How fit is this?

over-the-hill

I'm 53 and new to road cycling but have done 2 years of casual MTB. My last ride was 14 miles, average speed 15.9 mph, ascending 1171 feet (quite a hilly ride?). Could have descended quicker but have lost my nerve due to a recent accident so my top speed was only 31 mph. I think I may have managed to stay in double figures most of the time except for stopping and starting at junctions etc.

I cycle alone so can't make comparisons and was just wondering if that is average fitness, better than average or rubbish.

steve_pushbiker

It's very difficult to tell from average speed... without going out and doing the route ourselves it's difficult for anyone to say. I'd go more on how you feel after the ride - do you feel that you couldn't go further at that speed? I wouldn't get too hung up on the numbers, but I think it's nice if you can go out on the same little loop and improve on a time (without taking unnecessary risks).

SteveR_100Milers

over-the-hill wrote:

I'm 53 and new to road cycling but have done 2 years of casual MTB. My last ride was 14 miles, average speed 15.9 mph, ascending 1171 feet (quite a hilly ride?). Could have descended quicker but have lost my nerve due to a recent accident so my top speed was only 31 mph. I think I may have managed to stay in double figures most of the time except for stopping and starting at junctions etc.

I cycle alone so can't make comparisons and was just wondering if that is average fitness, better than average or rubbish.

Unless you ave specific time / speed goals (time triailing for example) does it matter? It's impossible to make a judgement as no one else rode the route at the same time and condtions!

Mettan

My last ride was 14 miles, average speed 15.9 mph, ascending 1171 feet (quite a hilly ride?). .

That's certainly a Hilly ride (IMHO) - and a perfectly good avg for a non-competitive rider. I've found I've improved alot from doing regular short Hilly rides - they're fun, they're fast, and you can fit them in during the week.

Bronzie

Go and ride a local evening 10 if you want to compare yourself to others - everything else is just meaningless numbers IMO

scapaslow

I'd agree that that is quite hilly for 14miles and i'd say on the face of it your time sounds fairly decent. As the others have commented there are too many variables to assess further and that a TT is the best way of comparing yourself to others.

I would suggest keeping a diary of all your rides with length, avg speed, height climbed, weather conditions etc... and see how your average varies over time over different routes and conditions.

When you cycle alone it is only natural to wonder where you fit into the spectrum. I can only offer you some stats from my rides this year (when i've been on the geared bike) for a very general comparison. I'm 10 years younger than you and been cycling for 3 years and consider myself to be no better than average (if that) and don't worry much about it. I am averaging 16-18mph this year over routes from 15miles to 65 miles with 16 on the hilliest routes including some very steep climbs which really knock down your speed. These are not "all out" efforts but i do try and put a decent effort in.

I'm sure you'll find other threads if you search the forum about average speeds and be amazed at some of the quoted averages which could leave you feeling less than adequate. There are obviously some very fast and talented riders on the forum as you would expect and it might not be helpful to compare your efforts to theirs.

The main thing is to enjoy your riding and it sounds to me that you are doing OK. What are your goals if you have any? I'm sure there is room for improvement whatever they are.