Originally Posted by
dleccord
i dont ride much and when i do i can ride for a while without breaks but on the slow side riding at 16-17mph, which averages out to 15mph. i ride about once a week and get about 30-40 miles a week. but this summer i would like to ride 50 miles a day for 5 days a week so that i can ride faster so that i can be like those guys that plow right through other riders effortlessly on a high gear.
There's your problem -- practically no saddle time at all.
Most people in this forum put in 100-150 miles a week and aren't particularly fast. Without a serious training plan you won't be either though you'll certainly be faster than you are now if you're logging 250 miles/week. BTW, if you just put in the miles during the summer and drop back to 40 miles in the fall, you'll get faster (but you still won't be fast) and then lose your speed gains within a couple months.