How much faster will I get with weight loss

1964johnr

I am 6'3" and 16 stone and average 15mph on my usual flatish 50k(31 mile) ride. I am looking to shed some weight and want to go down to 14 stones. Can I expect any increase in my average speed after the weight loss. I'm not expecting miracles but it would be good to go up to 16 or 17 mph.

Pseudonym

weight loss will help, but the biggest benefit will come from improving your cardiovascular system. Average speeds are completely meaningless unless you are actually training for something.

smidsy

Surely better fitness, not less weight will increase speed?

If you lose weight but pedal the same cadence per given gear gains will presumably be mimimal to nill?

I expect 20 people wil now come along and prove that the above is utter tosh - but even if that is the case we boith get an answer ;-)

The Man Chump

I started in December and have gained approx 1 1/2 mph gain (16mph ave to 17.4ish) and have lost approx 3/4 of a stone.
The weight loss helps but so does a number of factors
Weather getting better
Knowing my routes better
Better fitness
Getting to know my bike better.
New sun glasses

p9uma

The Man Chump wrote:

I started in December and have gained approx 1 1/2 mph gain (16mph ave to 17.4ish) and have lost approx 3/4 of a stone.
The weight loss helps but so does a number of factors
Weather getting better
Knowing my routes better
Better fitness
Getting to know my bike better.
New sun glasses

New sun glasses make me go faster too. And me look soooo cooool.

The Man Chump

Added at least 1 mph, And I look cooler

p9uma

The Man Chump wrote:

Added at least 1 mph, And I look cooler

I bet I look cooler than you. I got 12 year old Oakleys and retro is soooo in at the moment. Retro is the new black.

BobScarle

In the absense of some new sunglasses, I am having to go out and train! I have lost some weight, although I need to lose more, and I do find I am slightly faster. Hills are probably the place where it is more noticable. My plan is to keep riding, so that I improve fitness and lose weight.

How much faster you will be due to less weight, is difficult (impossible) to quantify as training has so many other benefits.

ShutUpLegs

A Rapha item of clothing can add 1 mph

p9uma

BobScarle wrote:

In the absense of some new sunglasses, I am having to go out and train! I have lost some weight, although I need to lose more, and I do find I am slightly faster. Hills are probably the place where it is more noticable. My plan is to keep riding, so that I improve fitness and lose weight.

How much faster you will be due to less weight, is difficult (impossible) to quantify as training has so many other benefits.

'tis true, I'm averaging about 1/1.5 mph faster since I've been 17lbs lighter. But im not sure if it's because I'm not so heavy or because I'm fitter and getting better at riding. All I know is I don't look such a lard arse in Lycra as I did last year.

p9uma

ShutUpLegs wrote:

A Rapha item of clothing can add 1 mph

Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain the logic underlying that conclusion

DF33

Because his pocket is massively lighter having emptied it buying Rapha. Simples.

milese

A stone makes a big difference on hills.

Best bet is to ride to get faster / stronger and accept the calorie consumption and subsquent weight loss as a welcome bi-product. Get on the intervals!

cyco2

Question....How fast can a lump of lard go? that is the question. Many are training to improve the lard speed but as they get to the optimum speed the lard disappears. We will never know, this is a conundrum? :roll:

pilot_pete

Milese wrote:

A stone makes a big difference on hills.

Yes, I agree. Remove stone(*) from jersey pocket before climbing will make you go faster uphill. Add stone(*) to jersey pocket once over the top and it will increase your speed on the downhill...

(*) the larger the greater the benefit!

PP

Eyon

Weight is fairly meaningless on the flat, but it's everything going up hill!! I can hold a good pace with a club ride on the flat, and likely out-sprint them all. I'm 85kg. Get me on a hill though, and I'll be one of the last to the top, every time, without fail!

The way I think of it, how could would Andy Schleck be going up a hill with a 30kg backpack on? Not very good I'd imagine.

smidsy

Eyon wrote:

The way I think of it, how could would Andy Schleck be going up a hill with a 30kg backpack on? Not very good I'd imagine.

Faster than most of us still - I suspect is the real answer :shock:

Just because you are 10kg heavier than someone else does not mean you will be slower up hills, surely that depends on your fitness/strength and commitment?

DF33

What's being said is, if you are 78 kg then all things being equal- same regular diet, same training regime, sleep etc ie your own typical routine- then you will obviously climb faster and easier than being say 85kg. Everything else staying the same.

Armstrong states 1 min per extra kilo on a 10k climb when he was above his ideal TDF start weight of 74kg, a good example of everything else being the same.
I suspect the 1 min would increase for exponentially for a similar scenario for your average overweight road cyclist not at 100% of possible maximum fitness for age.

ShutUpLegs

Can someone link me to the Bradley Wiggins weight loss diet?

TIA

keef66

"subsquent weight loss as a welcome bi-product"

I'm hoping you mean by-product. :shock:

Gizmo_

Power is power though. Chris Hoy weighs about the same as me and he'd be a damn sight faster up a hill. Cav weighs much less and still puts out much more power.

At the end of the day, if you're turning X gear at Y rpm, you are going at a known ground speed. The amount of power it takes you to maintain that speed is variable according to gradient, friction, drivetrain flex, air resistance, etc.

I just did the maths for my bike (I'm a sad, sad man).

Wheel circumference: 2.2m = 0.0022 km (A)
Top gear: 48x11 = 4.363636 ratio (B)
Distance per pedal revolution in that gear = (A*B) 0.0096 km (C)
At a cadence of 80rpm (C*80) that's 0.768 km/min = 46.08km/h.

Difference is, Hoy puts out 2300W. I... don't.

nathancom

It will make a huge difference as long as you don't try too hard to lose weight. You need to eat well, especially lots of protein, or you will just cannibalise your muscles from longer rides.

You want to build muscle both upper and lower body - flex in your body will waste tremendous amounts of energy. Since early on you are building muscle, and hopefully fairly quickly, you are unlikely to see much weight loss but you will see definite gains in power and endurance.

I wouldn't really think about the weight loss, just think about the riding and how you perceive your own improvement. Your body will conform to whatever you are asking it to do over an extended period (meaning years not just a few months). The fun bit is cycling well and faster than before, just see the body weight as an added bonus.

Eyon

smidsy wrote:

Eyon wrote:

The way I think of it, how could would Andy Schleck be going up a hill with a 30kg backpack on? Not very good I'd imagine.

Faster than most of us still - I suspect is the real answer :shock:

Just because you are 10kg heavier than someone else does not mean you will be slower up hills, surely that depends on your fitness/strength and commitment?

Sadly you're right, but it's an interesting argument! Power to weight is everything going up hills, but I'd say 30kg backpack for Andy Schleck would certainly slow him down a little (or snap him in half as he's so thin)

p9uma

keef66 wrote:

"subsquent weight loss as a welcome bi-product"

I'm hoping you mean by-product. :shock:

<snigger> :oops:

Pross

p9uma wrote:

ShutUpLegs wrote:

A Rapha item of clothing can add 1 mph

Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain the logic underlying that conclusion

Sarcasm

Wirral_paul

Pilot Pete wrote:

Milese wrote:

A stone makes a big difference on hills.

Yes, I agree. Remove stone(*) from jersey pocket before climbing will make you go faster uphill. Add stone(*) to jersey pocket once over the top and it will increase your speed on the downhill...

(*) the larger the greater the benefit!

This is very true. Question you may ask is "where do I get the stones from at the top of the hill?". The obvious answer is store them in the jersey pockets of your clubmates / cycling buddies. They wont mind - honest!!!

ianbar

i am 6'"3 and about 15st 10lbs i am looking to get down to 15 st. i was once a bit concerned i was not all skin and bones like other much faster riders but now i just see it as more get out and ride as much as i can, eat sensibly more fruit and veg etc cut out rubbish...choc,biscuits and crisp etc and then the weight will come off and i will get fitter. the plus being that the muscle you build being heavier should hopefully propel you faster once you are lighter. its a bit of a circle i think, as other have said though things like learning routes, nicer weather will find you going faster.ps...you are faster than me so i wouldn't worry too much!

swede54

I started cycling again last year after a 30 year break. I started with 3 mile rides and now do 40+ but my average speed of around 13.5 mph is pretty much unchanged. In the meantime I've shed 8kg but I think a lot of that is due to not trying to compensate for the 1500kcal I burn off during the ride.

okgo

some people will be good at hills, some not. The best situation to be is someone who is heavy that is naturally good at hills, they are the people that can shed weight and become fantastic up hill.

I've lost 3 stone and obviously I'm fitter, and faster, and I would imagine my power is the same, if not increased, but I'm no climber yet, I can hold my own just about, but unless something drastic happens I'll never beat some of the other guys in the club who are lighter, but are just better at hills, either due to genetics or whatever reason.

Zoomer37

You'll get faster if you start riding faster. Losing weight won't suddenly make you ride any quicker.

Whilst getting leaner does make a big difference, dont get it into your head that you need to see a huge difference when you step on the scales before you improve your speed on your bike. You just need to ride harder and get rid of any wobbly bits.

Im 85kg and can keep up with most lighter folk up hill.

king_jeffers

I've lost three stone, currently just over 12... I would say loosing weight alone will probably not make that much of a difference. Certainly I didn't notice any major improvement. #Its all about your fitness levels, I've found the only thing that improves my time is cycling more and interval training, whilst cycling - usually on my commute when I have the energy :-)