On my ride today I tried to focus on the part of the stroke where you pull back - which seemed easier to do then the push over the top part.

I had pretty decent speed over my first 11 miles (that is where I first starting riding so I still use it for comparison for many things). Other than hills, I pretty much kept rpm at 90 or so and instead of just rapid rpm with what seems like little resistance, I clould feel the back stroke making a difference.

Ended up at 17.82 for those 11 miles, spinning all the way. Considering my 12th best time with an all-out effort is 18.16, that isn't bad. I'm not sure how to characterize the ride. It definitely was NOT an "all-out" effort (which I call level 1) though.

One strange thing was that on the smoothest, flattest road I ride, I was basically under 19 mph - occasionally under 18. Then just beyond that about a mile, I had a mere 25 second stop at a traffic light. After starting out again, I suddenly found my rpms up to 116 and going over 20 mph! Road was still flat, but not real smooth. Go figure.

After doing 19 miles, I stopped for several hours before coming home. I was slower, but I found it much easier to spin. Where I was generally only slightly over 90 rpm heading out, going back that was easy. Mostly I found myself at 96 or better, often going over 100 (up to 125 at one point). Sometimes I felt I was dragging down, but when I looked at the computer, I would be at 96.

Well, I'll probably feel it tomorrow since I'm not used to this, but that's okay, I rest then anyway.