Originally Posted by Ciufalon

cooker, you could well be right that due to my training for long distances my experiences might be different than others because of a different mix of slow and fast fibers. Others will certainly have different experiences and opinions and I was just offering mine, not trying to say others advice or experiences are wrong. One thing the OP might pay attention to is that I find each gear to have an optimal cadence (for me), and if I try to go faster than that cadence allows by spinning faster it just makes my legs feel like crap, very quickly. For me it is better to move up a gear if possible, or if that isn't good, to just stay in the gear I'm in and accept the speed I'm going until the incline or terrain changes. For me, part of riding a bike instead of driving is not always being in a hurry. I push myself when it feels good to, because I let my body tell me what to do, what to eat, etc. After cutting out sugar and processed foods, whatever is craves, it needs. But again, I am only relaying my experience.