I love going fast. I ride with a group on Tuesdays and Thursdays that usually have a group that breaks and rides a little faster. there is a long stretch of about 5 miles. If I grab the leaders I can keep a 20-21 mph for that time. I am not much good for over 3 or 4 blocks at the front of the group though. I know it is not that great a distance, but it sure is fun while it lasts.
I feel pretty confidant at a better tempo (15 to 16 ave) on the 50 to 60 milers, but when I start thinking about how long the 100 milers are i am really concerned about just making it!( 14 ave last weekend) I know it is a mental thing, so my remedy is just to keep putting in more miles I guess. I have also started a training ride tackling a pretty good hill near my house several times. I have read about different workouts to work on speed, hills, etc., but haven't really incorporated them yet. Mostly a time issue.
I think I am just going to try to ride as hard as I can on the shorter rides with the thought of slowly building my average speed on the longer rides.