Speed

[Hammer]

I was riding along, got passed by someone on a roadbike going the opposite direction. They turned around a mile or so past me and soon caught back up to me. Well, I tend to go around 13-14-15mph. The woman kept pace with me, I had to speed up to 18 or so to keep up for a bit, we had a conversation and I maintained the pace for awhile. Then she was able to hunker down and drop me like a bad habit. Man, I had to make a decent effort and it was a breeze for her!

I recognize that it's easier to keep a quicker pace, but she was riding along side of me, so it's not so much that she was letting me draft. Or does drafting work with two people side by side?

I'm getting a little stronger. I've logged about 315 miles on my bike in a month and a half or a bit longer.

[singletrackmind]

Depends on where the wind is blowing from.
Yesterday we had a slight headwind and a 19.3 overall average. It was fun! A bare mile or two an hour faster makes people seem like they are zooming past you, doesn't it? I had to turn it up to a steady 22mph to keep the bird flying alongside for awhile from passing me.
Keep up the great mileage and having fun!

[bikerchick68]

hammer... she has probably just been on the bike longer than you! I'm helping train a new rider right now for an event... when we ride, for me it is recovery... for her it is WORK! BUT... I have thousands of miles in my legs and she has a couple hundred. Keep putting in the miles and soon you'll be the one passing and dropping people!

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Hammer...

You asked about drafting...

The only time riding side by side will help with drafting is if the wind is at an angle to you or coming from the side.

Drafting means you put another rider (or riders) between you and where the wind is coming from.

I think you'll find that the quicker pace was psychological rather than a drafting effect. The competitive nature in most of us helps us to push it "just a little bit more" than we would normally when we are riding on our own... thats probably what you found.

315 miles in 6-7 weeks... way to go!

[bcipam]

You know it could also have been gearing. Because I have a big granny on my road bike, I sacrifice upper gears. I can hammer but if someone has taller gears, I can get dropped. If you were matching stroke per stroke and then they pulled away, it maybe they were pushing a taller (bigger) gear.

And if drafting, you would know it. The ease of which you have to pedal will be considerably lighter, easier if in someone's draft, like you can coast and they still have to pull. If working as hard, you aren't drafting!

[Hammer]

Yeah, I get that practice makes perfect. She had a road bike and I had a hybrid, though I'm certain that she'd be able to drop me fairly easily on a hybrid like mine too. I'm just pumped that while I've never been over-weight... I generally try to stay healthy... My body seems to be toning up a little and I have an easier time with portion control, except when it comes to pizza buffets. Actually I'm doing better about that too. ANYWAY, my body is toning up. I rode 26.2 miles last Sunday in JUST over two hours. I'm going to do a local bike ride and am picking the 35 mile route instead of 15 or 45... we'll see how that goes.

But dang if this hobby isn't a little spendy... $40 for bike shorts on sale! add in gloves, jerseys.... Good thing I don't go too hard on my regular clothes... I've been spending my extra cash on biking attire and can't expand my regular wardrobe! Ah well, perhaps I can explore a size smaller or so next time.

I digress.

[bikerchick68]

Hammer... it's not an expensive hobby... it's CHEAP health insurance! LOL... hey, I can justify ANYthing I wanna buy...

[Hammer]

True... true... a coworker commented on the fact that it's a good hobby. My other hobbies include photography, video projects, music... It seems like all the good ones are spendy... or as spendy as you want to make them.

Hopefully as a result of buying bicycle stuff I won't have to spring for that quadruple bipass surgery in 20-40 years.

[KSH]

Well, it takes a few months to get really good... and fast. Or even some what fast.

I know my boyfriend has been riding for about 3 months... If I hit the big gear and get on it... I can drop him very easily.

BUT... he is getting faster... and it just takes time. I know that he will be faster than me very soon!

Unfortunately though, I think 16 MPH is my "pushing it" average. I just can't seem to break that average! And it's NOT EASY for me to keep that average.

Then again, I also know that I don't want to ride 4-7 times per week to get really fast. I like riding 3 days a week... and whatever speed that puts me at... then cool.

[singletrackmind]

It sounds like you are doing really excellent to me! If you keep hanging with faster people like you did, even for a short time, you will get faster (though you already have a respectable speed going). I was out riding with the trailer/road bike last night when a guy on a hybrid pulled up alongside. We got to talking and he said he's been able to average 18mph. You've already proven you can do that kind of speed, it's just a matter of time and challenging yourself before you average that, with small sprints upwards from there. I don't think hybrids are terribly slow, especially if you pay attention to air pressure. Sure, you have a little bit more resistance and you are more upright than a road bike so you have to work harder but even a mountain bike with knobbies can do a 20 avg over 20 miles on the road. Depending, of course, on the road!

[Hammer]

My town sits on top of a bluff, and a bit of it is below the bluff. So, on days that I can only do 10 or so miles I try to go down and up the bluff like 4 times or so. I can make it up... but I'm super slow at that... some days I'm favoring the granny gears lots and only top out at 7-9 mph. There's 5 ways up the bluff, one I haven't touched yet because it's steeper than I want to tackle. Maybe sometime if I'm super fresh and it's my first attempt.

Anyway, yesterday my legs were kinda tired and it took some effort to crank my way up the easier route. I didn't even feel like standing. Though, standing seems weird to my leg muscles. I try to stand and pedal on flats and VERY briefly up hills to work my legs differently.

I was going to get up and go bike riding today... but I need to mow my yard (sometimes it's difficult to get the mower started after a work out)... AND there's a bit of a thunderstorm rolling through this morning = rain and lightning and no mowing or biking, for now.

Thanks for the input!

[caligurl]

hammer... don't worry so much about speed... what's important is you are riding!!!!!!!!!!! and you are getting a workout for YOU!

don't get all caught up in the "oh i went this fast" like the guys do (have ya checked out the forums where guys post.. all their postering (and probably lying) about their speeds! lol!)

i've only been riding just over a year... and i'm lucky to hit 15mph AVERAGE ride around here! it used to bother me... but now i realize.. it's me... it's what i can do... i have fun....

[Trekhawk]

[QUOTE=caligurl]don't get all caught up in the "oh i went this fast" like the guys do (have ya checked out the forums where guys post.. all their postering (and probably lying) about their speeds! lol!)

Hey caligurl - Ive never checked out any other cycling forums but if I feel the need for a good laugh I will check out the mens ones. Thanks for making me smile.

Hammer - I look at all these averages and think Im up there and then I remember OH DEAR they are all talking miles and Im talking Kms.

[caligurl]

OMG... you're kidding! it's sooo funny... you can just see them puffing out their chests while they are typing... "i went XX far and did at XX mph!"

uh.... oh..... so what... i went this many miles and it took 1/2 of forever to do it.... want a medal! lol!

i came to the conclusion that i'm an endurance rider... not a speed deamon! i'd rather finish the ride than try to keep up with them and burn out and have to quit early! *GASP*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

would i like to be faster? sure... but do i need to focus solely on it? nah..... it's all about the ride!

plus.. it's all about terrain... hills... upgrades... downhills... downgrades.. WIND! whether or not i worked legs hard that morning or the morning before (uhm... i can OUCH today... i tortured myself yesterday morning!) so their mph averages are so really nothing to anyone else except someone doing their exact ride.. and even then.. in the BIG picture.. it's nothing still!

[CorsairMac]

[QUOTE=Trekhawk]

don't get all caught up in the "oh i went this fast" like the guys do (have ya checked out the forums where guys post.. all their postering (and probably lying) about their speeds! lol!)

Hey caligurl - Ive never checked out any other cycling forums but if I feel the need for a good laugh I will check out the mens ones. Thanks for making me smile.

Hammer - I look at all these averages and think Im up there and then I remember OH DEAR they are all talking miles and Im talking Kms.

(shhhhhh) don't tell us...we'll Never Know!