help to increase speed over 100km?

ianbar

hello, i am quite new to cycling started pretty much a year ago. i am set to do the big g cyclosportive in july. this year i am doing the 100km route. i have been riding 3-4 rides per wee averaging near or just over 100 miles per week the last month or so. my last 2 longer rides were 45 miles 13.1mph 2200 ft climbing and 55 miles 12.9mph 2800ft climbing. have been trying to hit the local climbs a lot more recent weeks and feel progress has been made but no massive increase in overall speed. is there any advice for some training techniques to increase my overall speed? i am 6'3 and near to 16 stone(i know weightless will help) and i have been trying to get on the drops more to reduce the wind resistance. thank you

ShutUpLegs

Ride efficiently?

jgsi

Chaingang with other sportive dentists?
Seriously though, you are going to find nigh on impossible to get 'faster' riding solo.

cyco2

Next time you go for a ride and you get to a climb stop your computer for the climb. You're not made for being an effective climber so exclude them from your calculation. This way you will not have to do the shorter faster and long conditioning rides needed over the next 1000 + miles. However, if you don't have time to do that get rid of 3+ stone as quickly as possible.

bigpikle

It sounds like you've got the base fitness coming along well, so actually completing the 100km should be pretty straightforward now. Your challenge is develop your power so you can push harder all the way.

Losing weight will certainly help a lot on the hills, and going slowly up hills will quickly drag down your average speed obviously, and more so on a hillier ride therefore. Assuming you are carrying a bit of 'spare' then it is essential to get off as much as possible as others have said.

But its not the ONLY thing. I rode a few reliability rides this winter and kept seeing a rider who was about your size and he was FAST. Fast up the hills, fast up the flats and could keep it going for 100km. His key was he was able to generate a lot of power as well.

I'd suggest you dont just do what lots of people do and try and just 'ride faster' over your usual routes, as that just doesnt generate results that effectively. Its probably time to introduce some more intense & short rides that will help you build your power. Combine those with longer rides to keep building your endurance and you have a good combination, as long as you rest enough to allow the adaptions to actually happen.

Maybe start by changing 1 of your weekly rides to a 2x20 session (loads written here about those) instead of just a usual ride. I'd bet if you did 1 of those sessions to the best of your ability, every week, between now and July, you'd see a pretty big increase in your performance, when combined with a 50-60 mile ride at the weekend and a 1-2 other rides in the week. They focus on your threshold power which is key in determining how hard you can ride on longer rides.

IMO the popular habit of 'hitting the hills' is less effective for newer riders looking to develop, as most UK hills are fairly short and steep, so you end up with just a few minutes of very hard work, followed by a coast down the other side. You'll be working much harder than you want for building threshold power, and for too little time and with too much rest. Find a flatter route where you pedal close to every minute without coasting down hills, and do 60-90 mins of solid hard pedaling at a steady tempo pace, that leaves you feeling well worked out when you get home - that'll give you 60-90 mins of quality work done rather than the short bursts and rests of hillier rolling courses.

Keep getting the miles in with some structure and you'll see big improvements over time, but there arent any quick fixes - you need to work hard for a long time to get your body to adapt and get stronger and fitter. Have fun

ut_och_cykla

Interesting article on Pez Cyclingabout training what you want to get good at - hills training for hills etc. Not rocket science but Bigpikles advice would agree the findings there & personally 2 x 20 (ore maybe even 3 x 20)give a lot for time invested - they need totake you out of your comfort zone tho'

twotyred

Seriously though, you are going to find nigh on impossible to get 'faster' riding solo.

:roll: I've read some rubbish on here but that takes the prize.

+1 Bigpikle. Get some structure in your training, lose the flab and the speed will come.

keef66

"i have been riding 3-4 rides per wee averaging near or just over 100 miles"

I think I've spotted the problem; you need to be drinking more....

rick_chasey

Cycle more .

Tom Dean

cyco2 wrote:

Next time you go for a ride and you get to a climb stop your computer for the climb. You're not made for being an effective climber so exclude them from your calculation. This way you will not have to do the shorter faster and long conditioning rides needed over the next 1000 + miles. However, if you don't have time to do that get rid of 3+ stone as quickly as possible.

Switch your computer off when you're going slowly and hey presto - your average speed goes up!

oldwelshman

JGSI wrote:

Chaingang with other sportive dentists?
Seriously though, you are going to find nigh on impossible to get 'faster' riding solo.

Oh dear, I must be training wrong then
Interesting if you explain your reasoning for this ?