What is the obsession with going faster and faster?

[Cyclopathic]

6 pages and no mention of The Rules?

See #10 & #90.

What rules?

 

[AndyRM]

What rules?

Apologies. See www.velominati.com/the-rules for amusement and things to consider.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Problem is when people hammer it they tend not to warm up properly. This means they take way too much out of their legs early in the ride & then don't gain much time. This is why I take the first 5 miles nice n' easy, like a recovery ride & then put the hammer down.

I always use this method.

5 miles easy warm-up to start and 5 miles easy cool-down at the end of the ride.

My longest ride to date has been 10.5 miles.

I would have hammered it for that critical half mile, but it seemed a shame to make any sudden changes of pace.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I get scalped at traffic lights. I hate that.
The OP has a point. On days when my legs are fatigued and I take it easy, my commute time is not much different to when I hammer it. I still can't resist hammering it, especially if there is a cyclists ahead or worse, I get overtaken by one (which is happening far too frequently nowadays).

Its something I noticed a couple of years ago, I was loosing some weight and riding in zone 2 using a heart monitor all the time, my commute times were very similar to my normal commute times, in fact by the time I had finished the times were almost the same.

 

[Recycle]

Its something I noticed a couple of years ago, I was loosing some weight and riding in zone 2 using a heart monitor all the time, my commute times were very similar to my normal commute times, in fact by the time I had finished the times were almost the same.

Richard Ballantine wrote about this phenomenon in "City Cycling". It's not about speed, its all about timing of effort and understanding traffic flow. I don't know how many times I have stood on my pedals only to be stopped at the next set of lights, it's a fairly dumb way to cycle. I suspect that the perversity of losing that investment in effort is a prime reason why many cyclists jump lights.

 

[VamP]

Its something I noticed a couple of years ago, I was loosing some weight and riding in zone 2 using a heart monitor all the time, my commute times were very similar to my normal commute times, in fact by the time I had finished the times were almost the same.

Depends what your zone 2 means. On the usual 6 zone system, zone 2 is recovery...

 

[Risex4]

Personally its simple. Either food in or food out.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Depends what your zone 2 means. On the usual 6 zone system, zone 2 is recovery...

I always understood that zone 2 was either for recovery or for building a base.

 

[VamP]

I always understood that zone 2 was either for recovery or for building a base.

I've re-read your post and now understand what you meant. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I've re-read your post and now understand what you meant. Sorry for the confusion.

Thats OK, theres that many idea and plans out there that it all gets confusing, and some of it is contradictory, I preferred it years ago when we didn't have the internet and club mates just talked to each other about what they were doing and worked it out that way.

 

[jaynana]

doesn't look like thare are that many ppl who put a smile on the face and let ppl pass by.. lol

i usually like to be the fastest!! although there are a couple of guys on my commute that i just can't seem to beat..