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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 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Thanks for the advice! I'm in Europe :)

What I'm afraid of is pushing myself so hard that I have to go home early :( I like biking long distances which makes me afraid to push myself too hard, which would (possibly?) severely cut my distance capabilities.

Unfortunately, I have no car :(. Most ebikes on the road by me are ridden by couriers and they're just speeding along the road way going 2-3x the speed of me - they're quite popular here.

A lot of the times I push myself to pick up speed so I can coast for a while after, though this is probably counterintuitive in a way.

[–] Ludrol@szmer.info 5 points 5 days ago

Depends if you ride for commute (as in you need to get from point A to B) or for recreation (bike for couple of hours)

If it's recreation it's fine to cut down on distance and tire yourself out. Treat it like gym training. If you aren't tired, it wasn't good training. Maybe plan a shorter trip but a more intense one.

I found that after couple of months of daily commuting my speeds improved and I could finally go up that steep hill without stopping.

Good luck and stay safe!