Training & Nutrition - conquering speed

I am having trouble pacing myself on my road bike when i ride by myself. My computer is saying i have been averaging 21 mph the last couple of rides. I am trying to improve but have trouble pushing myself when i am alone. Any tips on pushing your own limits?

It's all about the psychology. Find a meaningful source of motivation.


also, carbon.

Push the pedals harder.

It's hard to go faster by just going the same speed all the time. Search for "intervals"

Expanding on umd: most of the time don't ride hard, just at an enjoyable pace. Then a couple times a week, go hard. Like intervals. I once read a coach who said, if you want to learn to ride 30 mph, ride 30 mph. And that's really fun. Take it up to 30 and see how long you can hold it. Back off to an easy spin, recover, and repeat until you can't get there anymore. It's not only fun to ride that fast, it's fun to see how small changes in your position, breathing, etc. affect your speed and effort.

Yep. It's like a zen koan: To ride fast you must ride fast.

I am having trouble pacing myself on my road bike when i ride by myself. My computer is saying i have been averaging 21 mph the last couple of rides. I am trying to improve but have trouble pushing myself when i am alone. Any tips on pushing your own limits?

Do you have any long term aims/goals in life, which cycling will enhance?.

Never let motorists see you riding slow or weak. If you start coasting, time to start cranking & getting the heart rate backup.

Strengthening the lowerbody/core muscles, made me a much faster rider.

Cross train.

Expanding on umd: most of the time don't ride hard, just at an enjoyable pace. Then a couple times a week, go hard. Like intervals. I once read a coach who said, if you want to learn to ride 30 mph, ride 30 mph. And that's really fun. Take it up to 30 and see how long you can hold it. Back off to an easy spin, recover, and repeat until you can't get there anymore. It's not only fun to ride that fast, it's fun to see how small changes in your position, breathing, etc. affect your speed and effort.

I'm not usually having much "fun" when I'm going 30 ;)

I'm not usually having much "fun" when I'm going 30 ;)
Sorry. I'm just broken. The Dark Side calls . . .

Sorry. I'm just broken. The Dark Side calls . . .

It's fun going 30, it just hurts like hell if you do it for a while. Last weekend I was doing over 30 for more than a minute, into the wind, in the rain, to pull back a break. Ouch.

I am having trouble pacing myself on my road bike when i ride by myself. My computer is saying i have been averaging 21 mph the last couple of rides. I am trying to improve but have trouble pushing myself when i am alone. Any tips on pushing your own limits?

I don't think that you are avg'ing 21mph on your rides. Only the last couple of rides? With stops and traffic, 21 mph for an ENTIRE ride is tough. And alone, with no drafting to boot! If one knows how to ride 21mph avg then one will know how to eventually break through it.

I don't think that you are avg'ing 21mph on your rides. Only the last couple of rides? With stops and traffic, 21 mph for an ENTIRE ride is tough. And alone, with no drafting to boot! If one knows how to ride 21mph avg then one will know how to eventually break through it.

You don't know the OP's riding conditions. Corpus Christi is likely fairly flat and there are probably lots of long stretches of roads with no stops. The OP also gave no indication of the length of the ride. And 21mph is not so fast as to be unbelievable.

Yeah, my female spin class instructor averages that in the PNW. Tough for me, not so much for her.