I've been riding for a very short time. I got my bike on Halloween, so a little more than a month ago. I absolutely LOVE cycling. I'm hooked! Now I have some questions. Please excuse me if my questions seem stupid, like I said, I'm new.
Okay, I bought my Trek 1500 with the intentions of just having another fun hobby(I also golf), not knowing how much I'd get in to it. Like I said earlier, I'm hooked. Now with that being said, I want to start training with a purpose as opposed to riding just b/c I have a bike and it's a nice day. Right now, I average about 16mph on a 20-30 mile ride. I'm told that when I get the pedals and shoes, it'll help me out some. (I know I know, what a total rookie I am! 🙂) What is the best way for me to improve my overall speed and distance? I REALLY want to get better and eventually start competing.
That leads me in to my next rookie question. Since it's the cold part of the year, should I not ride as much? The days are really short and obviously daylight is limited, so it's really hard to find time to get a good ride in, with the exception of the weekends. Then it's usually really cold (Georgia standards) I was doing some research on various sites, and many of them mentioned indoor workouts, such as weights, stationary bike etc. They said that when the warmer weather rolls around, to start getting back on the bike. Does this mean hang the bike up for a few months or just hit the gym and ride occasionally?
Thanks in advance! The people here on this site have taught me a lot! Thanks again!