Originally Posted by
cj3209
I'm re-thinking my attitude on why I have to go fast on my bikes. For instance, my local peleton always wants to go fast (relatively) on the flats (20-22 MPH on average) and then go slow as snails when they hit a hill. So I tend to lag (I like to enjoy the scenery) and then catch up to them on the hills and sometimes pass them; I do get some respect from the other riders because I use a gravel bike with smoother knobby tires. You would think that they would try to go faster up the hills and keep a decent cadence on the flats but I think human ego is involved here.
So, I'm thinking I'm going to enjoy myself and use my gravel bikes on the road and off w/knobby tires and not worry about going fast. Makes me happy.
20-22 MPH isn't that remarkable in the flats with half-decent pacelines. Perhaps if their uneven pace frustrates you (and it certainly frustrates me if I have to slow way down with a group for hills), you just need to find a stronger group to ride with. My club is mostly touring/party cyclists, so a couple of us just work our way to the front and break away if we get "the zoomies."
