middle this year, on the rare occasion that I've been able to ride with a group -- and like you say, it's all fun and better than sitting on the couch, except after the ride! Then it's nice to sit under the ceiling fan.....

Karen in Boise

[Kano]

Karen
two things. I'd say my average (NOT on hills) is under 12mph. (read my earlier post on this thread)

I remember reading you say that several times over the months. You got 'em too over there in the Seattle area: invisible hills! Those buggers are sneaky!

HOWEVER, my dh was saying to me; just wait those hills that have been bullying you around aren't going to be so bad anymore.
So I rode to work yesterday and going home there's this 8% grade that always bites me. My legs are stiff and sore from Saturday. I start going up the rise, my legs are screaming, but... what? I was done with the hill without the normal hystrionics!!! even sore; that big climb diminished my commute climb!
Raleighdon made a goal last year of some insane number of climbing miles. As a result, he is now faster all over. So as much as we hate the hills, they are our friends. The more hill work we can do, the faster we're going to get.

This is all very exciting -- the whole idea of climbing making ALL of our riding stronger, and that big hills make small hills more manageable, oh yippee, GREAT news!

Karen in Boise

[makbike]

I personally think the more your ride the stronger you become the faster you will go with time. Embrace where you are currently and set a reasonable goal for the week, month, and/or year.

I would also second, third, fourth the suggestions to ride with a group. Having someone to chase is a great motivational tool. I will often pick a group to follow, knowing I won't be able to ride with them for long. However, knowing they are out in front keeps me pumping away as I cruise along. Of course, see others ahead of me also gives me the drive to pick up the pace in an attempt to catch them and better yet pass them if at all possible (I'm a tad bit competitive).

Finally, don't get down on yourself - enjoy your time on your bike and remind yourself of the progress you have made thus far. Again, write down some goals, post them, review them and go for them.

Good luck and enjoy yourself!

[RoadRaven]

"Is it naturally going to happen as I ride more and more, getting stronger with each ride, and pushing myself a little bit more each time I ride, OR is it something you really have to work at?"

Despite being hairs lighter, Kano, you will have to work at it... and work and work and work... it just depends how much faster you want to be and if you have a "fastness level" at which you will be satisfied.

Initially improvements are quick to arrive, it feels easier, more comfortable, takes less effort to get somewhere more quickly. Once your body has adapted to the new demands, it settles in and if you want to go faster you have to push the level occasionally. I outlined a process for this in my first post (oh, and thank you Jiffer for your kind comment ).

The faster you want to go, the more wind resistence you face, therefore the more power your legs have to output in order to maintain or increase your speed. Think about how much faster you can go with no wind, as opposed to riding into a head wind... if you want to maintain the same speed as on a calm day you need to expend more energy...

Here's my example
I now time-trial on a flat course in good conditions at about 31kph. If I double my power output, I could ride at about 40kph, so to get where the level I want be (time-trialling at about 35kph), I need to increase my power output about 70% to achieve a 4-5kph increase in speed.

Now here's the rub... if I ride at 10kph and double my power output, I can ride at about 27-8kph... and increase of 17 kph!!!


On a hill its a matter of doing repetitions... start with two, then three, then five... and remember that each kilogram you lose off you ar your bike will make you 3 seconds faster on a 1km moderate climb
Hope that makes sense...

And to answer your question just one more time... Yes, sorry, but there is no way around it...