upping average speed
- Thread starter Lee_M
- Start date
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deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
If you're starting your short rides cold, you'll be warming up for a greater proportion of the ride. It might be worth sticking an extra 5 miles ''prologue'' onto these rides so you can ease up to speed.
EDIT: Or what 400bhp said while I was typing!
EDIT: Or what 400bhp said while I was typing!
on the road
Über Member
Maybe ride to work?
Andrew_P
In between here and there
Try setting the Garmin to autostop, might even it out a bit.
OP
OP
Lee_M
Guru
err, did you not see my "restricted by work so can only ride at weekends"?
When I am based in our office in London, I cycle into work. But a lot of the time (like now for instance) I work at client site.
In the last year these have been in Norwich - so I spend the week in a hotel without access to a bike, or currently I am in Canary Wharf - which has about 850 bike parking spaces for 80 gazillion people, and even if I could park the bike there is nowhere at my clients to shower - and I am not the sort that can get away with just a quick wipe down with baby wipes
Either way I don't think doing that would up my average speed on my shorter rides just make me better/ quicker overll
Chescadence
Guest
Rob has hit on a very important point that seems to be being overlooked slightly.
If you have to slow for a hill, a corner, lights or whatever it may be, a drop of a couple of kmph over x period of time will have a much greater effect on a 10mile route than on a 100km route simply because the period of "dropped" speed donates a greater percentage of the overall moving time. On longer runs you can afford to have periods of the ride underneath a certain speed without it massively impacting your average; on short rides, you cannot.
C
If you have to slow for a hill, a corner, lights or whatever it may be, a drop of a couple of kmph over x period of time will have a much greater effect on a 10mile route than on a 100km route simply because the period of "dropped" speed donates a greater percentage of the overall moving time. On longer runs you can afford to have periods of the ride underneath a certain speed without it massively impacting your average; on short rides, you cannot.
C
Chescadence
Guest
P.S. as for upping average speed on shorter rides, perhaps as Rob mentioned TTs may be worth a go, really pushing it with everything you have once a week or whatever. This may have the effect of increasing your threshold; giving you more time where you are able to work at high intensity.
"Tempo rides" have done wonders for me, that was another suggestion off here when I was asking. Don't under estimate how hard they can be.
C
"Tempo rides" have done wonders for me, that was another suggestion off here when I was asking. Don't under estimate how hard they can be.
C
marzjennings
Guru
- Location
- Houston, Texas, USA
Pedal faster and/or harder. On your 10 mile riders, are you spent and exhausted after the ride? If no, then you could have ridden faster.
Watch the numbers, if your displayed speed is 17mph, then push it to 18mph. Sprint off the lights, get back up to target speed quickly. Brake late into lights and corners, reduce the time you're slowing down.
Watch the numbers, if your displayed speed is 17mph, then push it to 18mph. Sprint off the lights, get back up to target speed quickly. Brake late into lights and corners, reduce the time you're slowing down.
OP
OP
Lee_M
Guru
Brilliant, Chescadence has proven to me I'm as fast as Wiggo, its just I have to slow down for traffic more often.
I may still be slow but can now mathematically claim to be a God on a bike
- obviously!!!
Makes sense - so what I need is a flat route with no traffic....in London/essex.....
I may still be slow but can now mathematically claim to be a God on a bike
- obviously!!! Makes sense - so what I need is a flat route with no traffic....in London/essex.....
marzjennings
Guru
- Location
- Houston, Texas, USA
Pedal faster and/or harder. On your 10 mile riders, are you spent and exhausted after the ride? If no, then you could have ridden faster.
Watch the numbers, if your displayed speed is 17mph, then push it to 18mph. Sprint off the lights, get back up to target speed quickly. Brake late into lights and corners, reduce the time you're slowing down.
Watch the numbers, if your displayed speed is 17mph, then push it to 18mph. Sprint off the lights, get back up to target speed quickly. Brake late into lights and corners, reduce the time you're slowing down.
OP
OP
Lee_M
Guru
the 10mile was my attempt at a personal TT reference time, was incredibly disappointed that I was just as quick over 100km !
OP
OP
Lee_M
Guru
I peeled myself off the bike, I felt better after the 100k
thx, was just expecting it to be quicker over a shorter route, rather than changing how I ride
Chescadence
Guest
Brilliant, Chescadence has proven to me I'm as fast as Wiggo, its just I have to slow down for traffic more often.
I may still be slow but can now mathematically claim to be a God on a bike
Makes sense - so what I need is a flat route with no traffic....in London/essex.....
I didn't say any of that, how did I imply you're as fast as Wiggo? I simply said, during the consistent moving time you will have to be working harder to keep the same pace as longer rides due to slowing and stopping effecting your overall speed more due to donating a greater percentage.
It makes perfect sense.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I managed to average 16-17 mph many times over the 100 miles of the Manchester 100 and I wasn't particularly fit. That was doing about 25 miles with other riders (sometimes at the front of the group) and about 75 miles solo. I'd be willing to bet that you are at least 50% fitter than I was then.
Assuming no significant hills or wind, riding at 15 mph takes less than 100 Watts and I bet you can easily generate double that so you are clearly losing speed at junctions and in traffic. Find yourself a quiet route with few hold-ups and see what you can do.
Assuming no significant hills or wind, riding at 15 mph takes less than 100 Watts and I bet you can easily generate double that so you are clearly losing speed at junctions and in traffic. Find yourself a quiet route with few hold-ups and see what you can do.
Chescadence
Guest
The simple facts are, you ARE moving faster on a the shorter rides than on the longer rides; but the difference is not enough to counteract the greater effect of hold ups. So you're upping pace, but also upping the effect of hold ups on your average speed by decreased mileage.
To say you're not moving faster when you're riding is wrong; using an average is not mathematically perfect and it is very prone to changes in extremes especially over a small range of data. It doesn't always give a clear indication; when you're riding without hold ups you are going faster on short rides than long rides but the hold ups are countering.
That said, you need to take the advice off here for fitness options so that you can increasing your ability to ride even faster during the short rides so you canter the hold up effect and see an overall average increase.
C
To say you're not moving faster when you're riding is wrong; using an average is not mathematically perfect and it is very prone to changes in extremes especially over a small range of data. It doesn't always give a clear indication; when you're riding without hold ups you are going faster on short rides than long rides but the hold ups are countering.
That said, you need to take the advice off here for fitness options so that you can increasing your ability to ride even faster during the short rides so you canter the hold up effect and see an overall average increase.
C
