Originally Posted by
Homebrew01
Getting caught up in numbers, averages, speeds etc... won't really help you. Did you read the sticky above ? Find a local club or 2 with group rides. You'll learn more on the road in 1 or 2 rides than you will by trying to achieve a specific average speed. A ride that averages 20 mph, is not 20 mph the entire ride, it's 15 mph, then 25 mph, then 20, then 30. Racing is about intensity, recovery, timing, tactics ...
Follow the advice, then come back with specific questions.
This. I got into this sport from triathlon. I could grind along all day at 21-22mph and I thought I was pretty fit. A buddy convinced me to go on one of the local hammerfests. I asked what the average speed was. He said "when I get home my computer says 20 to 21."
No problem, I thought.
Problem I discovered: going from 22 to 27, then from 27 to 33, and your lungs feel like they're going to come out of your throat and you have to recover, but you have to do it at 25 with your wheel a few inches behind the guy in front of you.
Averages are practically meaningless in a race or race training ride. It's all about redlining and recovering.