Average MPH

Yeah I know Bill,
he has muscles he needs and I have been an aerobic athlete all my life
riding a bicycle since I was 8. You cannot tell your parents anything.
they know it all 🙂

But the list seems to suggest otherwise don't you agree?

nash said:

Yeah I know Bill,
he has muscles he needs and I have been an aerobic athlete all my life
riding a bicycle since I was 8. You cannot tell your parents anything.
they know it all 🙂

But the list seems to suggest otherwise don't you agree?

Maybe yes, maybe no. I have been hyperactive my entire life and riding 2
wheels since I was 6. Now, at 58 I am still hyper, as my doctor said
yesterday on my 3 month visit (for insomnia). My dad smoked his entire
life and I ragged on him for 20 years to quit but he just blew me off
and had a first (and final) stroke at 83. He was a hard ass Sargent in
WWII and never lost the attitude. Hyper has served me well, as I am
absurdly healthy and can't even catch a cold if I try, so whatever I am
doing it is working. Aside from regular high heart rate exercise the
only thing I have really done is to make the mental switch to never,
ever eat anything from a McFood place again. No matter how hungry I am I
will ride right on past a McDonalds, Burger King, or any of that genre.
That works for me. That and never going out to even sit down
restaurants, which gripes my wife, but I like to cook my own stuff. The
last time we went out to eat the steak was way too juicy (fat) and
everything had way too much salt on it. Not worth $50 at all.
Bill Baka

"nash" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:Ei%hh.508282$R63.87041@pd7urf1no:

Quoted message said:

"Terry Morse" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[...]
Plasma Volume: super-threshold (level 5)
Mitochondria: threshold (level 4)
Lactate Threshold: threshold (level 4)
Muscle Glycogen Storage: tempo (level 3)
Slow Twitch Muscle Growth: super-threshold (level 5)
Muscle Capillarization: super-threshold (level 5)
VO2 Max: super-threshold (level 5)

(Source: Coggan, Training With a Power Meter)

[...]
What is a Power Meter and what constitutes the levels?

Hmm... I don't know. Power. Meter. Could it be a meter that shows power
output? http://www.biketechreview.com/archive/pm_review.htm

Quoted message said:

My Dad does heavy lifting to build fitness. He says that is all he
needs. Is it true then according to your list?

Where did he, or the list, say that? Did you actually go and look up his
source?

http://www.amazon.com/Training-Racing-Power-Meter-Hunter/dp/1931382794

"Training and Racing with a Power Meter" is a cycling training book. How is
sprint-cycling similar to your dad lifting weights? Not very similar,
that's how.

--
Nodey

In article <zLyhh.3203$aD6.30@trndny02>,

Stephen Harding said:

Tom Keats said:

I guess it's good if a rider wants to integrate a
workout with his or her commute, or is simply and
exhuberantly feeling their oats.

I'm fortunate in that my work environment for the last
15 years or so has been "casual" to say the least. I
can arrive at my office in a ball of sweat and no one
much cares. A little sponge bath at the bathroom sink
and I'm good to go in my cutoffs and T's.

So I do try to incorporate a "workout" on my ride in or
home from work a day or two per week during the summer.
My "lean on it" days I think do me some good, although
I could really care less what my overall speed ends up
being.

That's great that you can do that. So can I, to an extent.
But my work entails getting into truck trailers with other
people to load/unload stuff. Being confined in a trailer
or shipping container with cow-orkers is actually pretty
intimate, and I feel compelled to be considerate about my
emanations & radiations. But a full, wash-everything shower
before going to work followed by generous applications of
Old Spice Red Zone, plus my penchant for peppermint candies
has made me popular to work alongside. So much so, that I
can proffer the following sage advice for getting along at work:

1) smell nice
2) admit to your own screw-ups
3) don't talk about anybody behind their back,
and when other people do, don't get involved
4) help other people when you run out of your
own work to do
5) have some peppermints or licorice all-sorts or something
to offer to your cow-orkers
6) trim armpit hair

Quoted message said:

During winter that is all out the window. The object
then is NOT to sweat, and that often means average
speeds of 12-14 mph or less if the road is mostly clear.

As a mostly city rider, I often encounter hot-shots who'll
make a point of zooming past me, only for me to catch up
with them again at the next traffic light. And then they're
panting & gasping. If I'm feeling particularly contential
I might show 'em what's what from that point, especially if
an upgrade looms ahead. Or I might just let 'em go ahead
and kill themselves trying to stay ahead of me. Heck, I'll
just haul-up next to them at the next traffic light anyways.

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

nash said:

Well, I have never seen a chart like that.
I thought if you sprinted you are improving fast twitch white muscle and
endurance you improve slow twitch red muscle.
What is a Power Meter and what constitutes the levels?

Here's the book that I referenced. It explains training adaptations
and how to train with a power meter mounted to your bicycle:

Allen & Coggan, Training with a Power Meter
http://tinyurl.com/y737hy

It used to be a free pdf download, but now it's a paperback.

Quoted message said:

My Dad does heavy lifting to build fitness. He says that is all he needs.
Is it true then according to your list?

Heavy lifting will build muscle and peak strength, but it won't do
much at all for the aerobic system. The intensity is high, but the
volume (time) is low. For aerobic gains, you have to combine
intensity and volume. The limitation on these two factors is
fatigue. The more intense and longer the workout, the greater the
fatigue, and the longer the rest period must be.
--
terry morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://www.udctours.com

Terry Morse said:

Quoted message said:

32km/h is certainly acheivable with only a few years (2+) of training
and a more or less standard road position. And training doesn't have to
be anything more than just riding.

Interesting. I am surprised by the reported speeds. I was averaging
20 within 5 months of starting daily cycling to lose weight 12 years
ago. I have been averaging 20 since then except for periods of not
riding and short recovery periods following.

Quoted message said:

32 kph (20 mph) average solo is pretty darn fast. I've managed that
only once on a mostly flat century ride with very few stops, and
that was with aero bars. Five hours at 20 mph is quite a workout.

Yeah but 2 hours at 20 is not difficult. It's around 3 hours that
things change...

Quoted message said:

A fast group ride around here (San Francisco Bay Area) might average
22-23 mph, but only because there's a group. With all the stop
lights, it's very hard to go faster solo than 17-18 mph.

I don't think so ... I get around at 20 consistently. My speed usually
settles on 21.5 on the flat and the lights drag my average down to 20.
I admit there are worse days and worse roads w.r.t. lights.

Quoted message said:

I know plenty of people who have been riding regularly for years,
and very few of them can average 20 mph over distance.

After 6 months of riding, I rode from Los Gatos to SF a few times up El
Camino, 46mi, in 2:20. Lunch, rest, then same thing home. That's
hitting every light and bone-jarring crack in the pavement. Of course
two 50 mi rides are not the same as one 100mi ride.

I started out crawling up long hills on mtn bike. Riding hills is
better for my flat riding than flat riding, I think.

dkl

Tom Keats said:

1) smell nice
2) admit to your own screw-ups
3) don't talk about anybody behind their back,
and when other people do, don't get involved
4) help other people when you run out of your
own work to do
5) have some peppermints or licorice all-sorts or something
to offer to your cow-orkers
6) trim armpit hair

Can't dispute most of these points.

I can do without licorice and I'm not certain armpit hair
is much of an issue, at least for a male.

Sometimes though, I think society has become too gentrified.

SMH

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>After 6 months of riding, I rode from Los Gatos to SF a few times up El

Camino, 46mi, in 2:20. Lunch, rest, then same thing home. That's
hitting every light and bone-jarring crack in the pavement. Of course
two 50 mi rides are not the same as one 100mi ride.

I started out crawling up long hills on mtn bike. Riding hills is
better for my flat riding than flat riding, I think.

dkl

that is 21mph. You say that is up El Camino as in up hill or what?

nash said:

Quoted message said:

After 6 months of riding, I rode from Los Gatos to SF a few times
up El Camino, 46mi, in 2:20. Lunch, rest, then same thing home.

dkl

that is 21mph. You say that is up El Camino as in up hill or what?

El Camino runs virtually north to south. When someone says "up El
Camino", it means north towards San Francisco.

No savvy cyclist would choose to ride El Camino from Los Gatos to
San Francisco. It's a busy multi-lane road with lots of driveway
entrances and traffic lights, but it is virtually flat all the way.
There are much nicer routes.

21 mph average on El Camino is hard to believe. I don't think it can
be achieved in a car.
--
terry morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://www.udctours.com

Terry Morse said:

nash said:

Quoted message said:

After 6 months of riding, I rode from Los Gatos to SF a few times
up El Camino, 46mi, in 2:20. Lunch, rest, then same thing home.

dkl

that is 21mph. You say that is up El Camino as in up hill or what?

El Camino runs virtually north to south. When someone says "up El
Camino", it means north towards San Francisco.

No savvy cyclist would choose to ride El Camino from Los Gatos to
San Francisco. It's a busy multi-lane road with lots of driveway
entrances and traffic lights, but it is virtually flat all the way.
There are much nicer routes.

21 mph average on El Camino is hard to believe. I don't think it can
be achieved in a car.

I guess I exaggerated. El Camino half the distance, from Redwood City
to SF and back. From Los Gatos to Redwood City I took Foothill
Expressway and other cycle-friendly streets.

Doug

"nash" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:YMmgh.481377$5R2.19648@pd7urf3no:

Quoted message said:

What are your average MPH when doing a normal commute or training
ride?

Once a week we ride a 3.25 mile loop 6 times. Our best time is 56 minutes.
I think that is about 20.9 MPH. Most of us are on fixed-gear bikes. There
are street lights but it is still dark. We have blinkys and helmets and it
is WAY FUN!!!
mike

Michael Warner said:

Quoted message said:

I'd say age makes almost no difference. The strongest guy in our club
(by far) is 49, and he just keeps getting stronger.

From talking to guys in their 40s who still race at the top local
open level, age is only a limiting factor on hills, where the fallling max
heartrate limits oxygen throughput.

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

I don't know who you are toalking to but the data doesn't support that.

You don't see many 40+ riders winning sprints either.
If you want to see how age impacts times just look at your state
champpionships. You will find it very unusual for riders to be winning
the 1/2 races after 35. If you look at hillclimb times and TT times you
will see that the winners of the 40-45, 45-50 etc. who were usually
cat1 racers a few yers earlier are not recording the same times as the
1/2 winners.
And there always exceptions to every generalization. I am always amazed
when Ned Overend adds another title or near title to his collection. At
51 he is still a formidable open competitor, especially when the road
turns uphill.

gds said:

Michael Warner said:

Quoted message said:

I'd say age makes almost no difference. The strongest guy in our club
(by far) is 49, and he just keeps getting stronger.

From talking to guys in their 40s who still race at the top local
open level, age is only a limiting factor on hills, where the fallling max
heartrate limits oxygen throughput.

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

I don't know who you are toalking to but the data doesn't support that.

You don't see many 40+ riders winning sprints either.
If you want to see how age impacts times just look at your state
champpionships. You will find it very unusual for riders to be winning
the 1/2 races after 35. If you look at hillclimb times and TT times you
will see that the winners of the 40-45, 45-50 etc. who were usually
cat1 racers a few yers earlier are not recording the same times as the
1/2 winners.
And there always exceptions to every generalization. I am always amazed
when Ned Overend adds another title or near title to his collection. At
51 he is still a formidable open competitor, especially when the road
turns uphill.

Age is a factor in the actual elite racer class, but even if I can't
actually race an elite 30 year old, riding has made me in far better
shape than the '*AVERAGE*' 35 year old couch lump.
Bill Baka

Bill said:

gds said:

Michael Warner said:

On 16 Dec 2006 06:47:21 -0800, [email hidden] wrote:

> I'd say age makes almost no difference. The strongest guy in our club
> (by far) is 49, and he just keeps getting stronger.
From talking to guys in their 40s who still race at the top local
open level, age is only a limiting factor on hills, where the fallling max
heartrate limits oxygen throughput.

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

I don't know who you are toalking to but the data doesn't support that.

You don't see many 40+ riders winning sprints either.
If you want to see how age impacts times just look at your state
champpionships. You will find it very unusual for riders to be winning
the 1/2 races after 35. If you look at hillclimb times and TT times you
will see that the winners of the 40-45, 45-50 etc. who were usually
cat1 racers a few yers earlier are not recording the same times as the
1/2 winners.
And there always exceptions to every generalization. I am always amazed
when Ned Overend adds another title or near title to his collection. At
51 he is still a formidable open competitor, especially when the road
turns uphill.

Age is a factor in the actual elite racer class, but even if I can't
actually race an elite 30 year old, riding has made me in far better
shape than the '*AVERAGE*' 35 year old couch lump.
Bill Baka

Gee Bill you really add a lot of information to these discussions by
constantly telling us how wonderfull you are.

gds said:

Bill said:

Age is a factor in the actual elite racer class, but even if I can't
actually race an elite 30 year old, riding has made me in far better
shape than the '*AVERAGE*' 35 year old couch lump.
Bill Baka

Gee Bill you really add a lot of information to these discussions by
constantly telling us how wonderfull you are.

IDIOT!
That applies to all of us, not just me.
People who can't read the meaning of a post, the bane of my existence.
Bill Baka

Bill said:

gds said:

Bill said:

Age is a factor in the actual elite racer class, but even if I can't
actually race an elite 30 year old, riding has made me in far better
shape than the '*AVERAGE*' 35 year old couch lump.
Bill Baka

Gee Bill you really add a lot of information to these discussions by
constantly telling us how wonderfull you are.

IDIOT!
That applies to all of us, not just me.
People who can't read the meaning of a post, the bane of my existence.
Bill Baka

I guess projection is real.

gds said:

Bill said:

gds said:

Bill wrote:
> Age is a factor in the actual elite racer class, but even if I can't
> actually race an elite 30 year old, riding has made me in far better
> shape than the '*AVERAGE*' 35 year old couch lump.
> Bill Baka
Gee Bill you really add a lot of information to these discussions by
constantly telling us how wonderfull you are.

IDIOT!
That applies to all of us, not just me.
People who can't read the meaning of a post, the bane of my existence.
Bill Baka

I guess projection is real.

I was projecting that cycling makes ALL of us in better shape than the
average guy who gets off work, then grabs a six pack and the remote.
That meant US, not ME.
I don't ride to race, just to ride, and climbing a mountain is a great
forced higher rate workout than just pedaling to the hills at my usual
14-15 MPH. Being in great shape is a side effect of me doing something I
enjoy, but the bit about being in better shape than the AVERAGE,
non-riding 35 year old is true. The exception to this would be not an
office worker but a laborer who actually put out some BTU during his
work day. Many laborers work at such a low intensity it is easier to be
in better shape than them. My 20 year old grandson can out sprint me but
can't out endure me, and he is a painter, but also smokes and likes a
little too much beer.
Where am I wrong?
Bill Baka

Bill said:

gds said:

Bill said:

gds wrote:
> Bill wrote:
>> Age is a factor in the actual elite racer class, but even if I can't
>> actually race an elite 30 year old, riding has made me in far better
>> shape than the '*AVERAGE*' 35 year old couch lump.
>> Bill Baka
> Gee Bill you really add a lot of information to these discussions by
> constantly telling us how wonderfull you are.
>
IDIOT!
That applies to all of us, not just me.
People who can't read the meaning of a post, the bane of my existence.
Bill Baka

I guess projection is real.

I was projecting that cycling makes ALL of us in better shape than the
average guy who gets off work, then grabs a six pack and the remote.
That meant US, not ME.
I don't ride to race, just to ride, and climbing a mountain is a great
forced higher rate workout than just pedaling to the hills at my usual
14-15 MPH. Being in great shape is a side effect of me doing something I
enjoy, but the bit about being in better shape than the AVERAGE,
non-riding 35 year old is true. The exception to this would be not an
office worker but a laborer who actually put out some BTU during his
work day. Many laborers work at such a low intensity it is easier to be
in better shape than them. My 20 year old grandson can out sprint me but
can't out endure me, and he is a painter, but also smokes and likes a
little too much beer.
Where am I wrong?
Bill Baka

It is not a question of being wrong. The issue, to me at least, is that
you say the same thing over and over in response to discussions that
have nothing to do with what you are saying.

To be specific in this case you made this response about how you are
more fit than the average 35 yo to my post regarding the impact of age
on top quality racers. My post was in response to another poster
claiming that top racers reported to him that the only place age hurt
them was in climbing.
So my post was a rebut to him and point to him evidence to contrary.
Specifically for him to look at state championship times and see that
there is certainly an age effect and it was not only in hill climbs.
So, to me your coming in with your 1000th post about how you are more
fit than the average is 1) simply boring and 2) not related to my post
to which you are responding.

I have a project for you. Go back over all your posts for the past year
and see how many times you have posted exactly the same response.

gds said:

Bill said:

gds said:

Bill wrote:
> gds wrote:
>> Bill wrote:
>>> Age is a factor in the actual elite racer class, but even if I can't
>>> actually race an elite 30 year old, riding has made me in far better
>>> shape than the '*AVERAGE*' 35 year old couch lump.
>>> Bill Baka
>> Gee Bill you really add a lot of information to these discussions by
>> constantly telling us how wonderfull you are.
>>
> IDIOT!
> That applies to all of us, not just me.
> People who can't read the meaning of a post, the bane of my existence.
> Bill Baka
I guess projection is real.

I was projecting that cycling makes ALL of us in better shape than the
average guy who gets off work, then grabs a six pack and the remote.
That meant US, not ME.
I don't ride to race, just to ride, and climbing a mountain is a great
forced higher rate workout than just pedaling to the hills at my usual
14-15 MPH. Being in great shape is a side effect of me doing something I
enjoy, but the bit about being in better shape than the AVERAGE,
non-riding 35 year old is true. The exception to this would be not an
office worker but a laborer who actually put out some BTU during his
work day. Many laborers work at such a low intensity it is easier to be
in better shape than them. My 20 year old grandson can out sprint me but
can't out endure me, and he is a painter, but also smokes and likes a
little too much beer.
Where am I wrong?
Bill Baka

It is not a question of being wrong. The issue, to me at least, is that
you say the same thing over and over in response to discussions that
have nothing to do with what you are saying.

To be specific in this case you made this response about how you are
more fit than the average 35 yo to my post regarding the impact of age
on top quality racers. My post was in response to another poster
claiming that top racers reported to him that the only place age hurt
them was in climbing.
So my post was a rebut to him and point to him evidence to contrary.
Specifically for him to look at state championship times and see that
there is certainly an age effect and it was not only in hill climbs.
So, to me your coming in with your 1000th post about how you are more
fit than the average is 1) simply boring and 2) not related to my post
to which you are responding.

I have a project for you. Go back over all your posts for the past year
and see how many times you have posted exactly the same response.

I get your point but I am merely advocating cycling for the benefit of
fitness at any age. Age may in fact not be a brick wall limiting factor
as much as the fact that most of us older riders have families and
responsibilities and simply CAN'T train 8-12 hours every day. There may
be a few 50 or even 60 year olds who could compete with the 20
somethings if they trained hard enough. They would be the genetic
anomalies, maybe, but if one ever beat an elite 25 year old it would
sure set the sports world on it's head.
Another point is not about me, but have you really seen the fitness
level of the average, non cycling, non running, office worker? They are
to put it simply, educated and pathetically out of shape from driving a
mouse all day. To top it off they think that they are in good shape just
because they are young. Only about 3 or 4 times a year do I meet a
serious rider out on the open road. The rest of the adults I see on
bikes are there because of too many DUI arrests.
THAT is the state of the country, not my bragging.
Exercise, bike or running, or hiking combined gets us fit, not just the
fact of being young.
Sorry to offend your eminence.
Bill Baka

gds said:

You don't see many 40+ riders winning sprints either.
If you want to see how age impacts times just look at your state
champpionships. You will find it very unusual for riders to be winning
the 1/2 races after 35.

I agree that it's unusual, but the fact that these people exist suggests
to me that it's possible if you maintain your level of training.

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw