Professional Cycling For the Fans - What do the Pro's do?

Hi,

I'm 15 and am really trying to improve my cycling performance. Right know I can do 75km (46.4 miles) in 2 hours (2:01:35 to be exact).

I'd like to now what the pro's do (Avg. Speed, Avg. Cadence, Power Output, etc). Just as a kind of "Halo" to head for. Thanks for any answers.

Wrong question. Sorry.

First: you're not a pro. Don't compare yourself to them.
Second: Racing isn't about speed. It's about crossing the line first.
Third: They race/ride in a pack, not alone.
Fourth: Avg speed & time take into account too many variables to be useful, unless it's a time trial.

If you want to see where you stand (right question), start entering some races.

The pros train all winter and spring for 6-8 hours a day so they're prepared when racing season begins.

Well, they started by choosing the right parents. Innate ability is a HUGE part of what it takes to be that good, and that's genetically determined. And if you're only considering racing at 15, that's a REALLY late start, at least by euro-pro standards. All that said, a 23mph average for two hours (solo, I assume) is pretty impressive. You should hook up with a local racing club, learn the ropes and see what you can accomplish.

SP
Bend, OR

Agree with many but the kid is doing like 37 km/h average, thats not bad for his age. The biggest question mark i have is, u did that using 53x14 and 53x12?? if thats the case u look pretty strong but not fast neither have a super high cadence, and at 15 y/o u wouldn't let go bellow the cog 16 if i had to give you advice but that's just depend's of the points of view.

DO some races, practice your cadence to start with, w/o high cadence u wont make it in the world of racing (light gears). Cyclist that master high cadence can make it in races. Slopows and gear draggers are condemn IMO.

make sure you are set up with junior gears (I think it's 52x14) - 26' rollout.

training is really important to develop into a quality racer.
if you can join a junior-focused team/club with a good coach, it will help you grow instead of burning out.

Forget any talk about genetics and what you are born with. That, to me, is just excuses.

The real challenge is to build your strength from season to season and learn how to race.
I've seen many quality juniors that simply burnout by the time they hit cat 1/2.

Anyone starting from 15 yrs old can become a quality 1/2 racer. For now, I would really focus on having fun and joining a club.
You can learn a lot from them.

good luck!

You can calculate the average speed of just about any race. If you look at the results on CyclingNews you can usually find the winner's time. Like others are saying, though, average speed isn't the best indicator of how difficult the race was or how good you are. There are tons of factors like wind, elevation, the group's motivation, etc. at play. A lot of times it isn't the average speed of the race that makes it difficult. Instead, there are a few sections where guys are going all out and you have to be able to hang when the race gets hard. You may have noticed something similar on a group ride, even. A lot of times guys will start out really fast, drop a bunch of guys, and then ride at a somewhat reasonable pace for the rest of the ride.

You're closer to the right track when you're asking about power. There are quite a few riders who have made their power data public for certain races. Here (http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/08/news/power-analysis-rory-sutherland%E2%80%99s-vail-time-trial_189781)'s a recent one from Rory Sutherland's TT in Colorado. Here (http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/08/news/colorado-power-michael-morkov%E2%80%99s-46-mph-podium-sprint_190010)'s one from a sprinter. If you do some searching there are a lot more of these out there.

Do you live near any big climbs? If you don't have a power meter that's probably the best way to gauge how strong you are. Obviously the weather is still a factor and this may do you no good if you're a sprinter, but it's a good quick and dirty way to see where you stand.

Meanwhile, just train as hard and smart as you can and get ready for racing next year.

Hi,

I'm 15 and am really trying to improve my cycling performance. Right know I can do 75km (46.4 miles) in 2 hours (2:01:35 to be exact).

I'd like to now what the pro's do (Avg. Speed, Avg. Cadence, Power Output, etc). Just as a kind of "Halo" to head for. Thanks for any answers.

That's a pretty good time. If you're going after solo road records, here's the current 40km time recognized by USAC.

Road Time Trials
Individual
40 km 51:36.24 Mari Holden, Moriarty, NM, 9/3/95

UMCA keeps records starting at 100 miles. Pretty incredible time for a solo century.

26 Jun 2010 Orlando Borini (39) Quarona, Italy standard men 18-49 Road course, Borgosesia, Italy 3:54:30 25.57 (avg. speed.)

I don't know if you could call these guys pros as I'm unsure if cycling is their main means of making a living.

You could probably look up some TdF solo time trial times and see what the Euro pros are doing.

In regard to the Chain Ring size; it's a 53,39 and the cassette is an 11-25. If any of you have been wandering I'm 6'3" and 175lbs. I'm actually a fair bit fitter than when I did the 2:00 time so I could probably shave a few minutes off that.

Im not currently in a club, but I will join one next year. Hopefully I'll keep fit with the trainer, and rowing this winter, so well see how it goes next year.

In regard to the Chain Ring size; it's a 53,39 and the cassette is an 11-25. If any of you have been wandering I'm 6'3" and 175lbs. I'm actually a fair bit fitter than when I did the 2:00 time so I could probably shave a few minutes off that.

Im not currently in a club, but I will join one next year. Hopefully I'll keep fit with the trainer, and rowing this winter, so well see how it goes next year.

You've got great potential. Keep it up and don't let any of the previous posts slow you down, so to speak.
Get your hands on Base Building for Cyclsts by Chapple if you don't have it already.
Good idea to join a local club and participate in as many races as you can; for experience and to get noticed, possibly by a potential coach.

quit cycling and focus on rowing... you'll be better off at 6' 3"

quit cycling and focus on rowing... you'll be better off at 6' 3"

I know of a five-time Tour winner (Big Mig), an Olympic gold medalist (Brad Wiggins), and US National Champ (George Hincapie) who might take issue with that.

You'd be better off to join a racing club than to get any worthwhile response here.