Getting slower; phyiscal, techincal or mental?

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Nelson-CSG

Member
Morning,

First time on here so be nice please

I have been riding for c5 years, all road, and have increased the amount of miles I cover over that time. This year I thought I would aim for a considerable increase, so far I’m up to c7k miles, last years total was 5.5k miles – A lot for some and not a lot for others.

So my issue is in the last few months I have gotten slower and slower. Now I’m not the fastest rider, average is 16.8mph, but recently I am down to 15mph. Nothing physical seems to have changed - I eat well, balanced and healthy. I do ride early so the dark mornings will have an effect. Also when I ride on the weekends with our small club I was generally out in the front at the pace we go, but the last 3 rides I have been struggerling towards the end of the ride and very much have to hide how much effort it takes to keep up with everyone – especially in the sprints.

General routine is a fasted riding in the week (4 days) to allow for the time before work. So I’ll ride for c2 hours, 4 till 6am, stretch on foam roller for 30 mins, protein shake, drive to work, large bowl of “heathy” cereal and fruit. Good healthy lunch, afternoon snack and good dinner.

3- 4 hour ride on Saturday morning before 10am, small breakfast first – energy bar 2 hours in.

I do eat very well, I am lean, but nothing health state wise has changed for 12 months, same weight etc

So far I have checked and changed:

  1. Bearings
  2. Cassette and chain
  3. Tyres – winter ones (which I know will be slightly slower), but this was happening before this
  4. Tyres are at 100psi

Maybe its just a phase, but its playing with my enjoyment of riding – perhaps its just time to ignore the stats and ride with a smile instead of over thinking it!

Many thanks
 

alicat

Legendary Member
Location
Staffs
Welcome @Nelson-CSG

I generally count the smiles not the miles.

Do you ever have any rest weeks?

Could be time to invest in a session with a coach if it's bothering you.
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
As others have said, have a week or so off. Spend some time with family and when you feel the urge to get back on the bike, then do so.

Alternatively, try something different on the bike, find a local trail centre, hire a bike and bomb around on some mtb trails for the day - that's always guaranteed to make me smile.
 

postman

Legendary Member
Location
,Leeds
Hello and welcome lay off recording for a while and get back to enjoying the riding the scenery and at my age 68 the coffee stops and the natter with the cafe staff.Here is a plug for my fave cafe.

CafeCafe : 5 New Market, Otley LS21 3AE It's not always about the bike or the times,you will soon be bombing again i am sure.
 

MikeG

Guru
Location
Suffolk
Check your brakes.......... :smile:

If you need to record statistics, then just record your miles. Forget your speed. Or give up riding for a while. Pro sportsmen get as much benefit from rest and recovery as they do from training. You can't effectively do one without the other. Give yourself some time off, and come back when you're refreshed.

And no, you don't slow up as you get older. It's just that recovery takes longer.
 

Rooster1

I was right about that saddle
Sounds exactly like my own annual self doubting, effort defying analysis where the average speeds drop and I'm left wondering why.

It will be the temperature, conditions coupled with perhaps some fatigue mixed in ?
 

pawl

Legendary Member
I stopped worrying about speed and mileage seven years ago when I was 70.I do record miles and speed but I never set targets. At 77 I am slower I am quite happy pottering around at 13 or 14 miles per hour I try to get out three to four times a week,anything between 15 to 40 miles.
Enjoy.the rides.Dont beat yourself up.As alicat says count the smiles not the miles .
 
I would suggest that the considerable mileage increase is having an effect on your average speed & energy reserves/glycogen.

Take a good rest. When you restart again, go back to the lower milages you were doing and see if things improve.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Check your brakes.......... :smile:
Not as silly as it might sound to some people!

I did a hilly 200 km audax ride once and wondered why I was (a) feeling so tired and (b) riding so slowly. It turned out that my back brake had been dragging for over 10 hours!

The same thing happened to a pal on the Manchester 100 sportive once. He suffered for 55 miles before we worked out what the problem was and by then he was exhausted. He grovelled round the final 45 miles.
 

MikeG

Guru
Location
Suffolk
A mate of mine held our club's 10 mile TT record, set only a few weeks before. £10,000 worth of bike, power meters, aero helmet, skin suit.....the works. I was his minute man in a TT on the same course, and my best time was 4 minutes slower than his. He didn't pass me. Why?

Because his rear brake was rubbing!

Some girls we bumped into a while back in the Dordogne on a bike tour were really struggling. One of them had to pedal downhill because if she freewheeled she ground to a halt. Every time they checked the brakes, everything was fine....... Turns out it was a sprung seat post and pannier bag combo, which pressed on the rear brake cable whenever she was sitting on the bike, but relieved the pressure when she climbed off to check!!!

So seriously........check your brakes.
 
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OP
OP
Nelson-CSG

Nelson-CSG

Member
Thank you all for the comments, brakes checked before the mornings ride, seem to be ok, but will double check everything to be sure. If not I planned on having a week off from tomorrow.
 
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