Breaking 20mph average

rdavighi

I do my own little time trials over a circular route of 12 miles which has one or two minor hills and a junction and roundabout to negociate. My target is to do this in average of +20mph but I'm finding this hard going.

My best has been 18.8mph.

What training exercises / steps might I take to improve on my time and maybe get close to 20mph. I don't want to get "aero-bars?".

This would represent a 10 mile time trial in 30 minutes - which I am aware that lots of people manage!

Any ideas?

BeaconRuth

Do you do lots of 'brisk' riding over greater distances than 12 miles - say 40 to 50 miles? How many miles do you do a week and how long have you been riding? People who ride at 20mph without any problem have generally been riding good mileages (say more than 100 per week) at a good pace regularly for some time.

monty_dogcp

Don't try to keep riding the same circuit / type of ride and expect to keep making improvements. As Ruth says, you probably need to start thinking about building an 'endurance base' which will give you a level of fitness that will then allow you to do the necessary higher intensity training to get your speed up. Try doing some regular 2-3 hour rides at weekends for a while, and also think about doing some shorter rides at a higher speed. Also remember to rest - don't do hard rides back to back.

rdavighi

I try and do a variety of rides.
2 15 mile (there and back) commutes per week.
At the weekend usually one week a shorter ride 10-15 miles and the following week longer 25-35 miles.

nolf

Beating 20mph is surprisngly difficult. The step up from 18/19 average to 20 is harder than you would think.

Over a 10 mile TT averaging 20mph is called breaking evens and is basically the benchmark time. Still requires training to do it though.

Posibly aim for more distance related goals then try it later on this year.


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domtyler

Yup, try and up your mileage, commute every day and do longer runs at the weekend. If you constrained for time by family work etc. as most people are you will need to be a bit more clever and work your training into your daily routine as much as possible (that's where the commuting bit comes in), and get up with the daylight at the weekends and get out there and back before the wife/kids realise that you've gone.

I find it helps if you can do as much with your family on Saturday as you can and maybe work in some DIY job that the missus has wanted done for ages and earn 'points' that can then be 'spent' on Sunday!




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Porridge not Petrol
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andyBcp

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by domtyler</i>

Yup, try and up your mileage, commute every day and do longer runs at the weekend. If you constrained for time by family work etc. as most people are you will need to be a bit more clever and work your training into your daily routine as much as possible (that's where the commuting bit comes in), and get up with the daylight at the weekends and get out there and back before the wife/kids realise that you've gone.

I find it helps if you can do as much with your family on Saturday as you can and maybe work in some DIY job that the missus has wanted done for ages and earn 'points' that can then be 'spent' on Sunday!




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Porridge not Petrol
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

You've got the 'family' situation dialled, Dom[8D]

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PhilofCas

go out at 6am, do a warm up and then go for it while the roads are quiet ?

gaterz1981

ride with a group........only way i can break the 20 mph. I have done 19.1 on my 8 mile hilly route to work and i was nearly sick at the top of one hill.

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oldwelshman

have a go on a track on a training evening [:D] great way to learn to ride even paced and fast.

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Fab Foodie

Good aerodynamics particularly body position is a big benefit at getting past evens where wind resistance is your biggest enemy.
Other than that, um, all of the above!
Oh, and try and join a club, one of the cheapest ways to improve your speed, technique, motivation and endurance...

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Unknown

Definitely agree with joining a club. I've been out with a local group 5 or 6 times since January and the extra motivation it gives you to keep up really improves your base fitness and endurance. My solo average speeds have increased from typically 15mph to around 18mph for a 2-3 hour ride.

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Old Tuggo

Ride a club 10 TT and you will find that the competition atmosphere coupled with your added nervous energy will push you over the 20 mph average.