Just started riding seriously about six weeks ago. I'm 56 yrs old, 6 ft tall, and weigh 225. I do a 14 mile loop four times a week and some shorter rides on the other days. I'm still building a base. I am riding a knobby-tired Univega pseudo-mountain bike w/26x1.75 tires that I got at a garage sale. (I'm thinking road bike for Christmas.) So far, here's where I'm at:

- With the exception of one hill, I ride the big ring on the whole loop - just use 7 gears
- On the flats by the river, I average 16 mph for 5 miles
- The whole loop takes me an hour and I average 13.5 mph
- Fastest speed on a downhill is 33.5 mph
- So far, I haven't died

It's not nearly the struggle it was when I started (Duh!) It's nice to be able to recover from the ride in a few minutes. And when I'm done and get off the bike, I don't feel like my legs are rubber bands that won't support me.

So far, so good!
Dean