Page 3 of 3

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 2:32 pm
by CambridgeBloke
BroomWagon wrote:Will,

There are plenty of people out there that can average 22mph on a MTB. There are plenty of people out there who who can cycle much faster than that. Let's put this into perspective, a couple of years ago I had what I consider for me good fitness, I'd done a number of long hard cyclosportives and I was training regularly with the VC york chaingang. One chaingang was mid summer and everyone had a good level of fitness. Things were really getting going on the way back, the group was giving it, it's all riding through and off at 26-28mph. I was fully commited as was I suspect most of the group. Then Jamie Sharp just comfortably rode off the front of the group ( a group of fit cyclists giving it 100% ) as easily as that not to be seen again. I don't know Jamie that well, but I suspect if you asked him he'd tell you he was nothing special. There are people who could ride away just as easily from a group of Jamie Sharps riding fully committed, it's just you've never ridden with one. When you do I think you'll find it a sobering experience. So when Andy says he can average 22mph on an MTB - don't be too suprised if he can. I he can't...so what, it doesn't matter.
10m tt 19m11s
25m tt 50m09s

Im not back to that yet, but he is right in what he says 22mph on an mtb is not that fast. I can do it on slicks now compared to full off road tires year ago. Seem to remember doing a 56min 25tt on my off road tires on the F1 back in 1997. Keep on trucking son 8)

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 2:38 pm
by BroomWagon
Ah...pretty quick then - my PB for a ten is 24.16 (tho' without aero bars - disk wheels or any of that stuff, though I was in my twenties then) which makes an average about 24.75mph. So for Wills benefit because he does like average speeds :lol: what's that make your average speed for your PB 10?

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 2:54 pm
by willhub
Wow I feel so slow now.

I'm off to york later for a ride and I'm going to give it max effort I think, I feel crap only been able to average 18mph on a road bike.

Makes me wonder why I bother about averages though, 20mph is crap for a roadbike so... :lol:

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:07 pm
by CambridgeBloke
willhub wrote:Wow I feel so slow now.

I'm off to york later for a ride and I'm going to give it max effort I think, I feel crap only been able to average 18mph on a road bike.

Makes me wonder why I bother about averages though, 20mph is crap for a roadbike so... :lol:
So?.............Stop questioning and get training. My first couple of years I was doing 30 mins for a 10. Then I started riding my bike to college and by racing the fit commuters( Bbar Ian Cammish for one) I ended up doing more training than the none I had done up to that point. If you want il happily do you a program based on what worked for me. It might not work as I dont know what type of rider you are, it did work for my mate who went from 24 to 21 min ten before he gave up and he was small, skinny and spun the pedals- the opposite of me. I am a big diesel engine-lots of power and torque but no speed, 30mph aint fast its steady effort.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:08 pm
by CambridgeBloke
BroomWagon wrote:Ah...pretty quick then - my PB for a ten is 24.16 (tho' without aero bars - disk wheels or any of that stuff, though I was in my twenties then) which makes an average about 24.75mph. So for Wills benefit because he does like average speeds :lol: what's that make your average speed for your PB 10?
31.2mph

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:11 pm
by willhub
Last year when I was at York college I was doing 25 miles every 4 days commuting, also on a thursday I was doing that + 60miles or just the 60miles, 24miles, 10mile TT, 24 miles back home.

Aiming for 300+ a week, I do alot of cycling I think.


See anything over 30mph seems impossible for me to keep yet, I have to sprint to 30mph it's like a wall, the other day I kept it for maybe half a mile in a tailwind, anything over and it's just weird I cant explain it, just it feels a long way away.

I would not mind a program thanks, I'm not skinny, but I'm not big aswel, I'm in between and I dont want to be skinny really.

I cant help questioning, that's me and the way I find out info.

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:48 pm
by CambridgeBloke
willhub wrote:Last year when I was at York college I was doing 25 miles every 4 days commuting, also on a thursday I was doing that + 60miles or just the 60miles, 24miles, 10mile TT, 24 miles back home.

Aiming for 300+ a week, I do alot of cycling I think.


See anything over 30mph seems impossible for me to keep yet, I have to sprint to 30mph it's like a wall, the other day I kept it for maybe half a mile in a tailwind, anything over and it's just weird I cant explain it, just it feels a long way away.

I would not mind a program thanks, I'm not skinny, but I'm not big aswel, I'm in between and I dont want to be skinny really.

I cant help questioning, that's me and the way I find out info.
we will have to meet up for a beer soon and have a chat :D

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:20 pm
by PhilBixby
"Wow I feel so slow now. I'm off to york later for a ride and I'm going to give it max effort I think, I feel crap only been able to average 18mph on a road bike. Makes me wonder why I bother about averages though, 20mph is crap for a roadbike so..."

As Broomwagon says, there's always someone faster than you, but that doesn't matter - the important thing (if you want to) is to be as strong as you can be. I know I'm never going to be that good, but that doesn't stop me working my bits off to be better than I was last year.

And as Andy says, that takes training. Remember that thread on here last year sometime when I asked "Do you (a) want to get quicker so that you can experience the thrill of the sort of speeds you mentioned in races - by training in order to race/TT/etc to the limits of your ability or (b) want to ride at whatever speed you fancy, whenever you fancy, because that's fun".....?

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 9:59 am
by willhub
I want to train so I can go fast and do long distances, I want to be able to do 100+ miles one day and be able to do 20+ mph on it.

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:30 pm
by Arthur
Will: You've missed Phil's point