The harder I train, the slower I get

[Rob3rt]

My bike is 4-5 years old too. Not sure the relevance of that tbh. Bikes last a long time....

 

[Deleted member 35268]

I want carbon, i need carbon

 

[vickster]

Interest free credit

Have you ridden carbon? I think a good alu/carbon or steel/carbon frame is as comfortable...for me anyhow, and I now have one of each

 

[Andrew_P]

From the limited data I get from my basic strava account

The Sunday ride I averaged 132W Power, with 951kJ Energy Output. My max power was 265W on the ups.

My lunch ride today was 123W with 450kJ output (I did 10 miles this morning too)

Compare this to two weeks ago...actually, no real difference, usually averaging 132W.

I just think I'm not getting the rest, I'm on my bike every day - Is this OK ?

I can't see 100 miles over 7 days = overtraining.

 

[Deleted member 35268]

I have ridden carbon, was lovely.

I think I am just having a bad week.

I will do 150 next week

 

[vickster]

Try something else, have a swim or run perhaps

 

[uclown2002]

Overtraining my arse!
If you want a day or 2 off then take them, but I very much doubt you need to rest given your distance and frequency of rides.

 

[Stu Plows]

Mong out on the settee with a dirty Kebab on yer lap and a can of lager on the coffee table! It's what I do when I feel like that.

If you feel like you are tired, take some rest time, you'll soon miss the riding. Eat the right foods, don't under-eat, don't under-drink, hydrate well. When I am feeling like I have done too much, my concentration seems to dwindle away when at work. If you are going in search of hills, your average will drop, it's normal.

 

[JasonHolder]

Hi
100miles a week is quite nothing honestly, unless it was either one or two rides. Fatigue is possible though when people start searching out hills due to time restraints. Lots of red zone and you dont even realise how much rest you need. However*3000ft is nothing also.

Forget the average speed thing. I wouldnt even look at it.
Summary.
Most mear mortals don't eat enough carb calories and drink enough H2o. Or get enough sleep. Simple as that.

 

[david k]

I seem to be suffering the opposite.
I have done over 3000 miles to date this year so far and am getting faster on both my commute and on my long distance rides. I guess it's due to the fact of better weather and less heavy cycle clothing.

ive noticed an improvement of 1mph average on a regular ride yesterday even though i hadnt ridden for a few weeks and purposely took it easy? i can only assume it was the weather and reduction in clothing

 

[ayceejay]

Unscientific training methods lead to fatigue. I don't think the distance or the average speed is excessive but if you are averaging 20mph at the start and 5 at the end to arrive at this average you may want to look at that.

 

[StuAff]

Hi
100miles a week is quite nothing honestly, unless it was either one or two rides. Fatigue is possible though when people start searching out hills due to time restraints. Lots of red zone and you dont even realise how much rest you need. However*3000ft is nothing also.

Forget the average speed thing. I wouldnt even look at it.
Summary.
Most mear mortals don't eat enough carb calories and drink enough H2o. Or get enough sleep. Simple as that.

+1 to this (and most of the above comments from m'learned friends). I'll hopefully pass 2k miles for the year so far tomorrow- and that little ride, on its own, will be rather more than the OP's average week. Last week was 240 miles total, 160 on Saturday and Sunday. And I do not shy away from climbing, otherwise my route options would be very, very, repetitive.
Rough guesses: You're not eating and drinking enough, you're starting off too fast, and most importantly, you're worrying too much about 'training'. Stop training, just ride your bike. If you've been following any training plans from the likes of Cycling Weekly, ignore them. Know where your limits are and stay within them. When you feel hungry, eat. When you feel thirsty, drink. Plan your routes with food stops in mind. In other words, if there's a nice cafe x miles away you'd like to try, ride there, have tea and cake, ride back (and so on). Cycling long distance is not about speed, it's about endurance, sustained pacing rather than heavy effort. And enjoying yourself, hopefully!

 

[Deleted member 35268]

I took the last few days off, I was just tired and needed a wee rest. Did a nice early 40 miles yesterday with an average of 16.3mph which is just fine for me.
I just started to get back ache at about 35 miles. Last time I went out the back ache started at 30 miles. I usually do a few stretches when it sharts.
My birthday is coming up and I have a whole day to myself so planning to do 60+ with some hills and stuff.

I must sort out my rear wheel though, it has got noisy again.

 

[Stu Plows]

Nice work mate!

Best thing that has worked for me and upping my average speed was if I did a big ride that was quick for me (ie. club run or out with a quicker friend), I'd do a very slow one the next day or not ride at all (Saturday, I did not feel like riding at all which is not like me). I'm now past my bugbear of <17mph over any sort of distance between 20-40 miles, which is a real big thing for me as I wanted to be better than 17's just for myself really. For me it's just finding that consistency over the flats that is sustainable over a distance and not absolutely punishing myself over the first 10 miles.

 

[BSRU]

You don't need a new bike just more cycling miles, 100 miles a week with 3000ft of climbing is ok to start with.
I did my first 100 mile ride of the year on Friday with 4800ft of climbing and I do not feel tired all because I ride a fair amount(over 2500 miles this year so far) mostly 40 - 50 mile rides.