Originally Posted by
valygrl
As to pace, I am an *avid* cyclist, but am a small person. I average 55 or 60 miles/day for riding days when touring, not including the day off I take every 7-10 days. I find that the weight of my loaded bike affects my speed much more than it does for bigger people. Last summer I had an opportunity to ride loaded with a couple of guys who I normally do day rides with. I was consistently much faster than them on my road bike and consistently much slower than them on my loaded tour bike. I attribute this to the raw power it takes to move the extra mass - I have power to weight, but not much raw power.
I agree with what you write and can echo the above. My girlfriend is small: 5' about 105. I am 6'2" and about 205 during peak season. On road rides, she's usually waiting for me at the top of longer climbs and she can hang in flat pace lines. She did her first loaded tour with me this summer. It was nice to be the one who was usually waiting.