[dunnoh]

This sounds a little bizarre. I’ve got rid of the car, I commute by bike, I did 60 miles in the Peak District today with no problems and yet when the Macclesfield Wheelers passed me at supersonic speeds I realised how slow I really am. They also looked like cyclists should. I cant really invest any more time on cycling so the only thing I can do is drop some more weight. Is there anything else I could do?

Topic

[SideBurn]

A good way to start would be
A good way to start would be to chose some ‘primes’ on your route. Tradition would dictate that these would be the tops of hills or the town boundary.
But practicality would suggest a feature that you can see from some distance away that will not move (so not a dead Badger) in an area where you can ride as fast as you can.
Again the ‘sprint’ should last 30 to 60 seconds and don’t get into a routine.
Imagining you are riding down the Champs Elysees on the final stage with Cavendish chasing you down optional B-)

[notfastenough]

Looking forward to my
Looking forward to my intervals complete with rucksack, rack & pannier tomorrow morning, best get my head down!

[dunnoh]

Again. Thanks all. I will
Again. Thanks all. I will print this thread out and stick it in the shed. Ill deffo try some speed play interval stuff – its actually clicked that cycling should be fun and not grueling. Ill try to make the commute more purposeful than just a daily grind.

[NickK123]

JohnnyRemo wrote:Keep it fun!

JohnnyRemo wrote:

Keep it fun! Structured, formal intervals are “horrible” – soul destroying – leave them to the racers. Make your “intervals” what you want them, just ride harder than you would normally go for a bit. If it’s windy do some of the efforts with the tail wind and get to feel “fast.”

Other times if you’re feeling strong do them uphill or into the head-wind – just keep doing a variety of efforts above your normal speed. Give yourself time to recover, then go again. And as above – stop before you’re knackered. 45 mins max, then finish with a gentle potter home in a small gear to ease the legs off.

The runners call it “fartlek” – speed-play. It’s what kids do when they get a bike. Keep it fun and you’ll look forward to it and enjoy it – and get faster!

Thought that was really helpful – thanks!

[arfa]

Lots of good advice but I
Lots of good advice but I would also suggest an hour or two per week of pilates. Strengthening my core really helps and I find gets good results quickly. No matter how fit you are you can always improve core strength and it will feed through into more power/speed.

[Cooks]

EPO!!
EPO!!
B-)

[JohnnyRemo]

Keep it fun! Structured,
Keep it fun! Structured, formal intervals are “horrible” – soul destroying – leave them to the racers. Make your “intervals” what you want them, just ride harder than you would normally go for a bit. If it’s windy do some of the efforts with the tail wind and get to feel “fast.”

Other times if you’re feeling strong do them uphill or into the head-wind – just keep doing a variety of efforts above your normal speed. Give yourself time to recover, then go again. And as above – stop before you’re knackered. 45 mins max, then finish with a gentle potter home in a small gear to ease the legs off.

The runners call it “fartlek” – speed-play. It’s what kids do when they get a bike. Keep it fun and you’ll look forward to it and enjoy it – and get faster!

[SideBurn]

dunnoh wrote:Thanks all. I’m

dunnoh wrote:

Thanks all. I’m doing about 7 hours a week – it sounds like I need to fit in more. I’ve thought of getting a turbo trainer but I’m worried it will sit in the shed – half the joy is getting out really. I got rid of the car 12 months ago so I’ve been riding solidly since then – all weathers including snow!. I’ve shied away from doing interval work as it sounds almost too premeditated – maybe I do need to think about properly training rather than mapping a ride and doing it. I would like to join a club eventually, but I cant commit to defined times with a 1 year old.

It does not have to be pre-meditated; just riding as fast as you can between two fixed points a few times is OK. Go for shorter rather than longer say 40 seconds hard and 20 seconds rest (40, 20’s) up a hill or on the flat focussing on pedalling 360 degree’s of the pedal stroke. But most important stop when you feel you have ‘done a bit’ not when you are knackered! So you feel you can do some more tomorrow. A few hard sessions a week not every day. It should be satisfying not a chore.

[tom_w]

As others have said, joining
As others have said, joining a club will get you fit fast. Your technique will improve (maintaining speed better through corners and knowing how to climb will boost your average for free) and having faster riders to train with will naturally make you push harder. Riding with others quickly taught me that I could push a lot harder than I thought was possible, and that’s great for getting fit fast.

I went from pretty much unfit with say a 15mph solo average when I joined my club at the beginning of the summer to about a 19mph solo average now (not too hilly round here). Don’t worry about being passed by a group, we can easily hit 25mph on the flat in a group ride, I’d be dying if I tried that for any distance solo!

[mooleur]

Stop worrying, keep riding.
Stop worrying, keep riding. Simples 🙂

[Simon E]

What do you want out of
What do you want out of cycling? Faster commute? Be better on hills? Train for long sportives? Road racing / time trialling?

If you want to ride in a group and socialise, mix with other cyclists or just benefit from others’ knowledge and experience then you really should find a club, or at the least a group of like minds near home.

If you prefer to ride alone (as I do) that’s fine too, though don’t dismiss club membership as being an in-crowd or cliquey thing. Most clubs are not like that at all.

[crazy-legs]

Oh and don’t worry about the
Oh and don’t worry about the speed the group passed you at. The difference between riding on your own and riding in a well-drilled group is incredible, it’s an extra 5-6mph without even trying. If they’re gunning it, it can be an extra 15mph!

[crazy-legs]

dunnoh wrote: I got rid of

dunnoh wrote:

I got rid of the car 12 months ago so I’ve been riding solidly since then – all weathers including snow!.

Firstly, congratulations on taking on that car-free challenge.
Secondly, I’d say that’s where your “problem” lies. Riding all the time (because you HAVE to) is a way of effectively being fit but “steady”. ie you’re only riding at one pace. You can keep going all day but when commuting you’re on the same route at the same time, day in day out and that repetitive aspect does nothing for “training”, especially not training to be fast. Without realising it, you’ve probably turned it into a steady-away plug along ride.

Need to mix it up a bit, get in some short fast rides, some longer steady rides and definitely a few intervals. Don’t even need to think about them, just make it a sprint for a set of lights, a roadsign. Throw in a diversion on the way home. Take the hilly route. Take a day off (can you get a lift/get the train?). The day off will help no end, will freshen you up and allow you to go that bit harder the next day.

[notfastenough]

Hi dunnoh, our club regularly
Hi dunnoh, our club regularly passes people at speeds such as you describe, but honestly, the bulk of that is momentum built up by the group. I sometimes feel a little sorry to see a guy plugging away on his own then hear ‘passing on your right!’, only to be overtaken as if he was going backwards… I certainly don’t ride at those speeds on my own!

16mph avg is fine to join most clubs, and is in fact what I’d probably achieve on my own. The social groups will go slower, the racing groups will go quicker, and somewhere in the middle you’ll find what you’re after. It takes a few weeks to get used to the pace and holding wheels etc, but all good fun.

I’ve started commuting recently. Only 2 days a week at the moment, as I can work from home for the other 3. This is how I do it:

Wed morning: Rucksack & pannier, pretty quick for the 7 mile run, focusing on a powerful pedal stroke with all the additional weight I carry.
Wed evening: Leave the rucksack (laptop) in work so pannier only, extend the commute to 18 mile loop (may extend further), make big efforts on hills.
Thur morning: Extend the commute to 18 mile loop.
Thur evening: Rucksack and pannier, focus on powerful pedal stroke again but absolutely give it the beans on the sections of road where safe to do so.

Sunday: Long steady ride, currently building back up to rejoin club runs after an injury.

Other days, core strength, gym or whatever else I can fit in.

[SlowSPDRider]

ilovemytinbred wrote:losing

ilovemytinbred wrote:

losing weight very slowly is the key, that way you can always et properly which you need to do to perform well.
Your frame dictates whether you will ever be a lightweight, but most weekend warriors could lose a few pounds :)

+1

and then hopefully

minus many

[Author]

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