16 MPH wall

[earth]

I have been road riding now since 2007. I've got my base miles up, my average over short distances like 20 miles. But I just cannot break through 16 MPH average over longer distances of same 50+ miles.

Riding into a head wind seems to be the sticking point.

What can I do do break though this barrier?

 

[HLaB]

With more training you'll break it.

For some reason, when I seen the title I pictured a cyclist riding into a brick wall a 16mph and thought to myself, that it going to hurt!

 

[mr Mag00]

v v similar to me would be intereested to see answers....

 

[iLB]

pedal faster?

on a more serious note it will depend on the amount of climbing on a route, i can average 18-20mph on a flat(ish) route around Kent without to much difficulty, but to achieve 16-17mph avg in the peak district where there are far more unavoidable hills will require alot more effort, but most importantly keep going

 

[earth]

Well of course if I pedal faster then, yes, I will go faster. But I have not increased my average in 3 years! Maybe it's just psychological. When I think I am about to be sick with exhaustion I should just get up and sprint some more!!

 

[iLB]

oh, and i forgot to mention the single best way to go faster, go on group rides with people that are faster than you, it will take a few rides but eventually you will be able to keep up with them if you work at it, so join a local club

 

[Bill Gates]

But I just cannot break through 16 MPH average over longer distances of same 50+ miles.

Riding into a head wind seems to be the sticking point.

What can I do do break though this barrier?

Not that old chestnut?

If you always set out to ride at a pace to beat your previous best then you are not training to progress as you will not be recovering sufficiently.

I used to ride the same training route which was fairly lumpy and in the days before computers could only estimate distance from the rding time. I used to apply an 18 mph average for recording purposes but it was a guess. The ride in the winter and early spring took about 2 hours and it was always undertaken at a briskish pace.

My racing programme started around beginning of April and come June and July I would be regulalry knocking out times of 1 hour 40/45 minutes on the same ride at the same RPE.

Things that affected my average speed were:

Warmer temperatures
Less restrictive clothing
Fitter

The improved fitness came down to prolonged efforts at LT through racing and interval training @ LT threshold (85-95% MHR). Riding more will help but include faster and harder efforts and ease down to recover on the same ride and have some other rides at easy pace for recovery purposes.

If you do that the you can see why your average speed over the ride is meaningless. Easing down means riding at tourist pace until you've recovered.

This is better for improving speed than continously riding at tempo (75-85% MHR), which is OK for base work but not speed.

The same training principles apply if you don't race.

 

[Bill Gates]

I've not done much riding recently through the bad weather and other problems. On Saturday I rode for one hour @ easy/moderate pace and then on Sunday did 34 hilly miles @ tempo pace. The weather wasn't too cold but there was a sharp Northerly wind and my average speed was 17.8 mph. Today I rode for 30 minutes very easy.

Each ride has a purpose.

 

[addictfreak]

I have been road riding now since 2007. I've got my base miles up, my average over short distances like 20 miles. But I just cannot break through 16 MPH average over longer distances of same 50+ miles.

Riding into a head wind seems to be the sticking point.

What can I do do break though this barrier?

To be honest I would get to hung up about it. 16 mph average over 50+ is not to bad at all.
As others have said the route obvisously has a lot to do with it.
Im doing the Northern rock cyclone 104 miler and if i average 15-16 I will be a very happy chap indeed.

 

[ianrauk]

I can only dream of getting a 16mph average over 50 miles lol

 

[zacklaws]

One of the biggest problems to mess your average up is when your on the open roads, having to slow down and give way at junctions etc and other traffic problems. If your unlucky and get stopped quite a lot, it can soon have an accumulative effect on your average speed and the further you get into your ride the harder it becomes to make time up. It is on the longer rides that it gets hard to alter an average speed if your slightly behind. Set your computer to display average speed and in about the last 10 miles of a long ride you try and raise it substantially, as I have found it creeps up painfully slow, sometimes about a tenth of a mile every 2 miles. In effect if you plan on doing a 60 mile ride in 4 hours at an average of 15mph, if you do the first 2 hours at 12mph average, it then means that for 36 miles you have to rocket along at 18mph just to raise that average to 15mph, and how many rural roads can you go for 36 miles without some form of delay, which means having to travel more than 18mph to make up for these delays. And also can you keep 18+ mph up for 36 miles? Imagine a 60 mile ride hoping to achieve 18mph average? the speeds that you then need to cover delays etc

It took me a long while to do a sub 3 hour, 50 mile ride, despite being able to keep up a speed that can achieve it, I would always be a minute or two out, till one day by accident, I did it with just over 10 minutes to spare but when I looked at the route, 28 miles there and back, there was only about 4 roundabouts to negotiate and luck had been with me at them.

Careful route planning should help, by minimising, towns, junctions etc and always try and plan your route anticlockwise so that when you get to a junction you only have to worry about traffic from the right as a rule and if its a good open junction you can plan ahead to filter in.

 

[Bill Gates]

One of the biggest problems to mess your average up is when your on the open roads, having to slow down and give way at junctions etc and other traffic problems. If your unlucky and get stopped quite a lot, it can soon have an accumulative effect on your average speed and the further you get into your ride the harder it becomes to make time up. It is on the longer rides that it gets hard to alter an average speed if your slightly behind. Set your computer to display average speed and in about the last 10 miles of a long ride you try and raise it substantially, as I have found it creeps up painfully slow, sometimes about a tenth of a mile every 2 miles. In effect if you plan on doing a 60 mile ride in 4 hours at an average of 15mph, if you do the first 2 hours at 12mph average, it then means that for 36 miles you have to rocket along at 18mph just to raise that average to 15mph, and how many rural roads can you go for 36 miles without some form of delay, which means having to travel more than 18mph to make up for these delays. And also can you keep 18+ mph up for 36 miles? Imagine a 60 mile ride hoping to achieve 18mph average? the speeds that you then need to cover delays etc

It took me a long while to do a sub 50 mile ride, despite being able to keep up a speed that can achieve it, I would always be a minute or two out, till one day by accident, I did it with just over 10 minutes to spare but when I looked at the route, 28 miles there and back, there was only about 4 roundabouts to negotiate and luck had been with me at them.

Careful route planning should help, by minimising, towns, junctions etc and always try and plan your route anticlockwise so that when you get to a junction you only have to worry about traffic from the right as a rule and if its a good open junction you can plan ahead to filter in.

What is the point though?

Why not go on a busy dual carriageway and get dragged along by the traffic? Or get someone to pace you on a motorbike? Planning a route so as to improve your average speed is a bit silly IMO. It doesn't prove anything.

What is it with you guys and average speed?

If you're really that bothered then enter a 50 mile TT and then see how you go. Beat 3 hours 7 minutes and 30 seconds and bingo, you've done it. A true test of you and machine against the elements on a measured course with marshalls and timekeepers.

 

[lukesdad]

I have been road riding now since 2007. I've got my base miles up, my average over short distances like 20 miles. But I just cannot break through 16 MPH average over longer distances of same 50+ miles.

Riding into a head wind seems to be the sticking point.

What can I do do break though this barrier?

Youve reached a plateau. You need to instigate a new regime without knowing all the details its hard to say what. I understand what your trying to say but don t get hung up with average speed.

 

[Bill Gates]

Youve reached a plateau. You need to instigate a new regime without knowing all the details its hard to say what. I understand what your trying to say but don t get hung up with average speed.

Agreed. I trust your applying the same to your mile gobbling commutes. Easy rides to work and LT efforts at the weekend will do the job nicely.

 

[lukesdad]

Almost. Doing a bit of moutain biking on track at home which is short sharp climbs at weekends not pure LT training yet. First race is in june. Although doing a couple of sportives first.