sritenou

How do I improve my average speed on a ride?

This is my first year cycling (2200 miles to date), and all my rides seem to average very close to 14.5 mph. I ride a Trek 100 road bike with clipless pedals, have lost 19 pounds, completed 2 centuries (#3 is tomorrow!!), and live to train on hills. I just can't seem to get that speed up any.

Help or ideas? Thx.

gunnar

ride with someone who is just a little faster than you. Don't pick someone too much faster or they'll drop you and you'll get discouraged.

aliensporebomb

Time trial work worked for me.

In aircraft they talk about "dash" speed which is a brief explosive burst of speed faster
than your normal "fast" speed which would be "cruise speed".

So, if your "cruise speed" is 14.5 miles per hour, you need to find a place where you
can go all out, preferably without stoplights for a long sustained effort.

Give yourself 3-5 miles, then time yourself how long it takes you to go that distance.
Then the next time you do it, try to do it a little faster.

I used the CTS video "Time Trial" to get myself ready for the Lifetime Fitness triathlon's
bike leg in 2004. It really worked.

But, I find that what really gets the speed up is the peer pressure of faster riders...

My average speed isn't anything special when it comes to just out tooling around either
but I'd create a static course and try to ride it faster and faster. I did this commuting
and another time when I was taking care of a persons house while they were on vacation.

I'd delay going to their place until it was getting later in the evening and wouldn't take a
light. So I'd have to go faster to make it there, water the plants and take in the mail
and finish my route to get home before the sun went down.

Your mileage may vary.

DannoXYZ 

Sprints and Intervals. Do a search for them. No amount of riding at 14.5 mph will have you go faster. You can ride 100,000 miles at 14.5 mph and you'll be at the same speed. You MUST ride at faster speeds for short periods.

ncherry

One simple way to ride faster is to ride with a bike club. The middle group usually has the racing wanna-be's and other competitive folk. They tend to ride a little faster than the advertised pace. Just make sure it's a no drop group (they'll wait up for you if you can't keep up). I lead an 17 - 18 mph avg (rolling speed in the low 20's on flat ground). I started out riding at 15 mph.

BTW, this group tends to be chatty so it can be very social.

ks1g

Been there. Concur with recommendations to ride with faster people/groups and interval training.

Some perspective: 2200+ miles, 3 centuries, and weight loss - you are doing great! Speed will get there. The suggestions to go on group rides and with someone a little faster will help. The best specific training tip I've tried are intervals. I've cited several times before the 10-week "fast century" Bicycling Magazine ran last summer. For me, it worked. I was able to move up one group on the local weeknight group ride (at least not get dropped!), have noted faster average speeds on my regular rides, and did a PR on a recent hilly century (I have a flat one coming up in a few weeks, so we'll see).

Regnevelc

I agree, ride with someone faster, it motivates you to push it.

If I ride by myself I average between 15.5-16.2 MPH, but when I am with my friend who rides we average 16.5-17 MPH.

Although it could be also moving from a 1987 Schwinn LeTour that had a slight rubbing problem on the brakes that I couldnt seem to keep fixed to a 2007 Giant OCR 2.

LT Intolerant

Average speed is a less than optimal indicator/measure of fitness. It's also highly misleading. If you train on mountainous terrain 14.5 may be great. Hilly terrain, it may be pretty darned good.

Look at other ways to measure your fitness. Pick a course, preferably a climb, and work towards improving your PR each month. Find a fast group ride and see how long you can hang. Try to hang in there longer each month. IMO these are better measures of fitness than average speed on your typical ride.

gene r

sritenou

Thanks a lot for your help. This is true about the terrain. My home town is rather hilly. I should compare my speed over a constant route as well.