Brian Walker wrote:

I've been riding for a couple years now. I started out on
trails/tracks and finally got bored enough with those that I began
venturing out on the road. Since that time, I've noticed my averages
went up considerably. I think back, and the only thing I can wonder
is whether it has to do with having cars all around me to keep me
pushing harder and harder to avoid being hit. When I start at lights,
I end up drag racing the cars next to me...and at times win (at least
until we get to the other side of the intersection)! While riding, I
notice that I'm trying to keep up with the traffic around me. I've
even noticed when I'm out riding late at night when the traffic isn't
out, I tend to ease off the hard riding. All of this has pushed me
into a new level of riding experience and overall into a higher
bracket of times and speed averages.

Has anyone else ever noticed the differences like this when going from
trails and into traffic road riding? Does anyone have opinions to
whether it's better to get into heavy traffic or just isolated
traffic?

You may be riding a lot harder, but roads are almost always faster than bike
paths or trails anyway. Even hard-packed dirt has a lot more rolling resistance
than asphalt, and even asphalt bike paths are rarely as smooth, straight, or
clear of other users to let you go as fast as you do on the road.

Matt O.