Don\’t get stuck in a rut!

I, for one, can\’t realistically hope to get as fast as the rider shown here; but I do want to improve my pace as much as I can.

At least one source I read says, if you want to get faster, don\’t go out and ride at the same intensity day after day. That leads to a cyclist becoming \”a one-speed wonder\”, as someone put it.

When I first started riding the adult tricycle, I decided to let speed take care of itself; and for a while, it did. In the early weeks the best I could manage was 5-6 mph. After maybe six months, I was up to about 8 mph.

But then I got stuck. After several more months with no further increase in my pace, I realized that I\’d have to start making deliberate efforts to ride faster.

For the last several years one of the items on my annual list of goals has been to increase my cruising speed to 15 mph. I always fell short.

Then, last November, I began weekly on-bike drills to improve my force (strength). It\’s taken until quite recently, but I\’m finally a little better at riding 15 mph. I do those force exercises only one day a week, which could be why it\’s taken so long for them to have an effect.

During July I took a break from them; and on my usual schedule, every third week I skip them; that\’s for recovery.

The main purpose of this work to develop more strength for riding faster is, Tour de Cure. But even after TdC is over, I think I\’ll keep the exercises as part of my regular rides. I don\’t want to wind up stuck in a rut.