Average speed guide?

florerider

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

http://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/photo.py?template=MPX2&event=Sports/GRUK/2013/Great Manchester Cycle&photo=CYCG0827&bib=5075

Call that fat?

did you try the crop button

homers_double

Looks pretty tubby to me :shock: And they say the camera adds a few pounds!

paul2718

homers double wrote:

I'm 5'10 and around 15st and on my first road event managed this:-

http://www.greatcycle.org/Results/Name- ... 35/kershaw

I'm 5075 BTW.

Strava confirmed the timing chip result too so all you haters need to chill out when a fat lad blows you away.

20mph for a flat 25 miles on closed city centre roads while being dragged around by others is laudable, but not fast.

I guess most non-fat lads would have ridden the 52 mile event, and there 900 odd averaged over 20mph.

I don't think that average speed should be an end in itself until you pin a number on and start a time-trial, at which point it is everything. But you don't necessarily get faster by aiming at higher averages in general rides, if you go out and ride 10, 15, 20 minute intervals your average speed over the entire ride will suffer, but the training benefit will be bigger. IMO etc etc.

Paul

dodgy

paul2718 wrote:

20mph for a flat 25 miles on closed city centre roads while being dragged around by others is laudable, but not fast.

+1

The Manchester closed road circuit is well known for producing relatively surprising fast rides. It's why it's such a great event for beginners. Give 'em a taste of it, might turn into even more enthusiastic and experienced riders.

sub55

ednino wrote:

I think I saw you out on that ride

R10/17

Father Faff

20 mph? Pathetic.

I'm 54, really extraordinarily fat, ride an ancient bicycle and regularly average over 30 mph. Evidence? You want evidence? Are you questioning my integrity? Here's the evidence http://app.strava.com/segments/4938966 and if that's not good enough then have a look at my profile. Despite being heavier than a very fat thing I climbed over 51,785 feet in one day - don't believe me again? Well Strava says so, so there! http://app.strava.com/athletes/2463815

Father Faff

Seriously though 20mph sounds very good - keep it up and once you feel fit come and try some climbs in Yorkshire!

However cycling is not all about average speed. I'm a crap climber and go very slowly uphill but find the pain strangely enjoyable. Equally I enjoy scaring myself at high speed on descents. Or riding in a well disciplined group at a fast pace. Or riding a long sportive at a steady, sustainable pace. Or riding with slower riders (rare) and enjoying the chat. Or exploring areas you've never been to before.

paul2718

Father Faff wrote:

20 mph? Pathetic.

I'm 54, really extraordinarily fat, ride an ancient bicycle and regularly average over 30 mph. Evidence? You want evidence? Are you questioning my integrity? Here's the evidence http://app.strava.com/segments/4938966 and if that's not good enough then have a look at my profile. Despite being heavier than a very fat thing I climbed over 51,785 feet in one day - don't believe me again? Well Strava says so, so there! http://app.strava.com/athletes/2463815

I'm impressed that Strava has extended its coverage to Mars.

I could change my average speed on shorter rides from hom significantly by starting/stopping the Garmin further away. Same ride, different numbers.

Paul

phillips1965

Not a great average speed but the relentless wind today combined with the climbing made it tough.
Oh 30 mins café stop.
70.6mi
Distance

4:39:19
Moving Time

5,269ft
Elevation (?)

166W
Estimated Avg Power

2,782kJ
Energy Output

Speed
15.2mi/h 44.7mi/h

sparklehedgehog

Just so you can all laugh at me today i did a 20 mile ride with 960ft of climbing and only averaged 19.3mph

antfly

You were with Craig, though.

sigorman85

Woodster:::: a lot of the kom's around Weymouth area are done by the"tail wind" you can normally tell as the kom or there a speed is mental for that segment and the time of year that's why strava isn't ideal and makes bit incredibly hard to beat that time that they created .... Some of the times in the segment on here I have been chasing for 2 years and il very much doubt il get the kom unless I have the helping hand from the wind or a group ride

Moonbiker

Just so you can all laugh at me today i did a 20 mile ride with 960ft of climbing and only averaged 19.3mph

Why don't you try riding a decent distance for a change?

ai_1

Moonbiker wrote:

Just so you can all laugh at me today i did a 20 mile ride with 960ft of climbing and only averaged 19.3mph

Why don't you try riding a decent distance for a change?

Why don't you try not being ignorant for a change?
Any distance is a decent distance. Do what you like.

dodgy

sparklehedgehog wrote:

Just so you can all laugh at me today i did a 20 mile ride with 960ft of climbing and only averaged 19.3mph

According to your Strava it was 357ft and 19.2mph. Not sure where the discrepancy in climbing figures came from there.

Beave

I`ve found Strava`s climbing figures are dodgy at the best of times so always take them with a pinch of salt . There`s a lad I know who rides similar routes to me and his times are always showing stupidly high climbing figures . So I done the same routes as him just to satisfy my curiosity and low and behold mine came in 3 times less than his were showing . For some reason Strava shows completely unlikely climbing distances at the end of the ride and then when its updated completely changes .
It also shows a few Cat 4 climbs near me , bare in mind I live in Norfolk and none of those bumps around this area are over the distance/ incline required for that so again you need to take some of them with a large pinch of salt .
I just use it as a training tool for distances .
In the warmer months i usually average between 18 to 20 mph over 50 miles runs with normally around 1200 to 2000 ft of climbing depending on the routes taken so all in all very flat really but then I am nearly 40 and only been riding 3 years so im happy with that

sloppyschleckonds

Strava favours iphone/ android data over garmin etc and massively over calculates climbing figures.

You know what to do.

ednino

You have to pre-set elevations points on a Garmin to get proper readings. From my experience anyway

sparklehedgehog

dodgy wrote:

sparklehedgehog wrote:

Just so you can all laugh at me today i did a 20 mile ride with 960ft of climbing and only averaged 19.3mph

According to your Strava it was 357ft and 19.2mph. Not sure where the discrepancy in climbing figures came from there.

it was meant to read 360ft so mustve been an error on my part, wasn't trying to exaggerate as I'm not into that

sparklehedgehog

today i did a 17 mile route with 304ft of climbing at 18.9mph average with a horrible headwind during all the climbing.

really really enjoying the climbing so gonna get more into that as feel like i've worked much harder too

paul2718

Keep riding, increase the distances, don't worry about maintaining the average speeds over the whole ride.

Paul

rolf_f

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Strava favours iphone/ android data over garmin etc and massively over calculates climbing figures.

You know what to do.

And it massively favours Garmin over my Brytons! I can guarantee it will add at least 10% to a Garmin computed climb over what I get for the same route. I have to work hard for the altitude challenges! I should get an iPhone - I'd probably double my climbing!

markhewitt1978

I always seem to average 14mph on whatever ride I'm doing. Although they always involve hills!

Roberto di Velo

If memory serves, there are some nice and frankly, pretty challenging climbs not too far away from the OP in Lincolnshire (the Wolds?). I've done a couple of rides to the coast that way and particularly recall the hills past Thetford; with everything else being pan flat, they were a bit of an eye opener!

macroadie

sparklehedge is doing very good speedwise.
weather conditions are always a factor esp if you live in flats lands. Yesterday on a 30 miles ride I averaged 28.9mphr for 1 mile, got 10th out of 1,430 but coming back I could barely keep 21mphr.

sparklehedgehog

Ok, quick update.

Did my first ever 50 miler today (never gone beyond 28 before and that was a one off) including 614m of climbing according to Garmin Connect (unknown accuracy but my only reference) and managed a 17.65mph average.

Extremely knackered but glad i did it. I was aiming for an 18mph before i left but quite pleased to have tried what you all suggested.

Vandiesel

Congrats and well done mate

vertigo16

Yeah but how much did you raise for charity?

What was Davina's average speed do we know?

sparklehedgehog

vertigo16 wrote:

Yeah but how much did you raise for charity?

What was Davina's average speed do we know?

I can't stand her but my god does she deserve a silly amount of respect!

sparklehedgehog

by the way the 12.7 gradient nearly killed me