Hello! I hope your training is all going as planned. Personally, I am curious as to what kind of pace we should be aiming for by the time we actually get to the Ride. I just hit the 3 minute kilometer for the first time on my last ride, so I expect to be able to improve significantly in the next couple of months.
Pace isn't really a big deal. You get 12 hours to do 135km the first day and 10 hours the second to do the same distance. So you are already there for pace, endurance is the key. Surprisingly last year my shoulders hurt me the most. So make sure that you work out the entire body. Jamie
Good advice - the difference between a comfortable pace and killing yourself is small and will not work on this ride. Shave a few minutes off lunch if you are worried - but this is not a race and you have lots of time.
I just finished a 140 km ride yesterday with some friends who are training for the Ironman. We finished in 5 hours 13 minutes with an average speed over that time of 26.7 km. I am certain that they could have gone faster without me and I know I would have gone slower without them. Today I am feeling quite spent and cannot imagine going back out to ride another 130+ km today. I know I would, but I also know it would be an upleasant day which is not how I want to remember the RTCC.
I have learned a valuable lesson in this. Pick a pace that is comfortable and stick with it. It is easy to get caught up in trying to keep pace with other riders ahead of you but remember: it is a ride, not a race. It is a fairly significant challenge in that we will be riding about 135 km on each of 2 consecutive days. With that in mind it is very important to find a pace that makes sense for yourself so that there is enough left in the tank to enjoy day 2!
I have done quite a bit of training (almost 2,500 km in 2010 already) and yet I admit I still need to figure out how to pick a better pace for this ride. Hopefully I get it figured out soon.
I have done about 1500 km of training so far, a lot of hill climbing in Mission, riding to Maple Ridge , Langley etc. Seems like regardless of hills or flat I average about 21 to 22 km per hour, wether it is a 2 hour ride or 4 hour ride, I did one 130km and averaged 21.6km. So I am guess that this would be about average.
The last couple rides I have been increasing my cadance and that has helped a great deal. This means reducing the gear and increasing the revolutions of the peddal. My legs are not as tired and my average time seems to have increased slightly.
-- Edited by RA40 on Wednesday 2nd of June 2010 10:13:31 AM
Increasing your cadence can definitely impact how you feel after a long ride. I have heard that you should aim for a cadence around 90 rpm which I try to do for everything but the real steep hills. The problem is, my computer's avg cadence calculation takes into account time when I am coasting so my avg cadence is never as high as what my typical cadence is.
Another option is to use a heartrate monitor. I personally have noticed a huge difference in how I feel if my average heart rate is in the low 140's versus above 150. I have tried to do LSD training (long slow days) where you ride below 130 for the entire time but find myself unhappy with my pace when I do. My compromise is to try and stay in the low 140s when I ride (hills excepted) and I feel quite good afterwards. Having said that, when I completed the 140 km ride in 5:13 my avg heartrate was in the mid 150s so I know I was pushing myself a fair bit for that time and also know I would be better served to slow my pace and heart rate down.
The key, I think, is to remember it is a ride, not a race and most importantly, it does no good to go too hard on day 1 and find yourself having nothing left for day 2 because both days are quite long.
-- Edited by BrentJ on Wednesday 2nd of June 2010 02:20:10 PM
Cadence is a HUGE factor, but the cadence is totally based on the person. When climbing I try to keep between 75 and 90, if I travel out side of those settings I change gears accordingly. But on flats I like to be 95-105. By going with these numbers I have brought my average to 30-31 kph vs 28...this is mostly because of the higher speeds I attain on the hills...my lungs and legs hurt less or the same...so it works. I don't want to watch my avg cadence only my current. The incite 11i seems to be a good computer and relatively cheap about $50. Give it a try and good luck.
Thanks for the input everyone. I have been riding with a computer this whole time, and my average cadence per ride right now is somewhere around 90 rpm (counting coasting). For me, this translates to an average speed of about 21-22 km/h on a good day. I've been without a large shifter for the past couple of months though, so doubtless this could easily be higher. Best of luck, and see you out there.
