Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - New Personal Bests and Questions

I know this won't be that big a deal for many of you, but I did some personal bests today and I've got a couple of questions.

We have a nice 26 mile bike path where I work and do a 30K ride on it 3-4 times a week. Once a week I time my first 15K to see how well I'm improving my fitness. Usually I'm "aggressively slow," as I like to look around and see the scenery. But tonight I set some new personal bests after 4 weeks doing my fitness riding.

1. I climbed "the hill" without going to the granny gears. (of course some young guy had to pass me anyway)

2. I beat my old time by 3 minutes. (46 min. to 43 min.)

3. First time my average speed was over 20K. (20.7 to be exact)

These aren't great numbers, but it sure makes you feel good to get a personal best.

I've a couple of newbie type questions.

It would seem my best cadence is around 90 cycles a minute. Does this sound about right? It seems if I get slower than that, I slow down a bit - faster and I feel like I spinning without getting any oomph to the pedals.

What is strengthening your "core" mean.

Is there a special way to wash your riding shorts because of the chamois. (Just bought them and wore them for the first time today)

Thanks in advance.

John

When you feel like you have no pressure on pedals go to another gear, 90 cadance is good but it's very helpfull to learn how to spin faster, strengthing your core is working on abs and core muscles think sit ups, twists etc. I find yoga helps and it will help your back on rides, I wash my bibs or cycling shorts on delicate, cold water only, use a gentle soap or get some sports wash and dry inside on a rack or back of chair. By doing this you will increase usable lifespan of shorts. And a tip for riding fast, there are many traing type things you can do but the number one thing is always pedal when trying to go for your fastest time you will gain a 1km/h by not coasting especially on flats

I wouldn't time the first 15k. It takes me 15 or 20 miles before I really start to loosen up. The second and third hours of my ride are usually the fastest. You are doing good spinning at 90, it is where most people are most efficient. Just don't go getting too hung up on keeping there, there are times to spin 60rpm and times to spin 120.

Don't worry about the shorts too much, wash them with your regular laundry and hang them up to dry. When I only had one pair I would rinse them in the shower after my ride so that I only had to really wash them every few days.

It would seem my best cadence is around 90 cycles a minute. Does this sound about right? It seems if I get slower than that, I slow down a bit - faster and I feel like I spinning without getting any oomph to the pedals.

90 is a nice quick spinning cadence. If that's where you're comfortable, then excellent. It takes some people (like me) a long time to get their cadence to that speed.

What is strengthening your "core" mean.

The core muscles are your abdominals and lower back. Optimally you should be using your core to support your riding position, and not just propping yourself between your behind on the saddle and your arms on the bars. Using your arms like that will lead to arm/shoulder fatigue and can even start to hurt your upper back and neck after too long.
There have been a couple of decent blurb articles about increasing core strength in Bicycling Magazine in the past 2 issues; including both "here's what to do" and "here's what to do if you aren't strong enough to do the other stuff yet."

Is there a special way to wash your riding shorts because of the chamois. (Just bought them and wore them for the first time today)

Do they have a real leather chamois, or a fabric and foam padding in them?
Real chamois shorts should be handwashed with a mild (wool-safe is a good choice) detergent. Do not wring them dry or put in a dryer. Place them on a towel, roll the towel tightly but don't wring it, and then dry the shorts on a rack. Rub some chamois creme on the leather to keep it supple.
Fabric/foam shorts can be treated the same to extend the life of them. I wash mine on the handwash cycle in my washer along with my wool jerseys. Towel press everything and put it on a drying rack. No need to use a chamois creme, as the fabric padding won't stiffen like a leather chamois can.

Thanks all - sounds like I'm the right track.

John