20 miles in an hour

[lancs69]

I'm after some advice on achieving 20 miles in an hour on the road.

I'm currently miles off, as i can only just manage 15 miles in an hour, and 20 takes around 1hr 25 mins.

Has anyone got any advice on what training I can do - I've been doing 15-20 miles every night on my excercise bike this week, doing it at a consistent pace, but I'm not sure if this is the best preparation.

A friend of mine has bet me £100 that I can't do it in 1 month - so 13th October is my date I'll be doing it so has anyone got a suggested training plan coz I could really do with the money.

I'm really keen and prepared to put the hours in (before and after work if I have to).

Thanks

 

[lancs69]

I also wondered does it make a difference if / what I eat after riding?

 

[Conniebiker]

Achieving 2mph per week is about what I expect up to 20s. Sometimes eating within an hour of said route can be detrimental. As a cycle commuter who does 10 miles each way at 15-20mph, I've found it to be more productive to eat "breakfast" before bed, then drink a good amount when breakfast would be.(if this is a morning ride.) Eat after arrival as a recovery.

Tire choice is big for drag, if it is anything but a thin wheel roadie(I typically use MTB, so it's big). Aero and seat height/position is important for power efficiency. For continued output, if you are a sweat type you will need a continuous hydration strategy. Without proper hydration your joints will hurt and you will loose output/focus. I personally can do 10 mi without a resupply in the morning, but often need drink on the way home in the afternoon heat.

As far as planning/training goes, you will want to find something that can get your effort up in a continuous manner. If you have a computer that can read cadence, try to get it up incrementally. Figure out what your basic cruising speed is on rpm and what your max sprint is. If you have long hills that aren't particularly hard, try reps on them working on bringing your rpm up. Once you are more accustomed to the higher engine speed, the gearing should help bring the speed up.

I'm sure there are other views on this, but this is what worked for me

 

[davereo]

I hope you can afford to lose your money. Betting money is a fools game. Get off your excercise bike and get out on the road you will be riding the 20 mile event. I have the funny feeling your friend will have you riding up hill for the event.

Good Luck!!!!!!

 

[daveryanwyoming]

I'm with davereo, I hope that hundred pounds isn't too dear to you as a 30% speed increase in a month is a very tall order.

But if you really want to give it your best shot then do a few things:

- Learn to ride in your most aero position as in down in the drops if you ride a road bike or better yet get some clip on aero bars and practice riding while lying down in the aero bar position

- Run light tires like 700x23c racing tires

- Practice outdoors on open stretches of road and do mini trials at 20 to 30 minutes each going steady hard but backed off enough that you can do two or three of them per training session and do at least three of these sessions per week.

- Pick a very flat route for your challenge day, ideally little to no wind or all the wind at your back in which case a lot of wind is good but try for little to no uphill and little to no headwinds or cross winds if possible. If you don't mind having traffic nearby then pick the shoulder of a busy motorway with a lot of traffic moving in the same direction you're moving that will help your average speed.

- Practice a full hour at least once if not twice between now and your challenge date to learn how to pace steady and stay focused for a full hour of hard effort, don't start too hard or you'll blow up and lose time but ramp harder and harder until you finished with everything you've got left.

It's certainly possible but it's a tall order to go from 15 mph average to 20 mph average speed for a full hour in just a month. Unless you find a way to get more aerodynamic or run lower rolling resistance tires you're talking about having to sustain more than twice the power you're currently putting out and big increases in power like that don't usually happen in just a month, but since you are just starting with regular training it might just be possible but best bet is certainly to find ways to reduce aero drag and rolling resistance as well as developing more power.

Good luck

 

[cobooboc]

I believe this is certainly very challenging,
20 miles of one hour, I believe that you would prefer to lose the bet, it will not do such a dangerous thing.
good luck to you !

 

[swampy1970]

lancs69...

I'm guessing that you're in Lancashire, England. Let me know where abouts you are and I'll point you in the direction of a fast road or three that can take advantage of the wind that you'll get in October. There wasn't anything in the bet that specified that you had to start and finish at, or near, the same place, right - just 20 miles in one hour? I used to live and race in that neck of the woods but moved to sunny California 12 years ago.

Starting at the top of Pendle hill and going down on the Clitheroe bypass (A59) is an option

I'd start doing 15 minute efforts at a pace that you find pretty damned tiring. Not quite Mr Creosote vomit inducing hard but if you're not ready to cough up a lung then you're not quite going hard enough. Rest by pedalling slowly for about 10 minutes and repeat. Try for a third if you can but don't kill yourself. Do this as often as you can - training like this lends itself well to midweek riding. If you only have enough time to get 30 minutes of riding in during the evening, go out, ride really fecking hard and spend the last 10 minutes riding easy.

Find a pair of tri-bars - aka aero bars. They're the best investment in terms of speed. Find some that are on sale, or on ebay... A tight fitting lycra shirt will help too. If you know any cyclists that time trial, see if you can borrow an aero helmet and some fancy wheels.

Post a pic of you and your bike and I'm sure that some folks will come up with ideas.

 

[lancs69]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Yes Swampy I'm in Lancashire in Preston. I've told my friend I'll do the route you suggested starting at the top of pendle hill, he wasn't happy about it so we've re-negotiated the bet. I've got to go from Preston to Garstang and back (18 miles fairly flat) but I'm not allowed any new quipment (like tyres aeros etc). The journey will involve going through 6 sets of traffic lights in total though!!

It looks like I'm best training 2-3 half hour blasts per day rather than just an hours cycling per day, so I'll give it a try and hope it works.

I know going from averaging 15mph to 18mph is a big jump in a month, but I'll give it a go. I'm hoping for a big improvement at the start as I've done 4 bike rides all year, but this week I've done another 4 (however on my excercise bike as it's almost dark when I get back from work).

I'm having a rest day today and gonna go out on my bike tomorrow and try and do 16 miles in an hour, will post the results.

 

[maydog]

There are "free" changes that can increase speed. Wear tight fitting clothes, remove all unnecessary items from the bike to reduce weight. Find the right tire pressure for speed. Make sure that the brakes are not rubbing and the chain is properly lubed.

A big one would be to adjust your fit for maximum power and increased aerodynamics. If possible lower your stem and or flip it over. Practice riding low with your elbows and knees in, in-line with your body.

The best bang for the buck training wise is probably to do some intervals - these will produce results with the least amount of training time. I did some tabata intervals last night on my commute home - kicked my butt and each set was only 8 minutes.

Strategy wise, stop lights are a momentum killer. You will have to average much higher than 18mph, while riding, to travel 18 miles in an hour. You should become familiar with the route, do a few trial runs to see what you are up against.

 

[alienator]

I'm after some advice on achieving 20 miles in an hour on the road. I'm currently miles off, as i can only just manage 15 miles in an hour, and 20 takes around 1hr 25 mins. Has anyone got any advice on what training I can do - I've been doing 15-20 miles every night on my excercise bike this week, doing it at a consistent pace, but I'm not sure if this is the best preparation. A friend of mine has bet me £100 that I can't do it in 1 month - so 13th October is my date I'll be doing it so has anyone got a suggested training plan coz I could really do with the money. I'm really keen and prepared to put the hours in (before and after work if I have to). Thanks

I'll bet you £250 you can't do it.

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by lancs69 .

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Yes Swampy I'm in Lancashire in Preston. I've told my friend I'll do the route you suggested starting at the top of pendle hill, he wasn't happy about it so we've re-negotiated the bet. I've got to go from Preston to Garstang and back (18 miles fairly flat) but I'm not allowed any new quipment (like tyres aeros etc). The journey will involve going through 6 sets of traffic lights in total though!!

It looks like I'm best training 2-3 half hour blasts per day rather than just an hours cycling per day, so I'll give it a try and hope it works.

I know going from averaging 15mph to 18mph is a big jump in a month, but I'll give it a go. I'm hoping for a big improvement at the start as I've done 4 bike rides all year, but this week I've done another 4 (however on my excercise bike as it's almost dark when I get back from work).

I'm having a rest day today and gonna go out on my bike tomorrow and try and do 16 miles in an hour, will post the results.

I know that road like the back of my hand, as it's part of a well known local 25 mile time trial course - the L251. You'll fail if the bet is 20mph - but have to negotiated that down to 18?. On the weekends the traffic is bad on the way upto the cross roads at Broughton and the traffic lights there. If you have to go through that junction on the way out and back then you pretty much have to be able to maintain 22 mph in order to deal with the time you'll lose there. If you start at Broughton and go upto the roundabout north of Garstang at Hampson Green (jnt 33 of the M6) - that'll be better.

A better route from Preston would be the A59 towards Liverpool. That road is flat and darned fast. Argue that weekend traffic on the A6 is bad and you want to use this road

Alternatively, head up from Preston and out up Blackpool Rd - A583, and when you hit the end of the M55, head towards Squires Gate and back on the coast road. You should get some shelter from the wind on the way out and some help from the 'no shelter' on the way back.

Start early morning of late evening - the later is better.

 

[maydog]

Do you have to ride solo? If not, you could have a stronger rider to ride with and "pace" you.

 

[lancs69]

Originally Posted by maydog .

Do you have to ride solo? If not, you could have a stronger rider to ride with and "pace" you.

fraid so

 

[lancs69]

Did a trial run yesterday morning - managed 16.2 miles in 1 hr 2 mins. Traffic lights went well apart from 1 which cost me a minute, but heavy traffic for about 1 mile meant I did a mile on the pavement and that cost me a minute or so too.

My legs definitely aren't used to cycling every day, they're aching - so I'm having a rest today and back on it tomorrow.

 

[Felt_Rider]

This does sound like a challenge, but I will be rooting for you. I always like pulling for the underdog and if you lose the bet don't lose sight of the experience you will gain in the next few weeks.


Maybe this wager will draw you into improvement in the years to come.

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by lancs69 .

Did a trial run yesterday morning - managed 16.2 miles in 1 hr 2 mins. Traffic lights went well apart from 1 which cost me a minute, but heavy traffic for about 1 mile meant I did a mile on the pavement and that cost me a minute or so too.

My legs definitely aren't used to cycling every day, they're aching - so I'm having a rest today and back on it tomorrow.

Heavy, fast moving traffic will help you go faster. Stay on the road and just far enough from the curb to stay away from the drains and all the roadside junk/glass. Better to stay a constant distance from the side of the road rather than moving out and back in again. If you stay out at an equal distance all the time, cars can predict where you'll be - keep darting in an out and you might end up under a lorry by the time you get to Brock.

 

[bobqzzi]

According to Analytic Cycling a 75KG rider (including the bike) on level ground needs

Speed watts
15mph 66
18mph 103 watts
20mph 136 watts

So you need to double the power to get from 15 to 20

On a 2% slope

Speed watts
15mph 165
18mph 222
20mph 267

 

[bobqzzi]

According to Analytic Cycling a 75KG rider (including the bike) on level ground needs

Speed watts
15mph 66
18mph 103 watts
20mph 136 watts

So you need to double the power to get from 15 to 20

On a 2% slope

Speed watts
15mph 165
18mph 222
20mph 267

 

[jpr95]

I think those are probably pretty optimistic numbers.

 

[Felt_Rider]

Here are my real world numbers from last weekend on the first and second lap. On most Sundays I do a 2 x 60 and wind up with nearly 20 miles for a 60 minute interval. I wasn't really pushing it hard because I did a 90 mile route the day before and my legs were a bit fatigued. You can see with the 0.78 IF that my effort was not intense. I am at 75 kg and this course is virtually flat. I was using a TT bike and would stay as aero possible. The first few miles I had a lot of people to navigate around, but the further I got out from the populated areas I could begin to open up the engine. More info and links to online data like Garmin Connect if you want to see details from my blog entry.

http://thecyclingaddiction.blogspot.com/2012/09/comet-2-x-60.html

The course is a MUP (multi use path) with a number traffic crossing. I don't have cars to contend, but there are times when I have to navigate safely or slow down around families and small children that can be unpredictable. My preference is to diesel my way back up to power after a traffic stop rather than sprint from the line. I may do a few seconds of standing to get the momentum up, but I would rather climb back up to speed in a solid TT type pace and keep my HR under control.

Again this was just another training day following a tough 90 mile ride the previous day so I wasn't trying to see how fast I could go in an hour, but it may give some insight. Seems like what was described by the OP the course with the traffic could potentially make it a challenge even for an advanced level cyclists. The average speed and intensity may have to be much higher to make up the loss if traffic and stops are worse on the day of the challenge.

[SIZE= 11px] Lap 1: (heavy foot traffic on the first 5 miles, traffic stops were shorter than normal, slight headwind)
Duration: 1:05:26
Work: 608 kJ
TSS: 66.9 (intensity factor 0.786)
Norm Power: 165
VI: 1.06
Distance: 19.899 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 452 155 watts
Cadence: 11 225 75 rpm
Speed: 0 25.1 18.3 mph
Pace 2:23 0:00 3:17 min/mi
Altitude: 904 1033 964 ft
Crank Torque: 0 1138 181 lb-in[/SIZE]

[SIZE= 11px]Lap 2: (heavy foot traffic on the return, fatigue setting in, no tail wind sensation)
Duration: 1:00:42
Work: 534 kJ
TSS: 55.4 (intensity factor 0.74)
Norm Power: 155
VI: 1.06
Distance: 18.884 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 449 147 watts
Cadence: 16 231 75 rpm
Speed: 0 24.5 18.8 mph
Pace 2:27 0:00 3:12 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1193 172 lb-in[/SIZE]