Improving Bike SPEED
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derek5 posted 25 weeks ago.
More miles in the saddle for sure. One leg drills. Offseason strength training. More time in the saddle :-)
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TryScott posted 25 weeks ago.
Definitely what derek5 said. +1
the wrench at the LBS told me using rollers instead of trainers is a good way to improve form and efficiency, resulting in some free speed.
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tonymeans posted 25 weeks ago.
Most of the time the problem is cadence and milage ... in your next season training concentrate on keeping your cadence ( rpm's )above 95, the higher the better off you will be. Most people focus on strength before they develop leg suppleness which winds up costing them the ability to spin up to a good speed and then maintain it. You need to focus on this for a couple of months during the winter.If you watch Lance Armstrong during the tour he is spinning much faster than most people around him and in the hills he takes off doing the same thing.Higher cadences develops your lung capacity, improves your ability to process oxygen and helps you to use your leg muscles more efficently....I hope this helps you
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gregeorge posted 25 weeks ago.
great advice guys, thank you! a for the Shiv, im in! Let me know when my order arrives :-)
ill keep you posted. i agree with the time in saddle issue. been dealing with a business merger on my old company for a few mos, and have had limited time to train as i would have hoped. either way, plan for next year is about 80 mi per week if possible. thx!
Vision without action is hallucination.
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wirebook posted 25 weeks ago.
More miles in the saddle for sure.
That said - pickup a trainer. It's way quicker/easier than trying to fit in an outdoors ride. And the cheap $80 little red one at Performance works fine for all but most scenarious (it tops out at about 320w or so). Trainers help you get the most out of your time as you can leave your bike on it, hop on the bike, ride for 60 minutes, hop off and be in the shower 30 seconds later.
There's a lot of fancy training you can get into (high cadence, low cadence, intervals, pyramids, sets, blah blah blah) (I only say blah blah because I do them too)....but...based on what you've said - you just simply need more time in the bike. :)
You're speed will dramatically improve if you can just get three rides in a week;
2x 45-60 minutes (weekday on trainer)
1x Long ride (weekend)
Good luck!
-Ray
Tri Blog: Http://dcrainmaker.blogspot.com
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VANZK posted 25 weeks ago.
Trainer, but train hard.
I use mine for specific HR and cadence workouts.
Don't count the days, make days count.
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gfd posted 25 weeks ago.
All great advice. Seeing on your profile that you live in NC means that you can ride all or most of the winter months. Take a few months and make them bike specific for your offseason improvement plan. That doesn't mean that you can't run and bike as well, just prioritize the biking. Have a plan for your workouts. Some might be intervals or long sustained efforts at a certain HR. Some might be to increase mileage. Some just for enjoying the day. But ride whenever you can.
"If we help someone else up a steep hill, we get nearer to the top ourselves." ~Unknown~
~Garen~
http://baldhungariantriproject.blogspot.com/
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PJT posted 25 weeks ago.
Very good advice so far--increased mileage, quality trainer workouts, always having a plan, and riding 3x a week or more are keys.
Here are my typical in-season bike workouts in a week:
1. Long ride--aiming for target HR during the race and working on pacing, nutrition, position, etc. Staring at 2+ hours in April and reaching 6+ in July. This is not "long slow" as I've found all that makes me do is ride too slow. Those times are for IM training. If you're doing an Oly as your longest race I would still consider getting the long ride up to around 2.5 to 3 hours. With the exception of IM, you want the bike distance at your goal race to seem short compared to your workouts. That's what sets you up for a good run.
2. Group ride at easy to moderate pace--30 miles. Work on skills like paceline riding, etc.
3. Group ride at suicide pace--40 miles all out. My goal here is to see how long I can hang with the leaders (or, when I'm riding in the lead group, how many pulls I can take). It hurts a lot. I sometimes do a 15 minute run at the end of this ride.
4. If the schedule calls for it, a 1 hour super easy recovery ride.
Pick hilly routes for most of your training rides (I'm guessing races in NC tend to be pretty hilly). It's fun to hammer the flats, but you don't learn to climb that way.
Just by doing this, I picked up roughly 1 MPH last year and 1 MPH this year (moving from 21.5 to 23.7 in a small midseason sprint race) with identical equipment.
A quick note on rollers: I tend to view them as a great complement to a resistance trainer, but not a substitute. If I could only have one I'd get a trainer. Form is important to work on, but a trainer lets you work really hard and that is more important.
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TriSooner posted 25 weeks ago.
jwillia852 wrote:
You sound like a perfect candidate for the Specialized Shiv...
That's full of win! Better than my snarky "buy a fast bike!" If you were riding a 30lb steel frame with a 'slow moving vehicle' flag, that would be one thing. But in your case, it's not the bike.
gregeorge wrote:
I know im opening a BIG can of worms on this post, but ive searched around the web, and havent found alot of real good answers to this question.
Not really a controversial question, and the only good answers are Training and Time. Ride more (preferably with faster people), be smart in your off-season (ie, trainer, running, weights, etc), and give it several seasons. If I were to recommend one thing and one thing only, I'd say find a roadie crew and try to hang with them in their weekly shop rides. Costs nothing, it's not complicated, just bring a map and your cell phone.
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katarddx posted 25 weeks ago.
intervals, intervals and when you had enough.... do more speed intervals.
CroatiaN SensatioN
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gregeorge posted 25 weeks ago.
Again, thank you for all your input. These are some great tips, and exactly what i was hoping for.
Thanks very much.
GG
Vision without action is hallucination.
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tribarwarrior posted 21 weeks ago.
i go as fast and hard as I can up hills, long hills that are between 2 - 5k's long! (suppose it could classified as strength training), +1 on time in the saddle but you need to work those fast twitch muscle fibres, lots time in the saddle at an easy pace won't really make you fast, you have to ride fast to get fast! So hit the hills hard or ride into the wind with a high tempo (keeping your cadence between 80 - 100rpm) on the longest stretch of your ride instead of with it and slowly but surely you'll get faster! strength and conditioning is the key!
You know you're a triathlete when your massage oil says: "Strictly for external use on animals"
What are some good methods for bike speed performance!?!?!?
I know im opening a BIG can of worms on this post, but ive searched around the web, and havent found alot of real good answers to this question.
I just finished my second tri, and im real frustrated at my bike portion. swim is moderate, bike is 16-17 race pace, and run is weak because bike is beating me down.
I dont feel im that under trained overall (this may be the case), but the bike is whats so frustrating at this point. I ride about 30 mi./week avg.
Im riding a Trek 1.2 road bike with clip on bars, and speed play pedals. Wheels are factory bontrager alum, and cranks/gears/etc are all factory issue.
If anyone who has been riding for a while could give me some insight on training methods, plans, or exercises, i would GREATLY appreciate it. Im mainly doing sprint races, and plan to do at least 1 Oly next year.
Thanks in advance!
Vision without action is hallucination.