As a 22mph average cyclist just commuting with very little effort, I admit..

[palinurus]

That's a hell of an achievement. I can TT a hilly windy triangular 10 mile course in 29 minutes 20, so just over 20 mph. I certainly couldn't keep that pace up for 20 miles let alone 50. I wonder how much difference a TT bike and kit would make over my bog standard road bike.

I have some data from 15+ years ago for 10 miles on the same course, over a period a of few years (insufficient for 25 miles, and no road bike data for 50 miles)
Sometimes I'd have clip-ons for the road bike, I can't split the data for that as I don't have records.

There's a significant difference! (2-sample t-test) and and the mean TT bike times are about ~1.6 mph quicker and have lower variance.
The road bike data and the TT bike data are not very interspersed, bulk of the road bike data is for the first part of the period and TT bike data from when that bike was purchased (any training effect is not easily estimable- although I could perhaps use 'athletes' 10' times to do this crudely)

Descriptive Statistics: Average

Bike	n​	Mean (mph)​	StDev​
Road Bike	22​	23.01​	0.719​
TT Bike	27​	24.57​	0.467​

Estimation for Difference

Difference​	95% CI for Difference​
-1.561​	(-1.922, -1.199)​

Individual value plot (minutes) for time

 

[esoxlucius]

This old thread is making me look really really slow. I have never, not for want of trying I assure you, managed to surpass 30kph average speed on any of my rides. And even 30kph is still only slightly above 18mph!! You lot are totally beasting me. Funny thing is I thought I was doing ok!!!

It is quite lumpy around my way (east lancs west yorks border) and to be honest not that many other cyclists overtake me!! Maybe we're just a slow lot from where I live, lol.

 

[Sharky]

This old thread is making me look really really slow. I have never, not for want of trying I assure you, managed to surpass 30kph average speed on any of my rides. And even 30kph is still only slightly above 18mph!! You lot are totally beasting me. Funny thing is I thought I was doing ok!!!

It is quite lumpy around my way (east lancs west yorks border) and to be honest not that many other cyclists overtake me!! Maybe we're just a slow lot from where I live, lol.

Don't fret. There is a huge difference between riding a time trial course, which is usually a flattish course and "out and back", compared to a typical leisure ride, on an undulating route.

On my short (12 mile) training loop, which includes a few hills, I'm lucky if I can average 13mph. But on last night's 10, managed just over 18mph.

 

[Drago]

I averaged 48mph simply riding to the time trial from home. Let me tell you, that isnt easy on a Raleigh Wayferer while carrying a rucksack, rolling a smoke, and with a hitchhiker on the crossbar. I would have gone even quicker but the bike had no wheels.

 

[Rusty Nails]

This old thread is making me look really really slow. I have never, not for want of trying I assure you, managed to surpass 30kph average speed on any of my rides. And even 30kph is still only slightly above 18mph!! You lot are totally beasting me. Funny thing is I thought I was doing ok!!!

It is quite lumpy around my way (east lancs west yorks border) and to be honest not that many other cyclists overtake me!! Maybe we're just a slow lot from where I live, lol.

When it comes to tales about speed on this or any forum, I'm with the late Queen...."Recollections may vary"

 

[palinurus]

This old thread is making me look really really slow. I have never, not for want of trying I assure you, managed to surpass 30kph average speed on any of my rides. And even 30kph is still only slightly above 18mph!! You lot are totally beasting me. Funny thing is I thought I was doing ok!!!

It is quite lumpy around my way (east lancs west yorks border) and to be honest not that many other cyclists overtake me!! Maybe we're just a slow lot from where I live, lol.

When I was at my fittest I doubt I ever averaged 20 mph on a solo ride with the usual junctions and hills.

Don't fret. There is a huge difference between riding a time trial course, which is usually a flattish course and "out and back", compared to a typical leisure ride, on an undulating route.

On my short (12 mile) training loop, which includes a few hills, I'm lucky if I can average 13mph. But on last night's 10, managed just over 18mph.

On a time trial there are usually few junctions too, plus if you are racing you just go faster!

 

[Hover Fly]

There is no essential merit in speed alone.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

When I was at my fittest I doubt I ever averaged 20 mph on a solo ride with the usual junctions and hills.



On a time trial there are usually few junctions too, plus if you are racing you just go faster!

20mph is pretty good. On my return commute of 15 miles I would be near that on occasion, usually 18/19 mph if conditions were favourable. That was over 10 years ago, nowadays my rides are more in the order of 16-17mph, todays 19 mile was 16.6mph. Age I feel plays a big part. Still, it is getting out on bike that is important and also trying to stay away from too much traffic.

 

[HLaB]

That may have been true seven years ago, but only just scraped inside 33 minutes (18+ mph), in tonight's club 10.

Its all relative, well done 👏

 

[HLaB]

This old thread is making me look really really slow. I have never, not for want of trying I assure you, managed to surpass 30kph average speed on any of my rides. And even 30kph is still only slightly above 18mph!! You lot are totally beasting me. Funny thing is I thought I was doing ok!!!

It is quite lumpy around my way (east lancs west yorks border) and to be honest not that many other cyclists overtake me!! Maybe we're just a slow lot from where I live, lol.

If you’ve got terrain that's good going 👏

 

[esoxlucius]

If you’ve got terrain that's good going 👏

Given the lumpy nature of my rides I didn't think I was doing that bad. After what other people have said about a lot of these mid 20's mph rides being done on a lot flatter terrain that does make my rides seem sort of ok after all. I was thinking that everyone was quoting results from similar terrain to me, which would indeed make them pretty damn quick. Phew, I'm not losing it just yet then, lol.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

does make my rides seem sort of ok

If a ride is only okay if it is done as fast as possible; then perhaps you need to find a better route. The best rides are defined by how slow you have to go, to take everything in.

 

[Punkawallah]

There is no essential merit in speed alone.

A wise man once told me that it’s all very well going fast, but you do need to be able to stop safely from that speed.

 

[Drago]

A wise man once told me that it’s all very well going fast, but you do need to be able to stop safely from that speed.

How is old Evel these days?

 

[Punkawallah]

How is old Evel these days?

No doubt shaking his metaphysical head, somewhere or other :-)