Fastest Ever Commute Home - Yippeeee

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doyler78

Well-Known Member
Location
Co Down, Ireland
Love my new tyres (Michelin Pro2 Race). Love my clipless pedals (spds m324). Life is great.

Just done my commute home in 42:04 mins for 13.9 miles and that included traffic at lights in Carryduff and Ballynahinch so would have been faster. My fastest time ever. 19.8mph average. There was a bit of a tailwind but it wasn't anything too strong. Certainly nowhere the level that we've had recently and are due for later this week :biggrin:

So close to that 20mph average I have always wanted so decided to console myself and look for the best 10 mile stretch and it was 28:05 mins which was 21.2mph avg so delighted with that.

Even more delighted because I was out last night on the piss for St Paddy's day and I had already done 43 miles on Sunday, 27 miles Monday and of course the 13.9 mile commute in this morning.

I so can't wait until I get that road bike next month so I can really let rip. Flat bar bike, rucksack and loose top just aren't aero enough :biggrin::biggrin:
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
I salute you - I dream of a 20mph average, and am considerably further from it, I'm sad to say :biggrin:
 

RedBike

New Member
Location
Beside the road
Keep trying to get a 20mph average on my commute. It's probably never going to happen though. I'm nowhere near. Panniers and hills don't make a good combination.
 
Well Done M8, the fastest I've ever averaged on the flat bars is 17.7 for around 25mls and that wasn't on a commute. My fastest commute was 15.5 for 20 when I lived at my old hose and wanted to get to the post office depot before it closed. Tonight was probably my slowest commute btw.
 
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doyler78

Well-Known Member
Location
Co Down, Ireland
Thanks all. Yeah must admit it is easier to get round in a quicker time on a fairly flat commute like mine where the climbs aren't big so you can push up them and then bury yourself on the descent to get the average up. HLaB I never mention the slow ones. They just don't figure on the radar. Couldn't tell you what my slowest time was but it was over an hour - that's all i know.

If I go home later in the evening, like I normally do, then I can avoid queues in Carryduff and Ballynahinch so that will likely get me that 0.2mph I need. Will that be enough? Doubt it. I will be looking for under 40 mins which is a pretty tall ask at 20.85mph but targets are good aren't they?
 
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doyler78

Well-Known Member
Location
Co Down, Ireland
Finally broke the 20 mile per hour average. On Thursday achieved 20.1mph average. Nice tailwind mind but hey you take the good with the bad and considering I have hardly been on my bike in the previous 2 months due to illness of one sort or another. I knew I was on for a good time so really pushed myself the whole way home. I'm so happy.

My fastest 10 mile section that I could find was 21.9mph with a -0.4% grade so slightly downhill. Not bad for a flatbar. Had a rucksack but very little in it that day so didn't add much weight.

I'm really chuffed with myself. Can't believe I waited until today to download the data. Now I really want my drop bar so I can really got for it :smile:

Oh just found 22.2mph on -0.6% grade.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
impressive stuff, how many lights on the route?

I'm going to guess that you don;t have our London four minute red lights, I always fancy I do 20mph+ average speed without the lights
 
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doyler78

Well-Known Member
Location
Co Down, Ireland
Tynan said:
impressive stuff, how many lights on the route?

I'm going to guess that you don;t have our London four minute red lights, I always fancy I do 20mph+ average speed without the lights

Your right there. All my lights bar one set are in my first 2 miles and the road is pretty straight as well so only a couple of slow corners. Really pretty perfect conditions for a public road. Also helped that there was a guy on a drop bar bike ahead of me so that gave me a target to go for. Only realised after about 5 miles of having passed him that he was right behind me so looks like I got him to pick up his pace too ;)
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
doyler78 said:
Love my new tyres (Michelin Pro2 Race). Love my clipless pedals (spds m324). Life is great.

Just done my commute home in 42:04 mins for 13.9 miles and that included traffic at lights in Carryduff and Ballynahinch so would have been faster. My fastest time ever. 19.8mph average. There was a bit of a tailwind but it wasn't anything too strong. Certainly nowhere the level that we've had recently and are due for later this week :ohmy:

So close to that 20mph average I have always wanted so decided to console myself and look for the best 10 mile stretch and it was 28:05 mins which was 21.2mph avg so delighted with that.

Even more delighted because I was out last night on the piss for St Paddy's day and I had already done 43 miles on Sunday, 27 miles Monday and of course the 13.9 mile commute in this morning.

I so can't wait until I get that road bike next month so I can really let rip. Flat bar bike, rucksack and loose top just aren't aero enough :biggrin::biggrin:

Nice one, my personal best is 19.7 mph over 14.5 miles and like you my target is that elusive 20. Year on year I have got closer so one day maybe ....
 

jmcoop

New Member
Commute by MTB

Hi - just thought I'd let you know that last week I managed to break 30 mins for my 7.5 mile commute home for the first time (29m 35s). I don't think that's bad on a MTB with my 50 yr old legs and not much cycling? I have to say the ride home is more downhill than up though (I'm doing well to average over 10 mph on the way to work!). Can't go anywhere in Cornwall without major hills!!

When I tried a different route home one day I found a hill I can do 42-43 mph going down, but the overall journey time is longer because there's about 1 mile + climb after the fast downhill. Have also discovered (by accident) that if I lean my bike against our security access card reader at work the computer registers that I'm still travelling (at 74 mph!!)
 

goo_mason

Champion barbed-wire hurdler
Location
Leith, Edinburgh
I did two consecutive sub-30 minute, 9.5 mile homeward commutes last week for the first time ever - I was pretty chuffed, I can tell you !

Yes, there was a stiff tail-wind, but for a third of the journey I was coasting along in the traffic, only having to pedal every now and again to keep the speed from falling as I was drafting the car in front. So - had the road been clear, I'd have been off like a rocket and probably looking at at 25 minute ride instead of a 29min 25 !

Won't be quite as fast tonight though - there's a 15 - 18mph headwind forecast for hometime :smile:
 

gazzaputt

New Member
Location
Bexley, Kent
Did my fastest on Monday with a tailwind. 12.2 miles West Ham to Bexley in 38 minutes which includes going through the Woolwich foot tunnel. Average 17.7mph but flat speed average 25.6mph.

Although I beat this by some margin last week on a Sunday jaunt to Ongar. 29 minutes no backpack, A Sunday early morning and a 15lb bike!
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
sadly the speed on the comp is resting but my fourth day on the new commute today, lots of long straight roads, plenty of lights but not as many as my old commute, bit of a tailwind in places but 36 minutes door to door for 10.2 miles

happy with that
 
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