Thanks for the replies Inpd and rossiny

My 29.3 time was on flat with no discernible wind, which is rare for my area. Luckily its a stretch of road that is very seldom used and I don't have to cope with traffic. As I'm totally new to cycling I have no idea what fast is and I would really like to challenge myself to do sprints. [MENTION=424725]rossiny[/MENTION] if you did 40mph on flat that seems very very fast.

Really appreciate any serious posts as I am really desperate to get in shape. Its hard living everyday feeling like you are lugging your body around like a bag of heavy bricks