Hi all, I'm new to the site as of today and just wanted to ask a couple of questions. I'm relatively new to road cycling and have taken to it with some gusto. I bought my bike (Trek 1500) at the end of July and have been training for a century ride since. Well, I just completed the Seagull Century on Saturday with a time of 4:57 with an average of 20 mph. Is this a good time? I would like to try and compete in the Spring and it would be helpful to have a guage of performance. Like I said, I'm pretty new and although I know of the big guys and there godlike cycling genetics, I don't know much about the sport overall. Any training tips or websites would be helpful. During the ride, I found that I could not carry much speed (about 18 average) outside of a pace line and would like to try and build up to a solid 22 mph average. Again, any adivce would be helpful. Thanks and I look forward to reading more of the site.
Hi all, I'm new to the site as of today and just wanted to ask a couple of questions. I'm relatively new to road cycling and have taken to it with some gusto. I bought my bike (Trek 1500) at the end of July and have been training for a century ride since. Well, I just completed the Seagull Century on Saturday with a time of 4:57 with an average of 20 mph. Is this a good time? I would like to try and compete in the Spring and it would be helpful to have a guage of performance. Like I said, I'm pretty new and although I know of the big guys and there godlike cycling genetics, I don't know much about the sport overall. Any training tips or websites would be helpful. During the ride, I found that I could not carry much speed (about 18 average) outside of a pace line and would like to try and build up to a solid 22 mph average. Again, any adivce would be helpful. Thanks and I look forward to reading more of the site.
Kurt
Kurt, That's awesome! Good job. You didn't give any information about size, or age, but 4:57 is VERY respectable. Here's a reference (I'm an old fart of 42whose been cycling since I was 9.) My first century I did on a tandem with my neighbor. I was 12, he was about 28. We finished in 7hrs almost exactly. When I was 15 I did a hilly one in 5:02. Since I was seriously into racing then I didn't do another century until this year when I got back into cycling after a few years off. Did this one in 5:21. I'm doing another in March and my goal is sub 4:50. Really hot cyclists can do some, depending on wind and hils in 4 hours, or less. Again - great job. I'm sure you'll be even faster next time.
Oops, I guess I forgot about the additional details. I'm 31, 5'9", 185 lbs and am in pretty good shape to start with (former Marine). The endurance has been the hard part thus far. I've been riding my entire life, but this is the first year I've gotten relatively serious about it. Like I said, I've been training for a couple of months and would like to get to the point where I can pull from the front (or on my own) for awhile at a respectable pace. I rode with a guy for the last 30 miles who says he was a class one rider 5 years ago and used to ride with USPS, I believe him because he was cruising along at 25 mph after 85 miles like he was just starting a race! Disgusting! 🙂 Hopefully I'll be there next year! 🙂 Thanks for the reply!
szbert said:
Kurt, That's awesome! Good job. You didn't give any information about size, or age, but 4:57 is VERY respectable. Here's a reference (I'm an old fart of 42whose been cycling since I was 9.) My first century I did on a tandem with my neighbor. I was 12, he was about 28. We finished in 7hrs almost exactly. When I was 15 I did a hilly one in 5:02. Since I was seriously into racing then I didn't do another century until this year when I got back into cycling after a few years off. Did this one in 5:21. I'm doing another in March and my goal is sub 4:50. Really hot cyclists can do some, depending on wind and hils in 4 hours, or less. Again - great job. I'm sure you'll be even faster next time.
Hi all, I'm new to the site as of today and just wanted to ask a couple of questions. I'm relatively new to road cycling and have taken to it with some gusto. I bought my bike (Trek 1500) at the end of July and have been training for a century ride since. Well, I just completed the Seagull Century on Saturday with a time of 4:57 with an average of 20 mph. Is this a good time? I would like to try and compete in the Spring and it would be helpful to have a guage of performance. Like I said, I'm pretty new and although I know of the big guys and there godlike cycling genetics, I don't know much about the sport overall. Any training tips or websites would be helpful. During the ride, I found that I could not carry much speed (about 18 average) outside of a pace line and would like to try and build up to a solid 22 mph average. Again, any adivce would be helpful. Thanks and I look forward to reading more of the site.
Kurt
20 MPH average for 100 miles is an excellent ride, and it indicates that you have a good base built up already. If you want to race, you want to ride with a group or club that focuses on competition. Club rides will help you develop drafting skills and improve your reflexes on the bike. Road racing is fast and it focuses more on short hard bursts instead of pure endurance. Club riding simulates this because there are always sections where the pace picks up (usually on hills) and you need to focus on staying with the group or even leading. Most racers can bang out a pretty quick century, but they focus training more on intervals. Cat 4/5 races are generally less than 60 miles, but there are usually lots of hills and you need to be ready to lift the pace at any time. I race crits primarily (I'm not a climber) which are shorter (15-20 miles) but fast (25-26 mph). Speed and handling abilities are the most important aspects. Good luck with the spring races, you'll have a blast!
Thanks! I appreciate the input and am going to look into local riding/racing groups. I've heard of a couple in N. Virginia but forgot the names. 😎 I'm sure a quick search online will turn up something though.
Hi all, I'm new to the site as of today and just wanted to ask a couple of questions. I'm relatively new to road cycling and have taken to it with some gusto. I bought my bike (Trek 1500) at the end of July and have been training for a century ride since. Well, I just completed the Seagull Century on Saturday with a time of 4:57 with an average of 20 mph. Is this a good time? I would like to try and compete in the Spring and it would be helpful to have a guage of performance. Like I said, I'm pretty new and although I know of the big guys and there godlike cycling genetics, I don't know much about the sport overall. Any training tips or websites would be helpful. During the ride, I found that I could not carry much speed (about 18 average) outside of a pace line and would like to try and build up to a solid 22 mph average. Again, any adivce would be helpful. Thanks and I look forward to reading more of the site.
Kurt
Pretty cool! I was there too. This old bag of bones did it in 4:45. Was a great day for a ride with a 3-5 mile headwind coming back. I found a small group about halfway on the way out and was doing 22-23 in a pace line out and 20-21 coming back. Early on was soloing it at about 19 mph. Started riding again August 1 and have been out 5-6 days a week since. Starting to cut back now tho and working on intensity least till the time change.
Pretty cool! I was there too. This old bag of bones did it in 4:45. Was a great day for a ride with a 3-5 mile headwind coming back. I found a small group about halfway on the way out and was doing 22-23 in a pace line out and 20-21 coming back. Early on was soloing it at about 19 mph. Started riding again August 1 and have been out 5-6 days a week since. Starting to cut back now tho and working on intensity least till the time change.
Awesome! Congrats on the nice time! Yeah, the headwind was pretty brutal at times especially if you're riding solo. I was in a paceline that fell apart around mile 72 and had to suck it up on my own for the next 8 to the rest stop. That was tough going. Where do you go riding? I'm still planning on getting out and doing some rides on the weekend, possible some sprints around Haines Point in DC. I hear a lot of riders go out there, so maybe I'll meet up with some.
