Originally Posted by
Gnosis
My first commute (which was at age 55) was a hilly 8-miles and it yielded a pathetic average speed of just 5.9 MPH! But hey, I was thrilled to have completed the distance in both directions (hence 16 miles round trip) as I was battling my way back from the lingering effects of my near fatal heart attack at age 53. Now, age 59, I’m faster than the majority of bicyclists that I encounter. So, keep at it and you’ll reap the rewards of far greater fitness.
I was actually surprised a bit that my average speed was so low, but I think I'm going to attribute that to the fact that I live right in the downtown/midtown grid in Sacramento, which means I'm traveling about fifteen blocks' worth of stop signs and red lights. I also made a wrong turn at one point and ended up basically on a highway, so I walked the bike to the next light on the sidewalk and crossed back over to the other side to resume on the path. Wasn't comfortable street riding on a 55 MPH road just yet.
