Originally Posted by
rower2cyclist
I'll tell you straight up, you won't be able to get your avg speed over 20mph with that amount of training. I have no idea for how long you wanna average that speed but solo it's friggn hard go up to say low 20s and stay there over an hour even on the flats. Don't really discourage you, just set your expectations right.
This actually encourages me. Since I picked up cycling on Memorial Day this year after a sedentary entrance into middle-age, at the time I was struggling to stay at 12mph. After I picked up my SuperSix on the 4th of July, and then riding that regiment for five weeks, I've gotten up to that 17.5mph sustained for up to 60 minutes (x2, sustained that going back to the car too, actually a little faster but I think it was thanks to a light tailwind). I figured most riders here would have scoffed at my speed and rode 20mph or faster consistently. I'm not sure where I got that notion from, but if sustaining low 20s is considered hard, then I don't feel too bad at my progress.
Originally Posted by
dalava
The best thing the OP could do for serious training is to get a power meter with the new bike (looks like the Giant TCR has one) and a HR strap, some some FTP test, and find a good power based training program (trainerroad is good source but it's subscription service), or simply read up on Coggan and figure out his own way of training with power. Average speed is meaningless in the overall scheme of things but it will be a byproduct of committed training.
If I get the TCR I'll definitely invest in that. When I said I ride every night 9-12 miles, I do try to mix it up. Most nights it's a familiar course, but with a lot of stoplights I try to sprint from light to light (and sprinting actually helps me avoid getting stopped by lights as often). When I'm feeling up to it, I tackle some pretty wicked hilly areas in my neighborhood to get my strength up, kind of trying to simulate HIIT. I've only started doing this recently so the results likely haven't begun to show.