I started tri training this winter and am loving it, but I am concerned with my bike leg speed. I am a middle-bottom of packer for swim and run but my bike time is abysmal (14mph for 15miles of my sprint tri). My first race is July 2 and I would like to get my speed up and was wondering what suggestions people had.
Current info: Male, 29, 210lbs (should be 175-185 ideally)
Equipment: Fuji Supreme Hybrid with Trek Bike computer.
Workouts: 15-18 mile rides 2x per week for the last 3 weeks, before that shorter rides as weather made me ride on staionary bikes at gym.
Okay so my run speed is around 30 mins for 5k, my swim speed is around 8:30 for 1/4 mile but my bike averages haven't been over 14 mph yet.
I will preface this by saying that yes, this is my first tri. Yes, I know its for the fun/goal. However, I feel that with all this training I want to do the best I can and something is wrong on my bike leg.
My current plan to improve time:
1) bike 3x per week
2) I am getting a rather low end road bike from my HS days sent to me by my parents. I can't remember the brand (General perhaps?) but I do remember it had racing tires as I used to get flats on them all the time riding around town and they were skinnier than the standard tires on my friends 10 speeds. I was considering buying a new low end bike (Trek 1000) this week but settled on this option for financial reasons. I am going to save the cash and put it into a better bike next year if I get into tri-ing seriously.
So my questions are what should I do to improve speed? Should I start a more rigorous diet? I am thinking that getting down to even 195 would probably have a big effect? Anything else like intervals or anything? I have 10 more weeks til the race
Thanks!
cjbruin
04-24-05, 11:10 AM
How many traffic lights do you have on your normal routes? I find that the more I need to stop and start, the worse my average gets. Even if your computer pauses when you stop, you still take a hit every time you slow down and restart. If you have a lot of lights, this could be one of the reasons for your slow average.
If that's not it, what is your cadence like? Perhaps you're just not in the optimum gear for speed output. For me, spinning between 90-95 rpms helped my speed a lot...my last international tri (24 mi bike), I averaged 19 mph while keeping my cadence in this range.
lablover
04-24-05, 12:29 PM
I'd love to say that I have lots of lights, but its more like 2. :( I take a bike path route.
I have trouble getting to a speed of more than 18 mph on flats even at an all out (anaerobic)sprint. Most people in my race averaged 20mph last year. There is no way I could hold even 18 for 50 minutes at where I am right now. I don't think my legs are particularly weak or anything, but I just don't seem to be able to get going tg that fast.
I am wondering if getting a road bike with clipless pedals will improve me and how much, and also how to train more efficiently to build strength/speed. I know ther eis probably no way to tell until I get the new road bike.
TysonB
04-24-05, 12:34 PM
lablover:
You mainly need to just keep training. BUT, I put clipless pedals on my 35-year old Peugeot last year and noticed an immediate improvement, especially up hills. Clipless are not just different, they are better. And I am (REAL) old school.
Tyson
lablover
04-24-05, 01:35 PM
So should I try to ride faster-doing some kind of interval work? or longer?
I would like to get up to 18mph for 15 miles. It sems a very doable goal, but I am a bit frustrated as my other times are all reasonable and the bike-the largest portion- is absolutely bottom of the barrel. I'd be happy if I could do 50 minutes for 15 miles.
jennings780
04-24-05, 02:29 PM
I noticed that your bike is a hybrid. If you go for a true road bike I would imagine that you would a 1-2 mph by just upgrading your bike. I looked up your bike and its 29lbs and has 700X35c tires. If you drop about $600-$800 on a road bike you should come in at about 20lbs (or maybe less) and get 700X23c tires (more than 1cm narrower). The riding position is much less upright on a road bike which reduces wind resistance.
tri-berkeley
04-25-05, 02:53 AM
I'm going to guess that part of it may be cadence as cjbruin suggested. Do you turn your pedals relatively slowly compared to other cyclists? It might help to count your pedal strokes in a minute if your computer does not have a cadence feature. I wouldn't worry about intervals and instead spend time building up a fitness base that will help you pedal longer and faster. But then again, I'm a slow cyclist too :)
ZackJones
04-25-05, 04:45 AM
lablover: Give it some time. From you post you said you have 2 rides per weekf or the past 3 weeks. That's only six outdoor rides. You're not likely to see a significant increase in speed after 6 rides. If possible add a 3rd ride of about 35 - 40 miles, but don't try to ride as fast on this one as you do the 2 shorter rides. Good Luck!
audiojan
04-25-05, 06:00 AM
LabLover;
Listen to ZackJones! You will need a roadbike if you ever going to get your speed up. Also, in order to get up towards the 20's, you will need to put both more miles and more time into it. Count on $800-1500 for the bike and 2-3 rides per week of 20-30 miles, and 2 long rides of 50-60 miles. Use the long riders to build endurance and use the short rides to get your speed up.
14mph is not bad on a 29lbs. hybrid bike. You probably move at least 9-10 lbs. more of mass than the other guys (which you mentioned avg. 19+mph). And that on a bike that has the aerodynamic properties of a barndoor.
And now the question about weight... The easiest and cheapest weight to increase efficiency on the bike is drop your own weight... You asked if going to 195 from 200+ would make a difference, and the answer is a resounding YES! Just don't do it too quickly as this often results in cannabilzed musclemass and not fat. I.e. your body goes into shock over the extreme lack of calories and start saving the fat and uses musclemass of sustain itself. Count on no more than 1-1.5lbs per week. A good rule of thumb is 1lbs. is about 3000 calories deficiency from Resting metabolic Rate (RMR)+Energy expenditure for working (if stationary in an office, this is close to zero)+Energy expenditure for training.
lablover
04-25-05, 07:30 AM
Great all. Thanks for the advice. So my plan stays pretty much as it is. Ride more, get a road bike, drop weight. That's cool. At least I was on the right track. Thanks again for the help!
audiojan
04-25-05, 11:31 AM
You forgot the most important... Have fun!
Stubacca
04-25-05, 11:43 AM
Until you're able to get a road bike, it might pay to check the pressures you're running in the tires. I used to have a hybrid with 700x38 tires. Buying a pump with a pressure gauge made me realize that I'd been running them at about 40lbs. Pumping them up to 65lbs (the recommended max) made a huge difference to my rolling resistance and average speed. A few months later I changed them to 700x28 (the minimum size I could get on the wide hybrid rim), which took 85lbs of pressure and helped increase my speed even more.
Once I went to a road bike with 700x23 tires, my average speed increased substantially. I can't see many people being able to average 18mph+ over 15+ miles on a hybrid...
A note on the old road bike you're getting... is it the right size? Is your hybrid the right size? An ill fitting bike will be very uncomfortable and inefficient to ride. If the old roadie hasn't been ridden in a long time, it will probably need a service (a good clean and degrease, re-lubing, new chain, might need new rim tape and bar tape). Get some new tires for it, and a good pump to make sure you're getting the right pressure in there. Incorrect pressure is one of the major causes of flat tires in road bikes.
Cadence is a huge factor, too. My wife has been realizing this since we put a cadence computer on her bike. She used to spin at about 70rpm. Increasing this to about 90rpm over the past few months has been one factor that has helped increase her speed by an amazing amount. She's also a lot fitter, but she said that learning to ride at the higher cadence has helped her enjoy her riding more, so she gets out on the bike to train more often!
MichaelW
04-25-05, 11:47 AM
To increase your pedalling efficiency you need to pedal rapidly (fast cadence) and apply power smoothly over more of the pedaling circle. You can only do this with a pedal retension system. For racing, clipless systems are the best, but you can add toe-clips to your platform pedals for a quick and cheap halfway house.
When you are practicing cadence you don't have to ride fast or work your heart and lungs, just your legs. Pick a lower-than-usual gear and pedal with a fairly light force but gradually increase your revs. Eventually you will start bouncing all over your saddle; as you train, the speed at which this happens will increase. A cadence of 90-100 is good for racing.
To increase the speed of your current hybrid bike, fit some narrower, lighter, higher-pressure tyres. The narrowest tyre you can fit is probably 25 or 28mm size.
cycleprincess
04-26-05, 02:12 PM
If you can drop some change...get a road bike. I would definately get clipless pedals at the very least. I ride a Bianchi Volpe which is technically a cyclocross, but once I got the skinnier tires on I noticed a little improvement. I too suffer with speed on my bike. Mostly because I haven't really trained for speed...more endurance. Anyway...best of luck!