average speeds

sparklehedgehog

scoobaru11 wrote:

As someone who's new to Road Riding, as I only bought my first ever Road Racer 5/6 weeks ago off ebay. I've found my average speed has increased due to several factors;
1. Effort I put in training.
2. Slick tyres
3. Lycra and a base layer

Before I bought the Road bike I had a Trek hardtail that I lightened up for rides when the mud was just too much even for my DH bike during our crappy Winter/Spring. I used to average 13mph and this steadily rose to just under 15mph. The hills that I included used to kill me but I kept going and now compared to my mates I positively fly up the hills compared to when I started but they haven't averaged the 4-5 rides a week that I have!

With the new bike I've gone from 16mph to 18.1mph (yes that point one counts to me) and distance has risen from 17miles to nearly 60miles. I rode the London to Southend in 2h 54m 6s. To me and only me this was a massive achievement as I'm 16s 8lb and I'm nearly 49. I may have lost 2st but I could lose another 2st yet but that's another story.

For me riding 52.5m in under 3hrs was a tough ask but I put the hours in the saddle to make it happen. Being goal orientated, I found that my times were slowly getting quicker the more I rode as I tried that little bit harder. Even on the day of the ride I still didn't know if I would do sub 3hrs as I'd only just just cracked 3hrs the previous week on a training run for the first time. My OH is is very proud as is my Daughter but most important of all I'm happy with my progress.

Truth is how badly do you want to improve?
You and only you know that answer.
One great tip I got from this very forum that has helped me is, when you hear someone coming up behind you is to drop down a cog or two and latch onto the back of the riders tail for as long as you can. In effect your getting an easier ride because of aerodynamics but you'll have to pedal harder to keep up but when you stay with them for a few hundred yards, then half a mile, then mile after mile, for me the buzz was a treat.
So, as long as you're happy you keep doing what you're doing as happiness is more important than any average speed.

Good luck in whatever targets you set yourself

Well done you. This is what I'm aiming for too, self improvement, realistic goals with some complimentary weight loss thrown in for free and to regain some self pride whilst I'm at it