[cobra6696]

im still a big guy at 230 LBS

did my time trail today

36KM
1hrs 11 Mins slow right?? 30KM/H avg

cause i feel i have to put 200% more effort in the hills then everybody else in the Flat courses i always finish in the top in my category but as soon as hills.. i finish in the top 3 last riders!! hate it!

this was the route



the hills are like 15 Meters thats about 50 feet?

back and fort 4 times (36-37km ish total)

im 5'9
i wanna be 190 -180 LBS !!!!

i am on my diet.. im loosing weight.. but i just curios when i get lighter if i will get faster?



tomorrow is course race 88KM and MORE HILLSS!! damn it

 

[MPov]

If you keep working it, you will likely climb faster. Don't know if you will see much improvement on the flats or downhills just from the weight loss, though even there you should get faster simply because you are in better shape.

And your attitude is wrong. You should be saying "tomorrow is course race 88km and MORE HILLS!! YESSSSS!!!!"

 

[SauronHimself]

You'll see the acronym PWR thrown around a lot in cycling. It stands for Power-to-Weight Ratio. As your PWR increases, it becomes increasingly easier to speed up and climb hills. PWR doesn't really account for cruising on flat terrain. However, on flat terrain you should see your speed increase as you lose weight if you're putting out the same power, and that is simply due to reduced rolling friction. The frictional force on your tires is a function of your normal force, so if you weigh less, you have a lower normal force and thus less friction fighting you. Now, you will have to account for air resistance as your speed increases, because the amount of power needed to overcome drag follows a cubic curve.

 

[Maglore]

I often go out for rides with my friend who is the same age and height as me, but I weigh over two stones lighter. On the flat, we're equally matched, but as soon as the road begins to rise, I leave him for dead. Not exactly scientific, but these are my findings.

 

[jsedlak]

As someone who used to be 245 and is now 174... it makes a HUGE difference. It makes a bigger and bigger effect the long the climb is too...

 

[looigi]

It does make a big difference, but it is also very difficult to lose weight and train to improve. My approach was to concentrate on weight loss through counting calories, and keep riding moderately. Once I got down to weight and could eat normally, I then worked on getting faster.

 

[Pirx]

Well, that course is essentially flat, so I'd go out on a limb and say that your weight, per se, should not be a big factor. However, at 230lbs for a 5'9" guy, you are substantially above your ideal combat weight, such that you might even see aerodynamic effects that will slow you down. I'll say this, though: While your time isn't great (you know yourself where you ended up in the field), it's not that bad all things considered. I'd just say, keep at it, and keep losing weight. 180lbs should be achievable, but not within a couple of weeks (not in a healthy way, anyway...). There's always next season.

 

[cobra6696]

It does make a big difference, but it is also very difficult to lose weight and train to improve. My approach was to concentrate on weight loss through counting calories, and keep riding moderately. Once I got down to weight and could eat normally, I then worked on getting faster.

i was thinking about doing something like that.. like just focus on loosing weight and ride moderate.. cause if u train hard u gotta eat

Well, that course is essentially flat, so I'd go out on a limb and say that your weight, per se, should not be a big factor. However, at 230lbs for a 5'9" guy, you are substantially above your ideal combat weight, such that you might even see aerodynamic effects that will slow you down. I'll say this, though: While your time isn't great (you know yourself where you ended up in the field), it's not that bad all things considered. I'd just say, keep at it, and keep losing weight. 180lbs should be achievable, but not within a couple of weeks (not in a healthy way, anyway...). There's always next season.

yep its my first season actually..

 

[Alfonsina]

What are you training for? Because if you want to really lose weight, you cannot eat like others do. You can ride hard, but just maybe not as long and hard, but if your ride at 1 hr 11 mins is typical, you won't have used up glycogen stores even. You can calculate your caloric requirements and eat enough and ride enough to have enough of a deficit to lose weight and exercise. You just have to find your sweet spot. Fat burning HR zones are nonsense, you will know on your rides when you don't have enough left to go really hard. But you have to ride long enough to find that out.

 

[Wookiebiker]

Dropping weight does make a big difference ... I know having done it myself going from around 290 to mid 190's (I'm 5'11" tall).

My specialty is TT's and flatter road races that hopefully have some wind so break-aways can form. I'm still too large to compete in climbing races, though I'm not a slow climber by most peoples standards ... just not fast enough to accelerate with the smaller guys on steep climbs. Over time, accelerating more weight over and over wears you out compared to smaller guys.

With that said ... to answer your question:

1) Lower weight will give you lower rolling resistance with your tires, thus increasing your speed in a TT (or other race)
2) Lower weight will give you less frontal area, thus increasing your speed in a TT (or other race)
3) Lower weight will allow for better positioning on the bike (no belly in your way), thus increasing your speed in a TT (or other race) and allowing for better comfort as well, which will help with longer races
4) Lower weight will allow for more blood flow to your muscles (i.e. the body won't be supplying as much blood to body fat) for better endurance and power
5) Lower weight will increase your W/Kg which will help with climbing ... but not make much of a difference in the flats. I can tell a big difference going from 200 to 190 when it comes to climbing and even the smaller rollers like you are talking about.

Basically ... lower weight is very good when it comes to cycling

I did read somebody talking about losing the weight before working on power, because people need food and recovery to build power and you need to eat less to lose weight. This is actually a falsehood for most people and I've talked to several coaches that have confirmed this.

The reality is the increased riding to lose weight, while watching what you eat ... tends to increase power and lower weight at the same time ... particularly for those overweight and building fitness. If you had been riding for 5 years and had a great base already but needed to lose 5 pounds ... then you might lose power, but in your case, it's highly unlikely.

Again as a base of reference ... when I dropped my weight, I cut calories down to a -1500 per day deficit and put power on during the same time. So major calorie deficit and increase in power because I was riding a lot and hard, which increased my power.

Basically ... cut the calories, ride lots, use focused training and your times will increase as you go along. It does make a HUGE difference in the end.

 

[Kerry Irons]

im still a big guy at 230 LBS

did my time trail today

36KM
1hrs 11 Mins slow right?? 30KM/H avg

cause i feel i have to put 200% more effort in the hills then everybody else in the Flat courses i always finish in the top in my category but as soon as hills.. i finish in the top 3 last riders!! hate it!

the hills are like 15 Meters thats about 50 feet?

back and fort 4 times (36-37km ish total)

im 5'9
i wanna be 190 -180 LBS !!!!

i am on my diet.. im loosing weight.. but i just curios when i get lighter if i will get faster?

tomorrow is course race 88KM and MORE HILLSS!! damn it

That course is not what anyone would call hilly but at your weight, 40 lbs. is costing you 3 mph on a 6% grade at 250 watts. And if you got to a BMI of 25 and kept the same power, you would be 4 mph faster on a 6% grade. Yes, weight is important when climbing, and very important when the numbers are this big.

 

[cobra6696]

this is me btw

View attachment 282939

 

[cobra6696]

It does make a big difference, but it is also very difficult to lose weight and train to improve. My approach was to concentrate on weight loss through counting calories, and keep riding moderately. Once I got down to weight and could eat normally, I then worked on getting faster.

Dropping weight does make a big difference ... I know having done it myself going from around 290 to mid 190's (I'm 5'11" tall).

My specialty is TT's and flatter road races that hopefully have some wind so break-aways can form. I'm still too large to compete in climbing races, though I'm not a slow climber by most peoples standards ... just not fast enough to accelerate with the smaller guys on steep climbs. Over time, accelerating more weight over and over wears you out compared to smaller guys.

With that said ... to answer your question:

1) Lower weight will give you lower rolling resistance with your tires, thus increasing your speed in a TT (or other race)
2) Lower weight will give you less frontal area, thus increasing your speed in a TT (or other race)
3) Lower weight will allow for better positioning on the bike (no belly in your way), thus increasing your speed in a TT (or other race) and allowing for better comfort as well, which will help with longer races
4) Lower weight will allow for more blood flow to your muscles (i.e. the body won't be supplying as much blood to body fat) for better endurance and power
5) Lower weight will increase your W/Kg which will help with climbing ... but not make much of a difference in the flats. I can tell a big difference going from 200 to 190 when it comes to climbing and even the smaller rollers like you are talking about.

Basically ... lower weight is very good when it comes to cycling

I did read somebody talking about losing the weight before working on power, because people need food and recovery to build power and you need to eat less to lose weight. This is actually a falsehood for most people and I've talked to several coaches that have confirmed this.

The reality is the increased riding to lose weight, while watching what you eat ... tends to increase power and lower weight at the same time ... particularly for those overweight and building fitness. If you had been riding for 5 years and had a great base already but needed to lose 5 pounds ... then you might lose power, but in your case, it's highly unlikely.

Again as a base of reference ... when I dropped my weight, I cut calories down to a -1500 per day deficit and put power on during the same time. So major calorie deficit and increase in power because I was riding a lot and hard, which increased my power.

Basically ... cut the calories, ride lots, use focused training and your times will increase as you go along. It does make a HUGE difference in the end.

That course is not what anyone would call hilly but at your weight, 40 lbs. is costing you 3 mph on a 6% grade at 250 watts. And if you got to a BMI of 25 and kept the same power, you would be 4 mph faster on a 6% grade. Yes, weight is important when climbing, and very important when the numbers are this big.

Thanks man really motivated me!! i started at 280 now im at 230 goal is 180