Slow down, get faster? That’s what I’ve read; and here is where keeping records of your rides pays off. As already mentioned, I often spend a considerable portion of my ride time at a quite intense effort level. Is that why I seem stuck at an average speed of 11-12 mph? Am I riding too hard, too much of the time; and not allowing myself adequate recovery time?

This morning I worked to stay in my heart rate Zone 3; and for the most part, I succeeded. But guess what I noticed? In order to keep my heart rate down, I do better riding in a relatively hard gear, at a rather slow cadence.

Today I did most of my ride on the big ring; and used the larger cogs. Actually, that’s how I usually ride, anyway; but this ride I needed to keep in Zone 3. So I made a special effort to pedal more slowly. If I had stayed on the small ring, I would have pedaled faster; with the result being a higher heart rate.

Slow down, get faster? It’s worth a try.