Cyclin faster

BMKN

I seem to be stuck at the same speeds not improving, I'm able to maintain 22mph on flat ground easilymy legs won't let me go faster, I tend to average between 17-18mph on my work commute and between 16-17mph on weekends, these are up mountain cycles, I want to get faster in both areas I easily put in 200+ mile weeks so it's not time in the saddle.
Advice is greatly appreciated

Lumen

BMKN wrote: »

I'm able to maintain 22mph on flat ground easily my legs won't let me go faster

If you're able to maintain 35kph easily, why not just cycle faster? You'll win everything.

nomdeboardie

I'm trying to break out of a rut with my "Strava segments" - any improvement trend is very slow . I don't belong to a club or race. So I my bank balance took the plunge :eek: on the Garmin Edge 500 bundle to see if the "virtual partner over a course" and various real-time metrics might help pace me etc. Still messing with setup etc. (hours of endless fun ). Don't know if you have one or similar, and don't know yet if it will actually help me - I'll probably report my thoughts on the unit at some stage.

BMKN

Yeah I'm just using bulk standar bikehut speedo, that's a good idea it's very hard to improve when u r not in a club I suppose.

nomdeboardie wrote: »

I'm trying to break out of a rut with my "Strava segments" - any improvement trend is very slow . I don't belong to a club or race. So I my bank balance took the plunge :eek: on the Garmin Edge 500 to see if the "virtual partner over a course" might help pace me etc. Still messing with setup etc. (hours of endless fun ). Don't know if you have one or similar, and don't know yet if it will actually help me - I'll probably report my thoughts on the unit at some stage.

BMKN

Because my legs are not able to maintain 24mph for Lon periods of time, it's really annoying

Lumen wrote: »

BMKN wrote: »

I'm able to maintain 22mph on flat ground easily my legs won't let me go faster

If you're able to maintain 35kph easily, why not just cycle faster? You'll win everything.

cdaly_

BMKN wrote: »

Because my legs are not able to maintain 24mph for Lon periods of time, it's really annoying

How fast are you pedalling? Low cadence might burn you out faster. Higher cadence (~90rpm) should be long-term sustainable.

BMKN

I don't have a speedo that measures cadence, is there any iPhone apps out there?

cdaly_ wrote: »

BMKN wrote: »

Because my legs are not able to maintain 24mph for Lon periods of time, it's really annoying

How fast are you pedalling? Low cadence might burn you out faster. Higher cadence (~90rpm) should be long-term sustainable.

Dubba

Have you tried doing intervals?

Sprint intervals, e.g. 8 X 30sec max sprint with 3min rest between.
This is harder than it sounds, I've found around 15sec is tops I can hold an all out sprint for.

Hill reps, hill sprints and 1hr TT efforts are good to mix into your training if your doing long steady spins and find your progress plateauing.

opti0nal

BMKN wrote: »

I don't have a speedo that measures cadence, is there any iPhone apps out there?

To measure cadence, you need a magnet on the crank and a detector on the frame nearby, so an app is not going to do it.

Why do you want to go faster? What you need to do depends on the answer.

Riding in a group will help your tactics, handling, efficiency and morale.

Are you overweight? Eating correctly for the ride? Speed comes from effective gearing, pacing, aerodynamics, being the correct weight, muscular strength and great cardio-vascular response.

So, which is your weakness?

Rita1

Sprint intervals, e.g. 8 X 30sec max sprint with 3min rest between.
This is harder than it sounds, I've found around 15sec is tops I can hold an all out sprint for.

Hill reps, hill sprints and 1hr TT efforts are good to mix into your training if your doing long steady spins and find your progress plateauing

This sounds great but tough, I might give it ago.

Dubba

Rita1 wrote: »

This sounds great but tough, I might give it ago.

Can't hurt... actually scratch that, it does :pac:

Lusk Doyle

Dubba wrote: »

Rita1 wrote: »

This sounds great but tough, I might give it ago.

Can't hurt... actually scratch that, it does :pac:

Which is the point! If it doesn't hurt it ain't working or you ain't trying hard enough!

Dubba

No chance of it not hurting if your working hard enough.

Rita1

If it doesn't hurt it ain't working or you ain't trying hard enough!

Very True

Harrybelafonte

BMKN wrote: »

I don't have a speedo that measures cadence, is there any iPhone apps out there?

Pick one leg, count its pedal strokes for 15 seconds then multiply by 4.