What average speed over 4 hours cycling ?

cbj

This may sound stupid , but I am planning to occasionally cycle to work stay over and cycle back the next day in the summer when it is lighter for longer and train towards doing this. My work place is 65 miles away on A roads , so I would expect to make it in around 75 miles one way going a more bike friendly route.

There are a few fierce climbs on the route but these are compensated by long downhills which should make up the time. I am a keen mtb'er , run every other day so would consider myself . . .ahem, cough , cough . . . . 'reasonably' fit , anyone know what average speed a newbie road biker would expect over a 75 mile ride ?

I won't start training for this until have a road bike until April as I'm getting it as part of the 'ride to work ' scheme

oldwelshman

As a rough estimate as I do not know how fit you are, 4 to 6 hours but I would want a nice shower when I got to work after that and also a recovery breakfast

cbj

Aye, the breakfast and shower will be on hand no worries , and I've thought of one or two tea stops on the way.

Thanks for the reply - 4 hours would be great as it would fit in nicely and leave a bit of time for a monster salad dodger's brekkie, 5 hours is feasible in terms of nor turning up stupidly late. If it was 6 I would probably have to look at a different tack and take a train a bit of the way or something.

justrideallday

At the moment I usally do about 50 miles in 3ish hours, so 4 or 5 hours would be about right for 75miles.

I would go out for a 75mile loop from your house when you are up to it just to see how long it takes and to get used to being on the bike for that length of time.

I used to commute, it was only a 28 mile round trip, but I am at uni now so lots of time to ride

FSR_XC

Lets get this right:

:arrow: 4-5 hrs to work
:arrow: 8 hrs working
:arrow: 4-5 hrs back
:?: That leaves you with 6-8 hrs to sleep, before you set off back to work!

That's some dedication.

Bronzie

FSR_XC wrote:

:arrow: 4-5 hrs back

No.............the OP says he plans to stay over and travel back the following day. A 150 mile commute each day would be an epic! :shock:

Without busting a gut, I'd reckon on 16-17mph as a reasonable average, so somewhere just under 5 hours for 75 miles, but you need to allow for "comfort stops" & the occassional mechanical. No need for a cafe stop if you carry enough food in your pockets and drinks.

hammerite

Bronzie wrote:

FSR_XC wrote:

:arrow: 4-5 hrs back

No.............the OP says he plans to stay over and travel back the following day. A 150 mile commute each day would be an epic! :shock:

Without busting a gut, I'd reckon on 16-17mph as a reasonable average, so somewhere just under 5 hours for 75 miles, but you need to allow for "comfort stops" & the occassional mechanical. No need for a cafe stop if you carry enough food in your pockets and drinks.

also days where the weather isn't favourable. I'd hate to have to try to get to work that far away in any deadline with wind like it was overnight.

dennisn

Wow, 4 or 5 hours to get to work one way. I like riding but not that much. You'll
most likely burn out on that in about a week, if not sooner. It's to much. Even if you
somehow manage to do this you will have exactly zero life left. Eat, sleep, work, ride,
and nothing else is a pretty poor existance.

Dennis Noward

cbj

dennism, FSR_XC - read the initial post

I'm not advocating riding a 300 mile commute on a daily basis. I'm staying over and it will be in the summer, when and if I fancy it , if there's heavy rain or wind I can take the car.

Just something different to train and aim for. The night staying over would normally consist of nice food and a few beers in good company ( potentially other fellow cyclists having done the same thing ) , so its all good in my book.

Thanks for the replies , 5 hours and 16-17 mph with comfort stops sounds hard work but makes it feasible . . . erm, I think.

on the road

As a guide, I would normally expect to do 75 miles in about 4 hours 17 minutes excluding stops, now if you add stops in to the equation like traffic lights and other junctions and stuff, it would be closer to 5 hours. So as others have said, 4 to 5 hours would be reasonable.

ForumNewbie

Even stopping overnight in between, that is some commute. At my speed I certainly wouldn't have the time (never mind the energy) to fit in a day's work when I got there.

I think that you would have to be superfit to squeeze in a full day's work after a 75 mile ride.

star_rover

5 hours is a more realistic time to aim for I reckon. And if you do it quicker then all the better.
But good on you anyway for having a crack.

oldwelshman

dennisn wrote:

Wow, 4 or 5 hours to get to work one way. I like riding but not that much. You'll
most likely burn out on that in about a week, if not sooner. It's to much. Even if you
somehow manage to do this you will have exactly zero life left. Eat, sleep, work, ride,
and nothing else is a pretty poor existance.

Dennis Noward

You yanks are wusses
Why is it too much?
I am sure there are many on here who do 50 to 75 mile rides more than once a week.

I used to do a very physical job working in a coal face and often went training 2 time a week either before or after work, one 50 mile ride, one 70 with track racing on a wednesday.
Cycling in th emorning can speed up the metabolism and increase awareness and concentration so benefits work.
It can also help reduce stress as it is totally different to work, unless your a cycle courier of course

stevejmo7

If you do it on a MTB instead of a road bike, expect to add anything up to another hour.

Mapman

Once in a while sounds a great idea I commute 30 miles to work twice a week ,and then come back the short way which is 6 miles ,so 36 twice a week Of course it depends on fitness but i reckon it would be better to allow for 15mph average than having to thrash it to get up to 17mph There is a huger difference in effort to go just 2 mph faster ,but not a vast amount of time gain And of course as others have said you need to factor in time for changing anf eating Inshort the whole experience will be much more enjoyable if you give yourself a cushion of time so you dont have to rush So i would allow 6hrs from the time you shut your front door to the time you have to start work ,if you do it faster thats a bonus All the best ::

songwriter

sounds like no fun at all. Is someone making you do this?

cbj

Thanks for all the replys.

To the slightly more negative posters, chill out - I'll say it once again - I am not advocating a 'commute' it will be once and a while ( if not only once if its that bad ) based our beloved Bristish summer weather, my fitness level and lets be honest whether I can be arsed.

Its a personal challenge that I fancy - pure and simple, not a regular commute. Not everything is obviously 'fun' at the time but afterwards you appreciate what you have achieved, anyone who has done any long distance stamina based activity will hopefully know where i'm coming from. Although I count cycling along country lanes as a pleasure rather than a chore, thought I'd find a few like minded souls on a bike forum but obviously its not everyone's cup of cappuchino.

I also have the option of going by train part of the way and doing a mere 40 miles , so I will probably try that first before going for the full monty, or maybe do the train on the return journey.

I work in an office based job so the only thing I have to use once I get to work is generally my brain. Although I accept I will be fatigued and not on top form , its not a huge worry tbh, I wouldn't be any worse than someone who's suffering from a hangover and there's normally a few of those lurking round our office.

songwriter

cbj wrote:

Thanks for all the replys.

To the slightly more negative posters, chill out - I'll say it once again - I am not advocating a 'commute' it will be once and a while ( if not only once if its that bad ) based our beloved Bristish summer weather, my fitness level and lets be honest whether I can be arsed.

Its a personal challenge that I fancy - pure and simple, not a regular commute. Not everything is obviously 'fun' at the time but afterwards you appreciate what you have achieved, anyone who has done any long distance stamina based activity will hopefully know where i'm coming from. Although I count cycling along country lanes as a pleasure rather than a chore, thought I'd find a few like minded souls on a bike forum but obviously its not everyone's cup of cappuchino.

I also have the option of going by train part of the way and doing a mere 40 miles , so I will probably try that first before going for the full monty, or maybe do the train on the return journey.

I work in an office based job so the only thing I have to use once I get to work is generally my brain. Although I accept I will be fatigued and not on top form , its not a huge worry tbh, I wouldn't be any worse than someone who's suffering from a hangover and there's normally a few of those lurking round our office.

Blimey how much coffee do you drink?':D'

cbj

About 3 litres an hour I reckon if I've cycled 75 miles to work :shock:

ut_och_cykla

I'm with mapman. allow 6hours the first time and pace yourself.
Linking relatives, job sites etc is a good way to stretch your rides and know you'll get a shower & food at the end (as well as that righteuous glow adn teh gobsmacked looks on people's faces - smirk!)

Tom Butcher

I've done 40 miles in and 40 miles home as a commute on an occasional basis and in Summer it worked quite well. I was using a fairly decent lit road for the 20 miles or so near my house though so was OK to go as fast as I could with a couple of LEDs to be seen. I'd say yes, 75 miles is at the top end of doable - certainly if you are training for something then it takes away the dead time that was commuting and turns it into productive training time.

popette

I think you'd easily manage it in 5/6 hours. I'm also a beginner and manage around 15/16mph over that sort of distance. Make sure you've got a slow day at work though - I'm still at a stage where big rides always make me want to snooze, big time

Oh I can't wait for short sleeve riding again!!

on the road

on the road wrote:

As a guide, I would normally expect to do 75 miles in about 4 hours 17 minutes excluding stops, now if you add stops in to the equation like traffic lights and other junctions and stuff, it would be closer to 5 hours. So as others have said, 4 to 5 hours would be reasonable.

Actually, I meant to say 4 to 6 hours. Had a fat finger moment then :shock:

Mapman

GO FOR IT CBJ!!! Just make sure you have some food at the other end (pasta Beans on Toast HUUUGE bowl of cereals) keep us posted on how you get on If you do a 75 ,i will up one of my commutes to a 50 in your honour

songwriter

So dosent anyone else think this is a terrible idea? Is this what they mean by cycling nut?

ut_och_cykla

songwriter wrote:

So dosent anyone else think this is a terrible idea? Is this what they mean by cycling nut?

No not a nut. Sensible almost. Thought through, seeking advice, already ok fit.
Good idea really. But not every day

songwriter

ut_och_cykla wrote:

songwriter wrote:

So dosent anyone else think this is a terrible idea? Is this what they mean by cycling nut?

No not a nut. Sensible almost. Thought through, seeking advice, already ok fit.
Good idea really. But not every day

Yeah alright He can tell his boss when he's messed up at worked and eating porrige all day that the guys on bike radar said it was a good idea

cbj

Yep, if I sleep on my desk I'll say bike radar made me do it , cheers for the encouragement. If it was easy it wouldn't interest me so much tbh.

songwriter - do you do motivational speaking for a living?

songwriter

Your first words on this subject is 'This may sound stupid' Good luck on your stupid idea of riding 75 miles to work. You can do it!

Intially, I only said 'Sounds like no fun at all. Is someone making you do this?' It was an opinion and you felt the need to tell off the 'negative people'. Maybe you should chill out. Or Title your threads 'only respond if you agree with me'.

cbj

sw - \i think you may have missed it , the 'motivational speaker' bit was intended as a light hearted joke

You are welcome to your opinion mate, no problem there at all, although discouraging people from cycling long distances on a bike forum is a strange one in my book , but each to their own - no offence taken or meant from my perspective.

Thanks to all for encouragement and helpful suggestions on timings that was exactly what I was after. I may well report back on this when I train and eventually have a crack at it in the summer.

fizz

I did the 50 mile tour of wessex route this year. I had 3 months of training building up to it from not having cycled any distance at all in approx 15 years. I was overweight and very very unfit.

I took a detour or two and I actually covered 62 miles in 4hrs 4 minutes. This included having to walk up one section of hill as it was just to damn steep to cycle up with the gearing I had on my bike and my level of leg strength, other people got up it though.

Dont know if that helps at all.