how can i go quicker on my road bike?????

[thesades]

hi there fellow triathletes

i am failrly new to the sport and have recently completed the liverpool tri, i competed last year in a super sprint and done failry well however this year i upped it to sprint. done really well on the swim however the bike was a bit dismal. people seemed to be wizzing passed me on moutain bikes ect and just wizzing by in general. i felt quite disshartend. i tried adjusting my gears ect but couldnt really seem to get up any speed. i have cleats. is there any key to going faster? apart from the obvious hard training. its just a basic road bike. should i maybe get some different tyres?
would be greatful for any words of wisdom on this subject and hope you all have a fantastic season of training/racing!

[dhcm]

Until you become a pro, there will always be people who whizz past you. And it may even happen to the pros! Getting faster will merely reduce the number of times people whizz past you, and increase the number of times you whizz past other people. But if you are getting whizzed past by people on MTBs then it does sound like there should be scope to improve.

I am not a particulalry strong cyclist, so this is FWIW, but people do say there is no substitute for cycling miles. If you don't do a fair amount, you simply won't have the cycling muscles worked in. I did four 2-hour rides with lots of hills in one week in the Lake District at Easter this year, and then kept up one 2-hour ride a week and one faster 40 min ride a week, and felt alot stronger within about a month. And then at Blenheim tri was definately doing more whizzing past than being whizzed past. On an entry level road bike.

[largeade]

Get a cadence meter - always pick a gear to do 90rpm (this also applies to running). Its easier on your legs but relies on aerobic fitness. If you want to go faster sometimes its easier to go up to 110rpm rather than change up a gear.

Cycle lots including lots of hills.

Get a turbo and put it in front of the TV.

Do interval training. 10 mins easy, 10 mins hard and repeat.

Do regular time trials to keep an eye on progress.

If you plateau I think the term is MTFU and try more.

Race tyres (slicks) are definitely faster (in the dry). Use high 110-120 PSI range (which is more than I previously thought). I think I read that 21mm is the optimal size, but I currently use 23mm.

Train with a heavy bike (full water bottles - even with gravel in them for extra weight).

At 30kph wind resistance becomes a problem so beyond that you need to consider position e.g. a TT bike and Aero helmet...something like 6% improvement just with those too things. However you'll need to get used to the position change before you see that.

[largeade]

two not too. Doh.

Anyway forgot to say that if your position is wrong you are in trouble. e.g saddle height should give a 30 degree angle from the knee. Post a picture of yourself on the bike leaning against the wall with your pedal in the 3 and 6 o clock positions. I'm sure people will comment.

[wragh]

Good advice. I can vouch for the miles approach. Currently over in Belgium doing some good distances in the flat lands! A cadence meter can help a lot too.