First, I'm by no means a distance rider - I'm working on it as a few of you will know but I am not physically fit! But I'm just wondering what sort of average speed you lot tend to ride at.
Me and the missus both go out on the bikes (mine's a mountain bike, hers is a hybrid) and one of our fairly local routes comes in at just under 9 miles, and we normally do it at a leisurely pace in about 55 minutes. Average speed there is 9.8mph.
I've done it by myself, and did the same ride in 39 minutes (mainly because I have no lights and half way round I realised I'd underestimated how much daylight was left). That's an average speed of just under 14mph.
Got to thinking about this because I'd looked at joining cycling clubs, but they all seem to show pictures of people on road bikes and I worry about getting left behind.
[edit] Not sure if this should have gone in Health & Fitness...
Flat places, you can get a move on ......................... though wind is an issue of course. Hills slow you down despite getting a free and fast ride down the other side.
For my own part, I was doing 13 or 14mph some years back, but as I've aged, I can't manage that any more. Back in the days when I was in my 30s and early 40s, I was cycle-commuting 17miles each way from Gunnislake to Devonport. We lived at the top of Gunnislake Hill in those days!
I would take about 45mins to get to work, and about an hour to get home. Mainly downhill to the coast of course, and back up away from it, hence the times differences. Remember, that was 17miles. Gosh, I was fit and strong!
There's no way on earth that I could get to Devonport as fast as I could before. My average speeds have dropped to 9 or 10mph or less now. Yesterday's 20mile ride was 8.8mph.
10-14 mph could be just fine it depends on which club you go out with you'll need to contact some local clubs to see if they have suitable rides. If you have a local CTC group this would be a good starting point. The other thing to consider is distance. Looking at my local CTC group other than one 20 mile ride for Christmas Lunch the shortest ride they currently advertise is 25 miles. What you can maintain over 25 miles might be different than over 10 miles.
I find it also varies on which bike I'm on. Summer or dry days and I'm out on the Canondale and average 16.5 - 17.5 mph. This time of year on my Ribble winter bike I'm lucky to reach 15.5mph.
I mainly ride on my own over the flatlands round here, but notice that my speed goes up riding with somebody else, or when I see another rider in front of me. That old competitive mentality still lingers........
I average 12 mph unloaded on proper hilly routes and 10 mph when loaded with ~12 kg of camping gear etc when touring again on hilly routes. I find that I am too fast for U3A groups but on the one CUK audax ride I did recently I was left for dead on the first hill. Regarding joining a club: ask them if they run social rides on which they allow slower riders to catch up at the tops of hills.
Average tends to work out around 12-14mph over a typical 30-40 mile ride, with perhaps 2500-4000' climbing. I haven't tended to cycle for speed over the last twelve years, all my high speed work being down the gym!
Used to average a minimum of 20mph over a 20 mile run back in 2003-2006, but that was purely dead flat, on a hi speed road bike run, when I was doing a minimum 150 miles per week as a high speed work out (NB. Only been on the road bike once since rebuilding it in 2012!)
When racing the fastest recorded was 27.9mph in a divisional champs race on a closed flat fast circuit. Most races on the flat public roads were 25-26mph; 22-23mph on the hilly circuits found in East Lancs, South Cumbria and West Yorks. When racing fit, club runs were at around 20mph with the chain gangs as fast as the real races. Commuting when racing fit was 20-22mph, basically due to junctions and not trying to the utmost.
Touring was about half that when racing fit. But I was always a pottering tourist really. It's a different thing. Why hurry?
20-odd years after finishing with racing, the average speed with the club of similar lads (mostly now ole scrotes like moi) was 17mph on flat routes dropping to 14mph on hilly routes. Out by myself knock 1mph off or thereabouts.
Out with the ladywife we don't measure our average speed but my guess is that it's about 11-12mph - but on very hilly circuits indeed. Most routes are at the rate of 1000M climbing (and descent) per 25 miles. That's the back roads of West Wales for 'ee!I think I could do about 1mph average faster by myself as I can just keep up with her (e-bike) speeds uphill but could leave her on the flats and downhills. But neither of us are trying flat out (except up the hills).
But comparisons are odious. I don't care what my average speed is anymore and only know from riding with others who have a gizmo aboard. I haven't had a computer for decades, apart from a brief post-illness 6 months to measure my recovery from being chemo-mashed & smashed. Worrying about ride data is a mentally unhealthy obsession and can end up with you feeling a driven slave to the gizmo or even giving up because of feelings of inadequacy, which is foolish.
Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
Darkman wrote:First, I'm by no means a distance rider - I'm working on it as a few of you will know but I am not physically fit! But I'm just wondering what sort of average speed you lot tend to ride at.
It varies. On my own, on a road bike, in good weather and health, maybe 14-15mph trip average. Across town yesterday, on a city bike, in cold and wet, 8mph. In London, on a city bike, in heavy traffic, loads of red lights and getting a bit lost, I've been as slow as 3-4mph.
Darkman wrote:Got to thinking about this because I'd looked at joining cycling clubs, but they all seem to show pictures of people on road bikes and I worry about getting left behind.
Clubs vary. Locally, between the fens and coastal hills, there's "pedal and chat" (hard to measure with autopause being triggered so much!), relaxed weekend day tours at 10mph average, CTC at 12mph average, a sportive club at 14-15mph and then there's the racing club with groups from 12mph up to full-gas race-training probably 22+mph. There are many other groups besides but they don't advertise speeds and/or I've not ridden with them.
If you don't want to risk being left behind, I'd look for a club that promises "no rider left behind" or "no-drop". Most who claim that will keep it, especially if you tell them it worries you. If they have a backmarker or "tail end charlie" that is also a good sign.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make, when going long, is to base your efforts on average speed. Average speeds are affected by a lot of parameters, which are outside of your control ( wind conditions, surface conditions, terrain, route, traffic, etc.) its a bit like working out how much sugar is in a cake, by tasting it. Using normalized average power to weight, is a far better metric to use. For example, I could ride a 150 mile, flat course, at 3 and a bit Watts per Kilo, with no headwind, no traffic, no wet roads, and no roadworks, and get an average speed of 19mph ( I have done several times ). The same power / weight, on the same course, with traffic, headwinds, roadworks, in the rain, would ( and has ) yielded more like 15mph. I could ride at nearer to 4 Watts per Kilo, on a hilly / mountainous course, and only be yielding 13-14 mph. I’ve actually increased my effort significantly, and my average speed has gone for a Burton. Using weighted average power figures, is like working out how much sugar is in the cake, by weighing the sugar you add to the mix. Accurate dynamic Power and Cadence measurements will also benefit you by giving you the data you need, to maximise your riding efficiency, minimise fatigue, and any fuelling issues, you will encounter on a longer effort. For example, if I know that I’m pedalling at a steady 90 ( odd ) rpms, and my power output at that cadence is 180 - 200 ( odd ) Watts, I can be reasonably confident that I’m using my carbs ( fuel ) relatively efficiently. Those figures are pretty rider specific, but generally in that sort of ‘range’ most people will find that they are conserving their carbs as best they can. This is because of the way that the fast twitch muscles are engaged, with that ‘mode’ of riding, high force spinning ( The fast twitch muscles are dominant, and being engaged sufficiently forcefully, and with relatively higher switching frequency than a ‘Grindy’ rider). This is also a more oxygen efficient way of riding, as with high force, ( relatively ) lower cadence riding ( going up a sustained hill for example ) you are engaging more muscle cells, which causes higher oxygen demand. This high force ‘grinding’ mode, also depletes carbs much more rapidly, than the high force ‘spinning mode’.
Marcus Aurelius wrote:One of the biggest mistakes you can make, when going long, is to base your efforts on average speed. Average speeds are affected by a lot of parameters, which are outside of your control ( wind conditions, surface conditions, terrain, route, traffic, etc.) its a bit like working out how much sugar is in a cake, by tasting it. Using normalized average power to weight, is a far better metric to use. For example, I could ride a 150 mile, flat course, at 3 and a bit Watts per Kilo, with no headwind, no traffic, no wet roads, and no roadworks, and get an average speed of 19mph ( I have done several times ). The same power / weight, on the same course, with traffic, headwinds, roadworks, in the rain, would ( and has ) yielded more like 15mph. I could ride at nearer to 4 Watts per Kilo, on a hilly / mountainous course, and only be yielding 13-14 mph. I’ve actually increased my effort significantly, and my average speed has gone for a Burton. Using weighted average power figures, is like working out how much sugar is in the cake, by weighing the sugar you add to the mix. Accurate dynamic Power and Cadence measurements will also benefit you by giving you the data you need, to maximise your riding efficiency, minimise fatigue, and any fuelling issues, you will encounter on a longer effort. For example, if I know that I’m pedalling at a steady 90 ( odd ) rpms, and my power output at that cadence is 180 - 200 ( odd ) Watts, I can be reasonably confident that I’m using my carbs ( fuel ) relatively efficiently. Those figures are pretty rider specific, but generally in that sort of ‘range’ most people will find that they are conserving their carbs as best they can. This is because of the way that the fast twitch muscles are engaged, with that ‘mode’ of riding, high force spinning ( The fast twitch muscles are dominant, and being engaged sufficiently forcefully, and with relatively higher switching frequency than a ‘Grindy’ rider). This is also a more oxygen efficient way of riding, as with high force, ( relatively ) lower cadence riding ( going up a sustained hill for example ) you are engaging more muscle cells, which causes higher oxygen demand. This high force ‘grinding’ mode, also depletes carbs much more rapidly, than the high force ‘spinning mode’.
Ooh - too much info for me. I just ride a bike and travel at whatever speed I can or want to. The benefit of not riding with anyone else.
"It takes a genius to spot the obvious" - my old physics master.
I don't peddle bikes.
Some clubs have rides at 'easy' pace, or 'only as fast as the slowest'. Something like that might be a place to start. I always preferred the leisure rides to training rides, and could manage some club runs with a toddler on the bike.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.” ― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
Local club round here states that you should be able to ride, on your own, on a flat windfree road at 15mph before joining the club runs. They have various introductory sessions on an as and when needed basis, but club runs are quite rigidly policed at 15mph. No more and no less. Same cafe every ride. Nearly always the same route. They get a decent turnout - 20 or so riders every week.
I don't ride with them, and many members just form their own informal groups. Can't be doing with so much regimentation and rules!!!
Darkman wrote:First, I'm by no means a distance rider - I'm working on it as a few of you will know but I am not physically fit! But I'm just wondering what sort of average speed you lot tend to ride at.
We lot all ride at different speeds. Terrain is a big factor. Depends what you mean by average speed. Average cycling ie moving speed will be higher than overall average speed. You could buy a simple bike computer eg Cateye and you will know your average cycling speed. Far better than guesstimating it. My average moving speed is usually between 10 and 11mph, but faster in flatlandia of the Low Weald 13-14 mph, but then I'm not youthful.
"It takes a genius to spot the obvious" - my old physics master.
I don't peddle bikes.
My average can vary from 14 to 17 mph depending on who I’m riding with, the terrain and how windy it is. Club rides tend to be 15-16 mph average, we have a faster ride called a chain gang that can be anything up to 21 mph. We also have a slower club ride that averages 12-13 mph.
In my experience, a lot of ciubs expect you to be able to ride at 16-17 mph. A couple of local clubs have a fast ride at 19 mph and a slow ride at 17 mph. We often get riders turning up at our club rides who’ve tried the other clubs but can’t keep up. Their loss, our gain. Our slowest club rides have 80+ year olds on e-bikes, who are still enjoying riding with us.
