Otherwise it’s a classic example of comparing apples to oranges. Basically no useful information is really exchanged, or gained. And “hanging your hat” on the ave-speed “holy grail” can lead to disappointment and heart ache.El Loto said:...use average to highlight their best performance on a particular route on a particular day in particular weather etc.
Certainly there are a few “milestones” where a basic generalized ave-speed works, but really it’s not the end all measurement to use.
Example1: 25 mile mostly flat loop, basically no wind riding with a group of strong riders, ave-speed 28.6 mph. Same route solo 24+ something.
Example2: My field test road: 10 miles out and 10 miles back, first 5 mostly flat then a gentle increasing grade ending with three steps and a small “kicker” at the end, turn around a reverse. I saw that ave-speed increase from 15.2 mph to 22.3 over the course of one good season of training.
Example 2 means a lot more to me as it shows my training has worked. But to say my ave-speed is 22ish isn’t accurate either. See in my story Ave-man said his ave-speed was 21mph, but it’s obvious he didn’t have a real training program that didn’t make him well rounded, powerful, with good aerobic & anaerobic systems. His ability to recover was ****, and his maximal efforts were pretty lame as well. Those rolling hills ate him alive, because he underestimated them (like so many people will do) and didn’t ride smartly. I on the other hand enjoyed an easy, “slow paced” ride and did some nice climbing repeat intervals while I was waiting on my boy.
HR