Give Me A clue....

mascott

I want to gauge what level of fitness are required for both audax and racing.

what kind of average mph should i be looking at over a hilly 50miles.

i know it is not an exact science, but if i could see how far i have to go it gives me something to work on over the winter.

most of my mileage is flat(ish) commuter at around 16.0mph over 22miles but obviously it will drop a lot over50-60miles over hills.

thanks for any advice/tips!

Bronzie

Audax: if you can ride 50 miles at 10mph average (incl stops), you'll be fine at an entry level 100km audax. For longer distances you'll need to build up your endurance accordingly - concentrate on hours spent in the saddle (in one ride) rather than distance / speed.

Racing: I presume you are talking about road racing rather than time trialling?

Nothing can prepare you for the speed of even an entry-level 4th cat road race other than turning up and having a go - the most important thing is to not get too despondent if you get dropped on your first outing, keep trying and the speed will come.

Hard to generalise, but as a very rough guide, to be able to hang onto the bunch at an entry level road race, you'll probably need to be able to ride at 20mph+ for an hour. The fun starts when the race has a hill in it or has repeated tight corners (small circuit race) that you have to accelerate out of - then it's not so much the speed as the change in pace that pushes you beyond your aerobic limit and turns your legs to jelly.

For time trials, just turn up and have a go setting a benchmark that you can aim to improve on.

One word of warning, I tend to find audaxes and racing don't sit particularly well together - doing lots of long slow miles will just make you slow. Need to get the balance right between speed training and endurance training.

SteveR_100Milers

As a guide, and a very rough one, a target over a hilly 50 miles is 15 mph. If you do this, you should be able to do a flat 50TT in under 2hrs 15

BeaconRuth

mascott wrote:

most of my mileage is flat(ish) commuter at around 16.0mph over 22miles but obviously it will drop a lot over50-60miles over hills.

You're fit enough now for shorter Audaxes - so get out there and start doing them! There are autumn and winter events so there's no need to wait until next spring either. The longer ones only need a bit more stamina but sensible pacing gets you a long way. Try a 100km event and if you find it OK, try a 150km one, and so on.

Bronzie's right about the road-racing. And there's no reason not to give time-trialling a go whatever your fitness - it's only you against the clock and there's no minimum standard expected. You will be made very welcome whatever your speed. Nobody needs to get embarrassed anyway, but you wouldn't embarrass yourself if you commute 22 miles at 16mph.

Ruth

mascott

thanks so much for your replies

good to know im not too far off, it gives me something to aim for.

should be out there today but it is still a bit miserable down here in kent...

i hadnt really thought about time trailing...
i guess i would like to try all of it!
i especially like the idea of road racing what a buzz it must be..... i reckon i could get up towards that 20mph if i keep making progress....only thing is i am SLOW uphill. i always seem to really slow half way up!! i have tried to work out what to do apart from get better.... i think my lungs tend to give up prior to the legs

anyway to help motivate me i have a new eddy merckx on order to make me smile.

Bronzie

A good way for a novice to get into road racing is to try track racing - no hills, no gears, no brakes!! All the thrills of a bunch race without having to think about changing gear and getting your line right through corners.

The other good thing about track is that most evening leagues through the summer will have a number of events to ride rather than just the one - they are short (typically less than 20 mins) but very fast, ideal for new riders as you can try again in the next event if you get dropped in the first race.

Herne Hill in south-east London will probably be your closest. Have a go at one of their training sessions first before deciding if it's for you or not. You should be able to hire bikes from the track to start with. Have a look at the VC Londres website:
http://www.vcl.org.uk/hernehill

Richie G

I'd certainly reccomend time trialling. II'm probably a similar level to yourself and was a bit worried about racing as i didn't fancy getting dropped in the first mile! Finally plucked the courage to do a TT and loved it! Was end of season, so only got to do one more this year (another was called off :evil: ), but really enjoyed it. You'll surprise yourself how fast you can go with a number on your back and the pressure the stopwatch! By the way, where in Kent are you? (my wife's from Chatham).

mascott

Hi
I am in Tunbridge Wells

Very nice and Hilly bit of Kent......but dont fall of and end up in Hospital.....(see News today)!!!

Richie G

but dont fall of and end up in Hospital

By the sounds of it you'd be better off left lying by the roadside! Probably cleaner! Chathams quite hilly- just not very nice!