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Why am I so slow at cycling? (discuss.online)

submitted 5 days ago by ThePiedPooper@discuss.online to c/bicycles@lemmy.ca

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Today I did my first 20 mile (33km) ride on my hardtail XC bike. I learned how to ride a bike about 1.5 months ago, but I've been riding pretty consistently since I learned. I ride exclusively in the city, it's a very walkable city, but the paths aren't always the best. I did 33km in 2 hours 53 minutes, not including breaks for water or to eat.

I see people saying that 10MP/H (16KM/H) average is a good average to shoot for, but i can't even get my average above 7.1MPH (11.5KM/H), even on shorter rides. What am I doing wrong here? How are people going so freaking fast on bikes in cities?

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[–] ThePiedPooper@discuss.online 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Thank you! I'll just keep doing what I'm doing then - our sidewalks vary from fantastic to potholes everywhere and stupid people standing in the middle of the street with a few massive hills thrown in there for good measure.

My leg strength is good as I go to the gym and I'm a former runner who did a few half marathons, so I'm no stranger to endurance sports, but I gained some weight since the last time I did a half marathon.

[–] BussyCat@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

I will also say that biking does use muscles in a different way than running, I personally can ride 100km somewhat easily but can’t do a 5k run without having to walk for at least a little bit. But being in good health does mean that you should build up those biking muscles pretty quick