Have I gotten stronger, or not?

No, I don\’t carry my bicycle around like this. I\’m not into cyclocross. I don\’t think my upper body strength is developed enough for it. In fact, I\’m quite sure it isn\’t.

When it comes to just plain riding, I often wonder whether I\’m really improving. As they say, speed alone isn\’t necessarily a good indicator, as so many things can affect speed one way or another. Headwinds can slow you down drastically. Tailwinds let you go faster than you would otherwise be able to. Hills to climb? Another thing to slow you.

Yesterday I was looking at my data from two Sunday rides:

 

Date                  Dist             Avg speed       Time  in HR Zones                                      Wind*

01/27/19          37.4 mi      13.52 mph       Z2, 0:00:37; Z3, 0:21:04; Z4, 2:24:23//NNE 6-8

06/23/19         37.5 mi       13.05 mph       Z2, 0:01:07; Z3, 1:43:03; Z4, 1:07:57//S 10-11

*mph

This comparison seems to show that I am, indeed, a little stronger. On a day with a stronger wind, I was in my HR Zone 3 for much longer than I was five months earlier. (Even a southerly wind is against me a good bit of the time when I\’m heading back home; only a westerly wind is a real help.)

Or am I imagining things? This is where a power meter would be a big help. Then I could really know: am I stronger?