Originally Posted by TheRCF
> The slowest I ever average on a solo ride is in the high 16's. <
DANG! And 27 miles is the shortest trip?! I'm assuming you are not going at a pace that would just wear you out - espciallly for that distance. In other words, that would be a good steady cruising speed?
> I hit 35.9 on the flats the other day on a solo ride - that was a real rush. <
Was the wind a big help or is that just how strong you are? I've only hit 30+ on a downhill or a really strong tailwind (pretty rare).
> I seem to have the biomechanics necessary to ride well, and at 5'11", 152 pounds, my current body fat is 5.2%. <
I'm 5'8" and around 150. Don't know the body fat thing.
Guess I need to work on intervals.
My 27 mile ride is my Monday ride which is an easy spin. I can cruise along rather comfortably in the low 20's - assuming zero wind. I have gone for an extended period at 31 mph riding the wheel of a very successful bike racer who I ride with a couple of times a week.
My 35.9 did have a light tail wind, but I have done 33 into a headwind on a club sprint.
As with any aerobic sport, it unfortunately comes down to your parents. Genetics plays such a major role. For example, as a youngster, I entered a track meet that was designed to find new track talent, and I ran a 5:36 mile with no training. That aerobic engine has really enhanced by progress with cycling, and I have kept my legs strong by doing 20 repetition squats for years - a very painful exercise BTW. Also, I am very competitive by nature, and won the national masters 10K cross country championships about a quarter of a century ago.
I never really liked running, but put in about 30,000 miles of running training to simply accomplish an end - win races. Conversely, I love cycling, and rue the fact that I did not discover it sooner than a few months ago.
The way I discovered it was that my triathlete girlfriend showed up at my house with two bikes on the back of her vehicle and announced that we were going riding. I fell immediately in love with it, and can't wait until the next training session. AAMOF, I love it so much that had I discovered it as a youngster, I would have been tempted to pursue pro status. I settled for jockeying around airliners around for a living.