What's your average riding speed?
- Thread starter Scott'sTrek1000
- Start date
It really depends how far you go...if you went on a century ride, I would consider that pretty good. however, for only 20 miles thats not that great, still good though.Scott'sTrek1000 said:
I kept about a 21-22 mph pace for 75+ mile rides but short rides i go faster. depends on hills and other stuff really couldn't give you an average average speed sorry.
starship said:
I've had my bike for 3 months....been riding consistantly for a month. I only have 280 miles on my bike.
Scott'sTrek1000 said:
Good question and I'm interested in reading all the responses. I'm also a newbie- 6 weeks and I just went over 500 miles this morning. I ride 22-25 miles about 3-5 days a week and average 18-19 mph riding with two guys who've been riding for about 5 years. When they ride without me, they average 20-21 mph. On my weekend rides of 50 miles, I've averaged 18 mph. My first few weeks, I struggled if we averaged over 17 mph.
Also, it's important to know if you're riding alone or with others with whom you can share the burden of riding in front. I don't know what most people average, other than the riders I know. One of the guys I ride with said I ride faster (i.e. keep up with them better) than 90% of the guys he rides with who've all been riding for years.
I found a website on METS (metabolic equivalents- 1 MET = resting VO2) that had the following listing of cycling speeds:
<10 mph: general leisure
10-11.9: leisure; light effort
12-13.9: leisure; moderate effort
14-15.9: racing; fast, vigorous effort
16-19: racing; ; very fast
>20: racing; very fast; not drafting
Also, it listed running 8 minute miles as the same MET expenditure as riding 16-19 mph, and cycling >20 mph equivalent to running 6 minute miles. But again, how long you can ride at 20mph and how many 6 minute miles you can run isn't discussed.
I transferred over from running, and I generally ran sub-25 minute 5Ks. When I switched to riding, I could comfortably average 16-17 mph, which was slow to my brother-in-law. However, when he ran with me, he couldn't keep up. So, it's interesting because it seems to me that my riding speed/ability is limited by my legs' (specifically quads) ability to keep up, whereas with running I'm more limited by my lungs ability to keep up. In other words, when riding, my legs give out before my lungs, but when running my lungs give out before my legs.
I don't know if that makes any sense. Maybe ricstern can explain it.
Scott'sTrek1000 said:
Around 18 mph on a solo ride but there ain't nothing flat about it.At least 50 percent climbing here. Can't do that up Newfound gap across the Smokies but in the smaller hills. Lance trains just across the mountain on the same terrain.Don't get me wrong I am not in the same universe as he is.
Im basically in the same situation as Pudding. I can run 5k in around 19minutes but due to a reoccuring problem with my shins I decided to take up cycling for several months while I recovered. I have only had my bike for one month and dont want to stop! I also found that while running my lungs were the reason i had to stop and when im cycling its because my quads are burning!
Ive started doing a couple interval sessions a week now as they will be important to me as im looking to improve my bleep test score! (Im training for the Royal Marines).
Ive started doing a couple interval sessions a week now as they will be important to me as im looking to improve my bleep test score! (Im training for the Royal Marines).
I'm never really sure whether I have my bike computer set up accurately enough but my speed varies a lot according to the readings I get.
If I'm on the flat but the road has an unseen downward slant I can average about 20 mph easily. If the road is totally flat I'll probably be fluctuating between 16 - 18 mph but won't be purposefully trying to max out.
On average uphill climbs my readings are about 12 mph but if I really try and max out I can get up to 16 mph. On really steep hills my average tends to be about 10 mph or maybe 9 mph.
I had a strange experience the other day. I had already been on the bike for 2 hours and had been doing lots of climbing in hilly terrain. Back on the flat, I noticed another cyclist in his club colours on an open road in the distance. I thought it would be fun to overtake him so I increased my speed on the flat to about 20 mph. It took ages to close the gap but naturally I was able to go faster than the other guy since he didn't know I was approaching.
By the time I caught him up I realised I had paid a price for the effort and felt exhausted. I overtook, said "hello" and figured the other rider would promptly respond and overtake me in turn. This he did, so I rode right behind and looked at my speedo. We were both doing about 23 mph on the flat and we were both on the big ring with cars blowing horns at both of us to get out of the way. However, I also noticed this other guy was pedaling far more slowly than I seemed to be yet we were both on the big ring. It didn't make sense to me.
Finally I overtook one more time and we both went in opposite directions after than. However, to be honest, by that stage I was shattered and out of fuel. Had we continued to ride the same route I wouldn't have been able to lead as all my energy had gone after the long ride I'd done.
If I'm on the flat but the road has an unseen downward slant I can average about 20 mph easily. If the road is totally flat I'll probably be fluctuating between 16 - 18 mph but won't be purposefully trying to max out.
On average uphill climbs my readings are about 12 mph but if I really try and max out I can get up to 16 mph. On really steep hills my average tends to be about 10 mph or maybe 9 mph.
I had a strange experience the other day. I had already been on the bike for 2 hours and had been doing lots of climbing in hilly terrain. Back on the flat, I noticed another cyclist in his club colours on an open road in the distance. I thought it would be fun to overtake him so I increased my speed on the flat to about 20 mph. It took ages to close the gap but naturally I was able to go faster than the other guy since he didn't know I was approaching.
By the time I caught him up I realised I had paid a price for the effort and felt exhausted. I overtook, said "hello" and figured the other rider would promptly respond and overtake me in turn. This he did, so I rode right behind and looked at my speedo. We were both doing about 23 mph on the flat and we were both on the big ring with cars blowing horns at both of us to get out of the way. However, I also noticed this other guy was pedaling far more slowly than I seemed to be yet we were both on the big ring. It didn't make sense to me.
Finally I overtook one more time and we both went in opposite directions after than. However, to be honest, by that stage I was shattered and out of fuel. Had we continued to ride the same route I wouldn't have been able to lead as all my energy had gone after the long ride I'd done.
Scott'sTrek1000 said:
This is my second season 1600 mi. I'm close to 50 hold 21 to 24 mph on flats, 15 to 18 on rolling type hills and sit as long as possible on most steep grades which can lower my speed to 7 to 11 mph. My cyclometer ave is 16.7. There are lots of hills here.Scott'sTrek1000 said:
Cruising speed?Scott'sTrek1000 said:
When I'm not doing intervals or other hard efforts, I don't put to much stock into what my computer is telling me. After all, I want the benefits of endurance training while staying as fresh as possible for when I do want intensity. That said, I probably average about 16-18mph solo on the flats when I'm just cruising around at an endurance pace.
I know of several ppl I race with who seem incapable of ever riding easy. They always need to be at moderate to high intensity (20+mph), all of the time. And they usually pay for it on race day.
Races, group rides and intervals are a whole nother beast. Let's see:
- last criterium I did, ~28mph ave
- 5 minute interval, ~26mph
- 30 second interval, ~30mph
- typical 'easy' group ride, ~20mph
Of course, it also depends on variables like wind, hills and road surface..
I average ~18 mph on rolling terrain during zone 2 endurance rides. This is the average on rides up to 3 hours long. On the flats I ride over 20 mph rather easily, however the rolling terrain puts my average (from my computer) down to 18.
In two weeks when I hit base 2 and I start doing tempo riding my average will no doubt increase. Before you ask, scream, yell, I'm training for cyclocross.
In two weeks when I hit base 2 and I start doing tempo riding my average will no doubt increase. Before you ask, scream, yell, I'm training for cyclocross.
Scott'sTrek1000 said:
It sounds okay to me, for whatever that's worth
I'm a purely recreational rider, though I try to push myself at least a little. My average speed varies depending on the route, my motivation, etc., but tends to be in the 16-18mph range. My typical ride is around 20 miles over terrain in eastern Massachusetts that's slightly-to-moderately hilly. On a flat course, I can get closer to 18.
I managed to hold 20mph up a steep hill once with a dog chasing me. Does that count?
Rob
Scott'sTrek1000 said:
comparing average speed in anything other than a time trial on comparable courses is completely useless.
yes i average 17mph on most my rides. BUT, i am not out there for the sole purpose of a good average speed. if i wanted to, i could average 23 - 25mph on most my rides.
do an 8 mile time trial on flat ground. if your time is under 22minutes, that's good. under 20 is racing level.
I average 18.7 mph on the road for 20 miles...... on a Schwinn Sidewinder MTB with 44/14 gearing and stock tires....no slicks. I was thinking about getting a road bike...what do you think my average speed would be if I was on a roadbike in contrast to my 40lb MTB? I was also thinking of just switching to narrow high pressure road tires and an 11 tooth cassette instead of getting a road bike..any suggestions or comments?
OK, I've been riding steady for 4 years and have been doing some racing the last 3 years. I'm probably stronger now than I ever have been. I've just had more time to ride and more interest these days. I'm 50 years old but I am built stocky for riding fast on the flats, and against other racers, I climb fairly slow. The whole question with average speed is hard to determine because there are so many factors to consider. Mostly how rested you are, how hard of an effort your putting out, your bike, your wheels, etc. For me, I can hold 25 mph for about an hour on a flat road with little or no wind. This is the same as an hour for the 40k TT. I think I am capable if I trained just for time trials of possibly a 55 minute 40k or about 28 mph for an hour. On the other hand, I have raced for 60+ miles and checked my odometer and avg. speed was 25+. But in a race, your being carried along by the draft of many other riders. So you really can't compare.Scott'sTrek1000 said:
In the UK, they do tons of these types of rides. They have 10, 20, 25, 50, 100 K TT races. Here's the most phenominal record I know of. Somebody did 100 miles in 3hours 23minutes. That's averaging well over 25 mph for 100 miles. If I was that strong, I could drop 9 out of 10 pelotons.
Pat
Similar threads
