Originally Posted by
pdlamb
I usually expect hilly areas to have some not-so-great stretches of pavement. In those circumstances, you're as likely to slow down for comfort over those stretches as you are to speed up on the other stretches of your route.
You don't say how long you've been back on a bike. If this is your first year, you might just find a century sometime in July or August of this year, and try a 200k next year.
The roads here in central New York are terrible. Everything is chewed up and rough. So yes, that and the hills do slow one down, but the other serious cyclists still kick my butt, of course.
About one month. I started last year but after a month and a half I had an injury in which the doctor didn't want to bother taking xrays, but sent me to a physical therapist who then told me "no biking". That shot the summer. This spring when I became active again (yes, I should have been working out in the gym, but was still heeding my PT's advice) the pain returned. I said "screw it", and jumped on the bike and continued to ride. Amazingly, or quite irritatingly, depending on how you want to look at it, my pain diminished the more I rode my bike. I am now pain free for the first time in a few years. Go figure.
Originally Posted by
WalksOn2Wheels
You might consider training with a heart rate monitor. I hit a similar wall a while back and HR training totally changed my riding style for the better, and I got faster. It's a frustrating process because it often means riding really slow, especially uphill when your HR tends to jump. I went from climbing a tough hill near my apartment at 15-ish mph to crawling up in nearly my easiest gear at about 8 mph to keep my HR down. I had to do that for months on end, but I gradually got faster at the lower HR. The other huge benefit is that it requires less energy and the miles don't wear on you as fast.
This is more of a long term suggestion. I think you can for sure do 200K this summer, but if you try HR zone training consistently over the winter, I think you can have a much more enjoyable 200K ride next summer.
Here's a helpful article:
Heart rate monitor training for cyclists - BikeRadar
I'll check that out. Thanks.