Feeling slow?

[bicycletricycle]

I am in crappy shape this year, feeling slow as molasses. Stopped to make sure my brakes weren’t rubbing today. Nothing was wrong of coarse, just me going slow :-)

[tylercheung]

sometimes slow rides are the best

[fignon's barber]

The only answer is a new bike.

[54ny77]

exactly. it's a known fact that disc brakes make you go faster. especially if you live in a flat dry climate.


The only answer is a new bike.

[cnighbor1]

and that is slowing me down staying indoors today

[Mzilliox]

dude, i feel ya. only the last 2 weeks am i anywhere near my PRs form strava. i am way slower this year, and ive hardly managed any rides over 40 miles too. i think there is a correlation. and i think these things all correlate with my mood and the smoke in the air here out west. when im in a good mood, im fast. this year, im slow. all of this is relative to me, i dont know how i compare to others.

[paredown]

I feel your annoyance. I'm pretty slow myself.

This is the second year in a row where I have had medical problems in the spring, didn't start riding until June-ish. I've made progress but summer is already over, and it will be couch season soon.

It's not like the old days when you could bugger off for a month or so and not notice the difference.

[bicycletricycle]

Luckily fastness is not directly related to enjoyment for me. Sometimes I start to giggle when a little bump or headwind has me huffing and puffing. I want to try for a 200 mile weekend tour before winter comes. At my current pace it might not include much sleep.

[bicycletricycle]

The only answer is a new bike.

Ya, I think my new Zank will fix everything.

[Kingfisher]

I’m the same way......crappy ride and I’ll stop and make sure pads aren’t rubbing 😊

[ducati2]

My favorite is when I am having a bad day going uphill and I click the lever to get to a lower gear only to find out I am in the lowest gear. That doesn’t stop me from trying again a few minutes later. Doh!

[Hilltopperny]

I am pretty slow most of the time. The muggy heat this year doesn’t help, but I try to ride nice and early to avoid it. I also like to just enjoy the ride as opposed to trying to beat my previous speed or time.

I’m sure that anniversary Zanc will light a fire for you! Lugged Max goodness would add a couple of mph to my speed for the first few rides!


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[R3awak3n]

After D2R2 I have not ridden a lot and the rides I have done I have done very slowly. Its been great.

[Clean39T]

On those days you're feeling slow, it's a good opportunity to breathe deep and take in the surroundings. #tshirtride

[jghall]

Glad I'm not the only one. Doing as much walking as riding now-days. Sometimes I feel like I'm walking faster than I ride.

Just try to sit back and enjoy the scenery, solitude, and benefit.

[bob heinatz]

I feel slow most days but that certainly doesn't take away from my enjoyment or fitness level. My real goal is to enjoy the outdoors and maintane my fitness.

[hokoman]

Feeling slow here too. The nice thing is that I typically take out my Crust for loops around Prospect Park, so the speed matches the bike! I went out on the Meivici yesterday, and my Mosaic the day before and felt compelled to ride a lot harder on those bikes - I didn't enjoy the rides as much since my fitness is not there and my legs/lungs were on fire! I think I'll finish the rest of the riding season the fat 26" wheels.

[type2sam]

I'm hoping to make the best of Autumn. Year started great (400 by April) but then work/life happened and my fitness has been crap. D2R2 was tough (the weather doubly so). Did what felt like a hilly ride in northwestern Connecticut (around and across the Barkhamsted Res) and found out it was only 2200 feet in 30 miles. A beautiful part of the state I grew up in and had never experienced in 40+ years. Ran into a guy with an Ottrott twice. Cleanest bike I've ever seen.

[bicycletricycle]

I listened to Tom Waits for the last 3 hours of the ride. Helped me accept the futility of my endeavor and enjoy the pain a little. That Bone Machine album is a classic.

[dddd]

There was another recent thread about blood sugar, and I've noticed myself (especially this year with the smoke) that, on the days that I stay inside too long after eating breakfast, that when I head out my energy is low.

The CX racing season starts Wednesday for the after-work tune-up series here, and I've been trying to ride each morning, so I'm trying to get out the door as early as possible. I found that I had to do a little spoke tensioning work this morning after yesterday's Dino ride, but I hustled through it and the ride went well. I remember getting passed by an Ebike after getting through the climbing portion of the ride, but I didn't let that get to me.

[soulspinner]

Wish I could blame my THR last year but the truth is food and beer have kept me SLOW. At 62 and without concrete goals...………...:bike:

[PaMtbRider]

Definitely a crap year for me. It started out by being bumped to 3rd shift at work which means a lousy sleep pattern. I tore my calf muscle the first week of July and was off the bike for 6 weeks. Now I'm just eating and drinking too much.

Facebook showed me a picture yesterday from 5 years ago. It was from our 2 week trip to Switzerland. I can't believe I weighed close to 20 pounds less than I do now. I just can't seem to find the motivation or discipline to get back to that fitness level.

[oldpotatoe]

I am in crappy shape this year, feeling slow as molasses. Stopped to make sure my brakes weren’t rubbing today. Nothing was wrong of coarse, just me going slow :-)

Mee too..just not as much time as last year plus hardest part seems to be getting all the 'stuff' ready, clothes, water, bike, etc..but once on the bike, OK rides, but slow. So what tho..even short ones, 'turnin' the pedals'.."Bike Path Bounce Around" for 30-45 minutes then back into the trenches.

[Johnnysmooth]

I'm with you, slowly descending (maybe faster than I like) into slow and old. Granted, various things from health issues to long travel abroad has not done much to help. My ability to put out power leaves much to be desired.

Oh well, still love just getting on the bike and riding, though tend to do more solo rides as I'm off the back on local club rides.

[thwart]

Fighting a virus I picked up from my lovely wife (aka Typhoid Mary) but this morning I felt well enough to get out and enter the pain cave a few times.

Problem is my entry speed into that space is much slower nowadays... ;)

[livingminimal]

I listened to Tom Waits for the last 3 hours of the ride. Helped me accept the futility of my endeavor and enjoy the pain a little. That Bone Machine album is a classic.

This is the best post of the day and its only 10:57am PST.

Might be best of the week and its only Tuesday.

[93KgBike]

When I feel that way, switching to a mountain bike for a few months can help. But generally, something always hurts these days, no matter what I'm doin'.

[mastaliu]

I'll join the general vibe of the thread and lament the loss of form and power that comes with age and lack of time.

This weekend I headed back to a loop in a nearby National Park (Prince William in VA) I used to train on as a junior and senior when I was racing. I was sooo slow compared to my old times in the early 1990s! A guy blew by me on one of the climbs and I was just stunned at how fast he was riding. I wondered about a motor just to make me feel better. At the end of course, it was a fun day out riding a bike, but I do miss going up hill faster than almost everyone.

On the way out, I bought an annual pass and I'm trying to get there weekly to see if I can get the legs back!

[mwynne]

Aye, vicious cycle here. Limited time to ride due to smoke/work travel/other commitments = feeling slow and just bad at cycling = less motivated to ride = ....

[rpm]

Now that I'm north of 70, there's no doubt about how slow I am. I used to get passed just by the young racers, but now I get passed by all kinds of people. I'm too slow for the bike shop rides, but my usual pace is a little too fast for the "smell the flowers" groups that I see around.

One thing that has helped is that I converted one of my bikes to albatross bars, and I take that bike out when I'm feeling tired or unmotivated. The bars remove all the pressure to feel like you should be going faster. Of course I'm slow, look at my bike.

Just like the training books say, it's good to alternate go-fast days with recovery days. I'm also slow on my go-fast bike, but at least I'm making an effort to be faster, knowing that I can cruise the next day.

[2metalhips]

August was the hottest on record here as in many areas, dog day fatigue has set in for sure. Just trying to recharge for fall riding.

[weisan]

It's ok, just enjoy being outside and riding.

[soulspinner]

August was the hottest on record here as in many areas, dog day fatigue has set in for sure. Just trying to recharge for fall riding.

So true. The heat has shortened my rides this year. Love to ride some 60 and 70 degree days without a gallon of sunscreen and 70 ounces of electrolyte drink. Oh ya, the last 7 pounds of extra bib short roll has to go too. :p

[PaulE]

It's been a slow year for me too. Moving to another house and dealing with foot pain were two main causes. The move is mostly behind us now (does unpacking ever really end?) and I saw my fitter who checked my bike fit (which I didn't copy exactly onto bikes I've bought since I last saw him) and moved my bike cleats back that were too far forward (I copied the correct angles onto new shoes but not fore and aft location). I am now getting back into riding, will enjoy the fall and next year will be better!

[Ciavete]

Great post bicycletricycle. I'm with ya slow pokes! Everytime I read a new bicycle review that describes it as "fast" I'm thinking it hasn't met me yet.

But that's okay, so long as the other riders save me some pasta and beer and I get there before dark.

Cheers!

[makoti]

August was the hottest on record here as in many areas, dog day fatigue has set in for sure. Just trying to recharge for fall riding.

I've taken to riding Zwift weekdays & only venturing out if the dew points are <70 or the weekends. It's just too unpleasant outside to bother with. Thank goodness for Zwift, or I'd be couch-bound for sure.

[fiamme red]

I went out for a ride two days ago and the heat and humidity quickly sapped my energy and enjoyment. So I turned back early.

I'm looking forward to cool fall weather. Maybe by October the daily highs here in NYC will only be in the 70's! ;)

[pobrien]

I reckon one benefit of living in western Canada is that it never gets too hot to ride. I enjoy riding in the rain which extends my riding until the snow sticks.

What I do is alternate cycling days with fast walking days for variety and to avoid taking the fun out of my cycling. Vancouver is a great city for walking. I am very fortunate to be here.

I have started taking one day off from exercise most every week to allow the old body to have some time to recover.

Perhaps more variety may help keep one fresh on the bike? Just a thought.

[MerckxMad]

It's the end of summer and it feels like I haven't ridden much or well. The weather on the east coast has sucked, veering between wet and infernally hot/humid. I'm looking forward to the Fall. I don't feel a need to ride fast, only to enjoy my time on the bike.

[Plum Hill]

I spent most of the year driving 30 minutes to a trailhead, then riding paved trails in the shade. Many times I stopped mid-ride for lunch or hit the book store for magazines. I only had 1400 miles in when I had a TKR on 7/30.
On Sunday, I drove 7 miles to the nearest trail and rode 7.5 miles
Tuesday, same thing for 13.4.
Couldn’t make the pedals go around yesterday.
On Sunday, I was so happy hearing the killdeer flying around, the sounds emanating from the weeds, and feeling the wind in my face that I realized there will be good days on the bike again.

[bicycletricycle]

any time on a bike outside is a blessing as far as I am concerned. So glad you are getting back on the bike.

I spent most of the year driving 30 minutes to a trailhead, then riding paved trails in the shade. Many times I stopped mid-ride for lunch or hit the book store for magazines. I only had 1400 miles in when I had a TKR on 7/30.
On Sunday, I drove 7 miles to the nearest trail and rode 7.5 miles
Tuesday, same thing for 13.4.
Couldn’t make the pedals go around yesterday.
On Sunday, I was so happy hearing the killdeer flying around, the sounds emanating from the weeds, and feeling the wind in my face that I realized there will be good days on the bike again.

[Tavarez]

Additionally sometimes a good run or swim provides a necessary reset or flush of the usual cycling fatigue.

[tombtfslpk]

When I feel that way, switching to a mountain bike for a few months can help. But generally, something always hurts these days, no matter what I'm doin'.
I've never been fast, especially on a road bike. But I love riding in the woods. This has been a good year to just grab the rigid MTB and cruise the trails.

[YesNdeed]

I recently broke my clavicle and suffered a pneumothorax in my left chest/lung, and significant lung bruising was to follow (very painful). Freaked out about my lung, I took some time off the bike and had my first ride last Saturday. Slow is not a strong enough word. But it was nice to just be out on the bike, and I've never had anything force my own pace like my current condition. A friend spotted me on Sunday and said he'd try keep up with me as long as he could. I smiled and said I didn't think that would be the case, and it sure enough wasn't.

Riding this way keeps it real for me. I enjoy the beauty of my surroundings and the time of year even more. Having no concern over maintaining a certain level of fitness is grounding and serene, and that's quite liberating. Eventually I'll miss the Saturday smash-fests with my friends and teammates, but I'm a loner at my core, and I'm enjoying the time alone. Just me and my bike.

[Mr. Pink]

Bet I'm still slower than all of you.

[PaMtbRider]

The year continues to really suck, Now that I am about recovered from my torn calf muscle I was at the Doc today for a hernia. Not an emergency, but she referred me to a surgeon to schedule an operation. I just want this year to be over.