Need speed on the bike

tritriagain

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I need some help getting faster on my bike. Just done my last race this year, and I think the 40k bike leg was pretty slow 1hr 18mins. Anybody have any tips on getting faster? I currently do 2 bike sessions a week, one sprints and then one distance

pineappleontherun

try increasing ur cadience by about 15 revolutions a minute and u will notice the difference

Swissjonesy

I'm new to Triathlons and have just completed my first sprint Tri in September, and i'm hooked.



I'm a runner by background having completed several marathans some sub 3hrs so I've no issues with running, swimming is ok and I'll master crawl breathing one day.



My main issue is speed on the bike, I have a Specialized Sirrus 07 which I'm happy with for now, but I cannot seem to average more than about 17.5 mph.



Being new to cycling I've no idea if this is good,fair or poor and no real idea how to get faster.



What is a good average speed and how do I achieve it ? Is it just down to putting the miles in?

pineappleontherun

hey u can buy about 3 minutes of your time if you remove ur bottles of the stem of the bike. i suggest u buy a profile degisn aero bottle that u put between ur aero bars. u can a beeter speed than not having one at all also getting bottle holders of ur seat post [/align]

rpopper65

17.5 mph is a good speed to be starting from. I started with a mountain bike about 4 years ago and did around 13-14 mph in my first few sprints. Then I bought a Sirrus second-hand and trained some more, got some aero bars for the front of the bike, some racing pedals (with shoes and cleats), a new seat and seat post (that seat post on the Sirrus with the spring in it is for s***t and just wastes your energy). And lots of training. And get your bike properly fitted (I posted some info about that on http://forum.220magazine.com/tm.asp?m=10098), so that your position is efficient and comfortable. I got up to about 18 mph in my second year of racing and somewhere up near 21 mph in my third year, mostly at Olympic distances. This past season, I think I may have peaked around 22/23 mph, and I will see if I am successful at pushing it much higher. I'd love to be able to get above 25 mph average speed on a 25 mile course, just to see if I could do it in an hour or less, but we'll see. Everyone has their max, in terms of time to train, equipment and physical capabilities. Me, I'm a 42 year-old who loves the sport(s) and is more interested in staying healthy and injury-free than winning races.



In terms of your training, start out by setting a good base of technique and fitness on the bike for a few months. Get in some long rides and get some strength in your legs. You can probably start to do significant speed work (higher intensity, sprinting sessions) combined with strength and power training (hills and explosive power) in a few months' time, say, when you are 2 or 3 months away from your first big race. There are lots of good tips on this forum by people who have recommended specific speed training exercises on the bike, just look around. But, right now, I would recommend you concentrate on building your base right now and save your speed work for later on.

Jones

Have you thought about joining your local cycling club ? I haven't actually done a Tri yet [:)] but come from a cycling background and joining my local club was the best thing I ever did [:)]



Just going out with people faster than me forced me to improve [:D] if I hadn't joined I'm sure I would have stayed at the same level thinking I was doing alright and although I already raced in TTs I don't think I would have ever moved onto road racing which really pushes you to improve [:D]



I know you probably don't want to get involved in the racing side but just for the training and advice its worth it [:)]

tritriagain

great i have got some good tips and some guidelines to speed and what to expect thanks

olenevivienne9025

Just look around this group, and you'll find lots of good tips from people who have suggested specific exercises for speed training on a bike. http://forum.220magazine.com/tm.asp?m=10098 slope game