Speed averages between trail riding and road riding

I've been riding for a couple years now. I started out on trails/tracks and
finally got bored enough with those that I began venturing out on the road.
Since that time, I've noticed my averages went up considerably. I think
back, and the only thing I can wonder is whether it has to do with having
cars all around me to keep me pushing harder and harder to avoid being hit.
When I start at lights, I end up drag racing the cars next to me...and at
times win (at least until we get to the other side of the intersection)!
While riding, I notice that I'm trying to keep up with the traffic around
me. I've even noticed when I'm out riding late at night when the traffic
isn't out, I tend to ease off the hard riding. All of this has pushed me
into a new level of riding experience and overall into a higher bracket of
times and speed averages.

Has anyone else ever noticed the differences like this when going from
trails and into traffic road riding? Does anyone have opinions to whether
it's better to get into heavy traffic or just isolated traffic?

"Brian Walker" wrote in message
...
I've been riding for a couple years now. I started out on trails/tracks
and finally got bored enough with those that I began venturing out on the
road. Since that time, I've noticed my averages went up considerably.

Alternative explanations abound. You might be getting in better shape. The
trails might be twisty, or crowded with dog walkers. (etc.)

Still, it's your subjective experience that traffic gets your adrenaline
pumping, and you might be right. I'm not arguing with your conclusions, just
commenting on other possibilities.

If so, it's probably time to join a bicycle club, since the right group ride
will definitely be able to improve your speed.

I've even noticed when I'm out riding late at night when the traffic
isn't out, I tend to ease off the hard riding.

I think, though, almost everybody rides slower at night. For one thing, you
can't see as well no matter what lighting system you use.

... Does anyone have opinions to whether it's better to get into heavy
traffic or just isolated traffic?

Lots of us dislike heavy traffic and spend a lot of time planning routes to
minimize it.
(except for the guys in that "Drag Race NYC" video).

Brian Walker wrote:

I've been riding for a couple years now. I started out on
trails/tracks and finally got bored enough with those that I began
venturing out on the road. Since that time, I've noticed my averages
went up considerably. I think back, and the only thing I can wonder
is whether it has to do with having cars all around me to keep me
pushing harder and harder to avoid being hit. When I start at lights,
I end up drag racing the cars next to me...and at times win (at least
until we get to the other side of the intersection)! While riding, I
notice that I'm trying to keep up with the traffic around me. I've
even noticed when I'm out riding late at night when the traffic isn't
out, I tend to ease off the hard riding. All of this has pushed me
into a new level of riding experience and overall into a higher
bracket of times and speed averages.

Has anyone else ever noticed the differences like this when going from
trails and into traffic road riding? Does anyone have opinions to
whether it's better to get into heavy traffic or just isolated
traffic?

You may be riding a lot harder, but roads are almost always faster than bike
paths or trails anyway. Even hard-packed dirt has a lot more rolling resistance
than asphalt, and even asphalt bike paths are rarely as smooth, straight, or
clear of other users to let you go as fast as you do on the road.

Matt O.

Brian Walker wrote:
I've been riding for a couple years now. I started out on trails/tracks
and
finally got bored enough with those that I began venturing out on the
road.
Since that time, I've noticed my averages went up considerably.

[snip]

Has anyone else ever noticed the differences like this when going from
trails and into traffic road riding? Does anyone have opinions to whether
it's better to get into heavy traffic or just isolated traffic?

I live on a very popular multiuse path and there is no mystery about why all
those iPod-wearing, cell-phone-using walkers, joggers, rollerbladers, and
(yes) cyclists make the path slower than the road.

Even when the path is clear, I find it is not as engineered for speed as the
main road. There are stops at every intersection, long stretches are not
well maintained, and visiblity is not as good.

On the other hand I am not a road-warrior type--I hate traffic. So I might
hop on or off the path based on time of day and my own knowledge of likely
conditions in different places.

In article ,
Brian Walker wrote:

When I start at lights, I end up drag racing the cars next to me...and at
times win (at least until we get to the other side of the intersection)!

I've been doing this for as long as I've been riding a bike, and I'm
usually close to halfway through the intersection before any car gets
over the stop line. Most of the time we're about even leaving the
intersection, but if I'm riding hard or the car driver was slow leaving
the light I can often stay ahead past that too.

Two big things contribute to that:
-Faster pedal-to-wheel response time - on a bike it's as good as instant,
but with a car there's still getting the engine going and engaging the
drivetrain, so with the same light-to-foot response time you're moving
noticeably sooner than they are.
-Better acceleration from a standing start - the bike is lighter and
(if you remembered to downshift before you stopped) geared better for
standing starts, which means you can out-accelerate them until you start
getting close to your normal cruising speed. Of course, a car has more
power to draw on and a higher upper bound on speed, so it'll still be
accelerating well past the range where you have the advantage, but it
has to get there first.

It only gets better the more you do it, too. Yesterday in moderately
heavy traffic with a bit of a tailwind I managed to keep up with the car
in front of me (the third or fourth back from the light, if I remember
correctly) up into high-20s km/h (didn't note distance carefully, but I'd
guess around 200-300m past the intersection) after the light changed, and
actually had to hold back at first to keep a decent following distance.


dave

--
Dave Vandervies
If I have to protect my daughter after she grows up[0], then I didn't raise
her right. --Anthony de Boer in the scary devil monastery
[0] beyond the mutual-respect watching-each-other's-backs sense.

I've noticed the same differential as well. About 2/3 of my riding is on
the W&OD Trail -- more or less flat, straight, and asphalt.
I attribute the differential to
(1) less stop and go when on the road
(2) less pedestrians and other clutter to move around
(3) real hills when on the road -- one needs to attack them, and then you
get a nice long, speedy, descent ...

Regards
--
Bill Dennen ][ We have met the enemy,
@ ][ and they are us ...
][ -- Pogo

"Brian Walker" wrote in message
...
I've been riding for a couple years now. I started out on trails/tracks
and finally got bored enough with those that I began venturing out on the
road. Since that time, I've noticed my averages went up considerably. I
think back, and the only thing I can wonder is whether it has to do with
having cars all around me to keep me pushing harder and harder to avoid
being hit. When I start at lights, I end up drag racing the cars next to
me...and at times win (at least until we get to the other side of the
intersection)! While riding, I notice that I'm trying to keep up with the
traffic around me. I've even noticed when I'm out riding late at night
when the traffic isn't out, I tend to ease off the hard riding. All of
this has pushed me into a new level of riding experience and overall into
a higher bracket of times and speed averages.

Has anyone else ever noticed the differences like this when going from
trails and into traffic road riding? Does anyone have opinions to whether
it's better to get into heavy traffic or just isolated traffic?