Just got back from a ride, and I have a Firestone Double Jack in the system, so fair warning.

I have been biking a long time, and the speed thing has a lot to do with acceleration.

Maintaining speed is the product of getting to speed. I swear the biggest obstacle is getting the desired speed initially. I will try to explain.

You are cruising at 16. You want to bang 19 and hold it.

You increase the effort until you are hitting 19, but you took a while to do it. 19 is kicking your ass, and you start to drop back down.

You jam the pedals, get rockin' on 19 quick and hold on to that ***** for dear life. Maintaining it doesn't seem so bad.

I think the issue is not taking the step to jam the speed and hold. How many times have you rolled down some chimpy hill at 24, and held it for a long time on the flat afterward?

Anyway, this is half the battle IMO. Exponential is a word we love to hear when it comes to investing, but it is every cyclists worst nightmare when it comes to speed. I am not a wordy guy, but you got to bang the speed before you can maintain, and this is the hardest part.