How in the world do these guys average 26.7 mph?

hahaha let me know when you find out

I have a feeling they probably train more than we do, and genetics may possibly play a role. Either way wow.

they must have been the guys on the Huffy mountain bikes that chugged a six pack while waiting for their swim wave to depart. No way that anybody who realizes how hard cycling is can push themselves to go that fast.

Or maybe it was their expensive carbon fiber aero gear and power tap and nutrition. In absolutely no way is it possible they were stronger than you.

Edited by strates 2009-06-29 10:53 PM

ha ha ha
i'm a slowpoke but my buddy has been cycling for over 20 years. he can go as fast as he wants, really. 26.7 mph is very doable when you average 18K miles a year for a couple of decades. are you there yet?

I think they are aliens from another planet who have come here to give us something to chase.

Training, lots of training.

I think the Ironman winner from 2-3 years ago averaged 26 mph on the Kona Ironman course, setting the bike record there. 

I actually don't find 27mph on a flat to be difficult (it's challenging, but not gut-busting), but the moment there's even the slightest climb, that 27mph average goes right out the window. And I'm a pretty decent climber. On a dead-flat Oly course, I think 27mph would be doable for most younger AG winners, but throw in a few even small hills, and that becomes extremely hard. 

Pro cyclists will aveage 30-32 mph on courses of similar length as an Oly tri! (But they don't have to run after the bike.)

I find more impressive the insane run times that are thrown down after the bike. Like 5:10-5:20/mile for a 10k. Wow.

Edited by agarose2000 2009-06-30 12:57 AM

Ya fastest bike time at Boise 70.3 was 27 mph... in the rain with not too much climbing and only a couple cattleguards.  For us mortals just getting into the sport it does appear superhuman.

Dang more than 15k miles per year on the bike.... I don't put that many miles on my car in a year.  I guess that answers part of the how to get fast on the bike question that pops up from time to time. 

Edited by Baowolf 2009-06-30 1:16 AM

Maybe they're riding one of these:







Attachments
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rocket bike.jpg (44KB - 31 downloads)

What's even more amazing is how these guys average 5:25 or so on 10Ks after a bike like that! I call them freaks of nature!!!

How?

1) Choose your parents wisely.

2) Train your butt off to fully develop those genetic gifts and peak on race day

Wonder if Lance would be willing to adapt a 33 year old son?

Ha!  I was thinking the same thing!

This user's post has been ignored.

you are right. my buddy doesn't do triathlons. what i meant is training what gets you there. 26.7 mph is not impossible for a dedicated triathlete.
for the rest of us it might seem impossible. all you need is more !!!

Philly had plenty of flats, and some great downhills that can make up for the few short but steep uphills

The first time I saw that kind of speed in race results, I thought for sure it was a misprint. When I am riding, if I ever manage to get to 26 (usually on downhills), I think to myself, "people are averaging this speed for a whole race?". The faster I try to go, the more the wind in my face slows me down.

Two weeks ago, the winner of a race I was in (somewhere between sprint and oly) did 27 on the bike, and 5:40s on the run. We had guys going 25.8 this weekend on a 20 mph bike with 30 mph winds (and not at our backs).

Good genetics, good equipment, good nutrition, and a crapload of specialized, intense training.

I agree.  I am more impressed by 5 min/miles after a swim and bike.  I feel like I could get to mid 20's on the bike if I worked at it enough, but I don't know that I would ever get to 5 min/miles.

Miami International Triathlon - won by Matthew Reed - he had an ave bike speed of 27.2 mph for the course that is 40km.

they are called pros and they are getting those kinds of ave for a reason.  when I did my first sprint last year my ave was 18.1 mph, my last sprint my ave on the same course was 22.4 mph. 

training, LOTS and LOTS of riding, tri bike, and some more training with the right groups.

you won't get faster riding 25 miles a week try to ride 100-150 with a group that rides at 24-26.

they're both achieveable by the average person who trains enough. 

we have some regular joe elites in our team and they do train hard but they have families etc etc.  looking at their times

usually its about 24-25 mph ave on bike, 6 min miles run  up to olympic distance.

That's actually what I'm trying to achieve. This year I've been in the high 22 to 23.5 range on the bike and averaged 6:11 on a 5 mile run in a Tri. I want to be able to average 24 or so for 40K and run a 10K at a 6 min pace. It's tough but it's all a matter of training. However, I don't know that even with enough training time if I could get down into the 5 range on the run. I'd love to know. Now, how do I take a year or so off of work to see if I can!?

First off, great thread. I def think we all have certain biological limits (they say 60% of performance) but if we (the royal we) work hard on the other 40% we can get there. Just look at your first races compared to where you are now. I mean, if you would have told me I was even doing races when I was 23 I would have laughed my arse off.

That said, gains get harder as you progress (obviously). Increasing 4 MPH from 19 to 23 over a 40K is tough, but possible for many. But, getting up to 27 from there is prob takes 3 times as much training (if it's even possible).

Last bit/partial hijack: what discipline do people think it's easiest to improve in overall (once you've been training a few years)? I think the bike.