Do I cycle too fast for touring/long rides?

[wakou]

Thanks folks.... I have sort of 'decided' not to 'fanny around' (love that phrase) with the gears, I will set off early-ish and when out of London will wait for a group doing about 12-14 mph and hitch-hike with them..

 

[wakou]

If you restrict your gearing you'll still ride at the same intensity within the confines of that gearing.

If you want a guaranteed fix, get a heart rate monitor, wear it for a few rides between now and the DD, do a little reading on the subject then ride a few rides without a cycle computer and use your heart rate as a guide to effort.

If you can be bothered to observe the numbers, you'll notice a tipping point in effort vs average speed. I generally find that if I ride at an average of sub 155 beats per minute, I'll clip along at about 15mph average speed and be able to ride like that for hours. To hold an average of 17mph I'm probably at about 175bpm and I wouldnt want to do that for more than 2 or 3 hours. It sounds techy written down but it takes little to work it out and it's good to know.

With all that said, the DD promotes cruisy riding after the first 15 miles, even though it's flat for most of the 120 miles. Very few stomp it out at warp speed. We covered it in 9 hours last year with a couple of lengthy stops and finished tired but not destroyed.

Thanks for this, it came up as I was typing... I have never even considered HR as a factor in my cycling, as a horribly unfit 51 year old, heavy smoker + poor diet I tend to ignore all talk of % intensity etc as I thought that it was for 'athletes'. I only get 'out of puff' on hills, but my legs seem to give up long before that happens.......

 

[wakou]

Nothing new to say that hasn't already been said, trying to ride slowly is a ball ache!!! If you are on your own so join up with a group and have a nice chat as you go along miles will fly by and you won't even notice it. Last year I trained for the London to Brighton at stupid mph solo I compleated the ride with my nephew and after trying to speed him up a few times on the ride I realised it was a no go and just eased of and we talked the whole way there, even ride up Ditchling beacon without too much effort..... To coin a phrase "it's good to talk"

TY. On our club ride last Saturday there was a little lad, 11 years old IIRC, and as we went uphill (a very small hill) I noticed he was thrashing away like a mad thing so rode outside of him to keep traffic away, keeping his pace, I hardly noticed the slope at all and I usually find it a bit challenging...

 

[ColinJ]

Just have a ride or ten where you force yourself to ride slower. Riding hard is like any habit, it takes a few goes to break it but it can be done.

It took me a long time, but I finally cracked it ...!

 

[Kestevan]

It took me a long time, but I finally cracked it ...!

The Master has spoken.