You guys in Florida, got it made !

I spent two weeks in Orlando (WinterSprings) and North Port. I had a chance to ride on the wide, flat, smooth, no wind roads. I came back with 19-20 mph averages on 30 and 35 mile rides. I may have done better if I really focused on doing so. But I was on vacation so why bother? My best in maryland has been 17.02. I did not so much as ride on one street with any type on incline let alone hill. Absolutly flat in all respects. I really enjoyed my riding and this type of results is good for the ego.

Once I got up to speed, my mph and cadence was easy to maintain on these flat smooth windless roads without too much effort at least far less from what I use at home when riding. The air is clean and the humidity is low. But one needs to keep an eye on the clouds for rain. Rain there has a way of slipping up on you from out of nowhere.

Yesterday I rode my training route at home and came back with 16.3 average for 25 miles. Big diffrence from my average in Florida. In Florida I'm a A/AA rider, in Maryland, I'm a CC/B rider.

I really enjoyed riding in Florida, it's really a great place to live and cycle !

__________________
Scott CR1 Pro
Garmin Edge 305 HR+CAD, Shimano Ultegra-6600 shifters, 10sp 12-27 cassette, Shimano Ultegra-6600 front & Rear Derailleur, Shimano Ultegra-6600 38/52 Crank, Shimano Ultegra brakes,Fortezza SuperLite Road tires, Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, Crank Brothers "Quattro'" pedals, Selle Italia SLR Saddle, FSA K-Wing Pro OS Road bars, Samsung YP-U2J MP3 player

Yes, I'm very happy here. It's green and bright and sunny all year round, and you can train constantly. It's warm in the summer, but not beastly hot like in Houston, etc. But I'm surprised you didn't find strong winds a factor. I very rarely ride down here when the wind is not blowing hard (10 to 20 mph). My riding is all within a couple miles of the Gulf, so that might be a factor, but Northport, where you were, is just south of here (Sarasota), on the coast also, so I'm a bit puzzled.

The majority of my riding was in Orlando. There may have been some wind in Northport but nothing that I would be concerned with or even noticed. More like a breeze every now a then. Not consistantly in face like it is here in my area that will slow a person down to 12 mph or even less. I only rode one day in Northport and it was early like 7 am in the morning. I don't recall riding in any wind during that ride whereas it would be of any concern to me. If it was there I did not notice it. so I really can't speak about the conditions too much in that area other than I found them ideal to ride in.

__________________
Scott CR1 Pro
Garmin Edge 305 HR+CAD, Shimano Ultegra-6600 shifters, 10sp 12-27 cassette, Shimano Ultegra-6600 front & Rear Derailleur, Shimano Ultegra-6600 38/52 Crank, Shimano Ultegra brakes,Fortezza SuperLite Road tires, Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, Crank Brothers "Quattro'" pedals, Selle Italia SLR Saddle, FSA K-Wing Pro OS Road bars, Samsung YP-U2J MP3 player

No climbs? What fun is that?

True, but I did enjoy 30 miles without or very little pain....and to be on vacation that was great !!

__________________
Scott CR1 Pro
Garmin Edge 305 HR+CAD, Shimano Ultegra-6600 shifters, 10sp 12-27 cassette, Shimano Ultegra-6600 front & Rear Derailleur, Shimano Ultegra-6600 38/52 Crank, Shimano Ultegra brakes,Fortezza SuperLite Road tires, Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, Crank Brothers "Quattro'" pedals, Selle Italia SLR Saddle, FSA K-Wing Pro OS Road bars, Samsung YP-U2J MP3 player

Do the same with a 15-30 km/hr headwind, and you'll have a slightly different view (regarding pain and/or avg. speed on flat routes).

I ride in those at home(Bryans Road Maryland)...like yesterday for instance. 22+mph wind in my face on the way back on my 25 mile training route that has 3 hills, one is at least a 7% grade hill thats about 100 yards long which is at the end of the 25 mile route. Do that with the wind blowing 20 mph in your face. I know pain by it's first name.

Thats why I felt so blessed to ride in Orlando and not experience either hills or headwinds in my face for a change. Worse case scenario if I spent more time riding in Orlando I may ride with some headwind in my face but never will I have to face the combination of hills and headwinds like I do at home.

I'm not knocking or trying to degrade the area. I love it and wished I stayed there and I'm actually jealous of those who do.

__________________
Scott CR1 Pro
Garmin Edge 305 HR+CAD, Shimano Ultegra-6600 shifters, 10sp 12-27 cassette, Shimano Ultegra-6600 front & Rear Derailleur, Shimano Ultegra-6600 38/52 Crank, Shimano Ultegra brakes,Fortezza SuperLite Road tires, Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, Crank Brothers "Quattro'" pedals, Selle Italia SLR Saddle, FSA K-Wing Pro OS Road bars, Samsung YP-U2J MP3 player

You need to come out here and see how it tickles your grollies. Kitt Peak is a great climb, 10 miles long, at a constant 7%. I was there with a friend--his first visit to AZ--last month. I opted for Kitt Peak as it's a more difficult climb whereas Mt. Lemmon--25 miles, 4%--is just more of a slog. The winds at 20mph gusting to 40 werent' bad by themselves, but combined with the off and on downpours and plummeting temps, it got uncomfortable real fast.

Some years back I was in Tuscson on biz. I forget what month it was, but we took a Sunday drive from the city, where it was warm and beautiful, went up Mt. Lemmon and reached the top about an hour later, where it was bitter cold and wind-blown and the ski slope was very busy. I was amazed by the contrast.

If I have to choose between a long uphill and struggling for a few hours against a strong headwind, I choose the former every time. Hate gusty headwinds where you have to pedal your heart out to see your computer hit 12 km/h.

And yes, it happens quite often - I end up doing most of my training along the seashore.

__________________
De Rosa Planet
Campagnolo Per Sempre!
PAOLO BETTINI CAMPIONE DEL MONDO x 2!

The worst is when a wind gust hits you when you are doing say 25 km/hr and drags you down to less than 15 km/hr within a few seconds.

Yup. That is always joyous. The worst, though, is a strong headwind on the way home... that really sucks, given that you are already tired out from the training ride and have to struggle against the wind when you would rather be spinning an easier gear and recuperating...

__________________
De Rosa Planet
Campagnolo Per Sempre!
PAOLO BETTINI CAMPIONE DEL MONDO x 2!

Fortunately, in my area the wind is mostly between 6-9 mph, but when it gets windy, it sometimes is around 30mph. 30mph wind is the culprit for uncomfortable riding in my opinion. Plus, since lots of Wisconsin is farmland, there are no barriers to reduce wind. Sod farms are the worst though!

__________________
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place." -Lance Armstrong

The wind takes more than it gives. You lose more speed going into the wind than you gain riding with it. So even there you can't get a free lunch.

My family and I are going to be in Tucson March 10 to 17, 2009. I want to get a ride in while I'm out there. Do you know of any bike shops that rent road bikes. I know when I was in San Diego there were a couple of shops that did so. If you do know let me know. It's a little expensive to bring my bike along. If you wouldn't mind having some company on a ride I'd like to go along with someone who knows some good routes.