+3mph...how hard?

blackpoolkev

blackpoolkev wrote:

Bear in mind the effort needed to overcome wind resistance goes up very sharply with airspeed, in fact as a cube function.

I'm certainly no expert with the detail of the maths/physics,I simply read it in a book.Here are some numbers that were used as an example:
"if you output 15watts of power to travel at15kph,you would need to output 120watts(15 x 2 x 2 x 2 =120) to double your speed to 30kph"
Apparently though this eqation doesn't stand up at very low speeds.

ianbar

while i do like the tech side of cycling all these numbers are confusing it, although i guess the point is to keep going faster you require a greater effort to achieve it and thats ho wi will think of it! lol

bagz3

cje wrote:

Just keep riding. You'll get fitter, and faster. I was quite slow when I started (a year ago) but now I average about 17mph over an 'undulating' 40 mile route, and 18 mph if it's flat. And I weigh more than you!

+1, even the heavier part

slowbike

blackpoolkev wrote:

blackpoolkev wrote:

Bear in mind the effort needed to overcome wind resistance goes up very sharply with airspeed, in fact as a cube function.

I'm certainly no expert with the detail of the maths/physics,I simply read it in a book.Here are some numbers that were used as an example:
"if you output 15watts of power to travel at15kph,you would need to output 120watts(15 x 2 x 2 x 2 =120) to double your speed to 30kph"
Apparently though this eqation doesn't stand up at very low speeds.

You're forgetting momentum - I find that once I push myself to accelerate to "the next level" I can sustain that next level more easily ... until the gradient increases ...

Xcelerator

+3mph is definitely achievable but it depends on the route/terrain. My average across all rides has only increased slightly this season (possibly +1mph and is now in the region of 15-16mph), but then again, the stronger and fitter I get the more hills I attempt, and steeper hills at that, so it's not really a fair comparison over time. Ultimately, though I am getting more enjoyment out of rides by being able to get up hills I couldn't get up a year ago, so average speed over a whole ride is of interest to me, but not the be all and end all.

ianbar

its not the be and all for me either but to justify buying a bike and also to help push me on really. although the more i ride my caad and achieve more the more i love her so might just be a case of some swanky wheels! and a really fancy gps but who knows! also i want to get slimmer so its kind of swings and roundabouts the harder i train the more weight should lose more weight i lose the faster i should get so really i should be able to improve.

ianbar

also as i see myself (and have been told) i won't ever be brilliant at climbing due to mother nature, i also like to get the climbs in, not tackled a cat3 yet but hit at least 1 cat4 every ride and done 2 today for example.

daxplusplus

How about a slightly different target on your rides rather than average speed? So rather than trying to hit a particular average speed target over the whole route try breaking it down to smaller, just about achievable targets. As you cycle along for an hour or two then having lots of smaller targets is probably better than one huge target.

More interesting and, I find, more achievable.

So personally I try to:

1. Keep above a particlar speed when faced with a small uphill section - only you really know what speed is achievable for you for a particular uphill section but for me I'll try and stay above 20mph (it's a bit of a magic number for me and my level of fitness). For instance, there's a particular hill I ride down at 30mph - I will try to keep above 20mph when after the descent there is a short uphill section. It's not easy to do but not impossible either .. I maybe do it 50% of the time. There are other, easy hills where I try to speed up 20mph for the last 100m.

2. Try to hit a silly top speed. There's another road with a very slight descent for approx 1/4 mile so I stay above 20mph and then I try to hit 30 ASAP and hold that to the end. This is fun (becuase of the speed and gravity assistance) but I don't usually hit 30. Nice when it happens but really it's the effort of going for it as fast as you can over a set distance.

3. Get more aero. It's the easist way to get speed. It's not a fitness thing but it's something that you should attmpt to work at. Unfortunately I'm pretty lazy when it comes to using the drops - the hoods are just so much more comfortable so I have a rule that I usually follow. If I get above a certain speed (for me it's 20 mph again, it'll be different for everyone) then I will always go onto the drops. I will then try to keep at or above 20mph and on the drops for as long as I can. This does two things; I become more aero just when I need to and I associate speed with the drops (so hopefully it becomes second nature - I want to go faster so I get on the drops .. it appears to be working).

4. Peddle hard on the down bits too. If you get up as much speed as you can on a descent you may be able to link two fast parts of a route (esp. combined with 1). It doesn't really matter that, after linking the two fast parts that your completely knackered and your average for the whole ride plummets .. long term if you keep at it your fitness/tactics will improve and therefore so will your average.

I'm sure there a loads of other "games" you can play when out and about - but these have/are working for me.

I got my first road bike last August and although I don't log average speeds (as they are so dependent on a million and one variables) I know I'm really improving - my times for 25 miles have come down, I'm doing a 150 mile commute over 3 days, I've done 20 miles in under an hour (wind assisted but I don't care), I did the Dragon Sportive (80 miles) last month with one days notice - no probs (the longer route profile looks scary though) and to cap it all I've even started to hit 30mph on the flats! (road surface permitting). All of this through lots and lots of effort (over something like 5-6000 miles). Unfortunately it is an effort thing and not just the miles .. to improve you have to force your body to do more than it's used to .. same as any sport I guess.

Anyway just my 2 cents for improving your average speed. Good luck!

♠ChumBucket♠

DaxPlusPlus wrote:

How about a slightly different target on your rides rather than average speed? So rather than trying to hit a particular average speed target over the whole route try breaking it down to smaller, just about achievable targets. As you cycle along for an hour or two then having lots of smaller targets is probably better than one huge target.

More interesting and, I find, more achievable.

So personally I try to:

1. Keep above a particlar speed when faced with a small uphill section - only you really know what speed is achievable for you for a particular uphill section but for me I'll try and stay above 20mph (it's a bit of a magic number for me and my level of fitness). For instance, there's a particular hill I ride down at 30mph - I will try to keep above 20mph when after the descent there is a short uphill section. It's not easy to do but not impossible either .. I maybe do it 50% of the time. There are other, easy hills where I try to speed up 20mph for the last 100m.

2. Try to hit a silly top speed. There's another road with a very slight descent for approx 1/4 mile so I stay above 20mph and then I try to hit 30 ASAP and hold that to the end. This is fun (becuase of the speed and gravity assistance) but I don't usually hit 30. Nice when it happens but really it's the effort of going for it as fast as you can over a set distance.

3. Get more aero. It's the easist way to get speed. It's not a fitness thing but it's something that you should attmpt to work at. Unfortunately I'm pretty lazy when it comes to using the drops - the hoods are just so much more comfortable so I have a rule that I usually follow. If I get above a certain speed (for me it's 20 mph again, it'll be different for everyone) then I will always go onto the drops. I will then try to keep at or above 20mph and on the drops for as long as I can. This does two things; I become more aero just when I need to and I associate speed with the drops (so hopefully it becomes second nature - I want to go faster so I get on the drops .. it appears to be working).

4. Peddle hard on the down bits too. If you get up as much speed as you can on a descent you may be able to link two fast parts of a route (esp. combined with 1). It doesn't really matter that, after linking the two fast parts that your completely knackered and your average for the whole ride plummets .. long term if you keep at it your fitness/tactics will improve and therefore so will your average.

I'm sure there a loads of other "games" you can play when out and about - but these have/are working for me.

I got my first road bike last August and although I don't log average speeds (as they are so dependent on a million and one variables) I know I'm really improving - my times for 25 miles have come down, I'm doing a 150 mile commute over 3 days, I've done 20 miles in under an hour (wind assisted but I don't care), I did the Dragon Sportive (80 miles) last month with one days notice - no probs (the longer route profile looks scary though) and to cap it all I've even started to hit 30mph on the flats! (road surface permitting). All of this through lots and lots of effort (over something like 5-6000 miles). Unfortunately it is an effort thing and not just the miles .. to improve you have to force your body to do more than it's used to .. same as any sport I guess.

Anyway just my 2 cents for improving your average speed. Good luck!

Brilliant post, thanks for sharing.

ianbar

been out this morning, 27 miles flatter than normal but felt shattered yet averaged 14.8 which very happy with today.

the_spooks

DaxPlusPlus wrote:

How about a slightly different target on your rides rather than average speed? So rather than trying to hit a particular average speed target over the whole route try breaking it down to smaller, just about achievable targets. As you cycle along for an hour or two then having lots of smaller targets is probably better than one huge target.

More interesting and, I find, more achievable.

So personally I try to:

1. Keep above a particlar speed when faced with a small uphill section - only you really know what speed is achievable for you for a particular uphill section but for me I'll try and stay above 20mph (it's a bit of a magic number for me and my level of fitness). For instance, there's a particular hill I ride down at 30mph - I will try to keep above 20mph when after the descent there is a short uphill section. It's not easy to do but not impossible either .. I maybe do it 50% of the time. There are other, easy hills where I try to speed up 20mph for the last 100m.

2. Try to hit a silly top speed. There's another road with a very slight descent for approx 1/4 mile so I stay above 20mph and then I try to hit 30 ASAP and hold that to the end. This is fun (becuase of the speed and gravity assistance) but I don't usually hit 30. Nice when it happens but really it's the effort of going for it as fast as you can over a set distance.

3. Get more aero. It's the easist way to get speed. It's not a fitness thing but it's something that you should attmpt to work at. Unfortunately I'm pretty lazy when it comes to using the drops - the hoods are just so much more comfortable so I have a rule that I usually follow. If I get above a certain speed (for me it's 20 mph again, it'll be different for everyone) then I will always go onto the drops. I will then try to keep at or above 20mph and on the drops for as long as I can. This does two things; I become more aero just when I need to and I associate speed with the drops (so hopefully it becomes second nature - I want to go faster so I get on the drops .. it appears to be working).

4. Peddle hard on the down bits too. If you get up as much speed as you can on a descent you may be able to link two fast parts of a route (esp. combined with 1). It doesn't really matter that, after linking the two fast parts that your completely knackered and your average for the whole ride plummets .. long term if you keep at it your fitness/tactics will improve and therefore so will your average.

I'm sure there a loads of other "games" you can play when out and about - but these have/are working for me.

I got my first road bike last August and although I don't log average speeds (as they are so dependent on a million and one variables) I know I'm really improving - my times for 25 miles have come down, I'm doing a 150 mile commute over 3 days, I've done 20 miles in under an hour (wind assisted but I don't care), I did the Dragon Sportive (80 miles) last month with one days notice - no probs (the longer route profile looks scary though) and to cap it all I've even started to hit 30mph on the flats! (road surface permitting). All of this through lots and lots of effort (over something like 5-6000 miles). Unfortunately it is an effort thing and not just the miles .. to improve you have to force your body to do more than it's used to .. same as any sport I guess.

Anyway just my 2 cents for improving your average speed. Good luck!

Great post. Only got my road bike last year and I was regularly getting dropped on hills and struggled on the flats, now in the last month or so I have noticed a difference.
From my cycle computer my avg was 15-16 but as I said on the same routes it's increased to 17-18 and feeling great afterwards. top speeds have increased, I spend a lot more time on front rather than wheel sucking in a group and trying to almost race with my mates at times, still get done in on sprints though lol
Seems like its doable to up your speed but it takes time, and lots of it in the saddle, along with a fair amount of effort.
Good luck to OP, but enjoy your cycling

ianbar

Following up my ride on Saturday I went out for a short blast yesterday afternoon, a usual nourish route with cat 4 climb in the middle. Averaged 15mph and got back couple of mins inside an hour way faster than I have ever done it by quite a big margin. Soi am finding I am pushing myself harder and realising I have a little more in my legs than I thought I had.
Will focus on certain things next week or so and see if I can continue to improve!