- Looking for tips on how to squeeze out more speed
while riding on flat roads?
Well, look no further.
We're going to break down every aspect
of fast, flat rides, give you all the tools you need
to turn all that good old fashioned effort
into speed.
(upbeat music)
Right, first things first,
we cyclists need to understand what we're working against
and what we're working with when it comes to fast riding
on flat roads.
Because, there's loads of external forces
that come into play.
Like, wind resistance, rolling resistance, friction
and inertia.
But, it is worth mentioning, we can't totally eliminate
all these aspects.
But, what we can do is minimize the negative consequences.
So, what's the biggest thing we can do
to get some free speed?
Whoa!
(upbeat music)
Aerodynamic drag is by far the biggest barrier
when it comes to finding speed.
It makes up around 90% of the resistance
that we feel.
So how can we minimize that?
First off, look at our position.
We can bend our arms, make us that little bit longer,
lower our heads, even move our hands down to the drops.
These subtle changes can make up to 33 watts saving,
going 30 kilometers per hour.
But, you have to be able to put the power out
through the pedals.
There's no point being super aerodynamic,
but not being comfortable or not being able
to put the power out.
So, there's that balance.
But, definitely aerodynamics is absolutely key.
(triumphant music)
You can also make some changes to your bike,
stripping off any unwanted accessories
like big bags or lights or panniers or bottles,
that kind of thing.
You want to keep your bike nice and streamlined.
You can also buy some speed.
By far the best place to start is your handle bars.
You can get some nice aerodynamic ones,
which sit you in a lower and aerodynamic position.
Another upgrade you can make
and have a much cooler looking bike,
is swapping out your wheels.
You can go for some deeper rims,
which will be more aerodynamic,
but remember not all wheels are created equal.
Now, don't neglect your clothing and helmet.
You can get a more aerodynamic lid,
but you could also go for some fitting cycling clothing
that'll cut through the air that bit faster,
and to be honest, it'll be a lot cheaper
than going for some deep section carbon fiber wheels.
(upbeat music)
So, we're more aerodynamic and we're going faster
for the same effort, but how can we make
that effort more effective?
With some pacing.
Now, we can only put a certain amount of power out
at any given times, so we need to make the most of it.
So, what we want to do is to not go too hard, too soon.
For example, we have a 20 kilometer flat road ride,
we want to try and keep the same speed
for the first couple of kilometers as the last,
create a nice even effort.
Now, do remember, the first couple of kilometers
will feel a lot easier than the last.
Now, it's inevitable that you might have
some roll hurdles, maybe some climbs
unless you live in Holland.
And to pace that, you have to go a little harder
up the climb and over the top
and that is because our old nemesis wind resistance.
(upbeat music)
Another force we as cyclists need to overcome is
rolling resistance.
Rolling resistance being the friction
between your tires and the road surface.
The smoother road surface, well, the faster you will go.
If you're riding on smooth surfaces like the ones
we're riding on today,
then a harder tire pressure is optimal.
But, in the real world, well roads aren't as smooth
as this one.
So you might want to adapt your tire pressure,
go for a bit softer.
Harder tire pressure on rough surfaces
will send vibrations through your bike
and through your body and it means you've got to put
more power out to overcome it
and it actually, you need more power
to overcome than if your tire was deforming.
So, basically in simple terms, it all depends
on what surface you're riding on,
depends on what tire pressure you need.
So, if you're a 75 kilogram rider for example,
and you're riding 25 millimeter tires,
then we would suggest you go
for around 70 to 100 PSI.
You could also buy some things to reduce the friction,
for example, you can get some new tires.
I've got the GB 5000's that are among the fastest
out there, but you could also go for some latex inter tubes
and that will also minimize your friction.
(upbeat music)
So, we're more aero and we're more efficient,
but now we need to focus on our engine.
After all, if we can't put out the power,
then we're not going to go very fast.
Now, there's loads of different ways to train,
but we suggest you look at two areas.
One, short, sharp, hard effort.
And the other, building the size of your engine
for those sustained efforts for around 15 minutes.
Start off with some turbo-tastic training.
One to four minutes, full gas,
but make sure you're fully recovered
before you do it again.
And then, building the sustained power.
So that's 20 minute efforts of around 80%
of your perceived effort.
Now, riding fast on the flat can be really good fun,
because you can keep it more casual.
You can do it in the middle of a ride.
Find a nice piece of flat road, wind up the power
and put in the good effort.
It's actually something that
I actually have grinded as a pro.
It was all about numbers, intervals,
but now I can go hard and fast whenever I want.
(upbeat music)
Next up, specialization.
By far the best thing to do,
if you want to be good at that one thing,
is to train doing that exact thing.
For example, if you want to be good on the climbs,
then train on the climbs.
And the same works for if you want to go fast
on the flat.
Climbing will make you good and strong,
but you're pedaling in an aerodynamic position,
so that's the first difference.
The second is how you put the power out
through the pedals when you're climbing
is different to when the bike is going at speed.
And now that's all to do with inertia.
I hope you enjoyed this video, but after all
practice makes perfect, so go out and spend some more time
on it, because then you'll be able
to squeeze more speed out of yourself.
If there's anything that we have missed,
then do let us know in the comment section below.
If you enjoyed this video,
then give it a big thumbs up.
For more how to's, click on the bike.