Good average speed?
- Thread starter mike7382
- Start date
THis question has just been asked a few posts lower on the page of the forum.. I always try to go on average 16mph wherever I go and for however long. Even if I just go for w few miles or a century Im dissapointed if its not over at least 16mph when I get home..THough I dont tend to ride with others so I dont know what to compare it to etc!
There is no definitive answer to that question. It depends on many things including:mike7382 said:
1. Your fitness level
2. Intensity zone
3. Your weight
4. Bike weight
5. Bike tires
6. Position on bike
7. Terrain (hills, flat...)
8. Environment (wind...)
...
I'll pile on here as well. Trying to make every ride faster than the last, or to hit some arbitrary average for every ride you do is just a prescription for failure and burnout.mike7382 said:
Hard group rides or training can be fun, but there's certainly no need to make every ride a challenge. The enjoyment you feel finishing a good ride shouldn't be based on what your computer's average speed says. After all, unless you're a pro, riding your bike should be recreation, not another goal-oriented activity that adds stress.
Ive tried to increase my average speed over the past few years, certainly not within every ride. Though I still find it one of the best ways yo measure ones performance that day. I like to ride a series of landscape loops of 15 miles 25 miles 30 miles etc. Its fun to know what ones fastest time is. THough its the average speed increasing which allows me to see my progress over the season. Though cyclings still fun and a couple of times a week Ill ride just for leisure and take my digi cam. Not being afraid to stop etc. I also find the harder I ride the less im stressed when I get home! I know Ive had a good ride if im half dead and cant think when I get home! Ha ha ha as I type I think of other posts and threads to ask! What a wonderful site!
I would guess these numbers for a reasonably fit person:mike7382 said:
10-12 mph very easy
15-16 mph easy/comfortable
18 mph getting hard
20 mph pretty hard
25 mph very hard
30 mph all out
I imagine most people consider 15-16 mph a slowish and comfortable pace, and 18-20 mph a brisk one.
Hills, steep hills...
5% grade, it's a hill, but it's not going to kill you, probably 10 mph and you are going pretty hard
10% grade, it's a hill, and it's steep, probably 5 mph and you are going very hard
15% grade, it's a hill, it's very steep, and you are walking up.
sparkywowo said:
16+mph is a very respectable speed.
The question posed is a very general question.
For example, holding 16mph for 100miles is very good going for a non-competitve cyclist.
But when compared to a racing/competitive cyclists speed, for 100 miles, it would be slow.
So to say, ABC is a good speed, is too general answer.
I would go with the theory, of trying to improve times week-on-week, month-on-month, for a given distance.
mike7382 said:
I ride regularly with a group of Triathletes and when we average over 30kmh on an undulating course, we think it was a good ride. However, we are often passed by a larger group of much faster cyclists that would consider us to be a traffic obstruction as they whoosh by.
So, I guess it's all relative.
One persons hill, is anothers Mont Ventoux
I'd have to agree with not basing your progress on speed. I did this my first year riding (last year) and it burned me out. I was always comparing my current ride to the last ride...it gets old, quickly...and takes the enjoyment out of it. Just ride. Progress will happen.
Kona_Blue said:
I have a little game I play with myself when climbing. My computer tells me slope, so I try to keep a speed such that speed x slope = 60 or more. So, 6 mph min. at 10%, or 10 mph at 6%. The "60" is arbitrary, and you might find a different number to be appropriate. It doesn't work very well at slopes less than 5%.mike7382 said:
A good average speed for my sister is around 10 MPH for 5 miles. A good average speed for me is around 15.5 MPH for 50 miles. A good average speed for a decent club rider is 20 MPH for 100 miles. It's all relative.mike7382 said:
If you go to my web site and check the information page for people who want me to coach them, you will not find average speed anywhere. Average speed means nothing in bike racing, especially for development purposes. The thing that drops your butt out the back door is top speed. If they attack and you can't go that fast, your butt quickly finds the back door.
The things you need to look at in training and preparation are the things which we use as tactical tools in racing. These include top speed, acceleration, power, recovery, and endurance. If you are serious about racing and are training right, you don't even care about average speed because the rest periods spinning a low gear so you can do your next speed sprint or interval will drop your average speed down to below what you would do in a time trial.
What you need to be concerned with is how fast can your competition attack and how fast can you attack. If they can attack at 35 and you can only do 34, you are heading for the back door.
You will also find that, as you develop your top speed and power, you riding or racing speed will also increase. This is important for both triathletes and recreational cyclists, if you want to get faster or just be able to ride the same distance easier. It works.
The things you need to look at in training and preparation are the things which we use as tactical tools in racing. These include top speed, acceleration, power, recovery, and endurance. If you are serious about racing and are training right, you don't even care about average speed because the rest periods spinning a low gear so you can do your next speed sprint or interval will drop your average speed down to below what you would do in a time trial.
What you need to be concerned with is how fast can your competition attack and how fast can you attack. If they can attack at 35 and you can only do 34, you are heading for the back door.
You will also find that, as you develop your top speed and power, you riding or racing speed will also increase. This is important for both triathletes and recreational cyclists, if you want to get faster or just be able to ride the same distance easier. It works.
I've been road cycling for 6 months... doing some mountain biking before that. I'm 23, male, and I've been recording the stats from my rides for the last 3 months. Here they are:
1/31/5
Distance: 22.05 miles
Ride Time: 1:08:18
AS: 19.47 mph
2/2/5
Distance: 21.75 miles
Ride Time: 1:06:47
AS: 19.82 mph
max speed: 28.2 mph
2/9/5
Distance: 21.18 miles
Ride Time: 1:07:58
AS: 18.85 mph (windy day)
max speed: 29.0 mph
These times and distance are for straight distance rides with little terrain and maybe a few stops for traffic lights. These days I push out at around 21-22 mph averages and ride more terrain. By terrain I mean hills, suburban warfare, traffic lights, bike lanes, and all that good stuff.
1/31/5
Distance: 22.05 miles
Ride Time: 1:08:18
AS: 19.47 mph
2/2/5
Distance: 21.75 miles
Ride Time: 1:06:47
AS: 19.82 mph
max speed: 28.2 mph
2/9/5
Distance: 21.18 miles
Ride Time: 1:07:58
AS: 18.85 mph (windy day)
max speed: 29.0 mph
These times and distance are for straight distance rides with little terrain and maybe a few stops for traffic lights. These days I push out at around 21-22 mph averages and ride more terrain. By terrain I mean hills, suburban warfare, traffic lights, bike lanes, and all that good stuff.
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