Originally Posted by
StLaurent785
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. @
rossiny 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
This is totally anecdotal, since there are a hundred variables that go into sprinting speed like wind, slope, draft from passing cars or other cyclists, ect.
I started riding regularly about 5 years ago now. I remember doing the same thing when I first started riding, just trying to go as fast as I could in a short hard burst. I think I expected to get over 30mph easily, but if I recall, I hit something like 27 and got exhausted.
Now, I'm not really sure because if I'm sprinting all out it's in a pack of riders (races) or trolling Strava with a tailwind, but I'd think under identical conditions to my initial "test" I can hit 35 or so. It's not really that I got a lot faster, it's more that I learned form and technique after watching other riders and through experience over time. I probably also put out a little more power than I was capable of then.
Go read up on sprinting technique, it will help. This is a great article-
Sprinter della Casa: How To - Working on sprinting
Also remember that cycling is a LOT more than just a top speed for a few seconds. If you want to get in shape, distance/time and structured rides are way more important than just sprinting around.