The Meaning of Speed

In the past two weeks we have climbed a lot of passes and have gone up to about 7400 feet and down to 1500 again.  When I am home riding around on an unloaded road bike, occasionally I worry about how fast (or slow as the case may be) I am going.  Riding friends will talk about what their average speeds are for a ride or apologize because they think they are going too slow (me included).  I am not sure why this is so, or what the real meaning of speed is for people, but I do know that it all changes for me on a touring bike.

On this tour I have gone the slowest I ever have on a bicycle and the fastest.  I went about 3 MPH on a particularly steep climb and 41 MPH on a lovely descent.  However, for the most part I ride between 8 and 12 MPH – probably an average of about 10 MPH.  Although sometimes it feels like I am crawling along, for the most part this is fine.  (After all, my bike probably weighs 75 pounds fully loaded and then you add me and the darn thing is heavy!)

Going at “touring speed” means that I can see more and worry less about the number on the computer and pay more attention to the landscape and my surroundings.  Now, this is not to say that I don’t sometimes try to stay at a particular speed in order to get to our destination with some alacrity; however it is not something that is overbearing or that occupies my attention daily.  It is refreshing for me because so much of the time on group rides speed is the focus – and I get tired of going fast sometimes, and even more tired of worrying about going fast enough.

I do understand that speed can be fun.  Certainly flying down the mountain when the road was good and I could see a good distance in front of me was a blast.  Yet, it can also be terrifying to me, like it was after Chief Joseph Pass where there were switch backs, backed up vehicles, and the shoulder was not so great or after Lolo Pass where the grade was steep and there was little or no shoulder and huge trucks barreling down the mountain.  At these times, I tend to ride my brakes more than I should and pray a lot.  This strategy has worked for the most part as I am still here to tell the tale. 

I guess the upshot is that there is a lesson for me in all of this about slowing things down and finding my own pace.  When I teach bicycle riding, I am often telling people that everyone learns at their own pace and that it is not a race.  So it is with much of riding too.  I have a friend who was worried that she was going too slow – I told her that I didn’t care and that what was important to me was riding with her and not how fast or slow we went.  Although I understand that if you are a racer that speed is critical, however for those of us who are not currently racers, I think it behooves us to consider what the purpose of riding is and how speed does or does not fit that purpose.  I find that when I pay too much attention to speed, riding becomes less fun and much more of a chore.  This is when I know to refocus because when the delight and joy are gone my riding days are over.   May I remember this when I am at home worrying that I am too slow.  May I remember to slow things down and focus less on the numbers and a goal and more on the process.