so what are YOU built for?

[RoadRaven]

I haven't done enough yet, but everyone who has seen me says I'm made for shortish distances at sustained speed...
...hence my "title" <<<<< TT Wannabe
I want to TT competitively - its where I feel most comfortable and right

I don't think hills will ever be my strength

[betagirl]

I'm definitely a distance girl. As you can see from my fast twitch post, I'm not a sprinter. I can climb pretty well also, I can do 18 up a moderate hill. A big hill slows me down to about 13. I also get this weird gratification from one of those long gradual climbs that seems to go on forever. But for me I'm happiest on a loooooooooooong steady, flat ride. When I was in H.S. I was a swimmer, and all I wanted to do was the 500 freestyle. So I think that's ingrained in me. I would like to broaden my skills though. I think if you can hang for the distances, you're ahead of the game. Now we just need to work on being speedy

[CorsairMac]

before cycling?? I would've told you I was built for bearing many children and pulling the plow all day. Now: not a clue. No matter where you go in this town ya gotta climb so I just accept that. I do seem to climb faster than most women but not at some of the speeds ya'll are talking about. I sprint at the green light, to cross lanes of traffic, and sometimes just coz but I don't think of myself as a sprinter. I get bored on short rides just coz I don't feel like I"ve really ridden. I don't mind doing long rides and my avg on 1/2 and full centuries is about 15 mph. I guess I'm just an average all-around Jill!

[KSH]

Texas sized hills and a head wind. That always helps me stay with a group... because neither one bothers me. I LOVE TEXAS HILLS!!!!



What I am NOT made for... decending DOWN any kind hill. Scares the crap out of me.

[cindysue]

with these hips? I must be built for bearing children, but until that day - I'm a better climber than a sprinter and I can usually hang with long distance rides.

[Trek420]

I just go and go and keep going and going and go and keep going....no speed but point me in any direction and say you'll meet up 100 miles from there and I go and go....workin' on some speed though. On climbs sit and spin, hardly ever stand.

[nuthatch]

before cycling?? I would've told you I was built for bearing many children and pulling the plow all day.

Ha, ha! That's what I was going to say!

So far I seem to be extremely well engineered for falling off my bike

Hey, you're on my team!! What are the "builds" of all these varieties of specialization? I know climbers are little, light fellers. What are big, heavy riders good at? Are they all-arounders? Big Georgie seems to be keeping up with his much lighter boss in the Tour.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Me? I'm an endurance and distance rider, no speed at all! But happily staying on the bike all day and maintaining the same strength at the end of the day as I had at the beginning supports my touring habit very well.

--- Denise

[Technotart]

Downhills scare me to death too - I don't like the feeling of uncontrolled speed. I have the same problem waterskiing - no problem getting up and going, but once the boat planes and we take off, I have to give it up. It makes me feel like my heart is in my throat. I wouldnt be a good mountain biker because heights scare me even more!

I have gotten my bike up to 37 on a downhill....once, even that is too fast for me. But I do love spinning those pedals into 22 to 24 mph runs on the flats. Yep LOVE that! And I love climbing the hills. And I love riding for hours.

[BikingAt50]

Hey KSH...what part of Texas are you in? I am in the Dallas area. Do you ride the Hotter n Hell 100? How about the Waco Centry?

I have been riding for several months. It appears I am meant for endurance. I too am like the turtle, sloooow but steady. I would love the speed and I do continue to increase, but I guess that will come with time, training, and strength. I am getting better at the hills, but they still kick my behind. I can take a few, but if there is too many, I am spent quickly. I may have to accept that I am 50 and may not be a speedy hill climbing demon...LOL! I love to ride and sight-see. So maybe the endurance for distance is my thing.

[JanT]

No one would ever say I'm built. ... But my body likes to do LSD, the old Long Slow Distance term from my running days. That's mainly because my body doesn't do any distances Fast!

[KSH]

Hey KSH...what part of Texas are you in? I am in the Dallas area. Do you ride the Hotter n Hell 100? How about the Waco Centry?

I live in the Dallas area too. I just got my bike in October 2004, and I bought it so I could do triathlon's.

I have a sprint tri July 30th... and then I am doing the swimming portion of a 1/2 Ironman Sept. 11th... after that, the only bike rally I am doing is October 1st in Corpus Christi (I grew up there).

Have you checked out the ride with the Plano Bicycle Association, or the Greater Dallas Bicyclists? I ride with those groups Wed/Sat/Sun... tons of fun!

[betagirl]

"you are fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on our local climb we all practice on.. i'm lucky if i can do 10 mph up it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Caligurl, I live in IL so my idea of a moderate hill may be different than your idea of one I'd love to see what I'd do in some mountains, I suspect I'd be slower. We do have a few big hills up north of me, and on a century I did this year the last 10 miles had about a 2 mile climb at about a 7% grade. I did about 14 up that thing. Riding up to it it just looked like a big wall lined with trees. You don't see that a lot around here so I was like oh this should be fun.

On a related note I would love to do the Seattle-Portland ride, but I'm curious as to how I'd train for that other than going up to WI or something to get in some decent hills.

[SJCzar]

I guess that I'm more of a distance kind of gal. I finding that I'm getting better at hills (or maybe just less intimidated by them) but I really love to get on a stretch of freshed paved flat country road and ride for hours.

I think that I've been getting too hung up on increasing my average speed. I find myself constantly checking my computer on my commute to work. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm out there to have FUN, get exercise, save gas....not to be race training.

[wingsonwheels]

As in Long, Slow, Distance. Same thing when I ran. Nice and easy, keep going for hours, stay light on the pedals...