Hi everyone,
I'm pretty new to the forums and have been riding about 2 months. Love it. Anyway, I'm just curious to where my speed/pace should be when I start riding hills. On the flats I can spin 20+ with no problems for 2+ hours. Living in Utah, we have no shortage of good climbs. I have several "bellweather" climbs that I do fairly regurally. My favorite avgs about 7-8% (with peaks over 10%) for about 4 miles. Last time I rode it my average speed according to my computer was about 7.5 mph (I clicked it at the bottom of the hill). I've not droped the cash on a HRM yet, but it seems my legs not my lungs/heart were the limiting factor. BTW, comming down is a BLAST! (When you pass a harley, you know your moving....) 🙂
I guess my real question is how much speed decrease should one see when climbing. I know that this is a "it depends" question, ie length of hill and steepness. I just looking for generalities here.
EDIT: 1 thing I left out. I'm Male 5'7" and 137 lbs....
Thanks in advance !
Lonnie