Originally Posted by
spivonious
I've started to notice that too. I used to average 15mph but would get to work breathing hard and covered in sweat. I now average about 12mph and am ready to work after a few minutes and a change of clothes.
The thing is, my time is still improving. I think before I was really pumping it on flats and then struggling up hills. Now I am much more consistent in my speeds, keeping it around 15mph on flats and 10mph up hills. Average speed down (my computer doesn't measure when I'm stopped), but I get to work 10 minutes sooner.
That was another thing about this morning's commute that I noticed. Since I was really taking it easy, the gigantic hill about a mile away from my work place seemed way easier since my legs weren't already fatigued from 6 miles of hard riding before getting to it. I usually make it to work between 26-28 minutes depending on wind, and this morning it took about 38 minutes. So, I added 10 minutes. Not so bad if you leave a few minutes earlier.