Originally Posted by
BirdsBikeBinocs
I dunno.?? If I were you I would take portions of the ride and really dig in, forcefully bring up the mph by going to the small rings out back and bare down. Dig in. Look up ahead of you and choose a shadow, or a mailbox and set your goal to get there while still putting out energy. Then rest by coasting. Do this once every mile. Your goal can be a short distance in the beginning. But focus on doing this throughout your ride. 6 to 8 miles is a good ride for a beginner. Use those miles to get stronger. There's a price to pay. It's up to you how much you want to spend in sweat to achieve. And pain too. It's a balance. Maybe talk to a nutrition expert along the way.
NOPE! Horrible advice. You know nothing about the OP.
The only good part about it is setting a goal. But make it a reasonable one that you know you can attain . Pick a hill that you aren't able to climb. Make it a goal that you are going top climb that hill but don't force yourself into a time frame as long as you are being honest with yourself hat you are making an effort. If you really want to set a time frame then make that hill next season and make it a hill that you are pretty certain you can make next season.
Push too hard and you won't want to ride. Worse you will end up harming yourself and you won't be able to ride. Just be patient. A little bit at a time ends up in a huge improvement before you know it. You will look back and wonder what the heck were worried about.
Once you are back in condition you can then really start challenging yourself.