What should I expect?

[smax]

Hello all - I think I have a problem which is that I feel too slow...but I don't really know what to expect at this point.

Here's the scoop:

I raced Mountain Bikes in Novice class ending about 5 years ago and have only ridden a handful of times during the last few summers. When I was racing, I always finished top 6 out of 20 to 40 riders in Novice class...Which I was happy with.

So after not really "riding" the last few years - I bought a new Road Bike last month and have been seriously riding with a goal of participating in my first Century on September 20th.

I bought the bike on July 26th and started a progress log of miles/time/average speed a couple of weeks ago.

Date Dist. Time Average Spd.
8/12/2003 12.00 49.33 14.50
8/17/2003 40.06 2.52.28 13.90
8/19/2003 12.16 44.48 16.20
8/20/2003 19.18 1.13.51 15.50
8/21/2003 20.00 1.14.50 16.00
8/22/2003 15.16 1.06.16 13.60
8/23/2003 37.43 2.38.18 14.10 Red Cross - Ride and Stride
8/24/2003 50.65 3.28.31 14.50 Old Mill Century
8/26/2003 20.14 1.15.16 16.00
8/27/2003 21.22 1.17.36 16.40
8/29/2003 46.03 2.55.21 15.70
8/30/2003 63.11 4.15.10 14.80

Now i'm feeling slow on even the shorter (10 to 20 mile) rides with average speeds maxing at 16mph....when some guys I talk to are doing 50/60 miles with average speeds of 17 to 23. And i've riding a short distance with some riders on the local loop and I just can't keep up... Usually if i'm tired at the end of 40 miles I can keep conversation at 17mph - but anything above that is just killing my legs.

So I guess I'm hoping for words of encouragement here ... that in time speed will come, etc...

Thanks for looking at my little rant!!

 

[J-MAT]

Smax:

Give it some time. You have only been riding a few weeks. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Those guys riding faster have been at it a lot longer than you have. Be patient and train consistently.

For general aerobic conditioning, ride at a pace that makes it difficult to carry on a conversation, but not much harder than that. Don't ride so hard that you feel sick in your stomach (yet) or have your legs feel like they are on fire.

For now, lay down steady, consistent miles. If your performance drops, you probably need more recovery time. Ride easy instead or take a day off if necessary.

Cycling is a very demanding sport both physically and mentally. It takes a long time to get to high levels of performance. You have to love the sport and be in it for the long haul to see big results. Enjoy the ride along the way!!!

Good luck!!!