Hi, thanks, and speed question

[huffandpuff]

First a quick intro - I'm 56 years old, casual biker for many years who decided to try and kick it up a notch a couple of years ago. Just to be clear, kick it up started at 10mph 20 mile max bike rides on a mountain bike with toe clips! I've graduated to a Trek Madone road bike with clipless, commuting couple of days a week on my mountain bike and loving every minute of it! Found TE forums part way through the adventure and, wow, you guys have taught me and inspired me and kept me going. Bet I read every article on clipless before I took the plunge! Big challenge for me now is speed - for the amount I bike seems like I should be a lot faster than I am; about 11mph on mtn bike commute, probably about 15 on road bike on the flats with the wind at my back and maybe a slight downgrade. Do a lot of biking in Vermont which means lots of hills - embarrassed to say how slow I am on those! So what's up with being so slow - any hints on how to kick the speed up a notch? Not so much that I'm in a big hurry to get anywhere but makes it hard to ride with DH - he's way, way faster than me so he rides loops around me, waits up for me, and now is pining after a tandem!

[loopybunny]

I'm interested to hear the responses to this to see if there is anything new.

Basically, all I've been told is to build strength so you can spin in a higher gear.

I've found that if I really concentrate on truly spinning (instead of just hammering down on the pedals), I can increase my speed without my legs getting tired. Of course, it's taken me many months to get out of the habit of hammering. I've noticed over the last couple of weeks that I'm now doing this without thinking about it.

[WindingRoad]

You know I was told to learn to spin a higher cadence too to get better at hills and that simply doesn't work well for me? I'm sure everyone is different but I find a midrange gear to work best when climbing. Something I can stand on the pedals without turning too easily but keep enough speed to stay vertical. If I spin up hills I get tired quicker?

[marni]

hi there, 62 years old flat country long distance rider here.

lighter gearing, higher cadence and intervals,intervals,intervals, on and off of the bike.

there are several podcasts which over music in intervals series for runners. Podrunner.com springs to mind. I alternate a day of at least 30 miles of intervals (both speed and resistance) on the bike with a lighter day of stretching and working intervals at the gym for an hour or so and have managed to get myself up to an easy 18 long time or distance crusing speed, which is just about as fast as I want to be right now.

marni

[huffandpuff]

tough part is riding for training - seems like I'm always going somewhere and trying to "save it up" for the ride or other activities (like being reasonably alert at work). Need to weave the intervals into rides - not sure why I worry so much about getting too tired - I always make it home in the end Off on a ride with my daughter today in Vt - gorgeous day, probably do about 30 with various stops along the way and plenty of looking at the scenary as we slog up the hills!

[Grog]

Hi Huffandpuff, welcome to TE! I love your screen name.

Frankly, and although intervals and such are great things to do just to improve your cardiovascular fitness generally, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Rather, I'd suggest focusing on letting go of the idea that you and your husband should be riding at the same speed, and just enjoying your ride. You can try to close the gap on him to some extent, but men just are more powerful then women in most sports. Sure a tandem might be a good idea too, if you really need to be that close together. Or practice your drafting skills so you can stay on his wheel, benefiting from his draft. But drafting is pretty useless on hills, and being from Quebec I know how hilly your beautiful State is. Unless you're planning to race, your speeds look just fine to me.

Here's where I'm coming from. I'm a reasonably fit road cyclist, although I've never wanted to be a racer. My husband is among the strongest riders I know of, short of pro racers. He excels on climbs especially. On flats, I can hold on to his wheel (drafting) for my dear life. It takes me quite a bit of effort, and for him it requires stepping it down a couple of notches. On hilly terrain? Forget it. He does, in fact, ride in circles around me: I have him ride ahead, and eventually turn around and come back to meet me. On the big climbs of the Alps in France, I sent him ahead, and I knew when I was about halfway (on a 30km climb) he was already at the top. He'd turn around, meet me wherever I was, and do the rest of the climb again with me. He was a bit tired by then so it was easier for him to ride at my pace. He'd also ride ahead and snap pictures. I get my revenge on descents: I'm a fearless descender and he hates it, so it's me who has to wait for him on those long, long downhills. On rollers I also have a pretty good chance to keep up with him because I've become good at making the most of every little downhill I can get. On flat rides sometimes he'll get ahead, make a right turn onto a steep-looking hill, and I just keep doing my thing. Eventually he'll come back from behind. We are never separated for too much more than 10-15 minutes.

The hardest thing in all this was for us to manage this on the psychological side. He hated to get too far away from me, because he though I would be feeling bad about it. I hated to have him in sight, while knowing there was no way I could catch up with him, always working way above what was enjoyable for me, ruining my ride. It took us years to handle that, but now he knows when he should stick with me (flat grounds, especially with a headwind, where I want to draft off him) and when he has to take off and do however he pleases (on hills).

Good luck! And enjoy your ride.

[zoom-zoom]

Grog gives good advice. My hubby is a monster on a bike...been riding for years and has that, the fact he is male, and natural ability on his side. I have good endurance from running for the past 4+ years, but I don't have the bike skills that he has. A super easy ride for him is a hard ride for me. It's OK. He is happy to go slow to stay with me and I like the challenge of trying to keep up with him. Eventually I will improve and he won't have to sandbag quite so much.

[malkin]

I have no idea how fast anyone 'should' be.

Wait, no, that's not true. I firmly believe that the racers I'm rooting for SHOULD be faster than the ones I am rooting against.

For the rest of us, I have no idea.
For myself, I'm all about longer duration-lower intensity and mostly enjoying the ride.

If you want to ride faster, maintain hydration, increase fitness, lose weight (on your bike and your body) and do other stuff that fast riders do. (Pedal faster?)

[Zemea]

Hi all! I'm pretty new to riding, and extremely new to this forum! I would like to increase my speed as well, so I read this thread with interest. I don't know some of the vernacular, though. Can someone explain the difference between "hammering" and "spinning"?

Thanks!
Angel

[huffandpuff]

HuffandPuff is nickname we've given to one of the more challenging hill rides here in Vt. Close to the top there's a house with sign that says "Huff and Puff" - bet they are bikers! You guys are right about enjoy my ride - that is what it's all about! Had a great ride with my daughter yesterday, 25 miles, quite a bit of hill and we were proud of how well we did. Layed on the grass under a big tree at top of one hill, sat on picnic table by a stream later, went to great National Park up here and had a picnic. Wow, what a day! Off for quick ride this morning - another beautiful day - maybe I'll even leave that bike computer off!

[Crankin]

Huff and Puff, you sound fine to me.
I'd be happy to do intervals with you...
PM me if you want to ride.