How to ride 26 mph with minimal effort

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[@bonzaiii3]

I was waiting for tips to ride 26 mph with minimal effort solo..

[@Terrifier1984]

Impossible you need a draft The best you can do on you own and being conservative is 20-22 if you are an amateur

[@TechSucht]

Get a velomobile. 🙂

[@dopamim4131]

I get 22 mph on a city bike🤣🤣♥️​@@Terrifier1984

[@gradientdecent]

Alright, Ill give you one, go cycling every single day.

[@Mantis858585]

As a dude who's never rode in a group this was pretty informative. I can average around 15mph on my own and found it dumbfounding looking at others average speed.

[@desmondstephen9942]

A steady 15 is a 4 minute mile and it gets you around in practical terms very well.

[@Mantis858585]

@@desmondstephen9942 yeah, I get around town just fine but often compare my times on Strava and am shocked how fast some people are. Seeing that riding in a group can push up your mph is nice to see. :)

[@brianmcg321]

If you can average 15mph by yourself, 20mph in a group is easy. That’s why group rides are so much fun.

[@christianalboroto7574]

Lmao. On my own I average about the same 15-18mph but with a group I average around over 20mph. Group rides is fun but also super tiring.

[@xintongma2976]

@@christianalboroto7574 I only ride with team once but I do feel much easier

[@MM-bg7in]

Had no idea this is what’s going on in a race. Couldn’t imagine going that speed so close to each other especially when you are so close to the curb or gravel. Hats off.

[@piersderoos6941]

It's so they can look at each others arses.

[@gchesterton]

Sitting in and saving energy is my forte. Solid top-100 finish every time.

[@Bellerophon17]

As someone who rides solo 95% of the time, 200-210W on flat terrain can get me to 20 mph over a long ride. Gonna need a Remco-esque CdA for anything more than that!

[@chriswitek9455]

Same. Even 170w is ~17.5mph

[@JanBernhart]

200w = 30 Kph, so 18.75 mph for me. Depending on the weather though, in winters it's slower (thick air) and perhaps on an ideal warm day, it would be 20 mph

[@brandonnielsen694]

@@JanBernhart I’m with you, if it’s a 200 watt day I’m just not breaking 19 mph

[@kidsafe]

@@chriswitek9455 17.5mph for me is like 120W lol. 😉Last few P12 crits, we averaged 28mph and I was under 200W.

[@bcardamone]

Yea I always have ridden solo, 25 years and obviously can’t appreciate drafting. I typically cannot average more than 18 mph average over a 20-30 mile ride.

[@WattWireNet]

Lots of good info here, thanks for the tips and data sharing. It's so cool to see the power output overlayed onto race footage w/ commentary.

[@swaaagquan3540]

Great video. I haven't raced in 13 years, but man this makes me want to get back into it. Without racing, you have no idea how powerful a good slipstream is. The combination of the commentary, video, power, heart rate and speed. Feels like super Mario.

[@jordangraf673]

This is awesome man. Just got a gravel bike after not riding for a long time and this kind of stuff is really motivating.

[@maurice9660]

Man gravel bikes are so nice haha love mine, can ride fast on the street and still go offroad :)

[@danielmarshall4317]

Simply an excellent and informative video, and very much so even for those of us who bicycle regularly but don't race. The fluency of the narration, supported by zeroed-in graphical data points and perfectly edited video, was spot on and compelling. Kudos! And thank you!

[@ions82]

I love watching those numbers when bridging to a breakaway. Modern bike tech has gone wild in the last two decades. Wireless shifting, tubeless tires, and all metrics being recorded in real time (with corresponding footage of terrain.). Great video!

[@mr.sangaku47]

"What are you doing and why are you doing it?" Definitely something to keep in mind. Thanks Jeff cheers man🤟🏼

[@joshualancekemp]

Absolutely love following your exploits on the interwebs!! Thank you for sharing your experiences so honestly 👍🏼👊🏼🇺🇸

[@chetanseth4976]

I have a Phoenix Hydra 29 bike (not a road bike). I have been mostly on solo rides only and pull about 100 watts with an average speed of 24 kmph (nearly 15 mph) for about a 60km (~37 miles) ride. I wondered about others on Strava who had average speeds of more than 30 kmph (>20 mph). I always thought that it was because of the slim tires of their road bike. But this video changes that perspective and cleared a lot of doubts!

[@crbondur]

I like the "Two Questions". Definitely important reminders to be intentional about your work in a race. If you want to get really deep, you could apply this to your actions outside of cycling as well. :)

[@steveg4082]

Two good questions to avoid living bad habits on autopilot.

[@TrafficCooone]

I've never been to any race event but this video is pretty interesting that I've watched it all.

[@ryanmussett1016]

This is really interesting, I'm looking at getting in to racing soon. I started cycling July 2021 but only really cycle alone and am a bit nervous to take the dive as I didn't really know where I was currently at would be good enough to hang in a group. My solo average is a steady 19-20mph (cycle 5 days a week), 190W would be a touch above Z2 for me so feel fairly confident after watching this. Thank you 😆

[@ericrarama2714]

Ryan Mussett you’re a Beast, that’s a crazy average speed for someone who started cycling in 2021. Kudos to you!

[@BenjaminWasHere]

eric in the other reply is calling you a beast...how old are you? Ill bet your somewhere around 20 yrs old, give or take... Your numbers are good. You'll be fine in any group ride; just learn the etiquette of group riding. 190w to maintain 20mph is well above average, esp if that is Z2 for you. Again, sounds like youth to me... What will be foreign to you is that every 10 years of your life after 20 will result in a LOSS of about 10 HBPM (heart beats). An hour of riding with 10bpm LESS PER MINUTE, is 10x60= 600 heart beats LOST for a 30 yr old, that you still have available. 600 less beats of critical Oxygen and nutrients, etc is a LOT of extra blood flow. Thats the advantage you have with youth. A 40 yr old = 1,200 LESS heart beats. 50, 60, just do the numbers! Hence the other post by eric calling you a "beast." You will eventually not be able to maintain those numbers SO...get into biking NOW. Hit it hard and PUSH. Learn how fitness and nutrition works combined with various types of training methods. Get a smart watch that tracks your gps and heart and learn your numbers, and how to increase them. You can start with Strava but will have to dump the data off into a program designed to really provide numbers analysis. Man do i wish i were 20 yrs old! Good luck. RIDE SOME GRAVITY

[@kelvie855]

When i got into racing at 15 y/o my Belgian dad urged me to do no less of 18-19 mph when solo riding. He also fixated on maintaining high average revolutions, arguing that kept the legs and joints flexible and ready to go at any time. Thanks for your very analytical and informative video!

[@aryaraujo3975]

I find these videos of yours very educational. Many cyclists are not aware of the aero effects. These two questions: What are you doing? and why are you doing it? are very helpful to find out if one's making a mistake in a race in case he/she can't answer them. Thanks from Brazil.

[@buckcitycrunk]

im a big rider. i highlighted a segment on a recent ride. 33:13, 201 watts ,9.6 mph. max power 1079. i had another ride 38:00 , 209 watts, 7.5 mph, max power 1236. i dont live where its flat. i couldnt imagine what power i'd need to get 26 mph. thanks for the vid bro

[@RyanLongP]

Great video. As a novice cyclist, I learned a lot. Thank you!

[@europeanconfidence32]

I'm not a cyclist as such, though I do enjoy my bike rides too. But it would make me nervous riding so closely alongside another cyclist competing to get ahead. Unlike cars cyclists don't have rear vision or side mirrors. I don't know how you do it, but you guys do a marvellous job.

[@JustinMayfield]

Amazing video, loved seeing the Sauce in action again too!

[@joj0ee]

As a non cyclist, I would’ve never guessed that drafting played that large of a role. Cool stuff

[@Tsnor150]

Xcellent video. Loved the strava data.

[@justinbouchard]

I'm new to cycling, two years, but also in Canada so it's more like a few months of riding. Something I found that I did and still do is ride with my legs tense to a certain degree. As opposed to allowing the muscle to just exist and work off of the joints it's like I'm flexing my legs while pedaling. I notice that i'm tons faster with less effort when my legs and just in general my body is relaxed and not tense anywhere.

[@josha254]

Prayin 4 at least some sun this spring

[@lunam7249]

relax

[@fernandocycling9662]

That’s awesome to see an a great aluminum road bike among others great road bike like the one at 6:45, Allez Sprint Comp, I have one like this, 2017. Great race and video as well. Greetings from Brasilia 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@Mottleydude1]

Ahhhh this reminds me of my Cat 3 days. I did a lot of motopacing to get my drafting technique at speed down. Most of racing is knowing how to have your technique in drafting down so you can concentrate on the tactical issues ahead. You will intuitively know how to save energy. What path to take. When to exploit a tactical advantage. Not to mention building muscle memory for speed. I would do a lot of my LSD rides behind her motorbike at 25 mph in her draft. My heart rate would be around 145. The same as when I was riding 20 mph on my own. Sometimes I would ride behind her in our hatchback with the hatch open drafting at 30mph or faster. Unless you have a half a dozen guys you can ride daily with and paceline, which is like never. So I taught my girlfriend how to pace me on her motorbike then the car. The improvement in my speed during races was dramatic and I was because I had learned how not to waste energy.

[@rebinu]

ah so youre the guy who stole all my koms

[@litesp]

I wish I was coached with these techniques back in my competition days. I did everything by brute force.

[@fh6758]

Love those videos of yours👍🥇

[@kidsafe]

Worth noting different phenotypes / body types like to attack in different spots at Alviso. I actually like attacking into the headwind sections (Nortech/First/Santos/Wilson) where it's slowest. Bigger dudes love attacking the tailwind sections like Grand and Disk. Blaine likes to attack anywhere.

[@lunam7249]

always better to apply more energy at fast parts, and NOT into headwind!

[@kidsafe]

@@lunam7249This is literally the opposite of true in a TT and attempted breakaways are as close as you get to a TT in a mass start race.

[@lunam7249]

@@kidsafe E = 1/2 mc^2..... delta(e) = velocity^1/2.....where im from west coast TT are solo

[@kidsafe]

@@lunam7249 You want to exploit the inefficiencies in your competition. As a 178cm/63kg rider who gets very aero, I exploit my low CdA and am very hard to follow in a headwind section. If I try to attack in a tailwind section I lose my advantage and the people with higher absolute power can easily keep up. Understand?

[@lunam7249]

@@kidsafe you have a good point.....what you describe is called "breakaway", which a specific technic......now mine; top speed medium downhill is 50mph 1/2 full effort, 1/2 full effort up a steep hill 5 mph....full effort at 50mph x 2^1/3 = 63.0 mph.......full effort uphill = 5mph x 2^1/3)= 6.30mph.....every second at top speed gain = 13.0mph ....every second up hill gain = 1.30 mph, so after 1 hour my style will pull you ahead 13.0 - 1.3 = 11.7 miles ahead.....try it....its the tour de france and F1 CAR style , concentrate on the fastest part of the course ONLY!!

[@spritemanplus4700]

I race triathlons and for most events it’s actually illegal to draft but at the same time our bikes are Tt bikes so we can be more aerodynamic, there’s pros and cons but I love biking regardless!

[@billyhill727]

I remember about 6 years ago I was riding on the Sacramento bike trial and a group of riders rode by me they were going at a good pace. So I just tucked in the back and let them pull me through. Drifting can save you a lot of energy.

[@tspaziovirtuale3615]

Such a joy to watch Great content

[@uncrunch398]

Giving me confidence in a 350w motor, if I can get rid of the waste as much as practical. Switched rear tire from a cheap gravel tire to Schwalbe Marathon Plus. That did a lot. I think I gained 2-3mph going downhill. And feel safer doing it.

[@ryancraig999]

I would add that you also have to preemptively ask those two questions about different hypothetical scenarios that could be developing in real time and be able to execute at the precise moment in the race. Many times that moment is a split second decision that makes or breaks your race. Easy enough right!? 😂 Gotta love bike racing, best sport in the world 🤙

[@TreyCoursey]

Good stuff man! Thanks again.

[@MrEddieo1]

Great stuff man.. Too bad I am 68 and on BP meds which limits my bpm. On a flat flat road I can average 16/17 but over a hilly course I am really slow. Just came to cycling late in life. Still fun for me.

[@styverdyver]

Keep on doing what you can! I'm 67, no meds but some lung damage from covid. I usually maintain a 15 mph average on rolling terrain and 18 on flats. I don't get out much anymore and miss it!

[@arilehman9723]

Regular exercise will lower your blood pressure.

[@cmg11235]

You’re only 68… you could easily live another 20.😊

[@gnatman1102]

@@arilehman9723 I wish regular exercise would lower my blood pressure. Started riding at 57 along with improving my diet. I turn 60 in 2 weeks. In the 3 years of riding, I lost weight, but my blood pressure and cholesterol have increased. I actually had to get on BP meds. I'm not on anything for cholesterol, yet.

[@tomc0240]

you are the man Ed, don't let anyone tell you otherwise

[@genova2006]

Very cool and instructive. Thanks.

[@mikeclements4548]

All the secrets out in the open at last 😂 - that’s for sharing great vid…

[@minarostom]

what are you doing and why are you doing it are 2 good life questions tbh, but def apt in cycling. great video. subbed!

[@Paul-qb7lo]

Drafting and knowing the corse is essential to achieving this goal. The guy rides the course 7 days a week for a few hours everyday. It’s NorCal’s home turf and baby.

[@brianwilliams363]

Hi Jeff. Love your videos. Keep ‘‘em coming! Btw, what power meter do you use?

[@recyclespinning9839]

I did a few club rides with some pretty fast dudes back in my younger days. Yes you don't want to be in the back . I only did it a few times and hated the competition and the training. I couldn't get out in traffic and ride like 300 miles a week. It kinda ruined it for me, but luckily learned some good skills and love vintage steel bikes . So I'm fixing , wrenching and like touring , commuting .. Cheese and wine and destinations where its at !! Oh and I just gotta throw this in , in my late 20s a few moons ago . One year I could ride at 20mph , and throw in a sprint on my Rossin steel bike and hold 40mph for a minute 🤓😎

[@ITsupportian]

back - yoyo, speed fast, slow fast middle - Save energy, accident prone top 5 front - more power compare with middle, avoid accident, see attacks.. and positioned better to finish

[@chrisjames1924]

Interesting video and real food for thought. I've always been hesitant regarding groups rides and crit racing believing I'd never be able to keep up with their crazy average speeds. Recently my solo riding (over rolling English countryside) increased to 21-22 mph average over 30-60 mile rides, so, I'm thinking I might finally be ready. Crit racing like this though will be very scary! Definitely want to try it though.

[@peelingshallots]

Hope you guys get those sweet new propels

[@robt8042]

This is probably one of the top most important skills in racing.

[@lornespry]

Good presentation!!

[@bikechapel]

Great job. Fun, instructional video. It's weird to see guys with flashing lights in this race, but just plain scary to see that the course is apparently open to vehicular traffic...that must cause some Uncle Fester moments.

[@jamesferdinandfetter3522]

I was the huge dude in the Stanford jersey... you're welcome for the draft Jeff ;)

[@Mamilian]

What are you using to do the metric overlays?

[@roderickcortez138]

Haha. I knew that was Alviso before you even said anything. I used to ride through there back when I lived in San Jose.

[@Xtibor]

Great vid!!!!

[@garywdowd]

That sure looks like the Chino Hills ride - but guessing it's not. Thanks for an informative video 🙂

[@Ju-S-Ka]

Great video and effort. I really love watching your videos. How do you make the cycling data overlay the video?

[@young-jaechong6045]

it took me a month after I recovered from Covid to get back to somewhat where I was pre-covid. It sucked and I don’t ever want to deal with that shit ever again

[@isaacoliveira33]

I don't evean cycle I would like too but still this video was really intersting and you got a new sub man!

[@lloydranola]

I used to pride myself on doing the Port of Oakland ride every week and never averaged over 200 watts

[@willshaughnessy8515]

Flat terrain is easy .. However here in the high Rockies with ablvg gradients of 8 to 12 % consistently.. No one worries about speed..unless decending at 80 km ph

[@cornishalps9870]

Pros can still average 40-45kph on terrain like that. I've done 2/3/4 road races climbing 2000m in 70 miles averaging 42kph.

[@mefityoufit]

Very nice, thanks. A different question: what kind of camera are you using? What's the mounting system?

[@rodperry2347]

Nice video!!

[@magaman6353]

30 mph! That's fast alright! Especially when you consider the power to overcome wind goes up as the cube of the speed, while tire rolling resistance is roughly linear. In other words, it takes 8 times as much power @30 mph than @15 mph to overcome wind drag, but only about double for the tire rolling resistance. Not sure about the Watt ratings though. 375 Watts is just over 1/2 of one horsepower. Pretty hard for anyone to maintain that for long.

[@rckd5903]

Great video 👌

[@dvvws]

Fighting the wind and yourself are the biggest challenges.

[@nathansdad04]

Didn't realize the huge benefits of drafting. I always ride solo and 191 watts= 18.5mph at best. Rode 215 watts for an hour...and averaged 20.3mph. (I weigh 200lbs btw)

[@jim34morrison]

I love the content! This is a wonderful channel!

[@toddmanley2983]

I’d be curious how much more savings you’d have on my wheel. This 6’9” frame of mine kicks off a nice draft.

[@user-kp4ms4bk3r]

From someone who just jumped on a beginner racing bicycle to get a change from running every now and then: This looks insane! You're telling me you're going 35 km/h for extended periods of time and that's bad? I guess everybody is judging themselves pretty hard in their own niche :D

[@mattiasmurhagen3712]

Great video! Quick question @NorCal Cycling: Any particular brand you recommend for bike shorts?

[@Timtimzi]

That was a hard bridge attempt :( . Had no legs by the end game.

[@garethleitner9547]

Took me a few tries, but I finally broke an hour in a 40 k time trial. That's 26 mph. Without drafting. On the Moriarity, NM course. Thing is, the record is around 47 minutes! John Frey held the record for a long time.

[@MauriSky2437]

At 56 years old, I ride solo about 98% of the time. This year, 2023 I have been able to hit average speeds of 22.5 mph on my aluminum bikes, including a Canyon Grail gravel bike along 35 - 40 mile rides.

[@johnames6430]

what type of gearset to do I need to be able to go this fast? Will a kent 700c road bike be able to keep up with you guys at 30mph?

[@cobymartinez3891]

Been watching your videos, brother. Good content ngl. Im also doing crits here in the philippines and it’s either you join the newbie cat or the pro/open cat lol haha all of your strategies, i’ve been doing here in my local crit races and I haven’t won anything yet but with good roads and less traffic i’d win something. Would tag you soon when I win one hehe 🤝🏾✊🏾

[@TimpBizkit]

I can hear Durianrider's voice in the background "Well the first thing you gotta do is ditch the road disc brake setup!

[@calabrais]

When I exert any amount of physical activity I always ask myself "what am I doing" and "why am I doing this" 😂

[@wabafetpk5545]

Great bro! what program do you use to put your power/speed data on the video?

[@EnduRACEcoaching]

Hi Sir, What software are you using for your video ? Thanks excellent content

[@Panfleto89]

So what happens when everyone is fighting for the front 1/3 of the pack? Do some people just give up? Or what about the corners? what if everyone is fighting for the inside corner? Do these situations create wrecks? Just asking, I never ride crits....

[@yiannispapelis8260]

I'm a 220lb rider with a relatively wide body and even though drafting helps me immensely, the benefits aren't quite as high. When drafting behind a 'normal' rider at 25 mph, I need to be putting out over 280 watts to keep up and even the slightest fallback of a few feet requires a much higher spike to catch up. On the other hand, everyone loves following me!

[@PathfinderSCB]

Add more riders...

[@llegoearl3487]

yo0 bro i have my roadbike steel frame and fork all steel execpt to hubs its alloy .. i upgrade the dropbar to earo thing and i run 30 speed in 1 hour and when i stop i feel all the sweats and smells lol

[@georgeofthesea]

Hey Jeff and Crew, great vid as always, got an important question though. I also have a Giant TCR, and I was trying to get the same stem and bar as your set up. Which appears to be the ZIPP Sprint Stem and ZIPP SL70 Aero Bar Although my bike has their oversized OD2 steerer tube, which is measured at 1 1/4, and all of ZIPPs carbon stems are standard 1 1/8 steerer tubes. Not sure if I'm just seeing the stem wrong, or if you did some voodoo magic and had Zipp make a stem for you. I'd love to know what your exact setup is for your cockpit. Thanks!

[@kidsafe]

TCR Advanced Pro has a 1-1/4” steerer while the TCR Advanced has a 1-1/8”. Other than that the frames are the same.

[@georgeofthesea]

@@kidsafe thanks for the info, that’s pretty frustrating unfortunately :(

[@deweys]

The guys are pushing a thousand watts?! I could microwave a burrito with that

[@davekashuba4730]

I see that on your chart at 08:47 that you made it from Cat 5 to Cat 4. Congrats! I didn't think you had it in you.

[@vika0194]

So you say congrats and then insult him...

[@stevezodiac491]

In our evening time trial series on a 8.4 mile sporting course ( up and down ) Harry Tanfield maintains 30 mph riding alone. You may know of him ?

[@rc_videoshooter9638]

Wow, fast race. What's even scarier is how a top 200 pro could sprint drop everyone here and then remain off the front maintaining 300 to 400 watts for a hella long time. EPO is amazing.

[@DB-sj8km]

No high level pro has used EPO for 20 years.

[@xRedViiPeR]

Can we get some sort of bike fit tips video for crits from you jeff? 😁

[@YuriThorpe]

Best bike fit tip is don't change your fit for crits. Race what you train on

[@biernabierna]

I wonder how accurate is this power meter. On video u can see sometimes u barely start pedaling and vat shows already around 200 - 300 like its nothing

[@blackbond-007]

May ask what brand/model handlebars you have on your bike? I have a TCR as well.

[@Division2412]

NorCal Cycling I have question which one bitter rim brake’s disc brakes

[@dachunde]

I can walk at 4.9 mph for about an hour and 26 minutes before I go into a painful flight or flight response. I have gone through the same thing with my XL GIANT at 28 mph. The walking is far more stressful and more work. You can always push harder.

[@mm3nrx]

using the correct gear ratio is the best...most cassettes do not allow this, drop down 2 gears :/ up 2 gears...at 55 I still average 23 mph...was 28mph at 30

[@SteveHofsaess]

can you please explain normalized power vs average power

[@mttswllmadeit234]

bro amazing content. can you put a action cam for your gears like the cassete

[@InsightIQ-]

Can I do 26Km with a normal Btwin bike? I'm from Africa I love your advices brother more power to you

[@JuanGarcia-qk2xh]

serious question, i ride solo down here in soflo, i avg about 20.5 MPH on 25-30 mile solo rides... you think thats decent enough to ride group rides?

[@scan_maestro]

I have a question for more experienced riders, is 25mph top speed good for a 15 year old(on a mountain bike) on flat terrain? Ive been riding my bike 4 times a week ever since i got it a year ago, i went out with a group of people most had roadbikes and i was surprised when i passed them all.

[@lunam7249]

your fast, get off the MB, start racing road ride

[@scan_maestro]

@@lunam7249 😁i honestly would love to get a road bike but cant affort one and my mountain bike gets me everywhere i want so i think ill be fine for now, thank you for replying

[@mmurmurjohnson2368]

ALLEZ alloy for the win!

[@iang2868]

Hey what gears are you using and What size is your chain rings?

[@pirminborer625]

How did you get all these data and stats on strava. I have a subscription but don't have all these details and graphs...