Should I try and slow down ?

jimmies

I've been road riding for only 6 weeks and been building up nice and slow. I'm getting out on average every other day, sometimes just for a little blast and maybe every third ride I go for my longer runs.

Since I started my average speed has been between 14 and 15 mph no matter what the distance - I guess this just feels like my natural pace. All my rides ....be it short or longer ones have a hills and descent. There seems not to be a flat route out of my local area.

Yesterday I went on my longest ride to date (26miles) and I was shattered......but my average was still 14.7mph

My question is should I slow it down to help get my distance up or continue on just riding to what feels like a natural speed? I'm pretty un-fit at the moment and I'm mainly looking to lose weight - I'm 15.5st and want to lose around 1 stone.

DavidJB

Continue riding at your pace and increase the distance every time you go out...make sure you're having a couple of days off the bike a week as well to recover.

Graeme Jones

What I find works for me is on the shorter rides that I go on will be 20-25miles I will generally warm up on the road and then stick with a fast pace (for me) for the entire route and average around 17mph+ but when I plan a bigger route 40miles+ I make sure I start our slower and start picking up the pace after 10-15 miles and then get in to a rhythm and pick up the pace as normally by this point you feel good and ready to pick it up a bit. This does result in a drop in the average by 1 or 2 mph but thats expected on a longer journey that you've started softer on.

I have been riding since June and was averaging 13mph over 10 miles and now I can hold over 17mph for 25miles and 16mph for 40 miles+ so it just comes with time.

Priorities change-
Eat
Sleep
Rest
Train regularly (within reason)
Weight loss if needed. I have gone from 16stone to 13stone since Christmas and this helps to increase the pace!

Everything will fall in to place.

jimmies

cheers for the advice...

My legs ache today after my ride yesterday but I know tomorrow they will be fine for my normal 12-16 mile dash. I guess as I progress I'll have to think more about conserving my energy when I'm on my long (for me !) rides, as yesterday I was wiped out coming back into town up a hill......thankfully the last mile to my house is flatish and I sat behind a chap who was just starting and going out slowly warming up.

karlth

Average speed doesn't mean much. Take an example - commute to work (rural, over hills) - 15.5mph. 20 mile route on Saturday over even more hills - 13.8mph as far as the pub - after last mile and a half and another 200' climb to home - average 12.9mph.

"Hills" around here means 75-100' ascent per mile, so a 20 mile route would have 1500-2000' of climbing in it. Definitions of "hilly" differ, you see.

So don't get hung up on average speed on its own. You can only compare one ride with itself, really.

jimmies

I hear what you are saying.....all my routes so far are averaging between 45 and 60 feet per mile......which as a complete newbie is plenty hilly for me at the moment.

I suppose my question was more based around would slowing down a bit help me put the miles on or should I stick to what feels my natural pace at any given time.

On a side note - on thing I have found strange is, when I get over the top of a hard hill (for me) I find the flat bit just after the peak harder than the last 50metres of the hill itself.....I guess I get into a rhythm on the hill then lose it as I relax over the top

karlth

jimmies wrote:

I hear what you are saying.....all my routes so far are averaging between 45 and 60 feet per mile......which as a complete newbie is plenty hilly for me at the moment.

I suppose my question was more based around would slowing down a bit help me put the miles on or should I stick to what feels my natural pace at any given time.

On a side note - on thing I have found strange is, when I get over the top of a hard hill (for me) I find the flat bit just after the peak harder than the last 50metres of the hill itself.....I guess I get into a rhythm on the hill then lose it as I relax over the top

I climb like crap, so I'm no guide, but it's very easy to let up towards the top. Don't relax until you're over the crest.

I don't think I'd slow down in order to build up distance unless I was absolutely knackered at the end of my current distance and couldn't carry on if I tried.

Rulebritania

I started on the 19th Aug with a 10.9 mile in 45 mins, I did like you on different routes about 10 miles at 14mph avr. but every 3rd ride I increased the distance by over 5 miles. Then last Wed I did a 34 miler by slowing my pace to 12.5mph. Today I re-rode my first ever ride and took of 4mins. I am chuffed with it.

I will be doing longer rides at a comfortable pace and endeavoring to attacking the hills and not dropping my cadence. I love hill work only at the mo I'm crap but they say longer time in the saddle each ride is what does it.

unixnerd

Don't worry about your speed for now, just get out and enjoy the bike.

A mix of longer runs and shorter ones where you work harder would be my advice.

smidsy

No pont going off like a scalded cat for the first 10 miles to find your out of puff in the latter stages of the ride.

Take a good 5 miles to warm up before increasing the pace to what you feel comfortable with and then concentrate on your cadence not your speed. It is better for long term stamina to spin at 80+ in a smaller gear than push a big gear at say 60. Your muscles will tire out way before your cardio.

Also take the last 5 miles easier to warm down before getting home - then stretch and get your recovery drink/food in within 30 mins of stopping.

Do mid disctance two or three or even four times a week and one long run in a week to gradually increase your (stamina) time in the saddle. Once you get the base fitness up you can start with more focused sessions depending on your goals.

Graeme Jones

karlth wrote:

Average speed doesn't mean much. You can only compare one ride with itself, really.

I forgot to add average speed is more useful if you do the same route and you can compare, or the strava segments can help understand your efforts.

GSJ

After a ride, I have a hot shower, but before I get out the shower I put the water on coldest and rinse each leg for about a minute, feels amazing when you step out of shower and they don't seem to ache the following day, or it may just be in my head :P

siamon

unixnerd wrote:

Don't worry about your speed for now, just get out and enjoy the bike.

A mix of longer runs and shorter ones where you work harder would be my advice.

+1

Even slowing down 1mph could make a big difference to how far you can go.

DavidJB

smidsy wrote:

No pont going off like a scalded cat for the first 10 miles to find your out of puff in the latter stages of the ride.

Take a good 5 miles to warm up before increasing the pace to what you feel comfortable with and then concentrate on your cadence not your speed. It is better for long term stamina to spin at 80+ in a smaller gear than push a big gear at say 60. Your muscles will tire out way before your cardio.

Also take the last 5 miles easier to warm down before getting home - then stretch and get your recovery drink/food in within 30 mins of stopping.

Do mid disctance two or three or even four times a week and one long run in a week to gradually increase your (stamina) time in the saddle. Once you get the base fitness up you can start with more focused sessions depending on your goals.

+1 although I don't agree you need recovery drink/food after a 20 mile ride!

I train/race 15 hours a week (5-6 days a week), warm up and warm down is hugely important so I can give it my all every day. I always warm up for at least 15 minutes on a training ride if the ride > 3 hours probably 20odd minutes depending on the session and conversely I start taking it easier 15 minutes before the session ends and stretch when I get home .

Your recovery will get better as you get fitter. I can recover from a hard 60 mile session (hill sprints hard) by the evening just by warming up, warming down, stretching and getting in a recovery shake. Fitness plays a big role in recovery time as well I have found. When I started cycling seriously 3 years ago I was in your situation a 15 mile ride would have me aching for days! It will get better!

On your days off do as little as possible to get the maximum possible rest. Easy during the week as I can sit in the office...not so easy if I ever get a rest day on the weekend and the women has doing 'house jobs' all over the place :x

Edit: Went a little off topic, as you can tell I think recovery is just as important as riding! If you go great guns right off that bat you will get knackered right away...I'd consider myself in good shape...if I started sprinting about right off the bat without a warm up I'd be battered within 10 miles or less! A good warm up is essential!