is this right

radiation man

ive been cycling for 2yrs now and im not getting speeds what others get i can sometimes do 24 or more on the flat but not for long or about 17 or less for longer distances, sometimes my avg speed is about 15.3 for a 55 mile ride. i keep thinking its the bike but im sure its down to fitness if i had a £4,000 bike i think i would still do this speed, i know the pros go a lot faster but they are in top peak fitness, and not 47 like me

alwaysOTB

First off don't worry about your average speed - there will nearly always be someone faster than you.

If you want to get faster, than involves more riding/training/pushing yourself harder on those rides. Off course not all of us can train as much as we like, so we aren't all as fast as we want to be - so what? Unless you're racing theres little reason to worry (despite what some people think, sportives are not a race) Try pushing yourself more if you want to go faster - you may be suprised what you are capable of. If not, how much have you been riding the past two years???

Your bike is not making you slow. In terms of speed, a road bike is a road bike (for the most) and you will see a couple of minutes at most come of this - not much at all, and not much return on 4000+

Lastly, do ot let your age be an excuse. Malcom Elliot raced this years Tour of Britain at the age of 47, and placed well in several stages, and most people on here know some old fogie whipping everyones butts..........[/i]

Mettan

radiation man wrote:

ive been cycling for 2yrs now and im not getting speeds what others get i can sometimes do 24 or more on the flat but not for long or about 17 or less for longer distances, sometimes my avg speed is about 15.3 for a 55 mile ride. i keep thinking its the bike but im sure its down to fitness if i had a £4,000 bike i think i would still do this speed, i know the pros go a lot faster but they are in top peak fitness, and not 47 like me

Your figures sound entirely "accurate" and quite normal - 15.3 for a 55 is a competent effort for a non-competitive rider - given that most people fluctuate quite a bit during a longer ride, to get a 15.3 you were probably doing many shorter stretches at 18-19 mph of the flat, which again, is perfectly competent for a non-competent rider. And in a slightly more "competitive" Sportive scenario you might find that would increase to 16.3-17.3 avg over 55 - there's little substitute to time on the bike - regular longer training rides will see you pushing on quite nicely.

carl_p

I'm 46, been cycling only since May this year. My average speed is very similar to yours and like you is something I would like to improve as (I think) I would like to join a club next year.

I think a lot of it is how hard you want to push yourself. All of my cycling is done on my own and it is easy to daydream, lose focus and slip to a comfortable speed. I'm going to introduce interval training whereby I bike fast/hard for say 5 mins and slow down easy for 5. I've tried this technique with running over the years and the results can be significant, but it will hurt.

At the end of the day I don't want this to be at the expense of enjoyment and if you are enjoying your cycling, what the hell? Unless you are in competitive racing then your maximum or average speed is irrelevant to anyone otherthan yourself.

markos1963

Don't worry about average speed too much, no two rides are ever the same. I am 45 next week and have been riding seriously for about a year and following a training plan since Xmas, My average speed can vary between 15 and 23 depending on what I am doing. Try doing interval training it helps a lot, also shorter rides at higher speeds gradually increasing distance helps. The other thing that helps is doing 10m TT's it focus's your effort when you know the exact distance you are riding.

keef66

I've just turned 51 and have my first proper road bike. I'd be very pleased to be doing your speeds / distances. Don't get too hung up on average speeds though; it can spoil your enjoyment of cycling.

scherrit

Another thought- don't forget the effect of wind resistance- if you are sitting very upright then you'll be catching a lot of air and no amount of horsepower will make you fast.
S.

feel

You are about the same speed as me radiation man so i hope those speeds are ok - mind i'm a few years older than you - so that's my excuse if one is needed

Mettan

radiation man wrote:

ive been cycling for 2yrs now and im not getting speeds what others get i can sometimes do 24 or more on the flat but not for long or about 17 or less for longer distances, sometimes my avg speed is about 15.3 for a 55 mile ride. i keep thinking its the bike but im sure its down to fitness if i had a £4,000 bike i think i would still do this speed, i know the pros go a lot faster but they are in top peak fitness, and not 47 like me

It's also worth being a bit skeptical about people's quoted averages - if you look at the top 10-15 times in a variety of Sportives, the very best riders are often "only" coming back with 18 - 20 mph avgs - and these riders are typically atleast Cat 2, so again, I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. Admitedly, a typical Sportive is harder than a typical training ride, but you can read between the lines.

guv001

You can definately justify buying a £4000 bike to go even .0001 mph faster. I've been doing to my wife for a few years now.

dennisn

alwaysOTB wrote:

First off don't worry about your average speed - there will nearly always be someone faster than you.

and most people on here know some old fogie whipping everyones butts..........[/i]

And always someone slower - probably myself at the very least. :oops: :oops:

And just wait until you're an "old fogie".

Dennis Noward

hopper1

Reading this has made me feel a little better...I may not be the oldest cyclist in Norfolk!
I ride at around 16-18 mph avg, on my longer rides.
Like Carl_P, I ride alone, and it is easy to get lost in my own little world and doodle along, I just have to leave my i Pod at home! :oops:
Hopefully, I'll be doing my first ride with a club in October. Then I'll try to train with more structure.
I have ear marked plenty of events for next year, to keep striving for goals.

markos1963

hopper1 wrote:

Reading this has made me feel a little better...I may not be the oldest cyclist in Norfolk!
I ride at around 16-18 mph avg, on my longer rides.
Like Carl_P, I ride alone, and it is easy to get lost in my own little world and doodle along, I just have to leave my i Pod at home! :oops:
Hopefully, I'll be doing my first ride with a club in October. Then I'll try to train with more structure.
I have ear marked plenty of events for next year, to keep striving for goals.

Which club are you joining? I can recommend Norwich Velo, they have 2 runs on a sunday, one fast and one slow(for the likes of me!). Very friendly club.

julietp

Well I'm 26 and consider myself quite fit and my average speed on an a ride with a few hils hovers around 15mph and I'm happy with that. Living by the coast it is always windy but my main route is a circuit so the headwinds are cancelled out by the tailwinds. I did London to Southend ride a couple of months back which is around 60miles and my average was 15.4 and that put me in the top 10%.

I really wouldn't be concerned about your average speed but if you do want to improve it I would echo the comment about interval training.

hopper1

markos1963 wrote:

hopper1 wrote:

Reading this has made me feel a little better...I may not be the oldest cyclist in Norfolk!
I ride at around 16-18 mph avg, on my longer rides.
Like Carl_P, I ride alone, and it is easy to get lost in my own little world and doodle along, I just have to leave my i Pod at home! :oops:
Hopefully, I'll be doing my first ride with a club in October. Then I'll try to train with more structure.
I have ear marked plenty of events for next year, to keep striving for goals.

Which club are you joining? I can recommend Norwich Velo, they have 2 runs on a sunday, one fast and one slow(for the likes of me!). Very friendly club.

Is that the same as VC Norwich?
Start at Fitt Signs?
If so, that's the one. I should be starting 12th October, if I'm home by then !
I'll see you there.

Leedsblue

Well I am 51, not cycled much but have done bits over the years, pretty fit through running though

My average is about 15.8 over generally quite hilly routes around Leeds/Otley. Hit 16.2 the other day. Most runs are 25-35 miles due to time constraints.

I am happy with that. Might do some 10's next year and I am sure that would sharpen me up a bit even if I struggle to break 30 mins as that is 20mph