upping average speed

[Lee_M]

Over the last few weeks I have managed

2x 100km+ runs
40 mile
30 mile
10 mile

I try to vary these around in terms of effort, speed, hills etc

No matter what length of run I do though my average comes out at 15mph!

Is this normal? I'm sure I should be able to do a 10mile faster than a 100k

What do I need to do to improve my average?

I am restricted by work so can only gaet out at weekends, so any suggestions with that in mind gratefully appreciated!

 

[SquareDaff]

What do I need to do to improve my average?

Ride with someone else or develop a plan - when you ride by yourself you tend to fall into your natural rythmn irrepsective of distance. By setting yourself targets or riding with someone else that rythmn gets broken up and, generally, you tend to put more effort in.

 

[Rob3rt]

To many things come into play to be particularly helpful here.

Few points through:

Moving time vs stationary time ratio will be greater (thus time slowing and accelerating less impact on average speed) on a longer ride so for the same sort of absolute speeds you will see a higher average than say a 10 mile route. Assuming equal flattness.

But on a 10 mile course, you should be able to push out more power per mile thus moving faster. So I would expect the two average speeds to be within a couple of mph of each other both long and short rides of equal flatness and proportionally intermittent (i.e. traffic lights).

If you want to know what you are capable of, find out which courses local clubs and TT organisations use for TT's, find out what time of day they ride them, then go on a day there is no TT and ride the course at that time of day, balls out, at the end you ought to be able to dismount the bike, hopefully safely and not much more.

TBH, one of the best things MOST people could do to improve their speeds is simply to ride more, yes you can do interval training etc, but MOST people simply don't spend enough time on the bike to have developed speed (and an adequate base to build on with intervals). But lets assume you have a reasonable base, else there is nothing more that can be said other than ride more, you will want to be doing specific interval training, the training you choose should be tailored to the distances and type of riding you do. If you provide more information with regards this, more can be said.

 

[Andrew_P]

Pretty much the same as Rob3rt, I was going to suggest maybe looking at commuting to get decent regular miles under your belt, you might also find the weather is playing a part as well I am always slower during the colder months

 

[mattobrien]

What do I need to do to improve my average?

Push harder. Works for me

 

[Boris Bajic]

Miles. And effort.

And patience.

It will come.

 

[Hacienda71]

Make sure you are in a good position on the bike. Fitness as everyone is pointing out is the main factor, but adopting a good aero postion will help. The faster you go the more important this becomes. Stay low!

 

[Andrew_P]

Make sure you are in a good position on the bike. Fitness as everyone is pointing out is the main factor, but adopting a good aero postion will help. The faster you go the more important this becomes. Stay low!

Glad you mentioned that I barely ever ride on the drops always on the hoods, once it has warmed up a bit going to give a it a try for the whole commute.

 

[Lee_M]

I should say I was more wondering why my shorter runs are the same speed as my longer ones.

I appreciate hard work and more miles is the way to get my overall average speed up, but was wondering why I can ride 100km as fast as I can do a 10mile when I'm really trying to push it?

 

[400bhp]

Make sure you are in a good position on the bike. Fitness as everyone is pointing out is the main factor, but adopting a good aero postion will help. The faster you go the more important this becomes. Stay low!

I know I know, you do keep telling me

For the first time in a long time I used the drops on saturday. I wonder if the bike fit means that the position now feels more natural?

 

[Rob3rt]

I should say I was more wondering why my shorter runs are the same speed as my longer ones.

I appreciate hard work and more miles is the way to get my overall average speed up, but was wondering why I can ride 100km as fast as I can do a 10mile when I'm really trying to push it?

Because slowing and accelerating for bends, lights etc on a longer ride end up being a lower percentage of rolling time. The mismatch between your straight line speed to cornering speed and slowing and accelerating will also be less on a longer ride.

 

[400bhp]

I should say I was more wondering why my shorter runs are the same speed as my longer ones.

I appreciate hard work and more miles is the way to get my overall average speed up, but was wondering why I can ride 100km as fast as I can do a 10mile when I'm really trying to push it?

Do you use a HRM? Are you riding the longer rides in groups?

I ask because you may perceive you are working as hard on the shorter ones when in reality you're not. Also, clearly cycling in a group is going to make it easier (assuming you're not on the front a disproportionately amount of time) so will push the average up.

Are your shorter rides more stop/start (traffic lights)? Clearly that will reduce the moving average (acceleration/deceleration time)

 

[Sittingduck]

Ride the same A road at the same time of day and in the same conditions, for 2 sessions.

Ride 10 miles in session 1.
Ride 100 miles in session 2 (yes, it will be boring to repeat the same stretch of road many times).

Assuming the conditions are identical or nearly identical and you are infact putting out the same power. It will only come down to your ability to output it for a far longer duration. If you can do so, I may suggest that this power is too low, for a 10 mile session

 

[Lee_M]

Do you use a HRM? Are you riding the longer rides in groups?

I ask because you may perceive you are working as hard on the shorter ones when in reality you're not. Also, clearly cycling in a group is going to make it easier (assuming you're not on the front a disproportionately amount of time) so will push the average up.

Are your shorter rides more stop/start (traffic lights)? Clearly that will reduce the moving average (acceleration/deceleration time)

Until yesterday all my rides have been on my own, and I take the average as the moving average from my Garmin

 

[Lee_M]

I may suggest that this power is too low, for a 10 mile session

You might be right, maybe I'm just a long distance rider that cant get the power up

Maybe I can blame my age!