Getting into good miles

[jamman]

Hi,
starting to get fitter with my cycling doing a simple there and back route of 10 miles so far quite comfortably.
I'm wanting to up the distance so I can spend around 2-3 hours on my bike for long distance training, but I'm unsure about cycling on some A and B roads nearby to me.

How do I know which one's I can cycle on and which roads are best avoided??

 

[Fiona N]

Well I'd probably say if traffic speeds are around 70 mph, a road is best avoided as drivers don't like you holding them up

It really depends on what sort of a cyclist you are. I'm pretty confident and assertive and will generally claim most of a lane to ensure cars must overtake properly. Obviously doing this on a fast road means being very confident, aware of the traffic and dressing like a Christmas tree. I know a lot of people would rather walk than ride under such circumstances (the traffic that is, rather than the Christmas tree )

You're best asking in local bike shops and other cyclists to find out if there are any local roads which are particularly worthy of avoidance. Fast non-dual carriageway A-roads can be good or absolutely lethal depending on the specific circumstances, as can minor back roads, so we can't give you detailed guidance. You need local advice.

 

[al-fresco]

I Googled for cycle routes around the nearest towns to me and found that my local council has produced a series of free leaflets with circular routes in the area. They ranged from 10 - 30 miles in length and gave advice on traffic conditions, gradients etc.

Worth looking to see if yours has something similar?


Al

 

[HLaB]

www.cyclestreets.net may be a good place to start but without local knowledge I'd be guessing. Most of my local B roads are great and cycle friendly (if you like hills ). Most A roads depending upon their flow/ speed, I tend to only use to connect B roads, however whilst some are akin to Motorways others are quieter than B roads, that where local knowledge is vital. A rough guide of one's to avoid are trunk A roads (coloured green on OS).

 

[mcshroom]

Where in South Yorks are you jamman?

There's some people on here who live (or in my case used to live) in the county so we may be able to help a bit. If you are in Sheffield then have a look at the Sheffield Cycle Map which gives some ideas of NCN routes and also in general the narrower roads the better. Otherwise the obvious ones are that the A1 near Doncaster and the Parkway are not cycle-able (cycling is actually banned on the Parkway) but it does depend on where you are.

 

[chris-s]

Might also be worth checking out the 'mapmyride' web site. One of it's features is showing routes in your area contributed by other people.

Chris

 

[MLC]

Jam man,

If you want to cycle on your own then generally stick to B roads and lanes. You could purchase an OS map for your area or pick somewhere you would like to go to and plan a route using may my ride or similar such sites as mentioned above.

As you are progressing on your miles and want to do longer rides why not try joining a local cycle club. They will have Ride leaders who know the best most cycle friendly routes in the area and most clubs will welcome new members and will go out of their way to accomodate newer riders. Why not tap into their knowledge and you can use that knowledge to plan routes of your own as well.

Good luck

 

[david1701]

I found a lot of cut throughs that are open to bikes that I didn't know existed by riding around with the local triathlon clubs cycling element

 

[stephec]

This place has routes created by other people, it might give you a few ideas to base your own on -

http://www.cycle-route.com/

 

[jamman]

Thanks for all the tips and advice

Another problem I'm having is my average speed is around 19-25km/h (11-18mph ish), although I've only been cycling properly for under a month and only a couple of weeks on my new road bike

Does a higher average speed come from practice / experience or is there a certain way I should be training??

 

[MLC]

Thanks for all the tips and advice

Another problem I'm having is my average speed is around 19-25km/h (11-18mph ish), although I've only been cycling properly for under a month and only a couple of weeks on my new road bike

Does a higher average speed come from practice / experience or is there a certain way I should be training??

Jamman do you have a computer that logs your average? or is this as you look down the speedo at various points throughout the ride.

If you have been riding for a month and are averaging 18mph for ten miles already then I certainly wouldn't consider that a problem quite the opposite.

For now forget about average just get your bum used to the saddle and your body and arms used to the cycling position and concentrate on bumping up the mileage bit by bit. (effectively what you do in the racing off season)

Once you have been riding a bit and read a few books, posted your exploits on here read magazines and so on you will find that the law of osmosis will set in and you will have a better idea of where you want to take your riding and what training to undertake to get you there.

Distance riding requires different training to Time trials so you could open a can of worms with HR training, lactate threshold training, interval training and jump down a route that in 3 months time you may not want to go down.

It certainly won't do you any harm to pop down your local library and get a cycle training book out and have a read through the programs.

EDIT: To answer your question a higher average will come from riding more but there are certain drills such as interval training (sprint all out 30 secs -1 min then recover) and fartlek training (rider sprints off and you chase him down) leg drills that will increase speed but these should only be done once you have a base level of fitness

 

[jamman]

Jamman do you have a computer that logs your average? or is this as you look down the speedo at various points throughout the ride.

If you have been riding for a month and are averaging 18mph for ten miles already then I certainly wouldn't consider that a problem quite the opposite.

For now forget about average just get your bum used to the saddle and your body and arms used to the cycling position and concentrate on bumping up the mileage bit by bit. (effectively what you do in the racing off season)

Once you have been riding a bit and read a few books, posted your exploits on here read magazines and so on you will find that the law of osmosis will set in and you will have a better idea of where you want to take your riding and what training to undertake to get you there.

Distance riding requires different training to Time trials so you could open a can of worms with HR training, lactate threshold training, interval training and jump down a route that in 3 months time you may not want to go down.

It certainly won't do you any harm to pop down your local library and get a cycle training book out and have a read through the programs.

EDIT: To answer your question a higher average will come from riding more but there are certain drills such as interval training (sprint all out 30 secs -1 min then recover) and fartlek training (rider sprints off and you chase him down) leg drills that will increase speed but these should only be done once you have a base level of fitness

thanks MLC,

my cycle computer just shows a basic current km/h speed and overall distance.
On a reasonably flat road I'm at the higher end and when I'm on an incline or my legs are aching a bit it drops right down

I know what you're saying about getting my base level first, I just would like to be pushing myself.

 

[david1701]

to think about the average in amore usable way, note when you left and when you get there and how long the trip was then to a door to door average

if you want to push yourself try going further in a set time on say an out and back route, give yourself 2 hours then turn round and see if you can beat it coming home and whether you can get further next week.

I have a 4 ish mile commute thats rural and I try to work different muscle groups on it say sprinting to a post or instead of dropping a gear on a short incline getting out of the saddle. It means I can arrive in a lather instead of not sweating really but I feel like I've improved my cycling ability some.

My fitness level is about the same as yours but I live in a rural area so never have to worry about going on A roads

 

[jamman]

thanks for the tips david.

Also wanted to check:
Am I overdoing it with a 10 mile trip almost everyday I can, or is it ok as long as I'm not feeling aching in my legs and still heading out??

 

[david1701]

no, not really thats a commute for a lot of people on here


I do 5 and 5 when I help my mum in her shop which is like 3 days one after the other, often I'll make 1 or both of those 10 mile loops, 20 miles (10 and 10) to go to the next town shopping (building this up so I can do it to go swimming there) then if I can a long ride on the weekend (work dependant)