11 mile - avg. 16mph for first ride

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Comments

  • Dmak
    Dmak Posts: 445
    16mph for a first ride out is not bad!

    Here are some rough power requirement figures for comparison. 80kg rider, 10kg bike. Flat, no wind.

    16mph = 90 watts
    17mph = 103
    18mph = 119
    19mph = 136
    20mph = 155
    21mph = 175
    22mph = 198
    23mph = 222
    24mph = 249
    25mph = 278 (Fabian Cancellara averaged 285 watts during the 2010 tour of Flanders, an average of 24.8mph for 6hrs 20mins)

    So you probably have roughly 25-30% of the fitness/strength of a pro, scary isn't it!

    Time trial champs can average up to 32mph!
  • P_Tucker
    P_Tucker Posts: 1,878
    Dmak wrote:
    16mph for a first ride out is not bad!

    Here are some rough power requirement figures for comparison. 80kg rider, 10kg bike. Flat, no wind.

    16mph = 90 watts
    17mph = 103
    18mph = 119
    19mph = 136
    20mph = 155
    21mph = 175
    22mph = 198
    23mph = 222
    24mph = 249
    25mph = 278 (Fabian Cancellara averaged 285 watts during the 2010 tour of Flanders, an average of 24.8mph for 6hrs 20mins)

    So you probably have roughly 25-30% of the fitness/strength of a pro, scary isn't it!

    Time trial champs can average up to 32mph!

    I wish those figures were even kind of close to the outputs required on the road.
  • Davey C
    Davey C Posts: 80
    I've been watching this thread carefully. I'm a DS of a well established Pro Continental team based in France and we've been searchign for someone who can ride for 40 minutes at 16mph. Many of the riders we have seen can't stick to that sort of pace, either going way above or cycling for much longer than 40 minutes. You could be EXACTLY the sort of person we are after. PM me.
  • nmcgann
    nmcgann Posts: 1,780
    P_Tucker wrote:
    Dmak wrote:
    16mph for a first ride out is not bad!

    Here are some rough power requirement figures for comparison. 80kg rider, 10kg bike. Flat, no wind.

    .....!

    I wish those figures were even kind of close to the outputs required on the road.

    Yes, my thoughts exactly. I need about 100W more to do those speeds on my road bike.
    --
    "Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."
  • ShutUpLegs
    ShutUpLegs Posts: 3,522
    Davey C wrote:
    I've been watching this thread carefully. I'm a DS of a well established Pro Continental team based in France and we've been searchign for someone who can ride for 40 minutes at 16mph. Many of the riders we have seen can't stick to that sort of pace, either going way above or cycling for much longer than 40 minutes. You could be EXACTLY the sort of person we are after. PM me.

    Sounds like someone is gonna have a lot of PM's :lol:
  • Rich Hcp
    Rich Hcp Posts: 1,355
    I get around 16 average too, depends on how I feel on the day, the weather and the route.

    Some days will be faster, some slower.

    You may find the next time is slower, don't worry about it though.

    You will show improved pace, the more you ride.

    The main thing is to enjoy it
    Richard

    Giving it Large
  • cyco2
    cyco2 Posts: 593
    I have got back in to cycling after a lay-off. I've been riding an MTB with slicks most of the time and finding the average speeds reasonably. Now that I've transferred to a road bike my average has gone up on a 40 mile ride to 15.5mph. So, to get it up over the 40 miles I stopped the speedo at times when I stopped or negotiating very slow sections. Now it's 16.4mph. However, when I checked the mileage it's gone down by 3 miles. I know I rode it because its the same course. At my age of 65 I do believe I need some mental challenges but this one has got me baffled. What should I do?
    ...................................................................................................

    If you want to be a strong rider you have to do strong things.
    However if you train like a cart horse you'll race like one.
  • ShutUpLegs
    ShutUpLegs Posts: 3,522
    cyco2 wrote:
    I have got back in to cycling after a lay-off. I've been riding an MTB with slicks most of the time and finding the average speeds reasonably. Now that I've transferred to a road bike my average has gone up on a 40 mile ride to 15.5mph. So, to get it up over the 40 miles I stopped the speedo at times when I stopped or negotiating very slow sections. Now it's 16.4mph. However, when I checked the mileage it's gone down by 3 miles. I know I rode it because its the same course. At my age of 65 I do believe I need some mental challenges but this one has got me baffled. What should I do?

    Did you forget to restart the speedo?
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    Feel I should respond, just to show that we are not all wa**ers here. Welcome to the board.

    Averaging 16mph for a beginner is fine i'd say. I would suggest that you just ride as much as possible, gradually extending your distance where possible as well as trying to go a little faster. Every month or so do that same route again (11 miles) and see how long it takes you, that way you'll be able to measure your improvement over the same course.
    "I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)
  • cyco2
    cyco2 Posts: 593
    inkyfingers wrote:
    Feel I should respond, just to show that we are not all wa**ers here. Welcome to the board.

    I'll fill in all the ** letters.....waiters, walkers,wanders, waivers, wasters,etc.,....no need to be shy. :D
    inkyfingers wrote:
    Averaging 16mph for a beginner is fine i'd say. I would suggest that you just ride as much as possible, gradually extending your distance where possible as well as trying to go a little faster. Every month or so do that same route again (11 miles) and see how long it takes you, that way you'll be able to measure your improvement over the same course.

    Obviously if the route is very windy in the wrong direction, flooded, traffic congested, road works etc., you'll need to put in a correction factor. :D
    ...................................................................................................

    If you want to be a strong rider you have to do strong things.
    However if you train like a cart horse you'll race like one.
  • oscarbudgie
    oscarbudgie Posts: 850
    A respectable time for a 10 mile course is 30 minutes or below.
    Cannondale Supersix / CAAD9 / Boardman 9.0 / Benotto 3000
  • AidanR
    AidanR Posts: 1,142
    16mph is respectable for a beginner, but in many ways it's irrelevant. It's the effort you put in from now to achieve gains from that base that matters, rather than some innate "talent" for riding. Please note, I'm not saying that you aren't talented, but rather that the idea of talent is unhelpful. Someone who is good at something is generally good at it because they've put in a lot of hard work, rather than how good they were before they put in that work.
    Bike lover and part-time cyclist.
  • Matchstick Man
    Matchstick Man Posts: 565
    AidanR wrote:
    16mph is respectable for a beginner, but in many ways it's irrelevant. It's the effort you put in from now to achieve gains from that base that matters, rather than some innate "talent" for riding. Please note, I'm not saying that you aren't talented, but rather that the idea of talent is unhelpful. Someone who is good at something is generally good at it because they've put in a lot of hard work, rather than how good they were before they put in that work.

    Hey P_Tucker - about 10 years is a good timeframe for this sort of thing I've heard :lol: What was I telling you that there is no such thing as talent? Now if we can get the OP to do about 10 years of "purposeful practice" we'll have him winning Grand Tour stages no problems 8)
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    inkyfingers wrote:
    Feel I should respond, just to show that we are not all wa**ers here. Welcome to the board.

    Averaging 16mph for a beginner is fine i'd say.

    wa**er.
  • nmcgann
    nmcgann Posts: 1,780
    AidanR wrote:
    16mph is respectable for a beginner, but in many ways it's irrelevant. It's the effort you put in from now to achieve gains from that base that matters, rather than some innate "talent" for riding. Please note, I'm not saying that you aren't talented, but rather that the idea of talent is unhelpful. Someone who is good at something is generally good at it because they've put in a lot of hard work, rather than how good they were before they put in that work.

    Sadly, that isn't totally the case in cycling - everyone can get better than they are, but there are some physical attributes that you need to be born with to stand a chance of being really good.
    --
    "Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."
  • AidanR
    AidanR Posts: 1,142
    Agreed, it is most applicable to complex tasks that build new neural pathways in the brain (i.e. stuff you learn). But unless the OP responds to the generous offer of a pro-team place made earlier in this thread, it doesn't particularly matter what his absolute maximum physical potential is.
    Bike lover and part-time cyclist.
  • secretsqizz
    secretsqizz Posts: 424
    I'm a waiter and I can pedal my bike at 16 mph for 80 minutes.
    sorry that should be 8mph for 20 minutes
    My pen won't write on the screen
  • Davey C
    Davey C Posts: 80
    inkyfingers wrote:
    Feel I should respond, just to show that we are not all wa**ers here. Welcome to the board.

    Averaging 16mph for a beginner is fine i'd say. I would suggest that you just ride as much as possible, gradually extending your distance where possible as well as trying to go a little faster. Every month or so do that same route again (11 miles) and see how long it takes you, that way you'll be able to measure your improvement over the same course.

    That's not what the OP asked. Stop wasting his time.
  • centimani
    centimani Posts: 467
    martincashman wrote:
    Centimani has an interesting point. I regularly do 100km rides, 2 to 3 a week, over the last few months. My goal is to get my solo, door to door, 100km average up to 32kph. It is creeping up over time. Between 29.5 and 31.5 at the moment. When I started last August it was 26kph for 30km.

    Anyways, sometimes I try and cheat and pick a flatter route, but find I'm no faster or possibly slower than over a more hilly route. This puzzled me at first but then I realized, that when you are out on your own it's much harder to keep a high pace on the flat, as you can't rest as easily, so the speed tends to drop off.

    Whereas if you are going over hills, you can recover on the downhill and attack on the the uphill section. This only really applies to 3 to 4% gradient hills for me though, where I can keep up a good climbing speed and not fatigue. In the last month my fastest Solo 100km has been over hills rather than the flat.

    And there is my logic. But even that just goes to show my experience may not be everyone else's. I should elaborate, my routes/terrain, although hilly by my standards, are not hilly compared with others. We have more 'rolling' countryside here. I think my normal 45 mile route has IRO 1000ft climbing. Bugger all by some peoples standards.
    But my experience is real, ive clocked the same'ish averages over the last 4 or 5 years, flat or 'hilly' route.
    I conceed a 'proper' hilly route will not give the same results.
  • ShutUpLegs
    ShutUpLegs Posts: 3,522
    Davey C wrote:
    inkyfingers wrote:
    Feel I should respond, just to show that we are not all wa**ers here. Welcome to the board.

    Averaging 16mph for a beginner is fine i'd say. I would suggest that you just ride as much as possible, gradually extending your distance where possible as well as trying to go a little faster. Every month or so do that same route again (11 miles) and see how long it takes you, that way you'll be able to measure your improvement over the same course.

    That's not what the OP asked. Stop wasting his time.

    Cycling is about endurance, covering 11 miles is achievement enough.
  • celbianchi
    celbianchi Posts: 854
    oscarbudgie wrote:
    A respectable time for a 10 mile course is 30 minutes or below.

    Is it? If respectable is loitering at the foot of a results board, I guess so.
  • MountainMonster
    MountainMonster Posts: 7,423
    celbianchi wrote:
    oscarbudgie wrote:
    A respectable time for a 10 mile course is 30 minutes or below.

    Is it? If respectable is loitering at the foot of a results board, I guess so.

    Everyone has to start somewhere, some of you need to pull your heads from your rears.
    My London Road
  • kettrinboy
    kettrinboy Posts: 613
    celbianchi wrote:
    oscarbudgie wrote:
    A respectable time for a 10 mile course is 30 minutes or below.

    Is it? If respectable is loitering at the foot of a results board, I guess so.
    yes but the OP is not riding a TT he,s doing an 11 mile road ride, so 40 minutes is a moderate speed which he can improve on.
  • celbianchi
    celbianchi Posts: 854
    Any conversation about "is my average speed any good" will always be subjective.
    Cancellara could never have looked at a bike in his life, gone out for an 11 mile ride and average 25mph.

    If you bothered about how your ability compares pin a number on and see how you far up the results board you appear, otherwise just enjoy your riding.
  • squired
    squired Posts: 1,153
    One important thing to remember is that you should let any desire for an improved average speed to compromise your safety. I see a few guys regularly when I'm riding who are pretty much in race mode on extremely busy roads. A couple of times they've come very close to having accidents. Ride hard and try to enjoy it, but better to be a couple of km/h slower, but still alive!
  • Davey C
    Davey C Posts: 80
    At the speed the OP is talking about he should be more worried about glaciers running into him.
  • ForumNewbie
    ForumNewbie Posts: 1,664
    squired wrote:
    One important thing to remember is that you should let any desire for an improved average speed to compromise your safety. I see a few guys regularly when I'm riding who are pretty much in race mode on extremely busy roads. A couple of times they've come very close to having accidents. Ride hard and try to enjoy it, but better to be a couple of km/h slower, but still alive!
    Good point.
  • lvquestpaddler
    lvquestpaddler Posts: 416
    I'd say it's a good enough time. I hadn't been out on my bike for a couple of months properly, just the odd sporadic ride. A couple of Tuesdays ago I did 27 miles in 1hr40m- half with tail wind, half into the wind, undulating B roads in the highlands; That's on a scabby GT Avalanche on schwalbe marathon tyres, with 7 gears 36 x 13/23(sora).
    Now I've got a chest infection must have overdone it... :cry: :shock:
    Wish I had more gears, like 30 of them then I'd be dead fast!

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