Some riders are all about speed and riding lot of miles. Others could care less about one or the other or both. I have noticed that the older I get the less I care about the speed or distance I ride. For me I am more concerned about how long I am out riding than I am about how fast I am riding or how far I ride.Knowing I am out riding pretty steadily for 4 +/- hours is more important to me. I know I got X number of minutes of exercise that day. A few years ago I rode more miles in a day than I usually do now. I didn’t necessarily ride faster but I think I usually rode longer. Obviously riding faster over the same time frame will result in more distance. I see some bicyclists flying by me and get the same mileage in I get but in a fraction of the time. They quit upon riding a certain distance I am still out there riding long after they are done. They might be getting healthier exercise, but I really don’t care. I am just out to enjoy riding. For me to try to ride faster or further than I do would turn it into something I would not enjoy nearly as much as I do now.
Tadpole Rider 
Right on Steve. I think if you did a survey of the members of our retiree group…you’d get agreement. We usually ride 15-20 miles on one of our many beautiful central Iowa trails and stop and smell the roses along the way. Last ride we were “buzzed” by a crop dusting plane working a nearby soybean field…the Red Baron lives 🙂
I’m with you Steve! I used to ride my DFs for speed but now just enjoy riding my trikes for the pleasure of experiencing nature and staying healthy. I have about 100 miles of paved trails all within about 2-20 miles of my house. Triker heaven!!!