One of the great incentives of going out to train with your bike is to surpass yourself. The satisfaction of improving little by little is enormous and despite the fact that we can set a thousand objectives, there is one that repeats itself on the list of most: improve average speed.
Although it should not become an obsession, seeking to improve our average speed can be a challenge to keep us motivated, because despite the fact that it is hard work, the results are very tangible. Now... How can you improve it? Here are some tips.
A correct position on your bike is essential to take advantage of each of the watts that you generate with your legs. Wind resistance is one of the great enemies of the cyclist when it comes to riding on the flat and positioning yourself with your hands on the levers with your elbows at 90 degrees is the best way for the wind to be as less harmful as possible.
The way to complete a route in the fastest way within your possibilities will be by maintaining a constant pace from start to finish, which will increase your average speed. If you look at the professionals, when two cyclists jerk at a pass to attack their rival, the chasing group usually manages to cut time, as it is more efficient to maintain a constant speed than to change pace.
Your goal should be to always sustain the effort at the same point throughout the route. It can be a difficult task if our course involves changes in elevation, but if we learn to maintain the intensity regardless of the slope, our average speed will increase on its own.
At this point there are no tricks, if you want to go faster you will need to increase your power. Train, train and train is the only way to do it. The roller can help you gain legs, but series or other exercises focused on improving your power will be more than welcome.
Eating correctly is another key point so that your body can maintain the effort for longer. A cyclist's diet must be adequate during training but also before and after it. In this article you will find all the information you need.
The rest of the points on this list are focused on the individual plane, but the truth is that the best way to increase your average speed is riding in a group. Going to the wheel allows you to save energy without losing speed, which means that if you master the art of relaying all this energy that you save while following your partner, you can invest it in pushing harder when it is your turn to cut the wind. A foot from the front wheel is where you will notice the slipstream at its best, but you must bear in mind that it is a very small distance that you must master to avoid accidents.
Always prioritizing all the other tips, the last resort we can resort to to improve our average speed is to scratch our pockets. Investing in an aero helmet, high profile wheels or lighter material will make us go faster but you make the biggest difference. It is useless to save 2 kilos with a carbon frame if we have 10 left over in our belly!
