road bike training advice

[jennifur]

I'm hoping someone here can point me in the right direction. As I've posted a while back I got a road bike for my birthday in Nov. . I've been riding indoors most of the winter with a few outdoor rides. I've been training hard doing Sufferfest workouts ( local hero, angels revolver). I thought I was in good shape but whatever I'm doing, it's not working. I'm having so much difficulty improving my speed. My goal is 15 mph avg so I can join the group at the LBS. All my rides include hills, I live in a very hilly area. I just cant get beyond 13 avg. One day with a flatter course I averaged 13.9.I've been averaging about 60-100 miles a week. I don't have any frame of reference for cycling. I don't know what's decent, what I should expect of myself etc. I can't find a group to ride with because I need to be faster. I am also doing the STS undulating rotation concurrently. Can someone point me to a resource for info? I realize that I don't know much about cycling or how to improve. I keep sticking with it, but I'm starting to feel like a loser. I'm starting to wonder if it's my age 48, gulp, but I really believe I should be able to do this!!!! Do I need a reality check? Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.

 

[Repo]

I just got my bike last week.......I'm wondering the same thing.

 

[JT]

Jennifer,
In all honesty, you are doing well. It takes time to build up speed consistently. I used to ride road/touring bikes all the time. My pace was average but I was consistent and I remained aerobic. Don't burn yourself out and have fun!! With hills, I used to coast them and work to get up the next but it's working to get down to coast up the next hill-as you know.
My resource for bike tours were the local bike shop and internet. Although, many train here during the summer for the IceMan competition in northern MI, which is a mountain bike race through the woods in late fall normally in the snow.
Sorry, wasn't much help for advice but I offer my support.

JT

 

[macbeanur]

You can improve! It is not your age, I am 45 and depending on the course, weather can ride ~ 20 mph. Tell me about your bike - what gears do you have? What are your components, what is your bike made out of? These things make a difference, too.

Have you tried Carmichael's dvds? He helped to train Lance Armstrong.

Also how long are your bike rides with the group that you are aiming for? Have you ridden with the group and find that you are too slow, or did they tell you you had to be a certain speed?

There are usually groups of riders for all levels - have you looked around to see if there are any other groups? Try your bike shops, look at local training groups - triathlon, marathon groups. We have a group called the heavy breathers or something like that. They post in their advertisement that no one gets dropped and they ride to have fun and also for the breakfast/brunch they share afterward. These types of groups are more fun to ride with and you are less likely to get into a crash with these type of riders. The more experienced groups tend to draft more which you may not feel comfortable with until you get more bike handling experience.

Hang in there though - you can do this!

 

[jennifur]

Repo, JT,Macbeanur

Thanks for your responses. I'll keep working at it. Macbeanur my bike is a 2011 Trek Lexa. It's got a carbon fork. Shimano components don't know too much more than that,lol. Two things I know I need to work on are
1- I absolutely panic and feel trapped if I clip in with my shoes -so I've been wearing regular shoes. 2. Going downhill if I gain more than 25 mph I tend to hit the brakes. Every road around here is hilly and very windy.
I'm not looking to race I just want to improve enough to join a group ( casual).
The LBS has a no drop ride but they clearly state that it's a 15 mph avg.I do not want to be the one that holds everybody up.I look at the riders and they don't look anymore fit ( or even as strong). I'm just frustrated because I expected more from myself. I have a friend that will be working with a Team in Training rider beginning in May. She's invited me to join them. Maybe that will help. In the meantime I'll keep working at it. I really so love riding especially now that the weather is getting nicer. Thank you all so much for your responses. I really need the encouragement!

 

[JT]

My bike shoes do not clip, they are fitted to work for both road and mountain bikes. Although, I know wearing regular shoes slowed me down cause I lost my grip thus working harder. Plus, I own a great pair of biking gloves too. yes, going downhill at a faster speed to get up the next hill can be rather scary. My bike is a Raleigh Technium, prior to their reorganization, with Shimano. It rides smooth like a Cadillac/Lincoln Townecar.