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My strategy has been to ride increasingly harder routes,recently started a 20 mile loop that has some long stretches of climbing.In the next week or 2 i'm going to ride this route into one of my other loops that should boost it to about 60 miles with tons of climbing.
Anyway all the climbing and keeping the pace hard,translates into some higher speeds on flat,for me. |
yeahhhh, a couple of months ago i'd just about sit in on the sunday A rides, now i sit comfortably upfront for long turns, go off the front (or try) on most climbs, contest the sprints and usually try to get away in the last 15 or so miles.
then again, i am young so i improve fairly quickly with training. |
When I first started riding in March I couldn't do 6 miles without killing myself. I was increasing my distance every day without pushing myself until I decided to change it around and just keep the daily the distance the same (12-15mi) but push myself hard. So I changed my regimen to riding 5 days a week for 12-15mi a day but pushing myself hard the entire time. Recently I decided to see if I could do 30mi at an easy pace and when I did it I was amazed at how easy it was.
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In addition to all the cardio and muscle building benefits from riding through the local mountains, I'm getting smarter about how to approach and complete a ride that includes lots of climbing. To my surprise, I'd say half of it is mental. Knowing what to expect in terms of the levels of pain and discomfort, and how to recover and relax as the miles tic away are crucial.
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Yeah, I'm improving. I have nowhere to go but up.
I've been doing short, but intense, morning rides lately to build muscle and get my wind back. Weekends are for longer endurance-building rides. |
like Winn Dixie
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I've done 203 miles in six riding days within the last fifteen days. Every day i ride, it doesn't seem necessarily easier but i can tell i'm getting faster.
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I think I am improving compared to last year but I can't quantify it.
Possible reasons: - Some weight loss - Started earlier in the year - More commuting miles, and longer ones. - A new bike Probably the combination of all of these factors. I think I will get my answer in two weeks when I do my MS Bike Ride. |
I've gone from dreading climbing to enjoying it over the course of just a few months of road riding... my legs have gotten much stronger.
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Incremental training, preferably on a dedicated training plan is the best way to go. Probably virtually nobody here on BF does it, but for people with a running background (me), the effects are clear and obvious.
Training "casually" usually gets you up to where your hard comfort zone is. Pushing yourself out of that area takes repeated hard work, with a lot of time spent doing rides in intensity zones that you don't think you can do and don't want to do. But with the right plan, you'll have the knowledge that you've got the preparation to hack it, and you'll be able to do it. |
I was. Got horrible tonsillitus about 7 weeks ago and am in a world of suck. Now looking forward to re-covering and trying not to gain weight.
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Same route as two days ago, .3 mph faster average WITH a headwind.
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.5 mph faster average on my short route - 2 mph faster than when I started. Starts with a shortish 8% grade hill, then steady 2-3% for the remaining 2 miles. It's mostly rolling after that.
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Considering that in January of '09 I could not swing a leg over a bike or even manage a short ride on the Twenty I am doing spectacularly well.
Am getting stronger as each day and week passes and even though I may never be able to ride at 100% am getting in longer rides and getting faster. |
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
(Post 10887265)
I might contribute some thoughts I've gained over the past 5 years with biking and other athletics: be patient; diligent and courageous. in the absence of a focused plan, just keep at it. over time one can pick up new strengths if even only by accident. if you completely surrender yourself to the sport the sport will provide guidance. fear not the dark down weak painful days because they will pass and you will emerge with surprising strength and speed. I live for those surprising days. I used to plan for them, but now I take them as they come and enjoy the surprise and take advantage of them by going full bore holding nothing back. last night was not one of those nights but I persevered knowing another magical ride is on a nearby horizon. my stats for the night ride that eneded at midnight are piss poor but, like I said, a better ride is just around the next bend in the road ... :)
42 miles 28.7 max 13 avrg 3 hrs 14 min saddle time |
Originally Posted by Caad 8
(Post 10885088)
Well the more you ride you're not going to get worse. Maybe stagnate, but you're not going to get worse. So you're technically always improving.
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I've had a rip roaring start, so I've been improving very rapidly, but feel a plateau coming on... I will probably reduce my mileage next week and let my legs really rest again, and then pick it back up and see what that did for them. Tonight's ride was 37 miles 20.75 average with the most hills I've ever done in a ride. A few local ex pros were pulling us Bs along for quite a ride! It was at my VERY limit. I'm hoping that by the end of next month, that ride is easier for me.
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Been building up a lot of increased strength in the good leg while doing my best to keep the left as strong as possible... picked my daughter up from school today on the extra bike.
The bike weighs 50 pounds, she weighs 45, and I had all her gear and a little of mine and we averaged 18 kmh in pre-rush hour traffic with a little headwind... I can feel this in my right leg as it does most of the hard work. Rode the extra cycle through the winter as well so what I missed in distance was made up for in the loads I was moving. Now that it is nice and I can take out the road bike and summer rides my speed has been really good on the flats and have been able to pace cars on short stretches where I can get up a good spin, hills can kill me, and headwinds are never any fun. |
my running has improved - this morning's run was like butter
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I ride 3.5 miles of surface streets to reach a paved MUP and do laps usually. I used some rollers a bit over the winter so i didn't completely lose my gains from the previous year, but I started this spring at 15-16 miles in one hour, last night was a PB with 30 miles at 18.5mph. I'm tempted to clear the computer when I arrive and shut it off when I leave to throw out the stops/starts for traffic and street crossings. A flatter route with fewer moving obstacles might help, the 32mm cross tires probably aren't doing me any favors. Working towards a 20mph solo average.
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I'm definitely improving. I did a route in December that I was calling "very hilly" and it almost killed me. Now I don't even consider that ride "really riding", it's just the route home I take. There was another hill last year that I was deep into my granny gear to make it up. I rode up it last week in my middle cog. Still a tough hill, but I never thought of dropping down to the granny gear.
The biggest change is now I look for hills whereas last year I was looking to avoid hills. Now I just need to lose weight :( |
i think i've stopped improving this week
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I am definitely improving. Less and less problems with motorists. Enjoying my rides more by not pushing my self too hard while knowing when to slow down and speed up. Being more cautious in traffic. Being more friendly to people around me (motorists, cyclists, peds). I might even be faster, but my speed indicator is at a bike shop waiting to be bought hopelessly. Realizing that cycling trends are not that important.
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I am definitely improving, though how good or fast I feel varies day-to-day.
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Originally Posted by graphs
(Post 10902158)
I am definitely improving, though how good or fast I feel varies day-to-day.
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