I was asked this week how to increase your average speed while road cycling, and it got me thinking. When I started road cycling 14 years ago, I was fairly slow and I gradually increased over about three years, but I’m still not overly fast. I then plateaued and haven’t changed much since. When I reflect, I realise it’s not one thing but many that have contributed to me increasing my average and speed and then staying relatively stable.
Before I go on, I must stress that there is no magic average speed that you should be riding at. You should ride as fast or as slow as you want or are capable of. If you join your local cycling club and all their rides are too fast for you and you get no enjoyment from the rides, then find another club or group to ride with. Don’t be influenced by others. Do what works for you.
Here are my thoughts on how it happened for me:
Ride in a group
I ride slower when I’m on my own. Maybe it’s because I’m a daydreamer or I just don’t see the point when I’m on my own, but I definitely go slower. I do speed up on occasion if I want to overtake someone or avoid a situation, but I generally go slower. Conversely, when I ride with a group of people, I ride a bit faster. This is because…
