How long until I stop being slow?! :)

I started relatively old, was doing 12 mile circuits at 12mph at first (was on a MTB) after a while aimed at 15mph for same circuit, now aiming at 20mph, same with C2C ride first one was over 3 days, next one 2 days, in may will do it in a day. Just take it a step at a time, you'll get there, It won't get any easier, you'll just push a bit harder as the weeks/months go by, before you know it you'll be up to speed with regular cyclists. One tip that made a difference to me was find a gear that you can push comfortably, then go up a cog so you're spinning slightly faster than you would. This will make the heart work harder rather than the thighs and give you more endurance - good luck

Difficult one this. Guess it depends how often you go out and how hard you push.

I started 4 weeks ago after a 20 year break (now ahem 40). I am active but not fit (run around picking motorbikes up when they crash - long story).

The first time I went out I tried for 8 miles on a basically flat route (few shallow climbs but by no means hills) and had to stop before the end - thought I would never get there.

I have been out on that route 8 or 9 times since and I have also now upped my route to a 13 mile loop and tagged on to a few local chaps who are putting up with my feeble attempts (which I can now do in about 55 mins). So all in all I have been out about 12 times in 4 weeks (hardly epic).

I have found that although it does not feel particularly easy I am progressing and it is surprising how the improvement creeps up on you.

I guess if you are only able to go out once a week it is going to take exponentially longer than if you go out 3 or 4 times a week.

Anyway keep going out and keep turning the pedals and the rest will just happen.

In general you need to aim to do something 3 times a week to improve fitness. General fitness will help so even if you can't get on the bike durign a week it will help if you could do something else instead. Failign that set your self targets and try to do a bit more each time you get out. It'll be slower that way but you'l get there if you keep at it.

Rick Chasey wrote:

smidsy wrote:

Anyway keep going out and keep turning the pedals and the rest will just happen.

Best advice there is.

+1

The more you can get out and the harder you push, the faster you'll get. Your speed will improve dramatically over time even riding just once a week, but you will plateau fairly quickly (6 months)

Unfortunately the you are not going to catch up with someone who has been riding 5 times a week for the last 10 years, unless you start matching their commitment.

If you can manage to find more time to ride or other ways to improve your overall fitness (spinning, gym, running, etc), then this will really help... but we all understand that finding the time can be a struggle.
An off the wall comment - you usually can find additional time to ride, but some of the available options might not sound too appealing. e.g. buying a set of lights and cycling between 9pm and 11pm regardless of the weather... it's a lot easier to do in the summer, but when it's raining and a bit cold (obviously not when it's icy), it might not sound that appealing.

I think it's all about making choices and basing your fitness expectations on these choices. The bottom line is that most people's aim is to enjoying themselves, so there is a balance that needs to be had.

You will make massive progress if you get out more. I went from struggling to do 6-7 miles to keeping up on 60-70 mile club runs in less than a year. Set yourself a mileage goal of 100 miles a week (this may seem huge) and you will be amazed how quickly you will move on. Try to get out 3-4 times in the week on an evening for around an hour, then do a couple of 30's at the weekend. You will lose weight and everything will seem easier.

When I returned to cycling after a 25 year break I started gently at just 6.4 miles 3-4 times a week, then increased it every two weeks by 10% until after a couple of months I decided to try and do a 40 miler.

Very painful but did it, then every week end for a few months did it until the pain stopped, then upped to 60-70 miles, with 20-30 miles 2-3 times in the week.

Now do 150 -200 miles in the winter and 200-300 miles a week in the summer.

You just have to keep persevering, as the distance increases so does the speed as you push yourself harder.

Joining a club may be one of the best things you could do, and just ride with the slow group to start with then slowly you will see the performance gains.

HTH

structured training can help you a lot if you are restricted by time/mileage

I remember the example of a Cross country champion winning with 1/2 the training miles of the 2nd place runner because he used to run up hills.

Try a Turbo trainer, doing intervals for an hour can help you focus on weak areas and work harder than if you were on the road.

eg. you can target your hill climbing -> and i know that personally for me that's were i struggle the most, its relatively easy to turn a bigger gear on the flat.. but you need real power (and power:weight ratio) for the hills

Bizarrely enough one of overlooked ways of getting better is to give your body a rest. Let it recoup its energies and let it prepare itself for further effort.

Cleat Eastwood wrote:

Bizarrely enough one of overlooked ways of getting better is to give your body a rest. Let it recoup its energies and let it prepare itself for further effort.

but as the OP is currently training at 97% rest level, could be a source of his going so slowly problem...

I'm quite new and did the first ever circuit i did the othger day 12.7 miles and in 2 months i've knocked 3 mins of my prev best. Keep going and it will happen