higher gear for speed or conserve energy?

By no means am I an expert, but something that helped me increase my speed, endurance and overall enjoyment of riding is to break the ride up. I set small goals when I am riding. Whether it is a hill, a cranking flat, or even the distance between 2 or 3 telephone poles, I try to do that segment faster than yesterday. These little segments/goals are really the poor mans interval riding, which will enable you to achieve your overall goals faster than anything. You will quickly find that the “rest” time between your small goals will decrease and your overall speed will increase. Not to mention by constantly focusing on your overall time and speed will lead to a very boring, grueling ride that will never end. You need small victories throughout your ride if you’re going to enjoy it. Rarely do I ever look at my overall speed, gear or time. I focus on being at my optimal for that small moment whether it is a low easy gear for a well earned rest, or a beast gear until I reach that next telephone pole.
My too stinky scents

@lordofthemark 30053 wrote:

I have reached the point I could ride comfortably in the flats in a higher gear. But at this point by the time I finish the ride I am bushed. Checking my times (no bike computer yet, but I record where I am when on my cell phone) last ride I was MUCH slower last 2-3 miles on the way back (which was easy terrain from Vienna to Gallows) I’m not sure that I would do the whole trip faster by riding in a higher gear earlier. Thoughts?

As a back on the bike newbie, I understand your frustrations. My first real ride on the W&OD that grind up from (in either direction) Difficult Run put me almost in my lowest gear just to get up it. Fast forward a month of better fitness and stamina and now I’m able to ride up from Hunter’s Mill to VCC averaging 11mph, up from that first 8mph ride.

I agree with the cadence setting; I try to keep it somewhere around 70-80 per minute and adjust the gears accordingly. This way I’m able to churn up the hills but without going too much into pain level, and then when it flattens back out, shift back up but keeping the pace.

Cadence varies from person to person, but you probably don’t want to go too low. For example, 50-60 rpm means that you’re grinding away and pushing too hard on each stroke. That’s not good for your knees unless you have much more experience and leg fitness to be able to handle some harder workouts. Beginners should avoid tough workouts until they have a lot more time on their bike.

As for your speed, don’t try to improve your speed with every ride. That’s a good way to burn yourself out or get injured. It’s better just to get those miles on your legs and build up your aerobic endurance and leg fitness gradually. Build up an endurance base and a basic level of fitness and toughness before you really start focusing on speed. Even more experienced riders don’t try to build endurance and speed at the same time (usually). While you can develop many aspects of your fitness simultaneously, if you try to push too hard on too many levels, you’ll burn out or get injured.

Just have fun on the bike for now. As you ride more, your endurance will improve. You could incorporate some functional strength training to improve your core strength and your leg strength. This will also help with muscle imbalances that you probably have.

Fitness isn’t developed overnight. It’s a long, gradual process. Don’t be in a rush to get to the advanced stage. However, even a beginner can access the simple pleasure of just riding on a bike in the outdoors. You just have to have a functional bike (preferably in good shape), a safe route and some time to go out for a ride.

Fitness requires consistent riding. If you’re only riding once every other week, you’re not going to develop much endurance or speed. In that case, I wouldn’t even worry about your speed at all unless you have the desire and time to ride more consistently. Nothing wrong with riding occasionally. Just don’t expect to be improving endurance or speed on that type of schedule.

You may also want to try out one of the beginner cycling or confident city riding classes offered by groups like WABA and Bike Arlington. Look into basic bike maintenance classes or look up info online. Once you start riding more often, you have to pay attention to bike maintenance (tire pressure, clean chain, chain lubricant, tightened bolts, etc.).

Try exploring Annandale via Google Maps. When I clicked on the bike route suggestions, roads that are bike-friendly-ish popped up marked in hash marked green. That way you won’t waste time driving to a place to ride. And yeah, I do that all the time, but as the days shorten, daylight becomes more scarce. Even if you drove a mile to an area with many connecting residential streets, it will save you time. And if you have a cross bike or a mountain bike, or even a tough hybrid, you’re close to the CCT that picks up at Audrey Moore Recreation Center.

Have fun. Ride safe.
ann

Question…what are you trying to achieve? Faster lap times or go hard without feeling wiped out in the end. Just curious so I can try to give you good advice.

Gotcha. Well one way to test your fitness is to ride with a group. It takes time to get your fitness level at a higher scale so don’t find a group ride anytime soon after reading this. So just ride CONSISTENTLY, watch what you eat, make sure you also consult with a weight scale from time to time. Wouldn’t hurt to have a training buddy as well. Cooler weather’s coming so sometimes the motivation goes down. That’s the real challenge. Keep your mind focused on riding and seeing results rather than “eh, it’s too cold. I’ll make it up next week”. Next thing you know, it’s been 3 months since your last ride. Keep riding. It’s fun, saves gas plus it’s good for the body.