Road Cycling - Average MPH

Just curious on people's average MPH and RPM for 30 miles.

I'm doing about 17.5 - 18 mph average with a candence of 95-100 rpm.

What is everybody doing for 30 miles on this forum doing? This is not a macho thing, I just want to get a cross-section of the riders here.

hehe..I did 21 MPH for 89 miles just this past saturday, and that included 2 stops, and several putzing along waiting for people sessions, and a crash. I'm sure a good sized paceline on flatland had absolutely nothing do to with. :D

Man, I can't even imagine going that fast for 10 miles, let alone 89 miles. Awsome!

January - 14-16 mph for 30 - 50 miles
March - 15-17 mph for 40 -50 miles
May - 16-18 mph for 50-60 miles
June - 17-20 mph for anything up to a century depending on terrain and fellow cyclist.

which 30 miles?

a typical group ride of 80-100 km will have about a 30 - 35 km/h average. an easy group ride of the same distance will be around 25 - 30 km/h. on a 120+ km ride yesterday, our average was about 25 km/h... but you have to remember that a whole lot of rides of any significant length start slowly and end slowly. on a 100 km ride, there will be 10 km of warm-up at the start, and 10 km of doodling at the end. if there are sprints and attacks, the overaall average will go down dramatically, as people crank up to 50 km for an attack and force the group to charge, catch and recover.

there was a significant portion of yesterday's ride, about the distance from just outside greenfield park down to st-jean-sur-richelieu [34 km] that took a bit less than an hour and averaged about 36 km/h. there were only three of us, though, and i'm pretty sure we could have done it a lot faster if we'd had a few more people and a smooth rotation.

in other words, it all depends. if you're regularly doing substantial rides at 30 km/h, then you're doing okay.

17-20, depending on all the variables. one ride i do is closer to 15, because it's up hill the whole way. group rides, probably 20 or so.

Between 17 and 19 mile and hour depending on wind.

Typically 17.5 - 18.5 for my regular 40 mi. ride over rolling terrain without a group. I usually keep my cadence at around 95-100 rpm. If my ride takes in serious climbs then my avg. speed will drop as most the the descents are rather twisty and can't be taken at full speed. Last Sunday's ride was basically uphill for 15 mi., downhill 15, uphill 15, and downhill 15., chilly with a mixture of light rain and fog. My average speed was only 14.6 mph.

21 mph, 62miles. first road ride with alot of people. last ride before the bike was lost in a tragic rack accident going 75mph:(

Posting average speeds can be deceiving. I do not claim averages from group rides when I am trying to describe my capabilities to others. If I had pulled the group the entire ride then maybe.

This is where I really admire triatheletes. They ride alone most of the time. If they tell you they average 22 mph it most likely was not due to a group pulling them along for 75% of the ride.

Typically I consider myself in the condition I like to be in when I can do my 20 mile time trial loop (which is slightly hilly) in under 57:00 minutes. Until I bust 57 I am out of shape. This works out to a little better than 21MPH average.

Originally posted by SamDaBikinMan


This is where I really admire triatheletes. They ride alone most of the time. If they tell you they average 22 mph it most likely was not due to a group pulling them along for 75% of the ride.



Don't most tri-geek events allow drafting now? I thought that there was a major rule change on that a few years back. It seems that I remember a bunch of those guys piling up in the Olympics because they were all drafting while riding the aero bars.

Depends on road conditions and terrain. Good roads, mostly flat and light wind...about 15-16 mph. My problem is trying to get those conditions all the time. So normally about 14 mph.

Flatland in a paceline I can do the 18-20. With lots of hills and the occasional paceline I can do 14-16. My goal is to do the 18 mph average in the hills, as well. Means lots of commuting into the Philadelphia area to find some hills. It is a great help that my daughter lives there. Our hills by the coast consist of going over the bridges. Gets pretty repetitious after 50 trips back and forth.

Originally posted by easyrider
Don't most tri-geek events allow drafting now? I thought that there was a major rule change on that a few years back. It seems that I remember a bunch of those guys piling up in the Olympics because they were all drafting while riding the aero bars.


Tri-geek? I don't get it..why?

Originally posted by EagleEye
Just curious on people's average MPH and RPM for 30 miles.

I'm doing about 17.5 - 18 mph average with a candence of 95-100 rpm.

What is everybody doing for 30 miles on this forum doing? This is not a macho thing, I just want to get a cross-section of the riders here.

I have the same caidence but average in the 18 to 19 range when riding solo...but I aspire to do better.:beer:

Originally posted by easyrider
Don't most tri-geek events allow drafting now? I thought that there was a major rule change on that a few years back. It seems that I remember a bunch of those guys piling up in the Olympics because they were all drafting while riding the aero bars.

More and more of tri events are becoming draft legal every year. There are a few thoughts behind this:

1) Draft legal events are more TV friendly. I honestly believe this is why you saw the Olympics run a draft legal event. It is also much funner to watch in person a draft legal event.

2) To stop the head judge from deciding the end result. At last years Ironman, I personally had to bust two riders for drafting. One was caught by another marshal 20 miles down the road, and was not allowed to go on the run.

3) You could also have the bike on a loop course, rather then an out and back course like most current roads. We tied up traffic all day, and had to close 112 miles of road. Draft legal can be run on a smaller circut, say a 10 or 20 mile loop. T1 and T2 could be at the same spot for beter viewing.

If you think about it, drafting is legal in the swim and run, why not on the bike? I think the no-drafting events will soon all but disappear.


Back on topic.... ;)

I usualy ride a 32 mile out and bike ride, with two major hills each way. I avg around 16.8mph solo. Last year I did the ride with one other cyclists, and we finished with a 18.5 avg. I am sure with a real group of cyclists we could up that to 21 - 23mph. My cadence usualy hovers around 93rpm.

Originally posted by easyrider
Don't most tri-geek events allow drafting now? I thought that there was a major rule change on that a few years back. It seems that I remember a bunch of those guys piling up in the Olympics because they were all drafting while riding the aero bars.

I'll have to look into it. one of my training partners back in the mid 90's was a tri and drafting got you docked time or disqualified then.

Quickie - what is drafting and why is it bad?

Belfast, drafting is when you get in line behind another rider and use him to block the wind. It makes the effort to maintain his/her pace much lower.

Consider that once you are over about 15mph the resistance you fight is air. Rolling resistance does not really change just the amount of air you are pushing.

On Monday, my buddy and I cranked out a 30 miler averaging 20.6mph. We rode abreast so no drafting but did get a slight tailwind on one section. I was pretty spent and maxed my HR at 189 in the last mile. We have a standing goal of averaging 20mph for the 30 mile ride. I think that may be the first time this year we've done it.

I don't do a lot of big group rides so I don't draft much. But when I do it's weird to see 135 on my heart rate monitor and 19mph on my speedometer. Gotta love that.

Once in a tri I got yelled at for drafting (luckily I wasn't cited) and I was just trying to pass a guy but I didn't have enough in the tank.

I did 17 miles today and averaged 17.55. About a month ago I was averaging 16.5 on the same trek. I am 43 years old,5'10' and 195. Need to lose about 10 lbs(am having trouble getting the weight down). My goal is to be consistently above 18 by the middle of the summer. One thing I have noticed is that whichever direction I ride,it is always into the wind!

i ride alone and average about 18.75mph... i ride uphill most of the time (75% of the ride)... on the downhill i average 34mph(a bit bumpy at times)..

Originally posted by easyrider
Originally posted by easyrider
Don't most tri-geek events allow drafting now? I thought that there was a major rule change on that a few years back. It seems that I remember a bunch of those guys piling up in the Olympics because they were all drafting while riding the aero bars

i agree with Joe's answer. the reason they made the rule change was to make it more spectator friendly which means more viewers which means more advertising which means more $$$ - ah the whole world revolves around money, duh!

anway, while it may be more viewer-friendly, here's why it sucks:

it makes cycling very UNIMPORTANT and puts emphasis on
a) a swim fast enough to start with the fast riders --- i.e. if you come late out of the water and miss the fast group of drafting riders you are screwed b/c a solo guy cannot catch a group - no way. but on the other hand fast swimmers get screwed too b/c they will be riding solo and caught by the drafting riders (who might even be resting in the paceline)
b) a FAST run because the bike drafting creates big groups so that everyone stay together and makes for a sprint at the finish

of course the fact that everybody stays together and it's a sprint at the finish is why it's more "exciting" for spectators and TV.

most everyone here should know how much EASIER it is to draft. you can ride a good 5-10km/h faster!

i am not a real traithlete, i just did a few, but for most of the athletes it sucks: i am a horrible swimmer and only a decent runner, so the bike is where i have to make time. with the drafting all the other guys can sit on my wheel and i don't gain much --- the draft effect in swimming is less and in running is almost non-existent.

crappy swimmers miss the pack. good swimmers waste energy/effort and get caught on the bike. slow and average cyclists are ok b/c they can draft. fast cyclists end up pulling the others so waste energy/effort and IF they break will usually use so much energy they get caught on the run. slow and average runners cannot with the sprint at the end b/c they cannot make a big enough gap on the bike. so the winners will be: average swimmers and average (or even weak!) cyclists with a great run.

although the drafting disqualification is a pain, the tradtional triathlon is a much better TRUE athletic test. to see this, think about how different the race outcome would be if you switched the event order: without drafting the differences would be light basically just people would be more fresh on the run and less on another, whereas with drafting the WHOLE thing would be different if the bike were first or especially last b/c of having different drafting possibilities.

it sucks that we live in a world run by advertising and money, but so it is :( they also made a bunch of rule changes to volleyball (one of my other big sports although i play less now) in the last 5 years almost all to increase spectator friendliness (against the wishes of most of the athletes). but maybe it will make the sports more popular so in the long run be a good thing?

Joe G. Question: I never heard of drafting while swimming/running. How can you draft at such low speeds? Back to the original question. At age 64 and 195 pounds on a 32 pound road bike, I am doing real good to average 13 mph over 25 miles on a hilly course. Every year, I seem to slow down 1-2%, which means in 20 years I will have to be riding my route on a motor scooter. :D

I tend to ride solo, commuting 8 miles to and from work, plus weekend rides. The last big ride was a shade over 50 miles (one 5 min stop) and the computer claimed 17.5 mph.
On the commute, according to traffic hold ups (or lack of them) I can get close to 20 mph average.

Pretty good for me!

Cheers,

Ed

Question: I never heard of drafting while swimming/running. How can you draft at such low speeds?

as to running: i've never been a competetive runner, but i think the effect is minimal although in an olympic 1500m it might make a difference where the winner can be determined by miliseconds. top runners run about 5 minute miles so that's 12mph (19.2km/h)and i think at less than 20km/h the effect of drafting should be pretty small. (unless there were a strong headwind!)

swimming: yes the speed is less, but the DRAG in water is MUCH MUCH higher, thus the effect can be great. as i said above i am a horrible swimmer (compared to real triathletes) and i just try and survive the swim without being in the bottom 10%, but i think you could save on the order of a few seconds at least in the typical 1.5km triathlon swim. any triathletes know how significant or specifically try and draft during the swim?

but i am pretty sure the top triathletes do draft in the swim... (but it's too dificult to control as in cycling as it would be hard to monitor, plus it's hard for swimmers to keep track of how close they are to someone ahead of them as you can't see in the water like on the bike)

[QUOTEThis is where I really admire triatheletes. They ride alone most of the time. If they tell you they average 22 mph it most likely was not due to a group pulling them along for 75% of the ride.
QUOTE]


Aaah! But they are thriathletes, don't forget. They've got their bikes set-up quite differently. More on that - below. For one thing, all thriatlets are aero-geeks. They've got drag- and watts-numbers running through their veins, I think. Talk to any thriatlete, before you glance at his bike, and ask him how much he averaged in yesterday's race. And he woldn't tell you! It's not that they don't care, it's just they're more preoccupied with how much watts they need to apply on a particular part of the ride course, rather then at what speed they should be going through it. And they're absolutely on it, I mean. I've seen a thriathlet who's had two bike computers tied to his bike's handlebars. well, one measured heart rates, another - watts. And that was it! No speed measuring whatsoever.

Now, what about their riding style? They sit far more forward compared even to the elite road time trialists. But better aerodynamics and UCI regulations are just partially be blamed for it. The reason they need to slide so far forward and put up with crunching their family jewells is for their heart and lungs be positioned similar to what it was on the previous leg of the competition - swimming - be parallel parallel to the floor that is. That way they're able to keep heart rates in zone 3 and still be able to rev at well over 105 rpm on a 55*11 (quite a terrific rate of knots! - you try and replicate that on a road bike - it'd be interesting to see your looks after 3 miles, no offence!) And then, don't forget - they've got a running leg still to come. So their bikes are set up in such a way so that they're still able to breath through the nose at the end of the cycling leg of the competition - and that means keeping your hear rate at an average rate.

And I haven't even mentioned the aero gizmos on their bikes yet! And those do give you a lot of time. The hell of a lot of time, in fact. A pair of good aero wheels gives you the minimum in the neighbourhood of 2'30 minutes at a 25 miles race if you are half serious! A good aero fork and frame fairings might add some extra 30-45 seconds. Low-profiled pedals bring in 1'30 minutes alone! But by far the most time you get from right positioning - 5- 7 minutes - easily - if you sit right.

Now, to the everage speed we, roadies, do. In a yesterday's 25 miles criterium race we averaged 27,32 mph, with first two laps 4,5 miles) going at a whopping 31 mph (there was someone really desperate at the front to break away). Some got dropped along the way. I hanged in there by fingernails, but got dropped in the final sprint though - this was way too much for me.

During the season we train at 22-24 mph. We've got a guy who can go at 27 mph in a strong head-wind and still be talking jokes with you. The guy weighs in at 212 lbs and rides a 37 lbs old steel bike with platform pedals and 1'1/4 tyres. When we get into the wind we just duck behind underneath his awesome back. You won't believe his power!

Den Brewers

- God must have cried when you left heaven.
- Yes, and he held a huge party when you left.

I decided to go riding last night even though it looked like rain was moving in. It has been raining here off and on all week now so I decided to go for it. I had to cut my ride to just 12 miles but I averaged a speed of 18.2mph with alot of storm wind blowing in different directions. This was probably the most fun ride I have had this year and I beat the storm home. It started pouring as soon as I made it to the garage. Boy did I get a workout!

Solo is usually in the 18-22 mph range..depends on stops signs and hills.

Denbrewers, no offense intended - but where are you getting these numbers from? 1 minute, 30 seconds faster on a 25 mile course, just from low profile pedals? I understand that aerodynamics play a large role, especially at top level competitions where the athlete's fitness levels are so similar, but this seems like a lot from such a small difference.

Mike

Thanks for posting, guys. Love reading posts of what people did in previous year(s) compared to what they're doing now, on average. Motivates the hell out of me to ride harder. :thumbup:

Originally posted by meltable
Denbrewers, no offense intended - but where are you getting these numbers from? 1 minute, 30 seconds faster on a 25 mile course, just from low profile pedals? I understand that aerodynamics play a large role, especially at top level competitions where the athlete's fitness levels are so similar, but this seems like a lot from such a small difference.

Mike

The right set of pedals give a rider more time than a vast majority of aero-shaped frames and forks simply because in terms of physics these belong to two different systems, namely, statick and moving objects. During the ride pedalls travel at far higher rate of knots than the bike and the rider - especially on the downstroke. It was was quite hard for me to grasp this concept at first, I remember. That area of the bike, by virtue of sheer speed, create a lot of aero drag - more than the frame, albeit it may appear to have a thinner and somewhat more streamlined profile to a casual observer.

This is why most elite Time Trialists are tought to ride with their kneels scraping the top tube of the frame. In fact, if you look at some of the frames ridden by known time trialists or track pursuers - provided they've been used long enough - you would notice the wax or the paint or stickers ((or whatever there is they put on top of the metal or carbon layers) peeling off the area where their knees have been going over.

Another wourthy of note subtlety about elite riders are the shoe covers they put over their ankles. Granted, they keep one's toes warm. But they also cut aerodynamic resistance in that crucial shoe-to-pedal area - and I repeat - this is the area of the bicycle that might clock up twice as much speed then the bicycle's going speed. And there is also a very strong belief in the cycling community that legs' shaving has something to do with aerodynamics as well. But I personally can't vouch for that. I haven't seen the data. It may well be a make-believe. I dunno.
But this is not the case with the bicycle hardware. Maitre John Cobb - the reigning guru of bicycle aerodynamics - has conducted extensive and thorough tests in this area. He is the second man behind Lance Armstrong's terrific breakthrough in cycling in the late 1990s - no more no less. He taught Lance a thing or two about becoming more aero, there's no doubt about that whatsoever.

But to the point. In aerodynamics looks are deceiving - more than anything. Unless you have the thing tested in a wind tunnel, you can't judge it in terms of whether it would give you aerodynamic advantage or not. That way all design flaws show up mercilessly. And, on the contrary, if the thing is aero indeed, it'd be evident straight off.

There's plenty of tests data out there on the Internet, by the way. A lot of people find it boring though and don't bother reading into the tables filled with drag- and watts- and jaw-numbers and than having to extrapolate them onto the miles to see the net result - we're talking about mathematical equations here, don't forget. One thing for sure, though, Lance didn't belong to that group. He was fanatical about becoming aero (this is where the years he's spent during his triathlon career have shown through!) And he's really tapped into that knowledge, it seems. This is where his rivalls have been loosing out - year in, year out.

But don't take my word for it, guys. Take John Cobb's, take Lance's. They know for sure what they're talking about.

Den Brewers

- What sign were you born under?
- 'No entry'.

Originally posted by SamDaBikinMan
Belfast, drafting is when you get in line behind another rider and use him to block the wind. It makes the effort to maintain his/her pace much lower.

Consider that once you are over about 15mph the resistance you fight is air. Rolling resistance does not really change just the amount of air you are pushing.

Atlanta, the thing you call 'drafting' has got a v-very negative connotation to it:confused: in some parts of Blighty, I believe. In a nutshell, it's what you call 'raspberries', to put it mildly, or else 'farting'. In England 'drafting' is known as 'sleapstreaming'.

I've got a question, though. What's the difference between 'drafting' and 'fish-tailing'?

Den Brewers

- How do you feel?
- I use my fingertips.

Originally posted by trmcgeehan
Joe G. Question: I never heard of drafting while running. How can you draft at such low speeds?

I dont think its about the draft, it's about pace making. The same reason Lance wants Heras in front on the climbs.

Last thrusday I went on a mile run with my house mate. I usualy run a mile in 11 - 12 minutes, i am SLOW! But having him there to set the pace, we finished the mile in under 9 minutes. It's all about pace making :)

denbrewers,

Very cool stuff you post about!! Do you have a web address handy that talks about aerodynamics? I'm searching google right now, but I was wondering if you have a particular site.

I just install a set of Time Impact pedals on my bike, and they feel much more efficient than my old pedals..It could just be the feeling of new equipment.

Originally posted by fubar5
denbrewers,

Very cool stuff you post about!! Do you have a web address handy that talks about aerodynamics? I'm searching google right now, but I was wondering if you have a particular site.

I just install a set of Time Impact pedals on my bike, and they feel much more efficient than my old pedals..It could just be the feeling of new equipment.

Log on to www.slowtwich.com
www.analyticcycling.com
www.bicyclesports.com
for starters. The first has been completely revamped recently, and I've completly lost my way there when I logged onto it the first time. It used to be more user-friendly or something, but I knew where to find what I wanted and when I needed it. Dunno why they did it. But John Cobbs articles on aerodynamics and stuff should still be there somewhere.

And by the way, are you still using the old and trusty Google? I thought Alltheweb.com is all the rage now.

Den Brewers

Gravity is our bitter enemy.
Wind is our staunchiest ally.

Thanks alot!!!

Yup, I still use Google..Never even heard of alltheweb.com.

Google is great for the home / avg user. When I am looking for real technical information, I'll use ATW.

When I ride alone I avg 17-19 depending on the wind and terrain. Group rides avg 20 to 22.

Originally posted by denbrewers
Atlanta, the thing you call 'drafting' has got a v-very negative connotation to it:confused: in some parts of Blighty, I believe. In a nutshell, it's what you call 'raspberries', to put it mildly, or else 'farting'. In England 'drafting' is known as 'sleapstreaming'.

I've got a question, though. What's the difference between 'drafting' and 'fish-tailing'?

Den Brewers

- How do you feel?
- I use my fingertips.

Slipstreaming as the English prefer to call it is what I refer to when I say drafting.

I had no intentions of sounding negative about it in general. Drafting is a great way to get a group going fast and staying fresh in a well organized pace line.

My problem with drafting is when a discussion about what can you average comes up it is inevitable someone will spout out a speed they can maintain in a pace line or group but not solo.

Not really a big deal but not very honest to claim the ability do aride at x speed when in fact you are being pulled along in a group.

I do 18-19 MPH on the flats (what little I have). This is at 6,000+ ft elevation. Always wondered what it would be like at sea level....never have rode my road bike below 4,600 ft.

Snowblower

some rides are flat, some have tail or head winds, some have hills, some are solo...some are in a group .... sometimes you are stopped/slowed at stoplights or for traffic. even with all that, i recently did 18.6 mph for 28 miles including all that stuff. i've given up trying to take out all the slowing, etc.

Originally posted by caloso
On Monday, my buddy and I cranked out a 30 miler averaging 20.6mph. We rode abreast so no drafting but did get a slight tailwind on one section. I was pretty spent and maxed my HR at 189 in the last mile. We have a standing goal of averaging 20mph for the 30 mile ride. I think that may be the first time this year we've done it.

I don't do a lot of big group rides so I don't draft much. But when I do it's weird to see 135 on my heart rate monitor and 19mph on my speedometer. Gotta love that.

Caloso RU-U-LEZZZ!

Keep it up, guys.

Originally posted by Joe Gardner
I dont think its about the draft, it's about pace making. The same reason Lance wants Heras in front on the climbs.

Last thrusday I went on a mile run with my house mate. I usualy run a mile in 11 - 12 minutes, i am SLOW! But having him there to set the pace, we finished the mile in under 9 minutes. It's all about pace making :)

drafting gives you a DEFINITE benefit in running, even at low speeds. of course, wind resistance is pretty small at slow speeds but think about the frontal area exposed to the coming air when you're running.... basically you can't put your body in a less aero position than when you're running!!

it is especially important in long distance running, and on windy courses. under the influence of wind, every footfall covers a smaller distance than in the absence of it... or you can think of it as... every same-length stride takes more effort than when there's no wind.

also, consider that the poor aerodynamics of running also means a good amount of low pressure "wake" behind you, which has the effect of pulling whatever is in it forward.

on flat terain no 20mph, rolling hills 16- 18, BIG hills 10-14. I prefer flat so I can go fast. The hills are what makes you strong. I uased to have a small problem with standing up on the pedals. But since in included some real hill climbing, it now is no problem. I read in an older Bicycling interview with Lance, where he said to run on the pedals when you standup. And now I can do that.

Originally posted by kingajo
run on the pedals when you standup.

Hmm...Interesting visualization. I'll have to remember this the next time I go climbing.

Originally posted by denbrewers
Caloso RU-U-LEZZZ!

Keep it up, guys.

You're too kind. :)

This is such a tricky question because there are so many variables. Hills, wind, stop lights, other people, etc. If I were you, I'd look at watts which is a far more accurate way to measure yourself against other people.

This thread is not about measuring or comparing myself to others. I simple was curious on what people were doing for a 30 mile ride and thought that maybe others were curious too. I don't care what terrain it is or if it's a group ride because I'm not comparing. We all have a general number or range to throw out when we're ask what's your average, and that's what I was looking for.

BTW, I enjoy reading post like this (from bikedud):

"January - 14-16 mph for 30 - 50 miles
March - 15-17 mph for 40 -50 miles
May - 16-18 mph for 50-60 miles
June - 17-20 mph for anything up to a century depending on terrain and fellow cyclist."

Originally posted by deliriou5
drafting gives you a DEFINITE benefit in running, even at low speeds. of course, wind resistance is pretty small at slow speeds but think about the frontal area exposed to the coming air when you're running.... basically you can't put your body in a less aero position than when you're running!!

it is especially important in long distance running, and on windy courses. under the influence of wind, every footfall covers a smaller distance than in the absence of it... or you can think of it as... every same-length stride takes more effort than when there's no wind.

also, consider that the poor aerodynamics of running also means a good amount of low pressure "wake" behind you, which has the effect of pulling whatever is in it forward.

But consider having to run in the dirty air of someone in front:D Yuk! I once had my riding partner's spit, whilst seating behind, land smack on my face. Well... did I get my own back :fight: