- So you're out on your roads and you're giving it
absolutely everything, but yet you find yourself
still questioning, "Why am I not getting any faster?"
We've looked into this for you.
And here are seven ways that you could be
potentially slowing yourself down without even realizing it.
(bright upbeat music)
Perhaps it's your pacing that's slowing you down.
Do you find yourself sprinting up the lower slopes
of a climb, grinding it out over the middle,
freewheeling over the top and down the other side?
Instead, maybe apply a little thought
to how you're riding these big climbs.
Aim to start the climb at a tempo you know you can maintain
to the top, and when you get to the top,
don't just back off the pedals.
Keep pushing over the top
to gain the momentum into the descent.
Maybe it's not your pacing. Maybe it's your descending
and your braking that are holding you back.
Remember the momentum you worked so hard to gain
up over the previous climb?
Well, why ruin it all on the downhill
by dragging your brakes all the way down?
Instead, pull on them hard when you actually need them.
Short, sharp bursts are the most effective way
to brake correctly.
- [Voiceover] Good braking is one of the most effective ways
to increase your descending ability, confidence, and speed.
It takes time to master how and when to brake,
but it is one of the most vital skills to master
to get more from your riding.
- Maybe you're not eating
and drinking enough to fuel your rides.
Many of my riding buddies are as fit as they ever were,
but only for 90 minutes.
After that, they start to fade away and want to go home.
It dawned on my one day that this was because they weren't
eating and drinking properly whilst out on their bikes.
These are guys that have ridden for years,
but because they don't fuel correctly,
they weren't able to make the same progression
that the rest of us made.
You wouldn't expect to drive your car
with no fuel in it, would you?
So why would you expect that from your body?
Every hour you need around 60 grams of carbohydrates
to maintain intense exercise.
Perhaps it's the lack of variation that's slowing you down.
Are all of your rides the same?
If you ask yourself this, and you answer with a yes,
then maybe you should try mixing it up a little.
Instead of riding your standard route
in the same direction, try it the other way around.
If you're always sprinting up the same hills,
perhaps try and ride a little easier
and push on on the flat sections between them instead.
And sometimes, in fact, the best thing to do
is to throw in a couple of easy rides each week
to allow your muscles to freshen up before you go out
and hit it a little harder again.
These days it seems like cycling
and cafe stops are almost indistinguishable.
While stopping, recovering, and refueling
is almost definitely going to be beneficial
to your performance, are you derailing your chances
of a higher average speed by planning your cafe stops
at the wrong time?
Instead, why not consider stopping nearer the end
of your ride, perhaps even after it's finished?
Why not stop at the top of the hill instead of halfway up?
That way you can warm up again on the way back down.
How about the food choices you're making at the cafe?
Do you really need three pieces of cake and two coffees?
How about something lighter that will be easier
for your stomach to digest?
Are your clothes slowing you down?
Are you inadvertently wearing extra baggy clothing
that's catching the wind?
Or as you get too warm are you unzipping your top layer
and allowing it to catch wind like a parachute?
Maybe your clothes are so baggy that you perhaps should
opt for that slightly smaller jersey than you did before.
But perhaps the biggest offender here is excess clothing.
When you're getting too warm, you're unzipping
and letting it flap around.
Instead, rip it off and tuck it up underneath your jersey.
Perhaps it's even then acting as an aerodynamic hump
to make you even faster than you were before.
Maybe it's not even you slowing yourself down.
Have you neglected your bike so much
that it's now slowing down your rides?
When was the last time you washed your bike?
When was the last time you checked your tires?
When was the last time you degreased and reoiled your chain?
A clean, smoothly-running drivetrain will always be faster
than one that's clogged up with old, black gunk.
Tires that are correctly inflated will not only
inspire confidence, but they could be smoother as well,
giving you a faster, more comfortable ride.
So there you have it.
Seven ways that you could be slowing yourself down
without even realizing it.
Do you have any ideas of your own?
Let us know in the comments down below.
For a video on how to go faster on your bike,
why don't you click here?