Speed motivation

Will Nunez

Anyone ever notice that you cant help take the bait and chase when someone overtakes? Im sure its not just me.

Having someone overtake can increase my speed by 3-4mph which is well within my capacity. So why is it without a challenge that i naturally drift into a comotose pace?

Anyone have performance enhancing tips that dont necessary rely on the alpha male being woken by another cyclist?

Weekend rides see me doing 16-17mph in a group, not necessarily in peleton, my commute without incentive frequently sees me down in 13mph. Both on same road bike

king_jeffers

I use an app on my phone, endomondo. You can race against your best time, and if you have a earplug in you get audio updates... although sometimes feels insulting when your pushing on despite gale force winds :-) It does help awaken the inner competitive streak.

Torvid

Leave the house right at the point where you know if you don't hold 18mph all the way there your going to be late.

Valy

Torvid wrote:

Leave the house right at the point where you know if you don't hold 18mph all the way there your going to be late.

One of the best motivators, even better when on probation!

Will Nunez

Funny enough my fastest commute with full ruck sack was with home orders to be back for a certain time. Will look at raimondo. Am a sworn sport tracker fan but it doesn't have a beat your time

Will Nunez

Raimondo? Thats smart phones for you, endemondo.

Happened again this morning, two poor commuters overtake me only for me to cat and mouse till i stay in front. The minute they turn off so does the speed.

Hypnotherapy? associate the cycle with someone being behind me :-D

Topaxci

I would recommend nearly getting killed. :twisted:

The adrenaline boost does wonders for my commute times. Even if it is early into the ride the seething anger is normally enough to get me to work at top speed. I only have 4.5 miles to go though, so a longer commute would probably find me burnt out and traumatized at the side of the road.
Must work on anger management issues.

If you want to attempt this technique I must emphasis the nearly part is very, very important :P

Will Nunez

Topaxci, that is a weekly occurance on my route, and you are right that is better than cat and mousing other cyclists. In fact car chasing is a good motivator when the driver has almost killed you (after you have checked they are not that much bigger than you).

I thought cycling was anger management. Thinking about that too, my performance does go up when ive been riled at work.

So tips so far speed motivation not involving other cyclists are:
1) beating your own times (endomondo)
2) Try and almost get killed
3) Make sure someone riles you at work
4) Dont leave enough time to get home or get to work or catch a train!

Another one is arranging with a cow-orker to commute at same time and make sure they are younger and fitter than you. Ive done this recently and its killing me on the days I do it, but i cant show pain.

Anonymous

Beating someone else's time - Strava app! (amazing for London)

Initialised

I thought I was bad dropping from 18mph average in the summer down to 15-16mph now. I guess it's just harder to maintain the pace as it gets colder and wetter.

Anonymous

Initialised wrote:

I thought I was bad dropping from 18mph average in the summer down to 15-16mph now. I guess it's just harder to maintain the pace as it gets colder and wetter.

REALLY? Im having to keep the pace up to keep warm. We've been fortunate in London that it's dry (at the moment, touch wood) so I am still to get the odd PB here and there on strava routes, as I'm not yet worrying about any lack of traction (brakes or floor)

My mate who i STUPIDLY introduced to strava has taken 2 KOMs and a 2nd in the last 2 weeks (on v busy segments)

Will Nunez

Initialised, Im with coriordan, I dress less than i should to ensure I get a pace that gets me warm. Still in shorts, base layer t shrit and removable sleeves temperatures between 2 and 6 this week in morning. Its cold, but I have to do 14-16 minimum to keep warm. Keeping warm is a good incentive. But only works in winter as naked summer cycling is still not allowed.

Am guessing stuck out on the Fylde Coast Ill struggle to find others using Strava, but the alpha male in me likes the sound of it.

The Rookie

Just ride it like you stole it!

I'm still in a T-shirt and mitts, although I've gone to 3/4 length shorts to keep the knee's warm now (or they start to creak like a 5 year old BB at my age), I'm chilly for 1/2 mile to a mile and then nicely warmed up, I average (time ave, not moving ave) circa 18mph on a flat barred hybrid on a cross country road which isn't at all level, that keeps me warm, once the temperature gets to below zero I'll wear long fingered and a soft shell.

Simon

Will Nunez

Just checked out Strava. Doubt ill get KOM theres some bloody fit people about! Might record my commutes for a week to see what happens. Is the leaderboard part of subscription or do you jst get a fancy leaderboard for subscription

Anonymous

its all free - premium get a few extra features, but im happy with free and get all the leaderboards and tables.
Trust me - within a couple of days you'll work out where the segments are and be bleeding out your eyeballs just to push yourself up the leaderboard.

Get home quicker too!

Will Nunez

Sold. Ill download app tonight and add it to the list of commute perofrmance enhancing tips.

dave2041

Well i don't believe it! I thought "surely were all men here, no one needs to "one-up" the other"... Then last night i was doing what i though was a fair pace and sure enough a cyclist whizzed past me...

The race was on!

Will Nunez

Its primal....dont fight it

There have been a couple of occasions where it has got silly and by mutual consent me and the other rider have agreed not to compete, chatted and then raced as soon as someone else overtook

Lazarus

Topaxci wrote:

I would recommend nearly getting killed. :twisted:

Interestingly it was exactly this that stopped me timing myself on my local commute ! ! !

Just to knock a few seconds off my PB.I took a huge risked that nearly cost me dearly and quickly realised that it's not worth it That doesn't mean I don't bust a rib trying to get home quickly and daily I arrive home breathless and covered in sweat, but timing I leave for TTs.

Will Nunez

new speed motivation technique picked up over the weekend. Snap your gear cable. Then you will be stuck in top gear. The only way to make this gear bearable is to cycle as fast as you can and not stop (as no acceleration gears). Discovered this in 45mph winds over weekend. Needless to say I cannot walk today and have mercifully borrowed a bike with more than one gear to get to work.

lockstock666

Yeah the only time I am really flying is if I'm in pursuit of another cyclist, or drafting a bus.

I wish there was more fodder on my route. Lycra clad racers are once a month occurrence.

asprilla

It's only natural that you come over to the dark side of Silly Commuter Racing....

viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12575770&start=31360

http://www.itsnotarace.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/17813152777/