Cycling Faster

This time last year I wrote down some thoughts on how to improve my bike speed. Riding fast is a very simple, yet very complex topic. Bottom line, the more power that can be applied through the pedals the faster the bike will go. But.....in order to apply that power a host of variables come into play. The legs are the pistons, but can the carburettor (cardio-respiratory system) supple sufficient oxygen to the legs? What about the fuel supply, are we reliant on high octane F1 type fuel (glucose) that is rapidly depleted, or can we utilise the £97.99p unleaded (5p saving from Tesco) (fat), which might not make us go so fast but won’t leave us phoning the AA for an extra few litres to just get home. What about power to weight ratio? When the road goes up funny things happen to heavy powerful riders. Then there’s the bike position, could you get more aerodynamic? And still be comfortable enough to ride for 5 to 6 hours? (note, I didn’t say comfortable “full stop”, a leather sofa is comfortable, a Fisik Arione saddle is not) So if we are going to spend hours this winter freezing our toes, fingers and ear lobes off, and numbing our knackers (girls replace knackers with your equivalent down below area) then it better make us ride faster when the race season comes back around, (Lanzarote; 213 days) So here are some of my thoughts. Whilst I think I am fairly knowledgeable in Sports Science and Cycling I am not an expert, your comments are most welcome.

Maximal short distance Time Trial speed is not performed in a triathlon, however the greater this speed is the easier it will be to sustain triathlon speed, and the greater the possible triathlon speed will be. If you can ride at 30mph over a 50 mile TT (I wish) then I think it would be a safe bet to say that 23, 24 or 25mph (even over a longer distance) would feel quite comfortable. I think Michael Hutchinson, Kevin Dawson et al would ride a pretty quick IM bike leg!

How to improve bike speed

Increase power. Power increase will result if force or/ and cadence is increased. Unless you are riding at an unusually low cadence, then only small tweeks to your riding cadence/ style will be possible. It is probably unrealistic that we will be comfortable changing from 90rpm to 115rpm. It is also unrealistic that many of us can ride 5 + hours at 115rpm, therefore increased power will only occur if you can increase the force exerted on the pedals, ie push a bigger gear. Lance Armstrong had a high revolution pedalling style, but his gears were not that small. Lance however didn't pedal at this rate for 5+ hours. Pedalling bigger gears requires more leg strength. It is here where the water becomes murky. Chris Hoy has incredible leg strength, but I don’t think I’d pick him to ride in my relay team over IM distance. Chris’s strength is generated through his highly developed fast twitch muscle fibres, powered by his CP and Anaerobic Lactic Acid energy system’s, maximal capacity around 2 minutes. We still need more leg strength but we must be able to supply enough oxygen to the working muscles, and fuel the muscles with a mixture of glucose and fat. Wouldn’t it be great to be comfortable pushing the 53 x 14 all day long (without a tail wind) some people are? How can they? Well they have the muscular strength to push that gear, and they have the carburettor to deliver sufficient oxygen, and a highly tuned fuel supply that can utilise more fat than glucose. Now this is where the various training philosophies come into play. Gordo Byrn and Mark Allen stress the importance of “doing your time” in the low intensity training zones to develop the cardio-respiratory system. Without this in place addressing leg strength will be a little like putting a 4L V12 engine in a car and surrounding it with a Fiat Panda carburettor. Or for a sports specific example, putting Mariusz Pudzianowski on a Cervelo, plenty of leg strength here. So yes things are complicated, but here is why I think improving leg strength is the way forward this winter.

For Myself, and many of my friends aerobic conditioning is already high. We have been completing in triathlon for many years, before that we might have been swimmers, runners or cyclists. Our heart is well developed (how much lower will your Resting Heart Rate go, a good sign of left ventricle adaptation) Capilliarisation of the leg muscles is high, (yes it can be improved, but this also occurs through higher intensity training). In addition our aerobic condition is being further developed through every cycle, swim and run work out. My thoughts are that we can comfortably complete long easy rides, so a winter made up entirely of this type of riding will only consolidate this type of riding. It will make us great at riding at 16, 17 and 18 mph average, (remember its flat on these here Selby roads) but it will not address the 21, 22 and 23mph average that we desire on race day. When we then want to start riding faster in April/May/June we are sort of starting again on a different type of cycling. To use another simple analogy, a 100m sprinter will not spend the whole winter training at 75% his maximum speed and then come March start his 100% speed sessions.

How are we going to increase Leg Strength?

Start on a leg weights programme where the aim is to increase overall leg strength. I would include Squats (numerous variations), Leg Extension, Hamstring Curl (double and single leg), Lunges, Leg Press, Straight leg lifts and Calf raise. Choose 5 exercises, 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, progressing the weight, 1 session per week. Remember we are not trying to complete with Mariusz!! Ride once a week over geared. This is often likened to weight training on a bike, very specific. Ride a gear where cadence drops to 50 to 60rpm. Take it easy, and look after your knees, as you feel more comfortable increase the riding time. On false flats and gradual climbs resist the urge to change up a gear, instead accept a slightly slower cadence and “push the gears over the climb, really feeling the pedal stroke” Once a fortnight, complete an interval session 30 seconds to 5 minutes (vary duration) aiming to go hard/anaerobic, make sure the rest is at least equal (up to double) to the work interval. This is gonna be hard work, do it on the turbo, a short sharp session, now that sounds good. Once every 3 weeks insert a longer interval 10 to 45 minutes, could be during a long ride or you could finish the ride by going hard. The intensity is not ballistic, but should be hard, somewhere around your 50 mile TT pace.

When I re-read this last paragraph the time on the bike sounds pretty intense. However I think the key is to recognise that the higher intensity riding is not during every session, but that it is mixed into the steady state aerobic riding. Riding over geared, whilst tougher on the legs may actually lower your heart rate.

Historically, Winter riding has been about building a base, long, slow steady pedalling. Hang on a minute, isn’t it cold, wet and windy, with not much day light, and we want to ride long and slow? Are we completely mad? My good buddy and very good Triathlon Coach Ben Bigglestone writes a good article on an alternative training emphasis. When spring arrives, we can change the emphasis, making the training “duration specific” to the race distance.

I think there are additional benefits from gaining leg strength. Running up hill requires additional leg strength. Improving the conditioning of the major leg muscles helps to protect your knee and hip joints. Swimming 4000m in a 25m pool will require 120 pushes off the wall (good training in itself). If you plan to run or bike latter that same day a little extra leg strength may just lessen the impact of the swim turns. Finally, having a bit more leg strength may even win you a few more village sign post sprints!!

A few other points that may make you think about your current cycle training style. Riding in the hills is great, but what do you do when you descend. Most cyclists I know go too hard up the hill, heart rate 160bpm + (assuming max is approx 190bpm), then think “glad that’s over” and free wheel down the other side, Heart rate plummets to 120bpm. You may have sat in the saddle for 3 hours, but how many hours did you pedal for? Will you free wheel for as long in your race? On the flat this Yo Yo style riding is not evident; if you are out for 3 hours you’ve probably pedalled for 3 hours. This winter don’t be lazy on the descents, ride over the top of the hill and ride down the other side. Do you ride in a big group? If “Mr Type A” personality sits on the front for the whole ride he will get a great training effect, will you get the same effect 6 wheels back? There’s no group when you are riding your race (theoretically, if there is they are cheating!). Get on the front, or split into smaller groups where you can all do some work.

I am convinced that for many good age group athletes doing the same sort of riding every winter will just reinforce what you can already do. Don’t get me wrong I will not be nuking myself all through the winter, but I am going to make the most of the time on my bike. I don’t want to surface in March having just maintained my current cycling level, I want to feel stronger and thus I hope faster. There’s not much point in being able to run a sub 3 hour marathon, if after the IM bike you’re legs are wasted and you can hardly hold onto 9 minute mile pace.

My friends, the bike is where it’s at, hope to ride with some of you this winter.