Big Ring

So yesterday, when the the rest of the country was experiencing tornadoes, flooding, hail and thunderstorms, we in Connecticut were experiencing a sunny 80 degree day.  I didn't have much time to spare, but I figured I'd better get out on my bike.  I had to dig out my tank tops for biking...they hadn't see the light of day since last summer!

So, with only a half hour to spare, I set out for a ride.  I decided that since it was going to be such a short ride, I'd better work on developing some power or speed.  That means I had to shift into the dreaded big ring and work on my cadence.  So for those who have no idea what I'm talking about here's a little lesson.  There are three gear rings in the front attached to the crank (pedal) of my bike.  The big ring is the hard gear used for powering down hills or on flats.  The middle ring is where I am most comfortable when riding gentle rolling hills and regular country roads.  The small ring is also known as the granny gear and is used to get up steep or long hills. 

When I went out with Rob on Easter, we rode some hills late in the ride.  I would be in my middle ring thinking about dropping to granny gear but would look at Rob's gears and see he was pedaling effortlessly in his big ring.  Hmmph.  I need to work on that.  So on this ride, I decided it was the big ring only.  I set out over the dam and looked down to see speeds around 17-19MPH.  Feeling good.  Went down the hill, took a left, continued powering through in the big ring.  And then made the left turn to double back over the dam and turned straight into a headwind.  My speeds going over the dam in this direction were 12-14MPH and I was working hard.  I contemplated dropping down to my middle ring but figured I needed to power through it.  I was almost home.  And I did it.  Until I got to the last hill approaching my driveway.  I had to drop down right at the end.  But it was an improvement. 

Mission accomplished.  Increased average speed in the big ring.  Maybe next time it'll feel easier.

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Stats:
7.71 miles (don't judge - I only had 30 minutes!!)
15.2 MPH average
26.7 max speed (not bad for a flat ride).
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Anyone have any tips on building up power and speed on the road?  Please share!!
In the meantime, I'll just keep pedaling!
~Cori