What's a good average speed ??

24

Comments

  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    Infamous wrote:
    100km sportives are for beginners though, so you'd expect that.

    I'd post my average speeds, but i'm far too modest to show you how awesome I am.

    even more surprising then that the beginners forum is full of threads "i can average 18mph..is that any good?"

    i mean the beginners loop of the exmoor beast last year... no one exceeded 25kph?(if i read the rsults correctly).. tough little ride thou... nearly half the field were slower than 20kph.
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • STEFANOS4784
    STEFANOS4784 Posts: 4,109
    mididoctors wrote:
    redddraggon wrote:
    mididoctors wrote:
    redddraggon wrote:
    mididoctors wrote:
    The world seems full of people averaging 26-30km/h

    I wonder where they all are?

    To be fair, I managed 16.2mph average through North Wales before I had the flu, and I'm rubbish.

    :wink:

    80% of the riders in a 100Km sportive can't maintain 25kph...

    Perhaps slow people don't post on forums or too embarrassed to?

    yeah I'm sure that must be it,,,


    Doesn't stop me :wink:
    winter beast: http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff016.jpg
    Summer beast; http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr34 ... uff015.jpg
  • rjh299
    rjh299 Posts: 721
    I managed 16.4mph on the Dartmoor Classic this year and a comfortable 15mph on the Tour of Dartmoor. Both quite hilly 100 mile routes. Bit slower on the tour because stayed with my brother for the ride.
    I'd say the classic is quite a respectable average, depending on where your standards are. Would hope to push it to 17.5-18mph next year, if I stay injury free and actually get a bike!
  • dov2711
    dov2711 Posts: 131
    A good average speed can be defined as one that's a wee bit better than your last time out.

    But 16mph is very good for starters.

    Great advice, its easy to get caught up on what others are/can do. Sure a bit of an idea of others helps but there are so many variables that AV speed is a really personal thing.

    I say that as one of the snails on this thread coming back from a significant injury I am back chasing 15-16 MPH not really bothered about others but I do know where my targets for improvement are.
  • Squillinossett
    Squillinossett Posts: 1,678
    I seem to average 17.5 - 18.5 mph when on my own, thats over 60 mile route I do on a sunday.

    Strange thing is it does not go up much when I only do a 20 mile jaunt?!?!

    Bother are hilly-ish as near huddersfield and north Leeds
  • deptfordmarmoset
    deptfordmarmoset Posts: 3,118
    rjh299 wrote:
    I managed 16.4mph on the Dartmoor Classic this year and a comfortable 15mph on the Tour of Dartmoor. Both quite hilly 100 mile routes. Bit slower on the tour because stayed with my brother for the ride.
    I'd say the classic is quite a respectable average, depending on where your standards are. Would hope to push it to 17.5-18mph next year, if I stay injury free and actually get a bike!

    Blimey, if you can do those speeds without a bike, I can't imagine how fast you'll be when you get one :wink:
    Looking for a cycling buddy?
  • rjh299
    rjh299 Posts: 721
    deptfordmarmoset wrote:
    rjh299 wrote:
    I managed 16.4mph on the Dartmoor Classic this year and a comfortable 15mph on the Tour of Dartmoor. Both quite hilly 100 mile routes. Bit slower on the tour because stayed with my brother for the ride.
    I'd say the classic is quite a respectable average, depending on where your standards are. Would hope to push it to 17.5-18mph next year, if I stay injury free and actually get a bike!

    Blimey, if you can do those speeds without a bike, I can't imagine how fast you'll be when you get one :wink:

    *edit- replacement bike! :D
  • deptfordmarmoset
    deptfordmarmoset Posts: 3,118
    Sorry, rjh, I got the :twisted: urge :lol:
    Looking for a cycling buddy?
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    A good average speed is a speed where you're never overtaken by another cyclist.


    (Even after a 260km Flanders epic ;))
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • a_n_t
    a_n_t Posts: 2,011
    If I'm not racing, I dont really care! :lol:
    Manchester wheelers

    PB's
    10m 20:21 2014
    25m 53:18 20:13
    50m 1:57:12 2013
    100m Yeah right.
  • prb007
    prb007 Posts: 703
    average, schmaverage...........so that's why roadies are too far up themselves to wave and say hi on the open road - eyes fixed on poorly-calibrated cycle computers!
    Just get out, ride, enjoy and say hi to other cyclists - no matter if they're on a £4k carbon dreambike or a folding shopper!
    If Wales was flattened out, it'd be bigger than England!
    Planet X Ti Sportive for Sportives & tours
    Orange Alpine 160 for Afan,Alps & dodging trees
    Singlespeed Planet X Kaffenback for dodging potholes
    An On-One Inbred for hard-tail shenanigans...
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    a_n_t wrote:
    If I'm not racing, I dont really care! :lol:

    if I'm racing I can't focus my eyes to read the bl00dy computer
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • a_n_t
    a_n_t Posts: 2,011
    mididoctors wrote:
    a_n_t wrote:
    If I'm not racing, I dont really care! :lol:

    if I'm racing I can't focus my eyes to read the bl00dy computer


    I read the _data_ at the end :wink:
    Manchester wheelers

    PB's
    10m 20:21 2014
    25m 53:18 20:13
    50m 1:57:12 2013
    100m Yeah right.
  • GiantMike
    GiantMike Posts: 3,139
    10 mile TT - 23.5mph
    25 mile TT - 21.5 mph
    2 hour fun ride on my own, reasonably flat terrain - 18-19mph
    96 mile Sportive with 4000ft of ascent - 16.6mph
  • Bhima
    Bhima Posts: 2,145
    I find average suffering to be more accurate than average speed. :lol:
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    Bhima wrote:
    I find average suffering to be more accurate than average speed. :lol:

    Actually yes. Coasting along very quickly is all well and good. But you need to push yourself.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463
    prb007 wrote:
    average, schmaverage...........so that's why roadies are too far up themselves to wave and say hi on the open road - eyes fixed on poorly-calibrated cycle computers!
    Just get out, ride, enjoy and say hi to other cyclists - no matter if they're on a £4k carbon dreambike or a folding shopper!

    :roll:
  • Ricey77
    Ricey77 Posts: 92
    Thanks for the advice guys (and girls?), point taken, fook the average and just enjoy the ride! :lol::lol:
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    edited March 2010
  • Jon8a
    Jon8a Posts: 235
    Over 25 miles I'd be looking to average 20mph provided there were no big hills. The best I have ever managed was 21mph over 40miles and that was absolutely flat with no wind on a sunny day.

    But for variation I did a hilly route today averaging 16.4mph over 60miles. 3 weeks ago I average 19mph because the weather was better and I was feeling good with a gentle tail wind on all the climbs.

    I think you need to look at comarable routes though, do a sportive or a time trial if you want to work out how fast you are. The only way to tell is if you've got other people doing the route in the same conditions.

    In general I'd be happy with 17-18mph solo over 60miles dropping as the distance goes up.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    45 mph.
  • Onan
    Onan Posts: 321
    8mph, but only if if I've got my inhaler on me.
    Drink poison. Wrestle snakes.
  • stronginthesun
    stronginthesun Posts: 433
    if your knackered when you get back , then youve done a good average
  • geoff_ss
    geoff_ss Posts: 1,201
    Really, unless you're racing, who cares?

    My best average was 20kph over 400km - including stops for food and changing into night clothes etc. Well that's the one I'm most proud of. It was only an hour slower than a very wet, very hard 300k I'd ridden a couple of years before. So it all depends on so many things.

    PB on a '10' is 24.57 and for a 25 1.5.55 on a bike but a bit slower on a trike and quicker on a tandem.

    Now my wife and I average around 12 mph on a day ride of mixed going on the tandem (50-70 miles). I only know because our new computer has an average speed read out. Though that's totally false as it stops recording when we stop to eat or admire the view or do some shopping.

    Basically, a good average is what you enjoy. I ride with a lot of one-time racing cyclists (some with international experience) and none of them give a toss about average speed.

    Geoff
    Old cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    edited March 2010
  • The Mechanic
    The Mechanic Posts: 1,277
    I averaged 56 MPH between Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Sunday. Mind you, I was in my shiney BMW :D

    I'll get my coat :(
    I have only two things to say to that; Bo***cks
  • Dunkeldog
    Dunkeldog Posts: 138
    Sometimes I seem to get so hung up on averages and hitting time checks I just leave the bloody computer at home at simply enjoy the ride.
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    Geoff_SS wrote:
    Really, unless you're racing, who cares?

    averages matter even less in racing than they do on training or fun rides. In a road race, your speed is irrelevant - because you are either keeping pace, or you are dropped.
  • othello
    othello Posts: 578
    Someone said that slow people are not posting here for fear of embaressment? Heck I'm up for being embaressed...

    First ride today on my first road bike (been a mountain biker until now). Averaged 13mph on a rolling route with a couple of sharp climbs. I'm quite pleased with that considering I'm still learning the bike, how to use the gears, ratios etc. I also expect it is going to take me a while to get faster.
    Blogging about junior road bikes http://junior-road-bikes.tumblr.com
  • deptfordmarmoset
    deptfordmarmoset Posts: 3,118
    othello wrote:
    Someone said that slow people are not posting here for fear of embaressment? Heck I'm up for being embaressed...

    First ride today on my first road bike (been a mountain biker until now). Averaged 13mph on a rolling route with a couple of sharp climbs. I'm quite pleased with that considering I'm still learning the bike, how to use the gears, ratios etc. I also expect it is going to take me a while to get faster.

    Othello, don't worry about the speed, just enjoy it. I'm slower than you - but I at least can use age as a defence - just to cover my embarrassment :?

    Have you ever cycled on the moor of Venice? Just curious :)
    Looking for a cycling buddy?

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