Southern California - Woohoo...20mi in under an hour

6 months ago (2 mo after I started riding) I set the goal of 20mi in under an hour, and it has been oh so elusive. Once a month on a workday (so its empty) I'd go out on the SART and test myself, and I'd fail, but improve. Well, today was finally the day I did it, 20.00mi in 59:48 on an out and back ride.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/72461103

I know probably most of you can already do this, but hey, we can't all be superman :lol:

Ordered a powertap as that was a carrot I'd been dangling in front of myself for a while now...maybe it'll help me get to 21mph.

PS. I know some people frown on average mph and all that, but the SART is a pretty predictable place as far as wind patterns and I dont find my times vary much. I ride it a few times a week. I also do not race around the SART during busy times, so no lectures please.

I can relate... I hit a new personal best on SART this morning: 48.6 miles at an average of 18 mph. The wind really helped, but I was still pretty happy about it. Previously my best for that run was 17.3 or 17.4 mph average.

I get passed all the time by riders that are a lot faster, but that will always be the case.

That is a nice goal to set and achieve especially so early on. Unfortunately, where I live, there is NO WAY I could find a 10 mile stretch of road with virtually no elevation changes. Much harder to do with 4k-7k of climbing. I really do like that as a goal for myself though. I guess I'd have to fund the right stretch. Congrats on the success. What's next? 30mi in 1.5 hrs? (Maintaining that 20 mark would be pretty nice)

I know probably most of you can already do this, but hey, we can't all be superman

Don't be fooled. Everyone I know averages 26 into the wind. But I'm usually rolling by them with my 17-18 mph average.:D

20 is a great average! :thumb:

I think it only counts if you back it up on the next ride....or the wind was in your face the whole way.

Either way, good job! :thumb:

Don't worry about what others will say. Out and backs should average out the wind, unless it drastically changes.

Zippy, nice! That sounds like a good solid ride. I did a "Tour de SART" a month or two ago with similar speed averages. Nice to have such an empty MUP (aside from a few spots) to train on. We're lucky.

X-linked....next goal? Maybe 70min 40k. That does suck about having no place to test yourself. I find when I'm out on the road, some days I hit a dozen lights, other days I hit 2. Pretty hard to get comparable times.

Mr Beanz, thanks. GMR+GRR is on my plate every weekend this month, and I think it's making me stronger much quicker than how I'd been lazily working out before. Shoulda listened to you sooner :D

Snowman, yeah I think an out and back is pretty valid. The winds were nothing compared to the spring century in death valley 2 weeks ago. That ride totally reset my perception of wind, and now the breeze on the SART is something I enjoy much more than I used to.

I think it only counts if you back it up on the next ride....or the wind was in your face the whole way.

Out and backs should average out the wind[...].

The wind today was from the southwest. Judging by his route, it was exactly the averaging out you suggest: a tailwind on the way out, a headwind on the way back.

Congratulations! Big difference between 20 miles per hour and 20 miles in an hour. Almost was going to give you grief about taking advantage of the onshore wind, til I noticed the out & back. We call it the drunken wind, because all the folks who ride down to HB & hoist a few get blown back home, thinking that they magically got in shape that day.

No speedo on my bike, so no idea of my average speed. It's not 20 mph

Nice job! Now try for 30mph and you can go pro. :)

I'm wondering if I passed you when you were doing your 20 miles in an hour. I was on the same stretch of SART between Imperial & Glassell in the morning (maybe 7:35-7:50 a.m.) and again in the afternoon (maybe 12:10-12:25 p.m.).

I find myself wondering sometimes if folks I see on the trail are on these forums.

I'm wondering if I passed you when you were doing your 20 miles in an hour. I was on the same stretch of SART between Imperial & Glassell in the morning (maybe 7:35-7:50 a.m.) and again in the afternoon (maybe 12:10-12:25 p.m.).



I find myself wondering sometimes if folks I see on the trail are on these forums.

I'm the guy on the black Nashbar rigid mountain bike. New favorite ride. Generally pick up the trail at Adams in Costa Mesa.

19.4mph for me on a 57 mile out and back from Irvine to Seal Beach - that's a new record for me for such a long distance. Headwind all the way down and tailwind all the way back. I've had a couple 20mph+ runs but they are few and far between.

Zippy, I was out there 2pm to 3pm yesterday for the 20mi ride so probably not. I'm on the Red w/white letters specialized....only one I've seen out there on the SART.

Today I was out and averaged 10mph with the wife and kid in tow. Enjoyable in a different way.

Accordian, nice ride. Do you have a route map of that? I've been wanting to go out to seal beach one day but the bike/walking beach trail seems to end around sunset beach and I didn't trust the PCH to have a consistent bike lane (it seems to come and go in Huntington beach and figured it could disappear at any moment again towards seal beach). The beach path has been so empty over the winter it's actually be usable for biking.

jmx. Nice! Congrats on achieving your goal!

Hey... good job! I have done 20 miles in an hour twice before. The first time was on Santiago Canyon Road, and the second time was on a magical set of hilly, windy roads near Atascadero, CA. Of course... both efforts were about 20 years ago!

Now I am training to do another 20 miles in an hour. I'm getting close! My carrot is a set of nice wheels.

UPDATE: Wooooooohooo.

It has been just over a year since I started this thread, and it's taken me that long to add 1 measly mph to my average on my daily course.

25.6 miles @ 21.4mph today. I've been at mid-high 20.X mph for the last 8 months or so, plenty of 20.8's and 20.9's, but today I was coming off 4 days of rest, and I lowered my handlebars about 3/4's an inch making me more aero. The whole ride was in the drops or on aerobars (which aren't really that aero on a super tall headtube roubaix), just like this time a year ago. The winds were also more calm today which is probably another reason I blew past 21.0.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/159920738

PS...the powertap I said I ordered in the original post has been awesome over the last year. Best purchase I've made for the bike.
PPS...I'm posting this update to help folks out in the future. When I was first starting I remember doing searches trying to figure out how long it might take a random dude to progress from total newb to speed X. I'll update the thread again in 2014 or 2015 when/if I start averaging 22mph on this course. ;)

Well, if (when) you pass me on SART just yell DUCK!

My Roubaix is apparently slower than yours. ;)

And what did you SEE while you were "accomplishing" this?

And what did you SEE while you were "accomplishing" this?

Pretty odd question. I don't do my weekday workouts to SEE things. But since you asked, I saw a mile or two of brand new MUP pavement towards Corona on the SART. I saw a Continental Pro team (Competitive Cyclist) on a training ride. I saw some ducks.

I hope to SEE my kid's kids when I'm 60. That is what I'm "accomplishing".


My Roubaix is apparently slower than yours. ;)

Mine is red. That's probably what is going on. :D

Great work Jmx! You just keep getting stronger and faster.
(Don't pay any attention Trollorita, he or she is just jealous.)
Looking forward to drafting you at Hell's Gate, (if I can hang on.)

Great job!!

Jmx, riding alone and doing 20 mph average is formidable. I would need a group ride to do that.

Great to see you achieve that goal you set one year ago. Also glad to hear the PT is working well for you. Training with power is definitely a growing trend.

Don't be afraid to yell at me to stop being fat and slow if you see me on the SART. I'm usually commuting to and from work on the SART during the weekdays (asian kid with a camo chrome bag).

I need to get back to the fitness/speed I was at 6 months ago before I became such a puss during the winter times.

Jmx,

You must live around the same area as I do. As for that 21MPH, well, that is smoking fast. There are several areas along that path where it is impossible to maintain even 18MPH; therefore, you would have to be going around 23-26MPH. Great job.

I am gonna see what speed I can maintain along that same route. Thanks to daylight savings I can now ride during the weekdays at around 4-4:30PM.

I now have a known distance/time I can measure myself against. Today it was super windy.

21 mph is very impressive. Seems like aero is an significant factor. What's the next upgrade, carbon wheels? Aero helmet?

Calamari, yeah dude, see you at Hells Gate. Don't forget to dress warmer this time.

Logick, I'm sure I've seen you out there. 2-3 times a week I do the exact same ride, usually around 10am, but sometimes at noon. You didn't have too much of an excuse to wuss out this winter, it's been so nice!

dahvaio, if you're on Strava search for me "jmX". I like seeing the rides people near me do, I've found some new routes that way. I did spend some time in the mid 20's, and some time at 18-19, plus about a minute at 10mph or so waiting for some construction equipment out near Corona. They are changing up the trail out there.

eyemage, I'll get an aero helmet if I ever sign up for the Santiago TT. I won't be wearing it on the SART. :D Aero improvements are probably 50% of the last years gain...mostly getting comfortable with a more agressive position. The rest of it was increased power. I put out the highest normalized power I've ever done for 71 minutes today, although I strangely didn't set a new high watermark for FTP.

jmX, you are an inspiration. Next goal? Consider competing in the state time trial championships held up here in the high desert. It is around 40K, about 25 miles. I've seen people ride it with their regular road bikes, (not a TT bike, but with aero bars). Depending on your age group, you might be competitive.

Great Job!!! That's pretty fast!, I was only able to beat 20 going one way with a killer tailwind. Last year, my goal was to do the Green River to PCH and back and average 18. Ultimately, I want to be able to do the trip in less than 3 hrs. I ride pretty early when I go to the SART, and theres alot less wind at that time.

Genaro... I think you can hit that 18 mph... I have always wanted to ride the entire river trail and back but have yet to do it. I always get bored and end up changing my route.

Riding from PCH to Green River at around 4:30-5:00PM is the best time if you want to just GO FAST and pad your numbers. There is almost always a great tailwind...

It is around 40K, about 25 miles. I've seen people ride it with their regular road bikes, (not a TT bike, but with aero bars). Depending on your age group, you might be competitive.

I do want to get into some TT events, but 21mph isn't going to cut it. My Roubaix probably won't be the proper road bike for such an event anyway. I've already got this thing setup with zero spacers, a short 5mm headset cap, and a -6 degree stem. For how I ride right now, it's perfect. For a competitive TT, it'd be awful. Once I get 80 more watts, a goofball helmet, and a more agressive (read: shorter headtube) bike I'll be trying the local TT for fun.

Genaro, thanks. I've done the full 'Tour de SART' 4 or 5 times over the last year. First time 15mo ago was 18.1 mph, and the most recent was 19.1mph. Doing the whole 60 in <3 hours does sound like a nice goal, best to try it on a weekday though. Also you should get some aerobars if you haven't already. Since my bars are high, a secondary benefit is that I find the aerobars to be a good resting position....brings the HR down. Lets your arms and hands take a break. Great for longer rides.

Pretty odd question. I don't do my weekday workouts to SEE things. But since you asked, I saw a mile or two of brand new MUP pavement towards Corona on the SART. I saw a Continental Pro team (Competitive Cyclist) on a training ride. I saw some ducks.

I hope to SEE my kid's kids when I'm 60. That is what I'm "accomplishing". Not so odd. Some of us ride as much for pleasure as for the exercise. If you're more interested in going fast than anything else, more power to you. Just seems a waste of travel mode to me.

Okay... I attempted to ride a similar route as jMx... I will upload to Strava when I have time; however, all I can say is that was tough...

Time started ride: ~4:50PM or so..
Total Distance: 24.83 Miles(Glassell to End of Bike Path Golf Course Area and Return)
Average Speed: 20.6MPH
Average Heart Rate: 173BPM
Total Ascent: 402Ft
Total Time: 1 Hour and 12 Minutes

I think I went too fast on the way out... I hit the end of the Golf Course at an average speed of 22MPH; however, I should have accounted for the head-wind on the way back.

As I was riding back, I could slowly see the Average Speed drop, drop and drop....

I am gonna try next week in the morning and see how I fair. I would rather have no wind than alot of tail wind and head wind. I seem to have to work so much harder...

BTW, I was on the hoods about 98% of the ride... It really doesn't matter too much about my "aero-ness" with me because I am a 200lbs fat guy.

Will let you know how I perform next week along that route...

Nice job dahvaio! I too almost always have a pretty nice avg speed by the golf course since there's usually a tailwind for the 'out' part of the course, I wouldn't say it meant you went too hard for the first half. Sounds like you're a pretty strong rider doing that kinda speed on the hoods. Aerobars would certainly help probably no matter what a person weighs, but I understand why being aero maybe not the top of your concerns at the moment.

I do that ride twice a week, I think 75 minutes at that intensity is a good builder for Functional Threshold Power. Normally I'll do 2 sprints on the out (Imperial->yorba linda blvd and 'antenna -> stop sign'...you'll see the antenna one on strava), and one sprint on the way back (yorba linda -> imperial). Those will be above FTP usually.

Logick, I'm sure I've seen you out there. 2-3 times a week I do the exact same ride, usually around 10am, but sometimes at noon. You didn't have too much of an excuse to wuss out this winter, it's been so nice!


Have you? I'm usually commuting to work between 630-730am. That's why I was such a wuss. At that time in the morning, I'd dig myself deeper into my warm heavy blankets. HAHA.

...plus I hated racing the sun on my commute home.

Not so odd. Some of us ride as much for pleasure as for the exercise. If you're more interested in going fast than anything else, more power to you. Just seems a waste of travel mode to me.

What an enlightening pair of contributions you've made to this thread. :thumb:
Anyone else in the mood to join me in the Touring Subforum? Be big fun pointing out the pathetically upright positions, the laughable average speeds, and how heavy their bikes are.
After all, there's only one possible mode of enjoying a bicycle and everyone who doesn't see it that way is just wasting a perfectly good travel mode. :thumb:
< /sarcasm >


Keep up the great work Jmx and Dahvaio!

What an enlightening pair of contributions you've made to this thread. :thumb:
Anyone else in the mood to join me in the Touring Subforum? Be big fun pointing out the pathetically upright positions, the laughable average speeds, and how heavy their bikes are.
B]

My friend Condorita is just having fun with you fast guys. Careful, she does have a Bianchi roadie and believe it or not, she smoked my arse bigtime while riding it. But she didn't enjoy it! :p We share the same sense of humor (I think we are long lost twins) so don't take her comments too seriously. :D Next time I see here, we'll settle this with a 5 mile TT on SART. ;)