I don't buy that...unless you're in lousy shape to begin with. I live in and ride around NYC and it's incredibly difficult to get the cyclocomputer to show an average of much over 15 mph over the course of a 30-50 mile ride, just because of all the traffic lights. Yet the last time I did a century in Harriman State Park (where there are no traffic lights) my computer showed an average of 16.9 for the entire 109 mile ride. No need for recovery when you're not constantly forced to accelerate from a dead stop.