Originally Posted by Abe_Froman

So.....I was feeling pretty good about myself on my commute home. I use strava, and I've been paying attention to some of the segments I routinely hit. I set a personal record on a 1 mile stretch today, placing 31 out of 530. I was feeling pretty good about myself until I realized how far off I was from the leaders.

My time was 3:01 at 21.5 mph. But then I look at the leader and he's a full 46 seconds faster! Christ that's fast! The rest of the top ten is about 15 secs slower.

So I'm kinda getting into the whole roadie thing, and my question is.....and feel free to mock/shame/flame - how do they do it? That's 26.67mph for the leader.

I of course know the engine is an issue. But how much does gear matter? Jersey/lycra shorts/aero bars, etc....how much speed could that conceivably give? I'm wondering where I can pick up 5mph on the flats.