1st 25 Mile ride, need to go FASTER!

[Geonz]

The tires make a **huge** difference and are a lot cheaper than a bicycle :-)

Of course, riding a bike that takes more work makes you stronger, so that when you get on something more efficient, you FLY!

And don't forget to work on technique.

[Tuckervill]

Okay! I'll read all the threads and put one on my xmas list!


Thanks!
Karen

[Kathyrides]

Congrats on a cool milestone!

Riding lots and doing harder work ie intervals is key to getting faster.

In '04 I did my first tri and averaged 12 mph and now I can do 20 and am close to 21.5 in a time trial. There seems to be a learning curve and once you get it and work hard you will get faster. Seems strange to say but to learn to ride faster you need to ride faster...question is how? Do little bits at harder effort ie you'll be going faster. In time your body adapts and you will get faster at all distances.

Trainer and a good plan to train in off season will help. Spinnervals DVDs are a good workout and they have ones that emphasis different things. Base building and ones geared for power like hills would be good.

I think for some women, it is hard to push yourself to a place where it is uncomfortable but doing that will help you improve more. When I race, do intervals, it hurts to ride my quads and hamstrings hurt and want me to slow down, learning to push on helps you get faster.

[onimity]

A 15 MPH average on a 50 mile ride is a serious goal, *especially* on a mountain bike/hybrid. I did a 65 mile ride that averaged 16.1 MPH (3,000 ft of elevation gain) this fall and it was really hard and only possible on my road bike, and drafting off of the local collegiate men's cycling team.

I've read that you should focus first on distance and then on speed, though you will naturally improve your speed a little in the process. I followed the oft-cited advice of increasing distance by no more than 10% at a time, and that worked well for me in training for my first century.

On a mountain bike my (hilly) commute is still around 12 MPH, about what it was when I started last winter. But I am a lot less tired and riding a heavier bike than I was then...On a road bike it is a lot faster, and I don't have to work as hard.

A road bike will make a huge difference, and slick tires will help a lot as well.

My biggest piece of advice, though, is not to base your goals on those of others. We are all different, and you are not your daughter. I find that a bunch of realistic short-term goals help motivate me better than a big long-term goal.

Good luck, and most of all, have fun!

Anne

[Zen]

What's the hurry?
Everybody's in a hurry. just enjoy the ride.

[lph]

Because riding fast is fun too.