Your average speed?

[yashicamat]

I am curious about this after being told that the local cycling club members apparently average well over 20mph on a ride (and this area is fairly hilly too). On a reasonably level ride (eg., the 21 mile circular I did the other day which had about 900ft of climb on it) I average about 16mph on my SS - if I really work hard I can get this up to about 18mph. This still seems to fall way short of what I've heard about averages . . . .

Is this me being unfit? Hence the poll - say over a typical 20-40mile ride. Cheers.

 

[AlanW]

All depends on what time of year you are enquiring about really?

Winter months is all about doing long steady miles, so 16 to 17 mph is a good yard stick.

However, when the sun is shining this should be in excess of 20+ mph

 

[lukesdad]

It depends on who is riding on the "club ride" is it a weekend social or is it the race team out training.

 

[Baggy]

I am curious about this after being told that the local cycling club members apparently average well over 20mph on a ride (and this area is fairly hilly too).
Is this me being unfit? Hence the poll - say over a typical 20-40mile ride. Cheers.

On a club run riders will find it easier to average that kind of speed because they're riding in a group and can benefit from drafting etc.

My average is way below yours, but my speed varies according to which bike I'm riding, how lumpy my route is and what kind of mood I'm in.

 

[bonj2]

I am curious about this after being told that the local cycling club members apparently average well over 20mph on a ride (and this area is fairly hilly too). On a reasonably level ride (eg., the 21 mile circular I did the other day which had about 900ft of climb on it) I average about 16mph on my SS - if I really work hard I can get this up to about 18mph. This still seems to fall way short of what I've heard about averages . . . .

Is this me being unfit? Hence the poll - say over a typical 20-40mile ride. Cheers.

You can average over 20mph, but over a loop (i.e. starting and finishing in the same place) of reasonable distance (say > 20miles), it's pretty hard, for mere mortals. 18mph is good.
A lot of people do talk quite a lot of billy bullshit about their averages - the most common of which being the claim people make to average such and such a speed, when what they actually mean is that that was their average *over a certain section*.

As a general rule, most club runs average 16-18mph, a chaingang will probably average between 22-25mph, but they are tailing each other closely and swapping the leader constantly, and they don't keep up that speed for long - even so they are quite hard to keep up with. I'm going to have a go this year when I've been on a few more club runs - it's good for the experience even if you get dropped. Apparently what happens some of the time is that they will go all out to a certain point where they will ease off to let the people that have been dropped catch up.

If your local club says their *normal club run* averages 'well over 20' then IF it's true, which it might be, then that's abnormally fast. There's no shame in asking them if there's a slower club run that they do that you could go on, or a different club - because most people couldn't keep up with that. It might be worth asking them if they mean their chain gang does that sort of average, and their normal club run is slower - because that would sound more likely to me.

 

[GrasB]

A rule of thumb is that you can get close to your typical still-air flat speed for an average in a group ride with riders of the same fitness level, especially if you're one of the weaker riders. A group ride speed really depends on the riders, what they're out to do, how well organised as a group they are & the pace the weakest rider can sustain in a group of riders if the group doesn't drop riders.

Oh these are the sunday run expectations for my local club, I duno how rigidly they stick to those speeds though as I don't ride with them but it gives you an idea.

 

[Ian H]

I could tell you what my time-trial speeds are (once I've worked them out - though I seem to be capable of 17+mph for 24hrs), and I can tell you how long it took me to finish a typical 2/3/4/600k audax. But I don't use a computer for ordinary stuff, so who knows. I know I'm slower on my own (generally) than with a group.

 

[gaz]

My average is between 15-17mph. but then all my riding is done in and around london!

 

[Sam Kennedy]

15mph since that's what the club does, I'm not sure what I would average on my own.

 

[MacB]

Oh these are the sunday run expectations for my local club, I duno how rigidly they stick to those speeds though as I don't ride with them but it gives you an idea.

That's a good summary of expectations in the link there, I'd be fit for the bottom two, Touring Clubrun and Intermediate Clubrun. I'd hope that I'd be up to the level of the Sporting Clubrun by the end of 2010. Where I wouldn't be ready for either the Sporting or Race training runs would be experience of group riding. So personally I would do my harder rides on my own and the social style only in groups. In my first couple of social rides I found the general proximity of other riders unnerving. While I'm fine with that sort of thing now I have no desire to learn to ride fast paced and closeup. It's a trust and 'bottle' thing, neither of which I see a need to overcome

 

[yashicamat]

That's interesting feedback everyone. It's also interesting to note the spread of results on the poll too. My routes are always circular (or have been up until now anyway) so any climbs / headwinds have to be contended with at some point.

I think the local "club runs" are chaingangs actually, now I hear the word that rings a bell.

As has been mentioned, the bike type makes a difference too. I find my singlespeed a lot quicker than my touring bike (partially because it's lighter than the tourer, but also because I think riding in one gear can be more efficient as I have timed myself as being quicker on a local loop on the touring bike in the same gear all the way around than I have when I've used the gears!).

I'll probably enquire at the cycle club about their club runs etc. sometime in the spring. I have my finals for my part time degree in the spring so it'll be a bit hectic until after that!

 

[arallsopp]

17mph average. Drops to 14.5 over a 17 mile commute, but that includes time spent standing at lights. Take away the other traffic and it raises to about 20. Take away the sleep, and it drops to 8.

 

[Garz]

Flat courses can get above 18, hilly it drops to 16 or below depending on the mileage tackled. Not the best statistic for comparison sake unless you ride the same course or other people take the same route.

 

[lukesdad]

Average speed is not agood statistic at the best of times.

 

[dudi]

usually between 18 and 20mph on a leisure ride.
usually ends up about 16 to 17 on my commute.

of course it depends so much on traffic lights, road works, junctions and traffic etc that it's all rubbish really.