Slowing down now its getting colder

[Tom B]

Me too. I was actually surprised at how pronounced it is. There's about 7 years of data here.
View attachment 491322
I don't have special winter and summer bikes.

Good effort DoggyT What did you use to pull that data together?

Generally slower in winter, but still some of my best efforts have come in Jan/Feb, often on climbs but i don't cope well with heat.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Good effort DoggyT What did you use to pull that data together?

Ridewithgps list of rides put into excel.

 

[HLaB]

Looking at my +25 miles rides I am getting faster. Probably because I've got fitter but it seems have been more flat the growth as it's got colder.

 

[Dogtrousers]

You'll notice I posted variance from mean rather than absolute speed on my graph. That was because I didn't want to embarrass you all and make you feel inadequate.

 

[DRM]

There is definitely a drop off in speed, i’ve Noticed it every year by about 1-2 mph, I think it’s due to wearing more clothing, denser air & a natural cautious attitude to to wet & leaf strewn roads, conversely I found my speed rose 1-2 mph in the Poitou-Charente region of France due to warm temperatures & I think the roads were less draggy & less hilly then West Yorkshire

 

[rogerzilla]

It's day length. You're an animal and you don't develop as much power in winter, even if you try to ride just as much. There is one sure-fire way to avoid the drop-off...winter in the southern hemisphere.

 

[cyberknight]

its dark so you cant se the apex and holes so easy , my commute speeds tumble this time of year but im getting older too

 

[RoadRider400]

I have to slow down in the winter. Plenty of layers means in generally rather toasty at the end of the commute, and of course all the old dears at work insist in having the radiators turned up. Wish they would bloomin well retire.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

Some very interesting remarks and guess all true one way or another. I have been keeping records of my rides for many years and the last 18 months including weather conditions as well. Cold does have an effect on performance no doubt, bit by bit (marginal losses) and so does wind speed, perhaps to a lesser extent. Although it is great to have a tail wind if it is a fairly windy day, you soon loose any advantages once you hit the head wind. Head out, tail home always a good one and hope the average is good, not always and worse when it is cold out. I tend not to look at my average speed whilst out, only when I get back. I felt I had a good ride this morning, the effort went in, had a smile on my face, it was`nt particularly cold or windy 11mph wind 11 degrees temp, yet my average was down, not by much but down nevertheless. It is getting out that is important and staying safe.

 

[johnnyb47]

I really think the darkness and cold nights really slow me down. Today i did a 30 mile ride. The weather was warmer than of the last few evening rides. +8 degrees compared to +1 rides
My average today jumped to 17.6 compared to the 16 mph i was doing in the cold weather