Check my signature. Most bike riders in general would be faster than I am,. With my Meetup group, aimed at riding as slow as the slowest rider has me zipping along at 6 miles per hour rolling, with plenty of breaks to reduce the average well below that on some rides. On my own, I average about the speed that you do. I have done a ride with my group, and then just to get a little exercise did the same route again at my own pace.

I do enjoy varying my speeds some, and will occasionally do a short sprint for fun, but I do seem to stick closely to the old saying that slow and steady wins the race.This weekend I did 2 rides with a friend on paved bike trails that most roadies would call flat, but it had a few hills in our minds. Saturday about 16 miles, and Sunday about 12 miles. In both cases our rolling average was probably about 10 mph. With stops to enjoy the scenery the Saturday ride (according to MapMyRide had an average speed of 6.5 mph, and I didn't record Sunday (let the battery get too low before the ride) but the average was probably slower because we sat to look at the river at our turnaround point for 1/2 hour or more.

I do sometimes push myself, just to see how I can do. I have a 8.5 mile rail trail I ride pretty frequently, and I have decided that a couple of times a year I will go attack it round trip (17 miles) to see how quickly I can complete the ride, just to know how I am doing compared to the last time I tried it.

The thing about recreational sports like cycling, is we don't all have the same objectives. Some choose to push for speed, others just want to enjoy the ride. Some want to climb the toughest hills they can find, and others will only climb hills if there are no alternatives, or there is something worth seeing at the top.

Enjoy the ride. And, seek out others with a shared attitude on riding.