Share my Excitement and Pride!

[climbergirl]

Okay, so I just got my first real road bike last December. I got out at least once every month through the winter, thanks to a milder than usual Minnesota winter. That in itself was awesome.

I've been fairly out of shape, cardio wise, spending too much time working a desk job, etc. I'm a terrible runner, but biking felt great. I took a lot of time to find the right bike. My Scott feels like an extension of my body, and it makes me HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY to ride it.

I don't have a bike computer. I've been using RunKeeper on my smart phone to track routes and mileage. I typically go out for a 16 to 18 mile loop, at least once a week, a shorter 8-10 miler at speed for cardio, and I go out usually once a week with my partner (a very experienced, fit cyclist) for a 30 to 40 mile ride (okay, we've done 3 of those this spring, but heck, it's only early May...)

Anyway, RunKeeper is great for tracking distance, but at the end, it only tells you average speed, and that's counting stop lights and water breaks and whatever. So the fastest "average pace" I've come home with is about 14.5 mph.

I know I'm getting stronger because hills are coming easier. My anaerobic threshold is higher, my lactic acid threshold is higher. But despite my boyfriend reassuring me that I'm doing pretty well pace-wise, I've been frustrated that I'm not going faster.

Well, today my boyfriend finally got his bike computer working again. And then I smoked a bunch of dudes in matching jerseys (admittedly, they all looked 40s to 60s). And then we were riding along at a nice, slightly uphill, steady pace, and DH say, "So we're doing 20 mph".

And I'm like WHAT!?! I could do this all day as long as you let me draft you part of the time!!

And they we're cruising the flats, and we're doing 22, 23, and even on the longer slightly more incline (I don't know the percent, but it's not flat), we were cruising along at 17-18.

And then on the big fun downhilll, with good pavement, straight shot, clear bike lane...

Thirty-two miles per hours, ladies! 32!!! MPH!!!

Can I tell you how happy I am!?!?!?

And the downhill was so much fun. There was a headwind, but I was in my highest gear, still pedaling, head down, tucked like nobodies business, and it felt awesome!

And I just had to share it with women. After weeks and weeks of feeling like I was slogging along, and just not going all that fast. Now I feel like a rock star!



Thanks for letting me share. This forum is a great source of information and encouragement and enthusiasm!

Happy Riding!

[indysteel]

Sounds like you're making excellent progress. Congrats. I'm glad you're enjoying your road bike and riding so much.

[lph]

Woo! Sounds like a terrific ride Congratulations!

[redrhodie]

I love those days. May you have many more rides like that!

[hebe]

Go you! That's brilliant, well done!

[emily_in_nc]

That's wonderful -- it's always satisfying to hear someone with a newfound passion for cycling!

What Scott bike do you have that you like so much, climbergirl?

[murielalex]

I'm impressed! I seem to be stuck at a 15-16 mph pace. You give me hope.

[climbergirl]

That's wonderful -- it's always satisfying to hear someone with a newfound passion for cycling!

What Scott bike do you have that you like so much, climbergirl?

The 2011 Scott Contessa Speedster 15.

I must have test ridden about 20 bikes. The Scott just felt right. The fit was nearly perfect out of the box (yes, I got a fitting after buying it), and it just moves with me and handles like a dream.

I'm now the world's biggest proponent of test riding until something just feels really good.

[emily_in_nc]

Duh -- I could have seen the bike model in your sig --oops! Glad you found a bike you love so much!

[TigerMom]

Super happy for you and I hope to get there some day!
_______________
2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle

2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle

[OakLeaf]

Yay! Thank YOU for sharing your joy.

[Bike Writer]

Your ride sounds wonderful, days like that are what makes riding so joyful! You must feel a great sense of accomplishment, I'm so glad you shared that so we could all applaude a fellow gal rider.

That is a mighty fast downhill speed.

[Maye]

That is very awesome! I'm stucked in the 13mph range but I started 2 months ago so I have a long way to go ahead of me Great achievement!!

BTW, I have been using RunKeeper/Wahoo/Strava to gather mileage and other statistics. IMO they aren't as accurate as a bike computer. My numbers were way off and I was able to prove it when for the first time today I rode with a bike computer.

[Jiffer]

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE going "really super FAST"! (As my friend and I call it.) I can't do that right now as I'm just getting back into riding after a year off due to my health. All I could do for the past year (if anything at all) was 30 minutes "easy" rides, which translates to pathetically slow. Now that I'm starting to feel better and ride more, I attempted to push myself a bit today for my 30 minute ride. My last one was 13.1 pace (that was fast, believe it or not!). I thought maybe I'd do a 14 pace today. Well, at about 15 minutes I had an average of about 15.5. I had been feeling pretty good until then, but then my body started getting a little mad at me. So I decided I better finish the lap I was on and cool down. I ended up with a 15.6 for just under 19 minutes and I was so excited. Going from 9, 10 and 11 mph rides to 15.6 is AWESOME! (Even if only for 19 minutes!)

I have had rides like yours back in the day. Mostly on a bike trail to the beach and back that we do a 44 mile ride on. Hubby has pulled me and a few friends "really super fast" several times. However, my friend and I have gotten a 20.2 average pace on that ride with the help of NO man! In fact, a man started drafting us and offered to pull and we told him no way!

You sound like a woman in serious need of a bike computer! You remind me of me (cause you like to go fast and are so excited to know just how fast you went). My husband calls me the stat monster. I MUST know my distance, my pace, my average pace, the percentage of incline and ALL that stuff! When I repeat a common route I actually use a sharpie to write my previous fastest stats on my wrist! Cause I hit my lap button at various places along a route, particularly trying to ride the climbs faster. It adds another element of interest to my rides to try to outride myself. Makes it exciting when I "PR" a climb or an entire ride. (PR is personal record). That way I "know" if I'm improving. Sucks when I don't, but at least I don't wonder how I'm doing. I keep a log of all my rides (even all my pathetic rides of the past year) on bikejournal.com. That's how I knew my exact pace for that beach ride with my friend. It was in 2009. I so could have done that ride way faster in 2010 when I was at my peak, training for a few races I did, but apparently never got around to it.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your joys of fast riding. By the way, I also love fast descending (something a lot of women are fearful of). I've gone over 40 mph on a tandem with hubby. And at least mid 30's on my own bike and probably more. However, the faster you go the more dangerous it is to look at your speed!

I have a Garmin Edge 500 and love it.

Thanks again and rejoicing with you.