how slow am I?

[DeniseGoldberg]

I've been trying to ignore parts of this conversation but I want to make sure that (particularly) new cyclists aren't discouraged by the stats that Lenusik keeps quoting.

I really believe that the important thing here is that we are all riding, and we are riding because we enjoy it, regardless of speed.

There are racers who participate in this forum, and I know that they are very cognizant of (and trying to improve) their speed. There are non-racers too who are working to improve their speed, and there are others of us who just want to ride. I'm not a fast rider, and I never have been. My body seems to like the speed it goes, and that speed happens to be slower than many other riders. In fact, I'm one of the people who occasionally rides with Robyn where (as she said in her post last week) she knows she won't be riding her max speed on those rides. And she's fine with it - if she wants to ride at a higher rate of speed then that's not a good day for us to ride together. I believe that works for both of us.

On the other hand, while I'm not put together for speed, I am very happy riding long distances. Touring, being on my own on a bike exploring new territory, playing with my camera - all make me very happy. And when I'm touring, I'm going at an even slower pace than normal because I'm either hauling a trailer or I have loaded panniers on my bike.

What I think it really important is that we each continue to use our bikes to meet our own goals, to add something good to our lives, to enjoy our own version of cycling. That might include riding at a faster pace, but it might not.

Have fun on your bikes!

--- Denise