I would be the first to say I am slow, I have slow twitch muscles and I am in it as an endurance and distance rider so any day I can hit 17 mph on a consistent rate for several hours is a great day. I ride flat but texas fl;atland prairies are constantly windy with the headwindds consistently at 15-20 miles an hour on average. That being said, when I started five years ago, it killed me to ride an mile- I was quite a bit heavier and riding a hybrid. After a couople of years and one cross country I was up to fifteen mph so I switched to a real road bike (trek pilot 5.2) and gained a mile an hour because of the change in weight on the bike. This year I have been working o speed intervals on and off the bike so I can hit 17 mph for an hour or so pretty consistently and sometimes on the rare occassion there is actually a tail wind, I can even hit 19 mph for a while but betwen the head winds and the traffic and lights I have to get through to get out where I can ride, 17 mph seems to be it for this year.

It all depends on how hard you want to push yourself. I am 62 and am riding for enjoyment not to race anyone. I also ride solo by choice as I don't do well in crowds.

As long as you are feeling stronger, or getting a bit of speed, take it aall in stride.

marni