Originally Posted by
bobthib
I agree. Find a club and "ride up" as often as you can. Get dropped. Do wind sprint intervals. Ride hard with a purpose 3 - 5 days a week. You will improve, but it takes time. It's work. I get up at 4:30am or earlier 2 or 3 days a week to improve. I enjoy it.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong with riding for fun and not wanting to "work hard" to improve. In that case, take it from Stepfam and others who eschew worrying about the speed and just ENJOY THE RIDE!
That's the point, isn't it?
I too get up at 5AM 2 times a week (during the work week) to ride 18 miles as hard as I can. I do this early in the year when the Ice is gone off the roads and late into the fall until the ice returns. Some mornings the sun doesn't come up until we are just about done, we are wearing two or three layers to stay warm. These are not fun rides, this is like going to the gym. However these rides make the club rides and the distance rides fun because I am not getting killed and dropped at every hill, struggling to keep up with the group. I can cruise along with the others, have a conversation and arrive at the end not wasted for the rest of the day.