Hey guys, I am a 20 year old who got into cycling last summer. I have slowly increased my stamina on the bike as well as my speed since then, but I am now wondering how I compare to others. I have never ridden in a group, but solo I generally average 18-19mph on fairly flat ground (450ft elevation gain over ~15 miles). I can generally keep this pace for about 1.5 hours before I start to fatigue and slow down a bit.

My question is this, would I be able to keep up with some of the faster groups during a group ride (22-25mph)? Does drafting behind others really increase speed that much?

Lastly, I recently (5 days ago) got a HR monitor and new Garmin 510. This is the first time I've ever ridden with HR and I notice I have been averaging ~172bpm during every ride, with about 190bpm as my usual max. This seems high from what I've read on the site. Am I pushing myself too hard? I have never been tested for max heart rate, but as I said I am 20 years old, 6'1 and about 165lbs.

If you can ride for 90' at 19mph, I doubt you'll have any trouble hanging on to a group that goes 25. That said, if you've never ridden in a group before make sure you let the ride leader know (if there is one). Hang out near the back for the first ride and get comfortable riding in the draft before you start moving up into the rotation.

IANYMD, but your heart rate doesn't sound out of the ordinary to me.

You should usually be faster on group rides but it depends on the group and lots of other facts as far as how much faster you'll be. Drafting/slipstreaming in combination with just the comradery of the group means you want to keep pace with everyone else, even if it's a little faster than your normal pace. That being said, you have to ride with a decently paced group or everyone will just be going slow.

Is cork bar tape waterproof?

Tip: Know how to fix a flat, and bring 2 tubes, tire levers and inflation device on your rides.

You'll be fine in a group ride. It is lots of fun so go give it a try.

You're 20. Is it possible to push too hard at 20? Your HR sounds fine - even allowing for individual differences, younger people can sustain higher HR. I have to kill myself to hit 178. Find a nice long hill and hammer up the thing, you'll find your max HR soon enough. (note that "max" HR varies by activity too, you can probably hit a higher number running)

Anyway, go find a group ride and see what you can do. It'll be fun and you may surprise yourself.

+1. Try the group ride but tell the leader you're new. Sometimes my group rides are slower to the same speed as me riding alone, but when enough racers show up for a decent break to form, group rides are usually slightly faster than alone. I ride in the "A" group and average 20-21mph on flat and rolling terrain (there's not a real hill, like a half mile 500' or more, climb anywhere near me) up to about 70 miles, rarely do I ride further, at least on a racing bike, and therefore not with that kind of group.

Thanks for the advice guys! I really have found a love for cycling and hope to continue getting faster and stronger. I have been very interested in racing at some point, do any of you have advice for preparing for my first race? With that, I am pretty unfamiliar with the whole racing scene. What would be some recommendations for my first type of race/just some basic info about amateur racing?

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