Group ride vs solo ride pace

OOPs! Screwed this question up! Give me your bottom line cycling pace:
When all is said and done I'm at a consistent 19 mph/hr.

Sorry for the confusion

DB

I don't do too much group riding to be honest, but I can compare from the times that I ride with a friend, vs. when I ride on my own. On my own, riding without anyone to draft behind, etc. I average just below 20 MPH over about a 30 MI ride (I've really been stretching to break 20 MPH avg. over that ride, but so far 19.6 MPH avg. is my best).

Riding with a partner to share drafts with increases my avg. speed to as much as 23-25 MPH avg., although it's hard to hold that out over the 30 MI ride (my partner tanks before I do, usually). It would be interesting to see how substantial a difference a pace line might make, vs. just riding with a partner. I would imagine the larger number of potentially fresher legs to share the time on the front would increase the overall avg. speed of the group.

The bottom line is, no matter what, cycling is still a team sport. If you want to top out and do the longest ride at the fastest pace, you're going to do it with a group, rather than on your own.

On the other hand . . . if you're really type A personality, like me, and group riding rubs you the wrong way, so to speak, then you might find the fall-off in speed a worthwhile trade for the serenity of the solo.

Cheers.

dwj444 said:

On the other hand . . . if you're really type A personality, like me, and group riding rubs you the wrong way, so to speak, then you might find the fall-off in speed a worthwhile trade for the serenity of the solo.

That's me!

Honestly I don't know, I live in the mountains of NH & there isn't much in the way of "flat".
Wish there was, believe me.

On my recent vacation to Bethany Beach, DE, I finally got a chance to gauge my fitness on a truly flat (but always windy) road. Where I live near Baltimore, it is always rollers everywhere I ride, so it was a nice break.

For my typical 20-30 mile ride with the rollers I am between 17.5 and 18.5.

But on my vacation, I averaged around 20 - 20.8 for the 25 mile route I did, and 19.5 - 20 for the 45 mile loop I did.

I do not have the confidence level to ride with a group right now. And that has nothing to do with handling skills/group ride dynamics. I raced for four years all the way up to the 1/2/3 level, so riding skills are not an issue. It is totally a fitness level concern. If I end up in a group with someone I used to race with at the higher level and I get dropped doing 25 ........... that will be totally embarassing ..........

There is a guy on my street who has been riding for only a few years, and he isn't a hammerhead, so I might get out with him soon.

You can add about 2-3 mph to your average if you are riding with someone with the same level of fitness as you, as long as you don't get into a hammer-fest. 😉

In a group we ride at about 26.5 MPH with everyone taking a turn breaking wind at the front. In a group drafting helps so much when riding fast. Alone I ride at about 23.5 MPH to 24.5 depending on my route.

Best Wishes,
Vector7 🙂

drybone said:

OOPs! Screwed this question up! Give me your bottom line cycling pace:
When all is said and done I'm at a consistent 19 mph/hr.

Sorry for the confusion

DB

Vector7 said:

...with everyone taking a turn breaking wind at the front. ...

No there is job I think I can handle, but I pity the folks in the draft!

Vector7 said:

In a group we ride at about 26.5 MPH with everyone taking a turn breaking wind at the front. In a group drafting helps so much when riding fast. Alone I ride at about 23.5 MPH to 24.5 depending on my route.

Best Wishes,
Vector7 🙂

Jesus .... you're a beast!!

Cat. 1 or 2???

I'm a Cat 2. We all train pretty hard. My legs are often revolting the whole way.

Best Wishes,
Vector7

Daremo said:

Jesus .... you're a beast!!

Cat. 1 or 2???

Group: 17.5 - 23.5
Solo: 13 - 17.5

For me it seems like every time I am in a group ride, there is little wind and I can average 23mph, but when I ride solo, the wind is always high and I can only seem to do about 17mph. I thought at first that it was the drafting that made the difference, but it's actually just more windy on days when I ride alone. Always a bummer when you're climbing a hill and a 20mph headwind is blasting you.

adapa said:

Honestly I don't know, I live in the mountains of NH & there isn't much in the way of "flat".
Wish there was, believe me.

Yup. That's me too, except in the mountains of NM. My typical ride -- 45mph avg for 1-2 minutes, 10mph avg for the rest.

And, man, what a blast it is to do an occasional flat, sea-level ride!

Fastest...alone, I am going 18-21 depending on what song is on the MP3 on my 20 miler, 16 or so on the 35 miler. With the wife on sundays we average 13 - 14, and she's been riding a year...slow, but consistent as hell for our entire 25 mile trip. Never ridden with a group because I figure I wouldn't be in it long🙂

drybone said:

I'm wondering what the avg pace (mph/hr) or your group vs your solo rides.
I would like an honest answer (if possible-ha). If you were to look at your bike computer at the end of the week what would you see for your avg speed. Then "tease-out" group vs solo (did I just make this too complicated?). I want to get a feel from recreational riders. I understand the different terrains, length of ride, whether conditions, stress, fatigue, nutrition, etc. For the sake of this question, let's assume it's a moderately flat terrain.
My solo= 19-21 mph/hr
Group= 22-26mph/hr

Thanks for your input,

DB

It's hard to say because my solo rides usually involve a couple stops (real momentum killers since they are at the bottom of a couple hills) and I ride along the ocean where there are always winds to contend with. I try not to kill myself on my solo training rides since they are usually early am before work and I spend the first few miles waking up, so I usually roll into my driveway after an hour with a modest speed (16.5-17 mph). I make sure that I hit all the big climbs too at the end of my ride to get the HR up, but it can really kill your average on a short ride. On weekends when I go out for 50-60 miles my average picks up (18+ solo and 20-21 when I ride with the club). I'm a big rider (200+) so I see a significant increase if the terrain is flat.

i like to ride on my own, at my own pace.

I'm a big slacker when I ride solo. I tend to average anywhere between 18mph to 23mph solo. In a group, it depends on who I ride with. When I ride in a group we usually take turns at the front, but we still average around 24-26mph with 6 people. We have some sick-o's around here that can average 25mph solo.

I've got a related question - how are you all determining your average? Right now I can consistantly do about 17.5 -22 mph solo, a bit faster with the hubby (6'4", makes a great wall) doing most of the pulling on fairly flat terrain. This I've determined mainly from observation. Now my average according to my computer is always quite a bit lower usually around 14.5 -15.7 but includes stop signs, red lights, steep hills etc.
I think I'd like to try some faster group rides, but I'm having a bit of a time finding a good paced ride that is close enough to my home, most I've found in the area are either slower, or much faster.

Eden said:

I've got a related question - how are you all determining your average? Right now I can consistantly do about 17.5 -22 mph solo, a bit faster with the hubby (6'4", makes a great wall) doing most of the pulling on fairly flat terrain. This I've determined mainly from observation. Now my average according to my computer is always quite a bit lower usually around 14.5 -15.7 but includes stop signs, red lights, steep hills etc.
I think I'd like to try some faster group rides, but I'm having a bit of a time finding a good paced ride that is close enough to my home, most I've found in the area are either slower, or much faster.

Out here in Bayou Country there are perfect spots to ride where there are no stop signs, red lights, etc. just straight, flat roads. There are also some spots one could ride a more hilly terrain too. These spots can go as far as 120 mi round trip. So, when I say 18-23mph solo and 24-26mph in a group, that is usually what my computer reads at the end of the ride (usually only 30-50mi). You would be suprised at what kind of pace you could hold by jumping in with a group of strong riders. The guys around here are usually very friendly and tell us to take a wheel just so they'll have someone to talk to. 🙂

Hello all...this is my first time posting. I have just gotten my first recumbent trike a sun tadpole yellow I ride mostly alone because i bike to fast for my friends to keep up with me. I have great trails to ride here in Florida 45 miles of old railroad tracks I love my trike it rides like a dream. I'm having a few fun things added to it but having a problem with finding someplace on the frame to put a water bottle holder anyone have any suggestions? I can post a pic of my trike if needed any help i can get to make my riding times more enjoyable and longer will be great...
Thanks
yellowtadpole