Fast cycling days?

Johnny Klunk said:

Just talking to the other half, offhand, she said something about today being a "fast cycling
day". Which was really interesting as I noticed today that I was averaging a few mph above the
norm. Neither of us have been able to quantify why today was a "fast cycling day", but we did
notice the difference. Wasn't bad weather today, but not that different to many other days.

Light wind equals fast cycling day. Even if you think it was all you, it usually /is/ the weather!
:-( Small differences* in wind speed and direction can make a massive difference to how easy it is
to pedal. But what you've had to eat and what you feel like will play a part as well of course.

Quoted message said:

Had anyone else noticed this and did anyone else in the South East find today was a faster day
than others?

I didn't ride today but the wind has calmed down a bit, hasn't it?

* At least what would seem small when not cycling and to non-cyclists, eg. 10 v 15mph, SW v W, etc.

~PB

"Johnny Klunk" <johnnyklunk@:rem0ve-this:johnnyklunk.com> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just talking to the other half, offhand, she said something about today being a "fast cycling
day". Which was really interesting as I noticed

today

Quoted message said:

that I was averaging a few mph above the norm. Neither of us have been able to quantify why today
was a "fast cycling

day",

Quoted message said:

but we did notice the difference. Wasn't bad weather today, but not that different to many
other days.

Had anyone else noticed this and did anyone else in the South East find today was a faster day
than others?

I noticed that when coming home today in West London - absolutely flying along and more annoyed than
usual when cars got in my way.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

What brought this home to me was one evening last year,it had rained all day, and stopped an hour
before the start of the TT.Everyone said it would be a 'slow' night because of the water on the
road, but it turned out that nearly everyone had done their best time of the season.

<snip>.

Could be due to excess negative ions in the atmosphere being released from the water droplets,
stimulating the cillia <s?> in the lungs, allowing better oxygen absorption...same effect as
standing next to a waterfall and feeling fantastic ??...possibly ?

"A Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

This can also be seen when watching cricket.When the air is 'heavy', the ball can be swung at will
by the bowler,as, in effect, the air is rubbing against the ball, making it spin faster on the
shiny side,and dragging on the rough side.Other days when the sun is shining,and the pitch is
really dry, the ball will just not swing.

For the ball, wouldn't a more plausible explanation be that the humidity affects the leather and
string to change the aerodynamics, rather than the viscosity of the air changing?

cheers, clive

"Johnny Klunk" <johnnyklunk@:rem0ve-this:johnnyklunk.com> writed in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Just talking to the other half, offhand, she said something about today being a "fast cycling
day". Which was really interesting as I noticed today that I was averaging a few mph above the
norm. Neither of us have been able to quantify why today was a "fast cycling day", but we did
notice the difference. Wasn't bad weather today, but not that different to many other days.

Had anyone else noticed this and did anyone else in the South East find today was a faster day
than others?

Me too in Leicester, riding my heavy sit-up-and-beg bike, it was a dream coming home, I thought the
wind must be behing me, but when I got home I realised there was no noticable breeze!

Johnny Klunk <johnnyklunk@:rem0ve-this:johnnyklunk.com> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just talking to the other half, offhand, she said something about today being a "fast cycling
day". Which was really interesting as I noticed

today

Quoted message said:

that I was averaging a few mph above the norm. Neither of us have been able to quantify why today
was a "fast cycling

day",

Quoted message said:

but we did notice the difference. Wasn't bad weather today, but not that different to many
other days.

Had anyone else noticed this and did anyone else in the South East find today was a faster day
than others?

Yep, fast in Leeds yesterday & today. PB's to work both days. The light traffic helped today.

--
Andrew

"Look laddie, if you're in the penalty area and aren't quite sure what to do with the ball, just
stick it in the net and we'll discuss all your options afterwards."

Strong northerly wind in Portsmouth today right behind me on the way home made a big difference.
Pity I wasn't on my lightweight, but use an old gas-pipe framed tourer this time of year! "Johnny
Klunk" <johnnyklunk@:rem0ve-this:johnnyklunk.com> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just talking to the other half, offhand, she said something about today being a "fast cycling
day". Which was really interesting as I noticed

today

Quoted message said:

that I was averaging a few mph above the norm. Neither of us have been able to quantify why today
was a "fast cycling

day",

Quoted message said:

but we did notice the difference. Wasn't bad weather today, but not that different to many
other days.

Had anyone else noticed this and did anyone else in the South East find today was a faster day
than others?

Quoted message said:

I noticed that when coming home today in West London - absolutely flying along and more annoyed
than usual when cars got in my way.

Thanks all for the answers. It's not just us then. I'd taken into account wind, weather and all
those - but I think some days are just "faster". Love to know why... (love to be able to recreate it
everyday!)

"Johnny Klunk" <johnnyklunk@:rem0ve-this:johnnyklunk.com> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I noticed that when coming home today in West London - absolutely flying along and more annoyed
than usual when cars got in my way.

Thanks all for the answers. It's not just us then. I'd taken into account wind, weather and all
those - but I think some days are just "faster". Love to know why... (love to be able to recreate
it everyday!)

Yes but it never makes up for all those days when it feels like you are cycling through treacle.

"A Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Johnny Klunk' johnnyklunk@:rem0ve-this:johnnyklunk.com said:

Just talking to the other half, offhand, she said something about today being a "fast cycling
day". Which was really interesting as I noticed today that I was averaging a few mph above
the norm.

snip

Quoted message said:

Had anyone else noticed this and did anyone else in the South East find today was a faster day
than others?

Yes, noticeable on weekly Time Trials.Obviously there is the wind to take note of, but sometimes
when there is no wind, there can be a noticeable difference in peoples times. What brought this
home to me was one evening last year,it had rained all day, and stopped an hour before the start
of the TT.Everyone said it would be a 'slow' night because of the water on the road, but it turned
out that nearly everyone had done their best time of the season.

maybe they tried harder because they expected increased resistance from the surface water and a
higher ambient humidity then deduced that they needed to increase effortorial input in order to
achieve optimum operational efficacy

/just do it

Albert

Quoted message said:

Yes but it never makes up for all those days when it feels like you are cycling through treacle.

Heh, I call them "hangover days", usually with good reason. They're the same days where the distance
between home and work mysteriously doubles.

On Fri, 14 Mar 2003 19:29:33 -0000, andrew scrawled: )> Had anyone else noticed this and did anyone
else in the South East find )> today was a faster day than others? ) ) Yep, fast in Leeds yesterday
& today. PB's to work both days. The light ) traffic helped today.

Given the routes I take, my speed is often helped immeasurably by light pedestrian traffic. People
park on one side of Banbury Road and then flock to the other (or are resident EFL students on one
side, and need their studies on the other). The large number of pedestrian crossings on the road can
be a real hindrance some days; other days it's less than six minutes from door to door.

J-P
--
Tens of thousands of pilgrims have flocked to a church in southern India in the hope of catching a
glimpse of a "miracle chapati" emblazoned with the image of a bearded Christ.

Finally took the posh bike out yesterday - Sun, for the first time in months. A very nice, very fast
day indeed. I managed to pick up a tri-boy near Eton, and we kept the pace up till Datchett. Luckily
he turned off, and I was able to revert back to my more normal 15mph, but found that I didn't want
to, nor, more importantly, did I need to :-))

Four weeks of no training + Giant TCR smile + lovely weather + competition + strangely quiet roads =
immensely good time.

steveP

I've often found it a fast ride home when it's rained earlier in the day so the road is damp but not wet and the air is cool and humid.

Then there are the days when the morning ride goes like a dream and you think "Great! I've become fit overnight." Only on the way home do you notice the wind that was behind you in the morning.

Chris

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Johnny Klunk
Just talking to the other half, offhand, she said something about today being a "fast cycling day".
Which was really interesting as I noticed today that I was averaging a few mph above the norm.
Neither of us have been able to quantify why today was a "fast cycling day", but we did notice the
difference. Wasn't bad weather today, but not that different to many other days.

Had anyone else noticed this and did anyone else in the South East find today was a faster day
than others?

ChrisW said:

Then there are the days when the morning ride goes like a dream and you think "Great! I've become
fit overnight." Only on the way home do you notice the wind that was behind you in the morning.

Ah yes. This was my experience just yesterday, as I limped home around Chew Valley Lake (where the
person in the other thread had their jeep altercation). I should have known that things weren't
right as I was flying over the Mendip Hills in the morning thinking "Wow! Two sessions on a turbo
trainer and I've turned into an all-powerful cycling machine!!"

Ian

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