The "Average Speed" Mystery
- Thread starter AmpedCycle
- Start date
Mansmind said:
If you are refering to climbing,yes it is hard to find any flat terrain here. I just came back from South Georgia and must confess I prefer the mountains when training.
Flat and straight is boring to me and the head winds are relentless out on the causeways,however if you catch a tailwind on the flats it is as if you have a motor pushing you.
It shouldn't be a problem once I install that new matter/anti-matter core. Then my average speeds should be right up there.spacefuzz said:you gotta hit 88 mph first though
Yeah south Georgia (most of it ) is a little on the flat side. I'm actually in North Georgia, which is pretty similar to what you have in your area, although probably not as extreme. I agree with you on the "flat" rides, it's easier in general, but infinitely more boring.jhuskey said:
OK, I have read all this BS; 6 pages of it! Forums are full of blowhards and braggards. Why do people need the internet to feel better than somebody else sitting at a computer typing what could be BS or could be true?
Last I checked, operating a computer is not an aerobic activity. Some people ride to beat others while racing. Ok, that is fine with me. But did you ever notice that 10 to 100 people show up to a race and all but one go home saying "shoulda', coulda', woulda'"? Racing is about dissapointment for most of the participants.
Wow, that sounds like fun! (sarcasm in case you did not notice)
For the average avid cyclist, average speed on any given route is a way to measure progress. Complaining about the wind, or my tires were not pumped up, or traffic lights slowed me down . . . that is for fairies and pansies.
A man (or a woman with courage) faces the fact that not every ride is going to be their best. When you hit a higher average speed on your favorite ride that is a good sign. You should feel some accomplishment.
Measuring watts is the better training tool. However, heart rate estimates of watts are error prone and basically bunk. A power tap hub that measures actual power output is really great. However, many cyclists will balk at the price tag.
For the average avid cyclist, average speed turns out to be a good measure. Here is how to use it:
1. Ride out and turn around, this minimizes/eliminates wind and hills as a factor.
2. Ride alone. Drafting while training is for fairies and pansies.
3. Live the good life and take care of your body.
You can see steady improvement in average speed, but it takes time. I suggest a training tracking tool like CycliStats software to give a proper perspective. Here is the link:
http://www.shastasoftware.com/CycliStats/caloriecalculator.htm
Again a person of character understands that improvements come with determination and patience. I joined this Forum to post on this thread. I am sick of bicycle jerks who brag about their own performance. When I see such BS I assume it is a load of ****-o-la.
I have worked in the bicycle industry for more than 16 years. I have heard a lot of ****-o-la. This thread needed a sanity check. Average speed is a tool like any other. It works when it is used properly. Bragging about average speed just shows you lack character.
Feeling damn good to put an extra MPH on your best ride is what cycling is all about. Just keep it to yourself and you will feel a whole lot better.
Stop bickering and get on you bike. There is nothing healthier than riding.
Any questions?
Last I checked, operating a computer is not an aerobic activity. Some people ride to beat others while racing. Ok, that is fine with me. But did you ever notice that 10 to 100 people show up to a race and all but one go home saying "shoulda', coulda', woulda'"? Racing is about dissapointment for most of the participants.
Wow, that sounds like fun! (sarcasm in case you did not notice)
For the average avid cyclist, average speed on any given route is a way to measure progress. Complaining about the wind, or my tires were not pumped up, or traffic lights slowed me down . . . that is for fairies and pansies.
A man (or a woman with courage) faces the fact that not every ride is going to be their best. When you hit a higher average speed on your favorite ride that is a good sign. You should feel some accomplishment.
Measuring watts is the better training tool. However, heart rate estimates of watts are error prone and basically bunk. A power tap hub that measures actual power output is really great. However, many cyclists will balk at the price tag.
For the average avid cyclist, average speed turns out to be a good measure. Here is how to use it:
1. Ride out and turn around, this minimizes/eliminates wind and hills as a factor.
2. Ride alone. Drafting while training is for fairies and pansies.
3. Live the good life and take care of your body.
You can see steady improvement in average speed, but it takes time. I suggest a training tracking tool like CycliStats software to give a proper perspective. Here is the link:
http://www.shastasoftware.com/CycliStats/caloriecalculator.htm
Again a person of character understands that improvements come with determination and patience. I joined this Forum to post on this thread. I am sick of bicycle jerks who brag about their own performance. When I see such BS I assume it is a load of ****-o-la.
I have worked in the bicycle industry for more than 16 years. I have heard a lot of ****-o-la. This thread needed a sanity check. Average speed is a tool like any other. It works when it is used properly. Bragging about average speed just shows you lack character.
Feeling damn good to put an extra MPH on your best ride is what cycling is all about. Just keep it to yourself and you will feel a whole lot better.
Stop bickering and get on you bike. There is nothing healthier than riding.
Any questions?
So bragging about your average speed shows you lack character. OK, so what about FTP? In the "It's killing me but......" thread, I have posted all my improvements in my FT since I began serious training at the end of January. I do this to show that with structured training one can improve, and hopefully because of the advice given by RapDaddyo and others, people reading the thread will gain some insight into serious interval training and what it can do for them.P1 Madone SL said:
Perhaps to your way of thinking, I'm bragging about my improvement in overall FTP. (not that my figures are anything to brag about
)Anyway, as you say, maybe I should just be satisfied with my improvement and keep it to myself. Somehow, for those who need inspiration, I don't think keeping my improvements to myself will afford them much in the way of an incentive to structure their training.
My thinking goes along the following lines. Some must think, if that sillyoldtwit can improve his FTP substantially, so can I.
Who the hell actually goes out for a ride with the aim of finishing the ride in as little time as possible? Often on days where I am doing intervals my avg speed is a lot slower than days where I ride at 155-170bpm for an hour or two, but which workout does me the most good? Definitely the intervals however it is nice sometimes to build up your aerobic capacity with a "tempo" ride.
Is my avg speed of 32km/h for a 110km ride as valuable as my 26km/h avg with 10 1km TT efforts? It all depends on what phase of training im in!
To answer the OP's lame question I will give him this: a very cruisy ride for me is a ride at about 65% max HR, I would ride 30-31km/h on flat roads with no wind. Does this mean anything in a race? absolutely not! Will riding at a few beats below Lactate Threshold for 50km's every ride help in a race absolutely NOT!
My message to the OP is save some energy trying to beat your PB avg speed every ride and focus on INTERVALS, STRENGTH ENDURANCE, SPINNING, SPRINTS, TRACKWORK and other racer type "stuff" !!! You will never be able to beat that 50km loop record at any respectable speed without them.
Is my avg speed of 32km/h for a 110km ride as valuable as my 26km/h avg with 10 1km TT efforts? It all depends on what phase of training im in!
To answer the OP's lame question I will give him this: a very cruisy ride for me is a ride at about 65% max HR, I would ride 30-31km/h on flat roads with no wind. Does this mean anything in a race? absolutely not! Will riding at a few beats below Lactate Threshold for 50km's every ride help in a race absolutely NOT!
My message to the OP is save some energy trying to beat your PB avg speed every ride and focus on INTERVALS, STRENGTH ENDURANCE, SPINNING, SPRINTS, TRACKWORK and other racer type "stuff"
!!! You will never be able to beat that 50km loop record at any respectable speed without them.
Mitosis,mitosis said:No better than the other braggards and blowhards that have posted on this thread. This guy is more full of himself than all of us put together.
You claim that another member of the Forum is more full of himself than all of the others put together. Whether you agree on the quality of a post or not, your post is clearly a personal attack. It is directed at a particular person and amounts to nothing more than name calling.
Mitosis made himself "this guy" as described in the qoute above by posting it.
Your question makes perfect sense to me.
On the flat no drafting no wind on the brake hoods for twenty minutes
20mph = good recreational rider (me)
24mph = good club rider/racer (not there yet)
Haven't tried this since last year on an empty early morning rail trail it's a blast I'm hoping I've improved.
On the flat no drafting no wind on the brake hoods for twenty minutes
20mph = good recreational rider (me)
24mph = good club rider/racer (not there yet)
Haven't tried this since last year on an empty early morning rail trail it's a blast I'm hoping I've improved.
Recreational riders do this. Not all of them, of course, but many are obsessed with average speed. One of my friends saw one running red lights, stop signs, and swerving everywhere apparently trying to set a new average speed record.dm69 said:
Here's a story from a local racing forum:
Well I suppose riding to attain a certain average speed might be a challenge for non racers, but riding at a steady pace, no matter how fast wont prepare a rider for the changes of pace that they will experience if they want to race.
Recreational riders dont have any competition to aim for so average speed presents a goal, motivation and a way of measuring progress I suppose. Personally i wouldnt measure average speed over the course of a whole ride, I might do it if I was doing intervals for a set period of time eg. 4x5 mins, to see how whether I was falling away or improving within each interval.
Recreational riders dont have any competition to aim for so average speed presents a goal, motivation and a way of measuring progress I suppose. Personally i wouldnt measure average speed over the course of a whole ride, I might do it if I was doing intervals for a set period of time eg. 4x5 mins, to see how whether I was falling away or improving within each interval.
AmpedCycle said:
on a 90 km out and back circuit, flat terrain, steady breeze to about 8 knots, no drafting avg 31.5 km/h, max about 45 km/h. I think you need to factor age into this though. I'm 51 and I ride with some young crew - early 20's - they can pull a 38 k avg.
Yeah, I recommend that everyone should stop using their computer, and only look at power/RPE and heart rates. Speed is the product of power, you need to build more power to increase speed, not increase speed to build power. Avg speed is useless. Intervals...I'm like a digital device, on and off. Mediocre rides build fitness in mediocrity. I go really fast, and really slow, and that's how I get a good avg speed, not because I rode at one speed the whole ride. I can tell you right now I have done rides where my avg speed is 10km/h and it was way more effective and tougher than a ride at 30km/h, and I built more power because of it. Speed is useless for training. Only look at power output in your intervals.ewan52 said:
Similar threads
