How to get faster

Aramei

Hi all MTBer's. I'm actually new to MTBing and have only done 2 races so far this year. I don't get much training in. Maybe one day a week if that on the trails, and I go to a spin class once a week.

I'm concerned with how to get faster? Is it just a matter of muscle strength? I have good technical abilities.


Any suggestions?

Christine

ric_stern/RST

I don't want to sound blindingly obvious, but more training will be the most benefit to your performance, as it appears you only train twice a week.

In trained cyclists who race 'endurance' events (anything over about ~ 90-secs) muscle strength has no effect on cycling performance, and indeed, elite cyclists are, on average, no stronger than age, gender, and mass matched sedentary people.

However, as it appears you only train twice weekly, pretty much *any* exercise on top of your twice a week bike training will help improve your fitness and general health. On the other hand, keeping to various types of cycling and increasing the amount you do will have a greater magnitude of increase in fitness than with other exercise (that isn't specifically cycling).

Obviously, i have no idea if you have time to train more than twice weekly...

ric

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woodchuck

Try getting an indoor trainer. This extends your training day, allows you to convert TV time into training time, and lets you bike when weather is bad. Although not as nice as biking outside, it is a necessary evil for those whos primary job is not bike training

Aramei

At the moment an indoor trainer is out...I'm real new to biking, so I'm assuming that my speed will get better once my experience gets up there also.

As being new, I still have lots of adjustments to my bike to make. I just put my seatpost up an inch on Wednesday's ride. I was amazed at how much better my legs felt. I did a 11 mile trail ride and my legs didn't hurt/ache at all. Usually I poop out, I was a bit winded, but I was able to keep going.

ric_stern/RST

Why not join a local club, they'll be able to offer some advice and help, and get you up to speed?

ric

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Adidas

What helps me alot is Air pressures . Higher you are on road anyway the faster, but for off-road trails it's best to go lower. So rocks don't stick. .

Bike handling helps too, try to really play with the gears, I've actually gone a couple teeth more in my highest and lowest gears. It helps quite a bit, suprisingly .

Batesy

I imagine that stuff from my Rugby training will also apply to cycling.

For speed training just go flat-out over set distances from a standing start (500m for example), and rest for short periods of around 30seconds to a minute in between, this will also improve recovery time between periods of high exertion (eg short uphills) Preferably start out on the flat or a slight upwards incline.
Always do sprint/speed work at the start of a training ride as it is pointless doing it towards the end of a session.

As you progress try more uphill work, longer distances etc, riding into the wind.
Try pulling something over fairly long distances too (car tyre on a rope, laden trailer, tag-along bike with a tubby mate on), as any weight behind you will increase your forward drive momentum.

Hope this helps.

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ric_stern/RST

Most of this type of training is geared to increasing speed for short (sprint) type distances rather than average sustained speed for a long period of time (i.e., endurance cycling performance, which is anything > ~90-secs durations).

Although some of this training would be very useful, it would be seen as the last part of training for an endurance rider, just prior to e.g., peaking and tapering.

I've assumed that the original poster was/is interested in sustained efforts that last a fair amount of time. These are 'goverened' aerobically, by cardiovascular and metabolic limitations (i.e., VO2max and lactate threshold, respectively).

The type of efforts that would specifically increase those physiolgical paramaters would include shortish intervals of 4 to 8-minutes, and longer intervals of 15 to 30-mins respectively. Additionally, sustained workrates of ~ 90% of ~1-hr TT power will also positively help lactate threshold, and to a lesser extent VO2max.

Recovery between intervals and hard efforts is entirely dependent upon aerobic metabolism and as such is goverened by VO2max and lactate threshold.

Ric

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jaguar75

Christine...if you have grass levee's where you live those are great trainers for offroad riding. I live in New Orleans and we have a lot of levees. I practice by going up and down them kind of like a running sprinter running bleachers. Going up really builds dense, strong, efficient muscle tissue while coming down develops muscle that is required for stability on the pedals.

Though strength is speed, endurance is just as critical. Whatever you do to strenghthen your legs you also need to do exercises that promote endurance and proper/efficient consumption of energy. You need to find the proper balance, for your physiology, and make sure that your legs can burn calories without building up to much lactic acid which will cause you to burn out very rapidly.

Basically start somewhere and find a good friend/coach that has some experience and listen to your body.

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jaguar75

Ric, I think you forgot that Christine is new to the sport. Maybe you should explain to her, "in English", what the hell it was that you wrote and tell her what V02 is and how to achieve the proper ratio.

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cycleski

Are you able to organise a training partner or two who are slightly better than yourself and so force the pace up a bit as well as motivate you to increase the training distance. Without sounding critical and not knowing gradients ect, 11 miles sounds fine for a warm up but hardly a training distance, any chance of setting up a training loop of maybe 5 miles and doing multiples of it then reducing you times as a contest against yourself. Bike setup can make a huge improvement to performance , not to overlook major items like clipless pedals and the correct tyres and pressures for them to increase that vital mph.
Keep with it.

shwinn

if you are on a hill go on a lower gear if you are on downhill go on the hightest gear and pedal reapeatly until pedeling feels loose your on top speed

banjoml

well everyone is concerned with giving you intervals and power workouts ect.., you only train once a day u should concentrate on long endurance on hilly ground to increase your strength and endurance, they don't have to be off-road i do all my long rides on road as easier to find long roads to ride on and long hills.

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philze

I would suggest more time on the trail and a larger front chainring