I'll chime in here since I have been racing for the better part of 15 years and have been racing Cat1 for 14 of those 15. I dont want to sound harsh but riding every other day isnt going to cut it. Averaging 20-23 mph isnt going to cut. Races arent at all about average speed unless you are time trialing.
Once you get to the pro level, half the races I do are pro-am, its intense beyond comprehension. Racing is about sustained bursts. Can you go 30mph for 5, 10, 15, 20 miles? In most pro races time trials are averaging 30+mph for 20-40K. Can you sit in the saddle and spin up to 40 mph on a flat road? This is what the last two laps of a crit are like. Can you bang handle bars in a pack of 150 riders, who are as good or better than you, at that speed and not get nervous or crash? If you cant then forget it. Pro cycling is a full contact sport. Its elbows, knees or what ever to find a hole during a sprint. It takes much more than just riding fast. Tactics take years to learn and more years to master. It takes years of racing to develop your body to sustain day in and day out efforts.
Top amatuers and pros have to train every day, like or not. Hours apon hour on the bike until you literally wish you didnt ride a bike. Could you ride your guts out everyday for a week straight and still recover?
Not to scare you away, but realistically, you should be in your late teens asking this question. Who knows you may be gifted, but until you race and win races, no team is going to invest in you.
Once you get to the pro level, half the races I do are pro-am, its intense beyond comprehension. Racing is about sustained bursts. Can you go 30mph for 5, 10, 15, 20 miles? In most pro races time trials are averaging 30+mph for 20-40K. Can you sit in the saddle and spin up to 40 mph on a flat road? This is what the last two laps of a crit are like. Can you bang handle bars in a pack of 150 riders, who are as good or better than you, at that speed and not get nervous or crash? If you cant then forget it. Pro cycling is a full contact sport. Its elbows, knees or what ever to find a hole during a sprint. It takes much more than just riding fast. Tactics take years to learn and more years to master. It takes years of racing to develop your body to sustain day in and day out efforts.
Top amatuers and pros have to train every day, like or not. Hours apon hour on the bike until you literally wish you didnt ride a bike. Could you ride your guts out everyday for a week straight and still recover?
Not to scare you away, but realistically, you should be in your late teens asking this question. Who knows you may be gifted, but until you race and win races, no team is going to invest in you.