BABY STEPS

My God! Those boys in France sure can ride a bike. They churn the big gear like they are whipping butter out of the country air. It is 95% inspiring and 5% damn depressing. For if I tried to keep their pace for even 30 minutes, you'd likely find my lifeless body collapsed on the side of the road--probably still clipped into my speedplays.
Of course, when I'm out there pedaling I try to tuck down deep like Mr. Landis, or (since I ride a Cervelo) like David Z. I pass the mountain bikers and those cyclists on their rented, 30-pound cruisers and in my head I can hear Phil chanting, "There goes Rick, dancing away in his pedals!!! Look at that breakaway speed! Here is a fine young rider coming into his own at the tour!"
But at 28, aproaching 29, I'm not that young. And the tour is never going to happen for me. (Despite the obvious truth of that statement does any cyclist really abandon that dream?) So what do I do? I work out hard every day and try to get better. It's baby steps.
Last July I'd average 19 mph for a 20 mile ride near my house, now it's closer to 23mph. In my mind that's a hell of an improvement. I'd certainly chalk up some of that performance to the Flashpoints. Because as I and other posters have said, this is a fast wheel set. (DO YOU GET IT YET!!)  But the majority of my improvement has been due to me getting out on the roads on a regular basis and beating my legs and lungs into oblivion. And that is also partially due to the Flashpoints
When you have a nice wheelset likes these FP60's you feel like you have to ride UP to them. Because let's face it, nobody wants to ride a deep-rimmed aero wheel AND suck. Being a posser is just no good. And the best way to stop being a posser is to ride--ride like you are escaping from hell. Or in my case, almost 23mph for approximately 20 miles. It's all relative, or so I hear.
So this week we have a bit of a heat wave in the 'Burgh. 90+degrees and 70some% humidity. I weighed myself and then went on a 30 mile ride. In the interim I had two bowls of cereal, a can of Dr.Pepper, and a protein shake. After the ride I stepped back on the scale and still weighed two pounds less than when I woke up. That's some real fluid loss. It's suffering to be over 100 degree pavement right now but that's what it takes to get better. I'm making those baby steps toward whatever plateau God decided to give me, and the flashpoints whether through motivation, or by physically cutting through a nasty head wind like a katana are helping me get there. 
Have fun. Ride. Beat you self up. And have a beer.