Hey all, I'm the resident newbie here. I'm relatively addicted to other forums so I'm pretty sure I can add a new one, and this one seemes to be the best cycling forum.
I have a few questions regarding training, but I figure I should give you guys alittle background. I'm a 5'10" 160lbs fairly lean rider. I've been riding slightly above recreationally for about a year. Last fall I was riding everyday averaging about 12-15mi a day. My goal was right around 20mi a day, but I ended up getting my roommate into cycling so we took it easy for the first month or so. The thing I tried to focus on was my ride average, which I felt was relatively slow for teh FL terrain and distances i was riding (14-16mph). Then I was off the bike most of the spring semester (Jan-May) due to difficult and time cionsuming classes.
So here I am, the beginning of July and I haven't picked up into riding as much as I thought I would. Im having trouble finding the motivation to get out everyday (by myself). The reason I tink I have problems getting out is because even when I rode I wouldn't really see any changes in my fitness level or more obvious my musculature...any suggestions???
Also I'd like to know what I can do to raise my average speed over the course of a ride. I used to be a hurdler/sprinter on my HS track team (2yrs ago) so i figured myself to be more along those lines as a cyclist. I suffer from not being able to sustain a high level of effort (i.e. 70%+) for any decent amount of time. For example, I get dropped at the top of a long gradual climb by faster groups because I would keep up while climbing the hill. I would like to raise my general cruise speed a few mph. I think when I feel comfotable with my "training" ride speed I will finally try my hand at racing.
Sorry my first post is so long, but I'd appreciate the help. Thanks.
Psycl'nFizicist