Originally Posted by 55/Rad
No, not a pro. Never raced in my life. Just your average 44 year old who found out years ago that cycling fits very well into my personality and physical strengths. I've have 2 cycling eras - first was for 2 years back in '89-91. Then I got married and had kids. Second era is currently at just under 2 years.
Here's something to shoot for - if you can do a flat century at 17-18 mph without drafting much, you can probably make the leap to a double at 20 in a month or 2. Especially in the STP. The key is finding fast groups to draft and pace, and with 8000 riders, it's not that hard.
55/Rad
I'm 44 also and at 6'2" and 205, I'm not too overweight, but I bet if I lose 15 lbs of fat, that would make me a bit quicker. Is a flat century 100 miles? I'm only doing 10 miles of biking at night. I'll try 30 mile round trip commute to my dad's house on my day off.
Remember, I'm just a beginner and I don't want to overdo it too quick. 100- miles? Egad!