Originally Posted by
urbanknight
FWIW the national record for 10-12 is right around 25 mph and 15-16 is just under 30 mph.
https://usacycling.org/resources/nat...tional-records
I don't know when they took away TT bikes, but even back in the 90's most of us younger kids just rode our road bikes with maybe a clip-on bar. I doubt road bike vs. TT bike is a 6 mph difference, or I would have been a world class contender with just an equipment change. It sounds like your child is in the upper echelon of competition, but local races are likely a little tamer.
I was trying to say it does not matter all that much till older. Pages of philosophy could be put here. If the sport is about just having fun as a kid, that is one thing. If it is about cycling being a job, that is another.
My kid is fast and decided to not make cycling a job. As you might expect, the fastest times are not always Nationals. Valley of the Sun in Feb in AZ was competitive as it was used for selection on who would go to Europe. Recently LUX just picked them, but this is their last year. Things change quite often.