Tandem Cycling - Average Speed for Rec Riders

This past weekend we rode 67 miles with an average speed of 16 mph; some others in the group told us they rode an average speed of 20+ mph for the 67 miles and said it wasn't even a workout. They laughed at us after the ride and told us not to feel bad! Trust me, this was still a workout for us. This was not a race; but an organized, recreation ride in Grafton, WI. We left a real sour taste in my mouth with regards to the members of this group and wondering what other think of this. My husband and I are in our mid 40's and are in above average condition. This same group also were bragging to us that on one of their rides in Colorado, they went 60 mph on their tandem.

Too many variables in my opinion to consider, etc.

I think an average speed of 16mph on a 67 mile ride on a single or tandem is respectable ... all else being equal. However, how often is all else "equal"?

So far, I've averaged everything from 15 to 18.5 on my new Cannondale Tandem. The 18.5mph average was pretty easy compared to one of the 16.8mph averages ... due to the route and terrain on the route. In addition, the 18.5 was our 6th ride together ... and the 16.8 was our first.

I wouldn't worry one IODA about what the others cyclists were saying, etc. at that event. Just ride and have fun. Over time, especially if you and/or your stoker are new to cycling and/or riding a tandem, your overall amount of effort will reduce and your results will improve.

That is my experience. Have fun!

Anyone who laughs at your average speed is a complete a$$hole and doesn't deserve your time.

Remember that there is a huge spectrum of cycling abilities out there, and to many, just completing a 67 mile ride is a herculean task. I personally think a 16 mph average is respectable for any ride, any type of bike.

Congratulations, it sounds like you have successfully identified a group that is well worth avoiding. Now move on to the next one. ;)

We agree, 67 miles @ 16mph, sounds very good!! Congratulations to you two. We can't believe that the whole gruop of ridders would make that kind of comments. If so, certainly a group to avoid.

If they reached 60 mph two conditions would be necesary: a steep downhill grade and a complete disregard for personal safety. The fastest I feel safe is 45 mph. My wife/stoker does not want me to go any faster than 40 mph, 35 mph if sharp turns are involved. If we go over 40 mph is only briefly and beacuse y choose to pay attention to the road and not the computer.

Colorado? that means some steep hills to me, and any one can go fast downhill, even us. Our best is 53.8 down Butser hill on the South Downs way. It could have been faster, but we had to check our speed to see if the gate was open on the offroad trail through the undulating grass halfway down. Yes it was offroad, and only lasted 1/2 mile. (That is fast, but We were trying to prove a point to a bunch of solos that were taking the mickey out of us)

Many things to consider as to why you were slow. Perhaps you were enjoying the ride, and taking in the scenery, Perhaps your bike is not set up to race against the 30 year old, 150lb whippets, and perhaps you did not push yourseves hard enough to finish the ride in a sweaty worn out condition. Only thing to consider is Did you enjoy the ride? Providing you did, why worry?

Thank you for your support! You're all the quality of people I wish we could ride with.

Golly! What are you trying to accomplish? Personally, I'm just in it for fun.

If they really rode the 67 miles @ 20 mph, they rode for about 3 hours and 20 minutes. At 16 MPH you would have taken 4 hours and 10 minutes. That means, for the same entry fee, you got 30 more minutes of fun than they did. Unless, of course, they weren't having any fun.

Can you think of any other recreational activities in which the objective is to get the fun over with as quickly as possible?

Warning: I'm in a "mood" tonight.

OK, let me play Devil's advocate.... Why do you care? How did the subject of comparing average speeds even come up, never mind top speeds in Colorado? Were these other teams otherwise your peers or were they cut from a different cloth, either in age, fitness, or temperment? If they weren't your peers or someone you already knew why would you expect to "fit right in" on your first encounter?

Anyway, never forget that tandem teams are cyclists and there are three different types of cyclists: faster, slower, and everyone else in between. Moreover, from time to time and with a few exceptions most cyclists and tandem teams will eventually fall into each category depending on when, where, and whom they're riding. If you ride enough, it's fair to say that most fast riders know who they are, as do most slow riders, and your average recreational rider will usually come to realize they are "in-betweeners". In-betweeners include teams who aspire to be faster and who often get frustrated when they can't "keep up with" whoever it is they can't keep up with. Other "in-betweeners" often times have the ability to keep up but, instead, choose to ride with friends who are terminal "in-betweeners" who ride at a more leisurely pace or who just can't otherwise hang with the faster riders on that particular day or terrain. Also included in the in-betweener class are the energizer bunnies who can keep going, and going, and going at a controlled pace... well up to and over 100 miles at a pop, particularly for randonneurs. Frankly, they are hardly marginal or average riders but if average speed is the yardstick... oh well. In-betweeners also include the folks who are riding as hard as they can because that's the way they ride and they really don't care who passes them because they're riding their ride, as do the folks who always stop to smell the roses, to enjoy a cup of coffee, or to have a destination integrated into their ride plans: perhaps a nice breakfast at a neat little town just a few miles from home.

The bottom line is: Ride your own ride to achieve your goals and don't fall victim to using people who have vastly different goals (or capacity) as your benchmark unless you aspire to achieve their goals.

Our goals:

1. Spend time together... check; the tandem does that for us.
2. Have fun... check; we usually have fun (excluding run-ins with morons)
3. Stay fit... check; the tandem & cycling do that for us.
4. Get outside more often... check; we don't ride inside.
5. Meet new friends... check; we have found folks with whom we can ride and have been doing so for going on 8 years now.
6. Ride hard.... check; but we still get dropped.
7. Travel... check; if it wasn't for the tandem we might never take vacations.
8. Do things that we enjoy... check. I've always loved cycling and the tandem has allowed Debbie to rekindle her love of cycling after some 27 years of being off the bike.
9. Have fun... it's that important.
10. Stay married and in love forever... check; the tandem has really helped to cement our relationship.

Average speeds? It depends. We've finished flat centuries in our prime in 4 1/2 hours... once! We can knock out most hilly to moutainous rides at speeds that vary from an average of 14 mph to 19 mph, dependent on how we feel and who we're riding or chasing. Top speeds? 63 mph coming off a very short & steep descent in the Talladega National Forest, with several other high 50 mph plummets to our credit, noting that the high 40's and low-50's is the norm for many mountain descents in North Georgia and Western North Carolina. Note: Going blazingly fast downhill on a tandem when big money, fame, or glory aren't at stake takes four things: 1. a steep hill, 2. a willing stoker, 3. a captain who can tuck, and 4. less common sense that it takes to get out of the rain.... Crashing at 50+ mph on a bicycle is ugly and doing it on a tandem is twice as ugly: I'm an idiot for bombing the hills but at least I recognize it. What I can't figure out is why Debbie lets me do it...

What does all this mean? Absolutely nothing. They're just numbers and, frankly, we could be fibbing too, which reinforces the notion that it really doesn't matter. I would also note that there are some REALLY fast tandem teams in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois who smoke just about everyone except for the really elite, hardcore riders. For these folks -- whose looks can even be deceiving -- 20 mph over 60 miles on a rolling route would be a "spirited ride" if they all got together and rode as a pack. Again, not sure how y'all ending up comparing average speeds but I wouldn't let it bother you.

My average speed is never any good. But I do manage to make it where I want to go and still walk when I get there. This is the goal is it not, being able to enjoy the destination as much as the ride and not slip into a coma at the end. Or is it?

I'm impressed with your avarage speed. In order for me to go that fast for any extended period, I'd need a third person on my tandem (preferably very light weight) to sit behind my wife whipping her like a chariot rider.

Not that it matters but there are several factors that contribute to recorded average speed, some of which are:

1. The way your computer counts stops.
2. Riding "solo" or in a pack
3. How the pack is working together
4. Terrain
5. Wind
6. Mood
7. Health
8. Sleep
9. Elevation

You get the idea. It's all very subjective.

I usually figure 15mph for water planning. That way I know how many bottles to bring and where to fill them. A nice round number that's easy to work with and close enough for water planning.

It's more fun to beat someone in a sprint, or pull them when they're dying than talk about average speeds.

Oh well, let's chime in!
Currently in our 70s, we average 12 to 13 mph. No, we no longer do centuries; Have over a hundred of those under the belt on tandems; including a 3-day back-to-back -to-back centuries (well the last one was 125 miles) with 22,000 ft. of climbing and finishing at 104 degrees.
Yes, covered 43 miles of rather hilly terrain in 2 hours even; have
done 53 mph on a downhill, have also climbed at 4 mph on same hill!
Kay won the trophy as the 'oldest woman' riding on a metric century . . . but she was the first woman to finish (but it did not count as she was on a tandem . . . she didn't pedal??) and we were the first andem to finish, but . . . you guessed it, there was no such category! Dids we have a great time? Absolutely!
So who cares, but you, what speed you average?
We tend to put conditions by others, on ourselves, that are not necessary.
Go out and have a great ride . . . enjoy!

Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

You described it yourself: this was still a recreational ride. If these folks are so good, ask to see their palmares (cyclists' speak for medals, trophies and stuff). 60mph going down Alp d'Huez says nothing about power, and may only illustrate their brakes were'nt working well. Cycling is full of local yokels who run their mouthes in the small pond but never get it together to get out into the deep water. You're doing fine so long as your workout is a workout.

Some food for thought: There are always two sides to a story and perceptions are always just that: perceptions.

While I'm sure franl and her captain's experience is being accurately described, it only speaks to one side of the story and leaves out a lot of details which is not unusual. However, given the extent of the missing information I'd be hard pressed to "dis" the other riders outright, would extend the benefit of doubt to them, and remain neutral at best. Yeah, they may have been full of themselves, but then again we hardly have all the facts...

As stated, your average speed only matters if going fast is your goal. And your average speed in comparison to anyone else's only matters if its a race. That being said, I'm not sure your friend's average speed was necessarily that much faster than yours. If others in the group were actually 4mph faster than you over 67 miles, they likely would be long gone from the parking lot before you got back to talk to them.

Average speed means different things to different people. It can be calculated over the total elapsed time (including rest stops, stop lights) It can be only riding time. (our computer only is running when the bike's moving). This makes a big difference in average speed. And some people say there average speed is 20 mph if they were riding 20mph most of the ride. Of course if you ride 20 mph 75% of the ride, and slower for 25% you aren't really averaging 20mph. And then some people just plain exaggerate. It may well be that you're not as much slower than the others as you think.
One other point, were they working in a paceline. 20mph with a group is a lot easier than 20 mph by yourselves. In fact if you can average 16 mph by yourselves, that's not that far off from 20mph in a good sized group.

I'm feeling like a wimp after reading this. We usually average 14-something mph, unless it's really hilly...then it's even less. OTOH, my wife is usually sitting up on the back, riding no hands, snapping away with her digital camera. She'll usually take more than 100 pics on a day's ride :-)

So, 14 mph with a "human drag brake" engaged and putting extra effort into balancing equals what speed with a rider hanging onto the bars all the time?

dude, it's how you want to ride. Be happy.

This is funny....

People are competitive by nature (maybe more so the males than females??? - whack me for being sexist). I am competitive. I have to work on reigning in my instincts when on the tandem because I will beat myself and my stoker to a pulp if I'm not careful. Personally, I think its fun to beat myself to a pulp. But, my stoker does not always appreciate it, so a compromise is in order. For instance – we traveled down south for the Georgia Tandem Rally. Friday and Saturday we mixed in with the ‘A’ teams. Saturday we infiltrated an eight-team front group that was pacelining hard and fast. The terrain was almost dead flat and we had to slow down for the last couple mile to keep from getting to the lunch stop before lunch! We covered the 40 miles before lunch in less than 2 hours. But… Nancy and I were so beat up, we could barely get off the bike! After lunch we took the shortest way home – 18 miles at about 11 MPH with several rest stops for food, water and Elvis. Me? I had fun. Nancy had fun too but she maybe would have had more fun if we had backed it off about 5 MPH.

So your 'friends' diss'd your 16 MPH average? Maybe you were bragging and then they had to counter-brag? There are so many variables to average speed that the number is meaningless. I don’t even have a computer on the tandem so I have to guess.

I like to go fast, but I have to remember its all relative and I get plenty of speed workouts on my single.

Hi,

On charity rides we usually average 17-20 depending on wind and hills. I am 42 and full on race trash, (train and race masters). My wife is a little older and does not race, just rides for fitness. We usually ride with the group at the start and then bail off the back and reform our own group making lots of friends who like to draft us at a slightly slower pace than the lead group. Charity rides have a lot of people that don't race, but think they are in a race, so be careful at the start.

Group rides and tandem rally's can be more fun with less ego. If there are to many jerko, ego people in your group find a new group or ride solo.

67 miles on a tandem is a hard ride. You can work on your speed if you desire.

Anyone that says 67 miles was not a workout is probably a liar.

As far as fast descents, I try to keep it in the low 40's also. We have done low 50's, but had a rear blow out once in Colorado when the rim brake got the rim to hot. We did not crash, but came real, real close. It was enough to buy a disc brake and realize both people are on the bike, both incomes, and both of us would be busted up.

Rob

Our first long tandem ride together was 45 miles. We averaged 15 miles per hour for 3 hours.

I agree...67 miles is a hard ride, no matter what you are riding (except maybe a motorcycle!). Think about starting friendships with other riders...ones that are a bit more supportive!

Time to find a new group! This one has too many a@@4oles. Either that, or commit yourself to the required training to ride @ 20MPH for 67 miles....naw...as the others have said, it's about fun and togetherness. FWIW, my wife and I have yet to do more than 40 mi in a single ride - you're way ahead of us!

my wife and i bought the tandem so we could have some fun together, and get a little excersise at the same time. we tried lots of different tandems and ended up getting a da vinci so we can peddle independent of one another. its been a blast so far. we average around 14 to 15 mph on the flats, and i have been able to keep her on the bike for as long as 2 hours at a time, which is much longer than i thought she would last. we take breaks often and just try to enjoy the whole thing. the bike is very comfortable for both of us. and i still get as much of a workout as i need because i can just up my workload whenever i feel like it. i think the important thing to remember is that it should be enjoyable for both riders.
bob

I'm glad that we didnt go to that ride, they would have laughed at us so bad they would have wet their pants. My wife and I are recreational riders. I thought we were doing good at 15 to 16 mph. I guess we will ride by ourselves then we can laugh at each other. Hope to see you two out there. You are close to us.

Our average speeds on 30-50 mile rides here in North Texas (not too hilly!) are 13-14 MPH. If the cycle computer did not count the 10 seconds before and after a stop I'll bet it would be a bit higher.

This past weekend we rode 67 miles with an average speed of 16 mph; some others in the group told us they rode an average speed of 20+ mph for the 67 miles and said it wasn't even a workout. They laughed at us after the ride and told us not to feel bad! Trust me, this was still a workout for us. This was not a race; but an organized, recreation ride in Grafton, WI. We left a real sour taste in my mouth with regards to the members of this group and wondering what other think of this. My husband and I are in our mid 40's and are in above average condition. This same group also were bragging to us that on one of their rides in Colorado, they went 60 mph on their tandem.


Were you racing or just enjoying your selves? Odds are it sounds like you two were out to enjoy the time together. So what if someone laughs at you, 16 is pretty good.

Keep up the good work

This discussion reminds me of why my wife & I ride with each other instead of groups!

When Mollie and I finish riding anywhere from 20-70 miles and we're done talking about what a great time we have riding together, we look at the computer and it'll usually say 14-20 depending on the hilliness, wind, etc..

I've definitely found that tandem society has fewer Freds, but they're still out there. It's all about having fun. If rides were races, don't you think they'd be called "races?"

DrPete

This discussion reminds me of why my wife & I ride with each other instead of groups!

We see it completely different...

On 10/15/05 we did our first double century: The Bass Lake- Power House double Century in Central California.

Ridding from Clovis to Pine Flat in the dark was a new and breathtaking experience. The adrenaline was so high that we could not believe that we had reached the RS-1 and that one hour and a half had already passed. After that, my stoker was surprised when the stars reflected on Pine Flat… she was still wondering when the dreaded climb in which we broke our handle bars a couple of months back was coming. We were in a pack of several riders and when we pulled in the front we could see a dance of lights, legs and bodies. It was awesome!

We cruised for most of the first 130 miles. We took it very easy on the climbs and did not make any extra effort on the TT section…. had we known that a couple of fine tires were up for grabs for the tandems….

At the Rest Station in Mariposa the wonderful volunteers there told us that from there to the finish line was almost all down hill… bless their heart…. After the 10th or so climb on Ben Hur Road on which we had to use the grany our spirit and adrenaline level sink pretty low. Somehow we managed to reach Raymond at mile 150. Soon after we left Raymond my stoker called: rider back! I turned my head and saw a guy about 100 feet behind. A few seconds later I turned again and he had almost reached us. I thought: Great! We are really choking now! And we had decided against picking up our lights in Mariposa and instead sent them to the finish… because we were doing so well!

As it happened, this guy did not pass us and just sited at our wheel. We did not realized it right away but this guy saved us. We stopped focusing on our pain and felt somehow responsible for this fellow. This shift of our attention from ourselves toward someone else, brought renewed life to our legs and lifted our spirits. The last 50 miles were probably the easiest except that we catch a little bit of rain and crosswinds.

We reached the finish by 6:30 pm with good day light. 200 miles, 15,000 feet, 14.5 hours total (13.5 ridding time). As we went into the parking lot to check in, our savior thanked us. We thanked him…. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we love to ride in groups!!

I agree that there are upsides to group rides, but come on--you NEVER laugh at someone's pace, no matter how slow. It sounds like the group in question has issues. In my 2 months of experience as a captain, I've found that Tandeming is all about sharing cycling with riders of all ability levels, and anyone who laughs at another team's pace has clearly missed that point.

I've also found that there are folks out there who either don't know how to properly calibrate a computer or just don't bother, and you can totally buy yourself a few mph if you're off on your wheel size...

Or, common things being common, maybe they're just asses.

We cruised for most of the first 130 miles. We took it very easy on the climbs and did not make any extra effort on the TT section…. had we known that a couple of fine tires were up for grabs for the tandems….

We appreciate your taking it easy! Those tires were a nice surprise. Just what my stoker needed for her single bike ...

I guess that must have been you we caught up to in the last couple of miles?

You are right that Bass Lake Double was a great ride. 25 miles of flat on each end and 150 miles of UNRELENTING climbing and descending in the middle. Ouch!!

My stoker was fine, but I was pretty much out of commission for the first couple of hours after we finished. Of the "hard" doubles I've done this year I thought it was tougher than Mt. Tam, but easier than Terrible Two (although the climbing at Bass Lake was much more continuous). We also appreciated the company of a variety of friendly single riders during the ride. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and, in the end, that's what really counts.

This past weekend we rode 67 miles with an average speed of 16 mph; some others in the group told us they rode an average speed of 20+ mph for the 67 miles and said it wasn't even a workout. They laughed at us after the ride and told us not to feel bad! Trust me, this was still a workout for us.


IMHO laughing at you is repugnant.

Here is some hard information from devoted Tandem bikers. We bike Wisconsin limestone trails with 559 x 47 tires because we often have soft trails after rain.
We do 25 miles in 90 minutes. A little faster with wind, a little slower against wind. This is exercise for us, not recreational biking. Nobody ever passes us. Road Racers do not like limestone paths!
We have biked in Minnesota on paved trails. Same tires! 20 MPH can be done but is hard work.
We do get sometimes passed on those trails. That is with top level Road Bikes and bikers in very good shape.
60 MPH would be considered unsafe by us. We had our bad accident, we do not need another one.
60 MPH would be fatal. We had a front wheel axle failure about one month ago and a slow speed Tandem flipover 18 months ago. (Rut in trail!)
BTW I also do solo biking with a fast Road Bike. I do 20++ MPH on a varying circular park road with moderate hills. Some bikers pass me. No Tandem ever passed me and they are there. (just as a comparison)

I guess that must have been you we caught up to in the last couple of miles?

We think it was. We ride the silver blue Santana. How do you like your Rolf wheels? Have you had them for very long? You guys looked awesome when you stand together after every traffic light.

Thanks for the compliment. We picked up the habit of standing after stops and when coming out of corners from the very fast and experienced tandem team of Mike Moseley and Emmy Klassen, when we were following them at the Solvang Double. We had to start doing that just to keep up with them!

We got the bike in February and the Rolf wheels came as part of the package. If you check my thread "Got Rolf Wheels? Check your spokes" on this forum you will see how things have been going with the wheels. To make a long story short, the rear wheel came with the spokes laced incorrectly and we've now had a couple of spokes break on that wheel. Other than that, we like the way they ride and we certainly like the light weight.

Congratulations on completing your first double century. You picked a hard one to start with, but pulled it off in style. Maybe we'll be seeing you at more doubles next year?? You're certainly capable of riding a good time at any of them, although don't let your stoker talk to mine (since you say she has some descending "issues") if you are thinking of doing the Terrible Two!!

We made the mistake of test riding part of the TT course and my stoker flatly refused to return for the event due to suffering a panic attack during one of the many incredibly steep and technical descents on horrendously bad pavement. I ended up having to do that ride on my single - which wasn't nearly as fun.

Sorry we didn't have a chance to talk and compare notes more at the finish Saturday, but, as I say, I was kind of lost in a world of my own at that point ....

WOW.. lets see. Me capt. and male ....... I enjoy going out with the group to push the pace and out with the hammers to see how long we can last. and my wife enjoys the meandering tours we take around our town (senoia) and other small towns in Georgia.

our avg speed on a group 16 or 17 for 40.... as far as our meandering trips 12 to 13 for 40.... why .. I ... cant set a pace and it just flops around as we go up and down a hills. We ride for fitness and the social aspect makes the fitness part much more barable.

we alternate .. saturdays typicaly a group ride and sundays we meander.

We had a similar experience early on and what I realized is that people don't like to hear others talk about their avg. speeds. So I've gotten to where I only mention it if I'm specifically asked in the course of a friendly conversation. It's a little like asking someone what their income is or how much they paid for their new car. It brings out the braggart in some and the liar in others and in general makes for a less pleasant conversation than many other post-ride topics.

Having said that... :-)

My wife and I completed 7 consecutive centuries last summer on a cross state ride averaging between 16.8 to just over 20 mph depending on the wind and hills. We later did a 19 day tour to the East coast where we averaged from 10 - 14 mph fully loaded, mostly into the wind. The day we rode 10mph fully loaded in the Appalachians, was much more difficult than the 20mph century we did earlier.

Top speed has been 49 mph, over 40 mph on most rides, but I disagree with the earlier posts about the dangers of high speed descents "especially on a tandem". We have had a blowout at over 40mph and the bike was totally stable. In fact a tandem just seems a lot more stable than a single bike in almost any situation. We've only crashed once in over 9000 miles and that was at 0 mph. Yep, that's a zero. We had thrown the chain and slowed to a stop on the shoulder and for some reason my wife leaned right to check the chain as I was leaning left to dismount and she won...we went down hard to the right.

My wife and I completed 7 consecutive centuries last summer on a cross state ride averaging between 16.8 to just over 20 mph depending on the wind and hills.

There are also different senses of "average". For example... were these while-pedaling averages? Or are these numbers derived from the elapsed real-world ride start & ride end times divided into the total distance coverered?

.

We later did a 19 day tour to the East coast where we averaged from 10 - 14 mph fully loaded, mostly into the wind.

Sometimes I see folks quote averages as ranges, as here. Now, I think you probably mean daily averages, but I'm not sure unless you confirm with us. :) When I see an average expressed as a range for a single ride, I have no idea what that means, and figure that the true averages (while-pedaling and real-clock averages) were all below the low end of the range shown. ;)

We recently did our first century. Another cyclist I know casually at work asked how we did... instead of rattling off a list of the various averages and ride times etc., I decided on the spot that the best way to express something simple and meaningful was to say "we arrived back at the start eight hours and nine minutes after we started."

Of course, after that conversation, I'd wished I'd said "but it was one-hundred and SIX AND A HALF miles!!!" :p

Best of all, though, we were ridiculously proud of our ride, since neither of us had ridden over 60 miles in a day before, and we'd only ridden well under 300 miles together as a team. Woo-hoo!
:beer:

-Greg

Top speed has been 49 mph, over 40 mph on most rides, but I disagree with the earlier posts about the dangers of high speed descents "especially on a tandem". We have had a blowout at over 40mph and the bike was totally stable. In fact a tandem just seems a lot more stable than a single bike in almost any situation.

Our experience is oposite to yours..... a blowout at over 40 mph? Was the rim drestroyed?

Our experience is oposite to yours..... a blowout at over 40 mph? Was the rim drestroyed?

No the rim was fine. We were riding on the shoulder of a busy 4-lane highway going down a long, straight hill when the rear tire blew. We were fully loaded-touring so bike plus gear plus riders weighed approx. 400 pounds. I didn't touch the rear brake, but gently applied the front brake and we coasted to a stop. Had no control issues at all.

There are also different senses of "average". For example... were these while-pedaling averages? Or are these numbers derived from the elapsed real-world ride start & ride end times divided into the total distance coverered?

All the figures are "while pedaling" averages as calculated by our Cat-Eye computer. While touring self-supported, our real-world time was fairly consistently around 10 miles per hour, but on supported rides I wouldn't have a clue since we would stop at SAGs and visit for awhile, or take an extended lunch complete with a museum stop and it'd be silly to include that time in any kind of speed average.

Don't feel rough about being laughed at for a 25 kmh average for a 100 km ride. The regulation Audax UK limits are 10 to 20 kmh for a 100. You were TOO FAST and would have been disqualified from the medalion.
Averages for AUK rides are 6.25 - 12.5 for 65 miles and 9 - 18 for a 125 miler.