Struggling To Make Any Gains

[biggs682]

Thanks for the offer @biggs682 one of the blokes at work who cycles is from Wellingborough way and I always here him say there’s some good routes over there.

Yeah some quite nice routes this way , the offer is always there if you fancy a change of scenery

 

[si_c]

Not very true. If you want to increase your average speed, the easiest way is to minimise the time you spend between flat-out and your autopause threshold. There are limits to how high you can set your autopause to before the competition sites complain, so the safer approach is to charge up to every junction, emergency stop at the latest possible moment, then sprint back up to full speed as soon as you can - which will be fine until you misjudge "the latest possible moment" and then it will hurt. Lots. And yet, I still see people cycling like that. I expected it to die off (hopefully not literally) once Strava wasn't new, but there seem to be more Straviots every year. It's nice there are more people cycling but crikey!

I've seen a couple of people like this on my commute, the sad thing is despite rocking up to every junction with their back wheel floating into the air, they're still not that quick over distance, as they haven't worked out it's better to coast up to the junction and not have to stop at all.

 

[mjr]

I've seen a couple of people like this on my commute, the sad thing is despite rocking up to every junction with their back wheel floating into the air, they're still not that quick over distance, as they haven't worked out it's better to coast up to the junction and not have to stop at all.

Depends if you're concerned about real speed or Strava average, surely?

 

[si_c]

Depends if you're concerned about real speed or Strava average, surely?

When commuting, I want to get to work as quickly as possible with the least effort possible.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

When commuting, I want to get to work as quickly as possible with the least effort possible.

I am the opposite. My cycle commutes often end up extended as I am enjoying the riding so much.

 

[si_c]

I am the opposite. My cycle commutes often end up extended as I am enjoying the riding so much.

I have trouble getting up in the morning, so I usually am running late. In the evenings I will extend it out and take the scenic route home, providing I've not got something else booked in.

 

[roadrash]

Ignore the nob eds that taunt you at work , (that's exactly what they are from your description of their behaviour) can I ask, as you say you only cycle for the numbers and to see improvement, what do you intend to do when you become as good as you can be, when there are no more improvements to be made ,you reach your limit so to speak,
personally I reached my limits some time ago and just simply accepted that others can cycle faster , and/or further than me, some less so, but it certainly doesn't mean there is no enjoyment in cycling for me , theres loads of it. I honestly hope you find what it is your seeking from cycling.

 

[Lozi]

@roadrash thats a good question, I guess ill just be a knob head to people who are struggling

I’ll probably just carry on the main number I go for is miles covered so that is relevant no matter how fast or slow I am I set myself a goal of 1000 last year and I got 1255, this year I have set 2000 as my goal and I’m at nearly 800 already. I am not expecting to become a record breaking cyclist I just felt I should be abit further along than I am but it seems maybe not. As people have said winter has played its part on disheartening me.

I’d love to be able to do a sportif one day!

 

[vickster]

@roadrash thats a good question, I guess ill just be a knob head to people who are struggling

I’ll probably just carry on the main number I go for is miles covered so that is relevant no matter how fast or slow I am I set myself a goal of 1000 last year and I got 1255, this year I have set 2000 as my goal and I’m at nearly 800 already. I am not expecting to become a record breaking cyclist I just felt I should be abit further along than I am but it seems maybe not. As people have said winter has played its part on disheartening me.

I’d love to be able to do a sportif one day!

If you can ride 100+ miles a week, you can do a sportive, they come in lots of different lengths and toughness and none are a race

 

[Lozi]

If you can ride 100+ miles a week, you can do a sportive, they come in lots of different lengths and toughness and none are a race

The full length for a sportive is usually 100 isn’t it? I can’t go more than 30 currently my legs start to give up at around 20

 

[vickster]

The full length for a sportive is usually 100 isn’t it? I can’t go more than 30 currently my legs start to give up at around 20

They have different lengths. Try slowing down and you’ll be able to go further. Stamina first then speed

 

[PaulSB]

TBH I’m now struggling with this. It seems the enjoyment and satisfaction you take from cycling is entirely from the statistics you achieve, distance, speed etc. I understand this in the sense I like to get better but it has nothing to do with why I cycle.

If all you want to do is go further faster these are your options:

1. Get on a road bike
2. Work out some challenging routes which will take 1.5 - 2 hours to ride
3. Ride these routes as hard as you can. Give it everything and be very, very tired when you get home.
4. Over the months you’ll go faster

This works for me when I have a challenge or target to achieve. I enjoy training to help me achieve something but it’s not my motivation for cycling.

To go further faster you simply have to train and push yourself hard.

 

[buzzy-beans]

Those many years back (at the age of 39) when I was entered into the London-Brighton and when I hadn't ridden any bike at all for 19 years and yet I had set myself what most people thought was the ridiculous target time of under 2.5 hours for the 54 miles.
All of my training during the 6 short weeks before the event were done against predetermined speeds/times over ever increasing distances so as to ensure my body was accustomed to the cadence rates.

As far as I am concerned speed can only come by having set and ruthlessly applied goals!

 

[Julia9054]

Yebbut, didn't you manage to fall off on the bimble to Scarborough?

He should have had the helmet strapped to his leg if i recall!
I have switched Strava off because i don't like it confirming the fact that i am getting slower. I know that this is purely because i am not riding as much as i was 3 years ago. There are various reasons for that but only one person that can do something about it!

 

[Lozi]

That is essentially what I do although many of my rides are around an hour and I’m on a MTB.

I started this thread because after doing a year of constant efforts I don’t feel I have become much of a stronger cyclist, my only comparisons I can make are to people I know who manage to start cycling and with only being a weekend warrior after a few months they are a stronger cyclist (on a similar bike) than me so I thought it must just not be for me.

A few people on here have said oh 30 miles a week won’t help but I thought to do that constantly week in week out no fail was pretty good for somebody new, at first that’s all I could do physically and now I’ve managed to step it up somewhat.

I’ve learnt from this thread that winter has played its part, riding in a group will help me improve, keep pushing and it might all come good and in general the cycling worlds answer to everything is buy a faster bike lol

I am putting in a lot of effort and I love the buzz I get when I get home and my legs are tingling etc from the effort!

Just to clarify I am striving to be somewhere close to my peers on similar equipment and I know the 4 or 5 cyclists I know can do regular 14-15 mph averages on their mountain bikes, I don’t think for one second I’ll be faster than them but if I could dip into the 14 averages on my MTB I’ll be happy! I did a few 13.6-13.9’s in October but I can’t get near that now no matter how hard I try.

I will ride the road bike when it gets nicer out but even if I am faster on that is doesn’t solve the fact I’ve hit a brick wall in how fast I can go currently.

I say I started in May but I have owned my MTB since 2011 and riden it on and off over the summers but this is the first time I’ve given it a good go!