Raising average speed

andyeb

I've been getting into road cycling over the past 6 months or so - kind of happened by accident, as I started doing more and more of my 60 mile round-trip commute by bike, eventually doing the whole distance once or twice a week. When I'm doing that kind of distance, I need to pace myself and normally cruise at around 20 mph.

I also go out at the weekends and explore local country lanes, sometimes I go for a "short and sharp" ride, to push myself a bit and I always come back feeling great.

But... it doesn't seem to matter what I do, in terms of varying distance, route, terrain, conscious effort exerted, I always seem to end up with an average speed of 16.8-16.9 miles an hour. I'm frustrated by this, because I'd like to see my average speed creeping up over time, but this just isn't happening.

Even focussing on good hydration and adequate fuelling (especially on longer rides) doesn't seem to make any difference.

At one stage I wondered if I was over-training, but I've had 1+ week off while the weather has been bad, until today when I went out and averaged 16.9 MPH again :roll:

Any ideas how to progress in this area?

thanks,

Andrew

P.S. I'm taking the average speed from both my cycle computer and the Sports Tracker app on my iPhone.

ShutUpLegs

Is any part of your route duel carraigeways?

andyeb

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Is any part of your route duel carraigeways?

There's one very short section of dual carriage way, but otherwise it's mostly A-roads. I have surprisingly few stops - sometimes I can travel the whole 30 mile distance only stopping 2-4 times.

cyco2

Tell us about your physiological state, bike, road conditions. Every little detail because not changing one thing can make a significant difference.
After all you may be a Mr. Blobby with a backpack on a unicycle riding Farm roads admiring all the cows in the fields. But in the mean time pedal faster in a wacking great big gear and don't stop. :oops:

Ringo 68

I have been doing a short 15 mile ride lately which includes 2 really hard hills (for me anyway), one almost straight after the other. I have noticed that since doing this route everything else just seems a bit easier and my average speed is slowly creeping up all the time.

Wirral_paul

Have you considered joining a club?? This should push your ability on a bit - riding further and at more varied pace. I find myself that I tend to settle into a "comfortable" pace when on my own and so the average speed stabilised. Forcing myself to have to ride faster and to push myself more in the early days of joining the club pushed my fitness up a level very quickly and now when riding alone, my comfortable pace is a good 1.5mph average faster.

andyeb

cyco2 wrote:

Tell us about your physiological state, bike, road conditions. Every little detail because not changing one thing can make a significant difference.
After all you may be a Mr. Blobby with a backpack on a unicycle riding Farm roads admiring all the cows in the fields. But in the mean time pedal faster in a wacking great big gear and don't stop. :oops:

Aged 34, 75Kg/11.8 stone, 5'11". I'm riding a Jamis Ventura Comp (6 months old), SPD pedals, full lycra kit :oops:. Typical road conditions are dry but some of them are pretty rough - I get a fair amount of road "buzz", despite having carbon forks.

I have a cycle computer with cadence - I typically run with a cadence of 90-100 RPM. I tend to spin up even the steepest hills, but recently I've started pushing harder gears and coming out of the saddle a bit.

I do usually ride with a back pack (containing tools, pump, spare inner, phone), but it is fairly aerodynamic and not too heavy.

Ringo 68

Wirral_Paul wrote:

Have you considered joining a club?? This should push your ability on a bit - riding further and at more varied pace. I find myself that I tend to settle into a "comfortable" pace when on my own and so the average speed stabilised. Forcing myself to have to ride faster and to push myself more in the early days of joining the club pushed my fitness up a level very quickly and now when riding alone, my comfortable pace is a good 1.5mph average faster.

Sorry to hi-jack the thread but what club do recommend on the Wirral?

I'm from Bromborough so Eureka is just down the road.

cyco2

Road buzz can be a real killer on speed. If you want an instant speed fix then get some aero bars. In time your weight will reduce so that will help. What is your pedalling style?

Wirral_paul

Ringo 68 wrote:

Wirral_Paul wrote:

Have you considered joining a club?? This should push your ability on a bit - riding further and at more varied pace. I find myself that I tend to settle into a "comfortable" pace when on my own and so the average speed stabilised. Forcing myself to have to ride faster and to push myself more in the early days of joining the club pushed my fitness up a level very quickly and now when riding alone, my comfortable pace is a good 1.5mph average faster.

Sorry to hi-jack the thread but what club do recommend on the Wirral?

I'm from Bromborough so Eureka is just down the road.

Hi

I'm in Port Sunlight Wheelers myself. The biggest club is Birkenhead North End but obviously Port Sunlight is better!! :D

Drop me a PM if you want some details Ringo. Club rides are typically around the 70 mile mark. Cheshire or N Wales typically

jgsi

Well, you could sign up for a 25, have steam coming out of your backside and perhaps you might up your 'average'.
It's a number thing pinned on you that makes the difference.
In addition , group riding with your betters will have extra speed rubbing off on you after due diligence... i.e. avoiding getting dropped.