Are some of us only meant to go so fast?

[KSH]

I just don't get it.

I train (cycling) with my tri group and put in the same miles they do. They get better... I stay the same.

For some reason, I can't get past a 17 mph average. The rest of them have gotten faster and stronger.

Are some of us just not meant to be fast? Is there something in my genetics that keeps me from breaking my average? How is it that they can get so fast... so quick (many started riding 4 months ago)... and I can't do it (I have been riding for 1.5 years)?

[Tri Girl]

I feel your frustration!!! I've not gotten any faster either (well, maybe a little, but not much). I'm still stuck in the 15 mph range. I think cycling is like running (for me anyway). You're either born with fast-twitch muscle fibers or slow-twitch muscle fibers (well, you're born with both- but you just have more of one than the other). No matter how much speed work and training I do when running, I'm not going to get much faster overall. I have slow-twitch, so I'm going to be slower. Good thing is, I have a great amount of endurance. So those marathoners that finish in 2 hours have nothing on me when it comes to endurance, because I can go for 5 hours and still be smiling.
Anyway, it's not an answer, but just keep at it. You'll get faster w/ more saddle time. Just stick with it, and surely you'll gain speed. Hugs!

[Popoki_Nui]

Oh...I'm sooo glad someone brought this up! I'm the same...stuck at 25km/h (15mph) or so for ages. I've been riding seriously since 1999 and just seem to be stuck at this level. My endurance is WAY up...but speed and strength remain constant. When I was a competitive swimmer many years ago, it was the same. Speed and strength leveled out, but my endurance kept improving.
Maybe that's just the way we are? Thoughts, anyone?

[Kimmyt]

I haven't been in the cycling game long enough to have any real say, however from all the other sports I participate in, I think there may be a limit for each person's abilities.

For example, some people I know started rock climbing and after a few months, were climbing at very high levels. They seemed to progress quickly, gaining the technique and strength needed to climb harder and harder. Others, on the other hand, worked and trained for several months, and progressed but much more slowly.

Some others (me) had to completely change their lifestyle, start working out, and work for months and months and months just to progress a tiny bit. It's not easy for me, and I still don't climb any sort of level close to what some people reach in the first few months.

I think it's the same as biking. I know some people who started biking and a year later are racing.

I think you can put a lot of training into it, but sometimes our bodies just weren't made for a certain sport, and while intensive training may help to remedy it to some level, we won't all be able to become professional cyclists.

However that doesn't mean we won't be able to continue to improve in our own little ways.

K.

[miffy'sFuji]

Maybe another method of training might help you to improve? I think everyone's body is different and our bodies go through different cycles. It's hard to keep poistive when you don't see improvement. I'd been feeling pretty discouraged lately about distance. Last week I went on a ride and was absolutely pooped after only 10 miles. There is a road block of a sort to my rides and those are the hills in SF. To get back home I have to climb the entire way. Any ride from my house is all downhill to start. A few weeks earlier I did 24 in the city and felt pretty energized...but ever since then I just haven't felt quite up to par.

Maybe you've reached a mini plateau, but you could start seeing results sometime soon? Just hang in there. It's easy to look at other's speeds and wish we could achieve that. My avg is only just over 10 mph! I read about you guys and wonder what's up with me!

[Bike Goddess]

Check over in the race results area of this forum. VeloGirl has a nice bit on racing, but it applies to all of us. I found what she said to be quite useful.

[Eden]

To be sure some of it is probably in each of our indivdual bodies - some people are exceptionally physically gifted and will seem to make effortless strides, some people can work their butts off and make only small gains. In the end you are doing something that is good for you and that is what counts.

Some is certainly in the equipment. It doesn't have to be the newest, flashiest, lightest stuff around, but it does have to fit properly. Little things can make a big difference and if you don't have just the right fit you probably will go slower. Some things are meant to be taken slower too. Don't expect to a touring frame to be as fast as a racing frame- the tourer is built for long haul comfort and stability. I used to be stuck at around 15mph, really pushing to make 18, plus I was a terrible climber until I got a new smaller bike. First off I saw an immediate change in the speed I was able to achieve and the hills I was able to climb and second off I started making pretty fast progesss that it seemed like I was not making before. Some of the progress may have come from increased riding, but I started riding more because I was making more progress. It really feeds on itself.

My advice
1. Don't give up - no matter what you are doing something that is healthy and you are still doing something that many many people don't do. Sure you can say all the people in my club are faster than I am, but then think about all of the other people who think that 30 miles on a bike is about as achievable as the Ironman for them.
2. Try to not compare yourself to other, people. If you need a comparison try seeing where you were last year, last month, last week.
3. Make sure you really have a good fit on your bike
4. Don't get so stuck on the numbers that you stop having fun

[betagirl]

I do think we have a limit based on our body makeup, but we can push ourselves to improve. I think that certain training techniques work better for each of us, so it's finding what will increase your speed. I also think it's a function of your bike. I have a Trek 1200 and Lemond Zurich. When I was on the Trek I was averaging around 17mph. On the Lemond I average close to 20. I don't think I changed that much in my technique to justify the increase in speed. I guess also, how many hours a day/times per week do your friends train versus you? They may have more time in the saddle which could explain their increased speed.

[NorCalGal]

I haven't ridden enough to add any insight or advice, I'm just happy to read there are others out there like me, pushing to go faster than 15 mph or so. I don't feel so all alone. I read these forums a lot but don't post much, and in my mind everyone rides at about 20 mph. Or faster.

[Grog]

There IS a genetic component, and part of it is just who you are.

However, I'd suggest investigating other training methods, too. My club's coach keeps saying that to ride faster we have to ride slowlier first. And for a long time. She advises the following, and I noticed it worked for me:
80% of our training time should be at below Lactate balance point or high zone 2
10% at LBP-5
10% above LBP at threshold

To me, high zone 2 means about 155 bpm, or 70-75% of my max.

So in other words this means intervals training about once a week, two lighter recovery rides, and one longer ride at a very sustainable pace. I find it really hard to keep to low HR (and hence low speeds) like that, but the method works, and I am improving. I can now undertake long climbs and keep my HR below 160 all the way to the top, at a somewhat decent pace. Something I never dreamed of before. So when I do decide to go harder, I have room for it (HR-wise), and I can go faster. But I can't do that all the time if I want to improve. Your body improves during recovery, not during effort.

So if your riding group does not allow you to go at a pace where you can keep your HR low, maybe it's better to go with another group.

By trying to hit it hard every time to go faster, you're not improving.

I'd also suggest being patient... 18 months is very short in the life of an athlete. My boyfriend has been doing triathlons since he was 10 years old, and never stopped training. Of course he's much stronger than I am. So what?

[AussieEm]

To get faster, you might have to go slower! Do you always ride as fast as you can, or do you have 'easy' recovery rides as well? If you are constantly riding at your limit every time you ride, then you might not be getting enough recovery time, which allows your body to adapt to the training effect.

[velogirl]

Busy, busy today, but here's one of my favorite quotes (It's mine):

If you do the same thing the same way all the time,
you become very good......at doing the same thing.

The most common training mistake I see is that folks go "hard" all the time. However, because they have no variation in their training, "hard" isn't really the top limit of their performance. In order to improve, we need to vary our training. Unless you go very easy, you will never go very hard. This manifests itself in all your training cycles (intervals -- long & short), day-to-day variation, and seasonal cycles as well.

I see this with racers and recreational riders alike. Most of us see significant improvemnt when we begin riding -- for a year or two. The logical progression for most of us is to increase our distance. However, we don't typically work on our speed. Once our body adapts to the rigors of training/riding, we cease to see improvements. For some folks, instead of a plateau, we actually seem to be losing ground. This is because our body has adapted and we don't create change once we've adapted to the stress/overload of training.

In simple terms, once you've hit a certain level, you need to change your training to continue to improve.

Riding longer does not help you ride faster.

And yes, there is a genetic component as well. You can thank (or curse) your parents for your athletic potential. However, genetics plays the largest role in elite athletes. For most of us, we have lots of untapped potential that we could realize if we were simply training appropriately.

[Trek420]

velogirl "one of my favorite quotes (It's mine):

If you do the same thing the same way all the time,
you become very good......at doing the same thing."

I was afraid o' that. There's that other quote

You can't get different results by doing the same thing.

Also it seems to be a multi year sport with cycles of building to a goal, recovery and rest, build to another, repeat

[KSH]

Thanks for all the replies!

The advice... and sympathy is appreciated!

Yea, I don't go hard all the time. But, I wonder if I have enough variation in my riding schedule. Now that it has warmed up, I can add some other rides to my training, that will allow for nice and easy.

I don't have a heart rate monitor, but wonder if it's something I should invest in. I have tried to resist it... just because I want to have fun (yea, it's fun being dropped! ) and I didn't to be too anal retentive (Type-A personality!) about training. It might help though.

I will say this too... I have NEVER been a sprinter. When I was a competitive swimmer in H.S., I did distance. My body is good with endurance, not with sprinting. Then again, my body is good with SLOW endurance... HA! I could swim a solid 400 and place 2nd... 3rd... etc... but I was never beating everyone's butts. So, maybe I just don't have those fast twitch muscles. Now, I just wish my endurance muscles would push past a 17 mph average!

OK... feel free to keep the advice... and sympathy coming!

[bcipam]

I have a friend, who is a strong rider, but because of her body type is limited in the power she is able to generate and thus cannot go much faster than 17 - 18 mph. She is very tall and very lean, has little or no muscle mass. Great for climbing or endurance rides but tough on performance. This is why some cyclists specialize in climbing, or sprints or GC.

Her trainer's recomendation is that she build muscle mass. That means hitting th gym and lifting weights. Need to do leg lifts, calf pulls, etc. Muscle equates to power. Power equates to speed. It's as "simple" as that.