Riding a bike at speed

In this article, Coach Alan looks at the secrets of riding a bike fast. Often people think it is the powerful legs and big efforts that determine if a rider will be quick or not. In fact, it can be more nuanced than that. Read on to find out more.

“I am speed”,

Lightning McQueen said it first (well according to Disney-Pixar anyway). If you really want to go fast, you need to embrace and enjoy speed, at least 20 - 50mph anyway. Extending your comfortable speed range is essential to going fast, and the first place you can start to practice this is going downhill. Descents offer riders the ability to practice riding fast without physical effort and simplify the task. Going faster. Start with a road bike in a straight line on a steady descent on a well-known route with a good surface and build from there. If you want to go fast, you need to be comfortable with it and focus on going faster and faster without worrying about it. Confidence to the point of autonomous skill function is essential to riding a bike quickly be it down a complex descent or at high-speed on a completely flat time trial. If you aren’t confident in your skills and your equipment, you will not go fast.

What is your fastest speed achieved?

Confidence and comfort with your equipment are key; this means being able to fix mechanical problems and understanding your machine. Again, you need to be focussed on riding fast, not on worrying about equipment failure. Experience, familiarity and confidence are key.

How to go fast?

We can’t gloss over the fact the bicycle doesn’t propel itself! Riding fast is also a result of high power output, high efficiency and low resistance. Efficiency can be lost through poor equipment choices, poorly maintained equipment or by poor biomechanics. Many articles look at equipment and bike fit, but what about choices? The poor choices I am referring to are ones that are nervous and lack the commitment to speed “I’ll take two inner tubes, I’ll take the comfortable long ride bag, box, shoes etc.”. If it isn’t essential and doesn’t ‘help the bike go faster” lose it. Spares aren’t necessary until you reach middle and long-distance especially with the uptake of tubeless tyres. One spare tube is enough for Ironman, and patches can be taken for a really long get out of jail fix. Mindset is everything: remember “I am speed”.

What do to when you are up to speed?

Don’t lose it! Braking is optional (some of the time)! Carrying speed around a course is essential to riding fast. Even more so, faster riders are at an advantage, especially on rolling courses. A faster rider will start at speed approach a small rise and crest it with little drop in speed; a slower rider will slow more significantly as they crest the rise. On the other side, the faster rider will hit a higher speed again, the slower riders will start from a slower speed and reach a lower peak, they will also reach this lower peak later and thus spend less time at their higher speed. What happens when both riders hit the next rise? The slower ride slows more, and the faster rider leaps even further ahead. This is exacerbated further when a corner is approached and the more confident faster rider brakes later again spending more time at speed. As this carries on, it becomes even more amplified as the faster rider is riding more efficiently. For the real hit in my example above both riders have exactly the same bike and exactly the same physical ability! Remember “I am speed”.

How to carry speed?

Anticipation is critical. Knowing a course allows a rider of any technical ability to increase their speed. Each stage of a course will have a process that a rider needs to focus on to ride fast. Gear selection is one that is often overlooked by triathletes. I have heard on countless occasions the question what is the right cadence? There isn’t one answer, in fact, its the wrong question. Looking at the road ahead the rider should look to change gear based on what is coming up to ‘carry speed’. Again rolling hills make for a good example. A confident rider with a good cadence range will change one gear at the back (on the cassette) and lower their rpm slightly and “push” over the crest with a slight surge in power whilst maintaining their position. This will help the rider maintain speed and, with the little surge over the top, get up to speed more quickly. A less confident rider may pause in pedalling change to the small ring at the front and subsequently ‘go light” on the gears and have nothing to ‘push’ against. This loss of engagement of the chain and gears causes the rider to lose speed at a vital point and only once they crest the hill does force come back onto the pedals. It is vital to be able to vary cadence at times when changing gear might cause a loss in momentum. This also includes the high end of cadence as well.

When cornering the same applies, one rider who knows a course well may ride straight through a gentle blind corner without touching the brakes or pausing in their pedalling, another may coast, sit up and dab the brakes. These points are critical, especially when exiting a section of the course into a long non-technical or flat and straight section as the momentum carried will stay with you until you reach the next obstacle. Needless to say, you need to be really good at cornering as well as knowing the course!

Pacing

You may have noticed I have used the word ‘speed’ quite a lot throughout this article. It is crucial to remember part of pacing is speed! If you want to ride fast, there is only so much you can hold back and only so much you can be efficient. Riding at a perfect power or perfect cadence the whole way is not the way to do this. You have to display speed on your cycling device when racing and moderate your effort between the varying metrics of speed, power, cadence, heart rate and perceived effort to ride quickly not one or the other. All of our coaches work with BestBikeSplit to enhance the plan of our coached athletes. One thing we will likely all be able to compete in 2021 is Time Trialling. If you have never tried Time Trialling but want to ride faster, I recommend that you sign up for a local informal club event time trial they are cheap to ride and simple to turn up to and have a go. You will learn so much whilst going so fast and the best thing of all you don’t have to run afterwards! Well as long as your coach doesn’t get you to do a brick run anyway!

Remember: “I am speed!”

About The Author

Alan Ward

Alan has worked with Tri Training Harder since 2014. During this time working with a wide spectrum of athletes from beginner, to youth and junior elite athletes through to 70.3 and Ironman AG winners and Ironman Kona Qualifiers.

An active Triathlon coach since 2007 Alan has been fortunate enough to work with athletes, peers and support staff who have continutally challenged him to evolve and develop. Building on a solid foundation in swimming teaching, Alan has specifically developed swimming coaching experience having worked in High Performance Swimming environments. Alan's other passion is all things fast on a bicycle!

Since 2015 Alan has worked in conjunction with the other Tri Training Harder Coaches to significantly develop collective coaching practice both on camp and online.

Visit Alan's Coach profile

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Alan WardJanuary 22, 2021Cycling, coaching, Alan Ward, AerodynamicsComment

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