speed is overrated

[sundial]

Is Mariposa jealous?

[beccaB]

I'm usually in the last group of people finishing a Century, and I do it on a hybrid bike with lights and bags and water bottles all over it. I don't want a faster bike because I am comfortable on this one and it can take all the badness Michigan roads can dish out.

[Zen]

Is Mariposa jealous?

She would be furious if she knew I had considered selling her

[Crankin]

Tri Girl, I found that in the process of getting back to be as fast as I used to be, I did it by giving up all expectations of doing it. In other words, I stopped trying, and focusing on other stuff. Getting a 2nd bike made for slower riding, with lots of stuff on it (pannier, 2 lights, computer) gave me a reason to do lots of little errand rides and some destination rides where I wanted to to be able to walk around (i.e., not be wearing my road shoes).
Last year, I had a difficult season on the bike. I felt old and slow and had more bad days than good. This year, after a couple of months, I found that with just a little trying, my speed is almost where it was before all of my medical issues started. I look forward to riding my road bike because it's not the only thing I do. Besides riding my hybrid around town, I also started running, again, with no expectations of speed or accomplishment.
I also ride with a couple of people who are slower than me, so except for my DH and the rides I do alone, my trying to be fast isn't happening every time I get on a bike. The only group I ride with is a group that is more "smell the roses," even though there are a lot of very fit people in the group.
So, while I admit I like to improve my riding, I have stopped trying to "train." To put it in perspective, what we do is more than what 95% of people do (at least in the U.S). Have fun and enjoy yourself!

[Tri Girl]

Thanks, Crankin. Your words hit home.
I've struggled with gaining some weight (and not being able to get it off despite riding 5 days a week and counting calories), and getting slower on the bike while everyone else I know is speeding up. I've been feeling very incompetent and inadequate. I quit doing tris because I feel so slow and out of shape. So I ride alone. I go my own speed. I took the computer off. I stop to take pictures and look around more.
I just got a job 2 miles from home (as opposed to 26), so now I can ride to work and the grocery store on the way home. I'm looking forward to being a utilitarian bicyclist- not just a speed demon.

[sundial]

So, while I admit I like to improve my riding, I have stopped trying to "train."

Well stated! Thank you!

[shootingstar]

Tri-- keep the love of cycling, that would be your long-term goal for whatever you do about cycling activity.

'Train' is not the right word for what I do. I just try to go for endurance and stamina with no preset ride times ..enough so that I can do occasionally some long rides with others each season without whimping out completely. It is nice to build in some cycling efficiency for situations where I do have to be somewhere at x time to do something afterwards off-bike/meet someone or to deal with road/highway interchanges where faster reflexes are required. Otherwise I ride solo or with my partner most times.

Sundial, sounds like yet another bike for your growing bike stable.