Fifty Plus (50+) - Could you if you wanted to?

Ride 20 miles in under an hour on flat ground.

I can't........at least not now and maybe never. Last summer I managed to sustain about 18mph for a few miles but that was significantly down wind with a rabbit in front of me to chase. 20 minutes of that and I was ready to die.

I was reading about a race coming up near here and the 50+ crowd is targeted for 40 laps on a 1/2 mile stock car track. Time alloted for the race 1hr. How many here could even contemplate such a thing.

No; however, I think it would be fun to ride the track.

20 mph for an hour- That would ruin me for the rest of the ride- And where am I going to find 20 miles without hills?

No. Best I've done is to maintain 16-17 over 30 minutes. That was on a limestone trail on a Trek hybrid.

20 miles without hills wouldn't be a problem - 20 miles with nothin' but green lights would be the trick.

I can do it. On the track, absolutely no problem if I can manage the boredom.

I could do it, if you give me 30 minutes more. :)

Maybe at 02:00 A.M. on the last Sunday of October. (if that's when we set the
clocks back next year)

On a track in calm conditions, I reckon I could come pretty close.

I'd like to find 20 meters of flat ground around here. I have a very hilly seven-mile self-made time trial loop that I topped out at about 18.4 mph.

Easily. :)

OK, maybe not as easily as I used to , but I still can do it. In my prime, 25 miles in a hour would only net me 7th -10th place in a 40k time trial, so it's not that fast.

I suspect there are some more here who can do it. This would appear to be one of those magic #s that we like to set as goals to strive for (but not necessarily make) .

My worst fear is that its flat..:eek: No hills to climb.......great thats good right.........no downgrades either....not place to cheat, to catch a little rest. This is like a solid hour on the trainer at high intensity.

I'm going to have to put that on the calendar to go watch. I want to see who shows up over 50 and how well they do.

For those in the area.......Cyclonauts Racers Criterium...Stafford Springs Motor Speedway..Stafford Springs CT..May 24 2008 from 8am on all day.

My best has been about 17 in an hour on a MS 150 ride..almost killed me on the small hills..don't think I'll try that again.

Last September 20th, I rode 30.98 miles, with 1000 feet of climbing, at a 20.0 mph average. So, it would have been easy enough, then. But, 4+ weeks after my surgery, there's no way. I gave it all I had for 21.6 miles on a nice flat route last Monday, and could only average 18.1 mph.

I gave it all I had for 21.6 miles on a nice flat route last Monday, and could only average 18.1 mph.

That's pretty darn good, though. In the Winter with tights (maybe two pair) and all of the other Winter paraphernalia, I'm happy to just plod along till warmer weather. :)

Yes, I can do it, without much pain either. I would need to replace my regular tires on my MTB with slicks though (it is a Cannondale hardtail). Because it is a really good hardtail, this isn't that surprising.

Put me on a tandem with a good stroker and I will crush it. (I am thinking someone like Lance Armstrong would be good) ;)

I rode over 7000 miles last year. I love to ride.
But I don't think I could do 20 mph for an hour. I would be interesting to have a flat, no stop, no wind, place to try.

I just did it. Flat, along the coast, some headwind here and there. I had to make up time once I got on the open road, so I spent most of my time at 20-22 mph. Spent some time at 25, too.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/spielbass/IM000687.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/spielbass/IM000689.jpg

If there's not too much wind it shouldn't be a problem. In fact we're considering adding longer TT's (probably a 40k) to the ones we're doing at our Speedway (only a 10 mile event now) so hopefully I'll get the chance to find out sometime this year. I can comfortably do 23 1/2 mins in a 10 mile TT on a flat track so getting in under 60 mins for 20 miles shouldn't be too bad. Finishing under 60 mins for a 40k (just 4 more miles) might be a different story though.

20 miles without hills wouldn't be a problem - 20 miles with nothin' but green lights would be the trick.

+1 I can sustain the 20mph without stops/hills/stong head winds, but it puts me pretty close to my limit.

I feel a poll inside of me, wanting to get out!

I feel a poll inside of me, wanting to get out!

Not another POLL!!!!!!!

If I could find a road with no red lights, no hills, no headwind, I'm pretty sure I could do that. Really pushing it, might be able to squeeze out a bit more. But that would be it for the day.

Where did you say that road was located????

I rode a century awhile back, 24.7 mph. I thought I was going to die. By mid summer, I will ride my 20-30mile rides (very hilly) at about 18-19. Today I ride 17.5-18. It's brutal up and down. I live north of Atlanta in the foothills. If I had flat ground, I feel that 20 would be a happy spot. Also, I am a heavier masher, not tiny climber. I am at my best on slight downhills to flats when I can push a big gear and lay in the drops. It's just when the road turns back up that my compadres teach me a lesson in gravity.

20 mph over 20 miles, not a problem. 25 mph over 20 miles, problem. The gold standard for 40 K time trials is under one hour. Many 50+ riders can do that and better.

Here are the results from the District 40k TT championships from last year for the 50+ men. This was a very windy day so the times are probably longer.

Results for Master Men 50-54, winning time 55:02.7 return to top
PLC TIME NUM NAME CLUB/SPONSOR GAP
-- -------- --- ---------- ---------- ----
1 55:02.7 197 Robert Anderson AMD/Discovery Master 0
2 55:05.5 194 Steve Palladino Fightin' Bobas 3
3 56:21.7 195 Paul Gossi Reno Wheelmen 1:19
4 57:30.7 193 Ed Condit Redding Velo 2:28
5 57:37.7 190 Kevin Willitts Alta Alpina Cycling 2:35
6 58:36.1 176 Ted Brooks Lamorinda CC/Synergy 3:34
7 59:00.5 182 Paul Langlois Fightin' Bobas 3:58
8 59:10.9 184 Brian Lewis Morgan Stanley/24 hr 4:08
9 59:44.1 189 Jim Walker Chico Velo 4:42
10 59:45.2 191 David Stockwell San Jose BicycleClub 4:43
11 59:50.3 181 Thomas Kellner Tuesday Velo/Team Vo 4:48
12 1:01:17.8 192 Doug Gonda Reno Wheelmen 6:15
13 1:01:38.2 179 Mark Holmes Stanislaus Merlock V 6:36
14 1:01:39.2 177 Tom Field EMC2/Vellum 6:37
15 1:02:44.6 174 Peter Stock Cal Cycling 7:42
16 1:03:58.9 180 *Tom Johnson NA 8:56
17 1:04:09.9 187 James Rogers Sierra Express 9:07
18 1:04:44.8 178 Russell Hands Eagle Racing Team 9:42
19 1:05:15.6 183 Edgar Leano Reno Wheelmen 10:13
20 1:08:33.5 196 Manuel Borges Monticello 13:31
21 1:09:13.6 185 David Puglia Easton/ Specialized 14:11
22 1:11:03.5 188 William Tolhurst Easton/Specialized 16:01

Results for Master Men 55-59, winning time 57:11.5 return to top
PLC TIME NUM NAME CLUB/SPONSOR GAP
-- -------- --- ---------- ---------- ----
1 57:11.5 209 Alan Morrison San Jose BicycleClub 0
2 57:16.8 208 Larry Wolff Webcor/Alto Velo 5
3 1:00:03.7 207 Peter Tapscott Webcor/Alto Velo 2:52
4 1:01:23.6 201 James Gilford Morgan Stanley/24hr 4:12
5 1:01:29.5 205 Mark Williams Sierra Express Race 4:18
6 1:03:34.3 202 Scott Herman Alta Alpina Cycling 6:23
7 1:04:05.6 206 Allan King Reno Wheelmen 6:54
8 1:04:42.7 203 William Mirbach Pen Velo/Kondra Sys 7:31

Results for Master Men 60-64, winning time 58:21.7 return to top
PLC TIME NUM NAME CLUB/SPONSOR GAP
-- -------- --- ---------- ---------- ----
1 58:21.7 219 Jim Fox TeamHammer Nutrition 0
2 59:05.7 221 Scott Hennessy VOS Racing 44
3 1:00:43.6 212 Lloyd Rath Mako/DeMarco 2:22
4 1:00:59.2 220 Thomas Regan Alta Alpina 2:38
5 1:01:05.2 218 Jack Kelso TeamHammer Nutrition 2:44
6 1:03:07.1 215 Rob DeWitt Pacific State Bank 4:46
7 1:06:36.9 213 Richard Bagienski Durango Wheel Club 8:15
8 1:07:51.0 217 Gary Noe Webcor/Alto Velo 9:30
9 1:10:17.5 216 Lothar Grahlmann Webcor/Alto Velo 11:56
10 1:15:24.0 214 Gerald Brown Santa Cruz County CC 17:03

What kind of race? Is it a time trial or pack riding.

Assuming my normal in season condition... If I get to draft then yes no problem. If it is a time trial, I'm not sure, but maybe.

Assuming I was serious about it and trained specifically for it, then yes either way.

I rode 20 miles last fall on a pretty hilly course in just over an hour, so I think I could do it. I'm sure I'd be pretty spent at the end of it though.

Last fall I did 41 miles in 2 hours. Two days ago I did 21 miles in an hour, but I haven't been able to duplicate that 2 hour time since then.

I have ridden 20 miles in 1:01 before on the road near my home, obviously including all the traffic lights. I am confident I could ride 20 miles in 1 hour if there were no traffic lights. I have averaged 20 mph for a 13 mile ride before (again the time included stopping at traffic lights).

Last October (at age 54), I raced a 40K (24.85 miles) time trial at the Hunstman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah. My time (decent, but not great) was 1:01:11, at an average speed of 24.369 mph. The course was "rolling" with about 650 feet of climbing, and some pretty stout side winds on the return leg.

Last night, I bought a new Zipp sold disc wheel for the TT bike, and I'm hoping it will allow me to break the 1 hour mark the next time I race a 40K.

[QUOTE=Hermes;6012981]20 mph over 20 miles, not a problem. 25 mph over 20 miles, problem. The gold standard for 40 K time trials is under one hour. Many 50+ riders can do that and better.

Here are the results from the District 40k TT championships from last year for the 50+ men. This was a very windy day so the times are probably longer.

40 k = 24.8548 miles. So 24.8548 / 20 mph = 1.24274 which is 1 hour 14 minutes, 34 seconds.

That's pretty close to my limit, but yeah, with a flat road and no reasons to stop, I could do it.

Rode the Seagull Century, which is flat and it was a perfect day, in 4:58. I think there were 20 mile stretches that we covered at speeds of 22-23 mph, but that was in a good paceline, and yah, I did my pulls. Alone? I don't know if I could do 20 miles in an hour even on flat ground.

Pretty sure I could do it, on a calm, cool or mild day and on a road bike. Might do it on an MTB with slicks.

Edit: Will see if I can come spring, pick a good day, take the road bike out to somewhere reasonably flat for a 10 mile out and back and time it. As it won't need lots of gear changing will use the downtube shifter equipped road bike I have.

After the 1st of the year, I was driven inside to the trainer. I set two goals for myself. One was to do 100 miles in a week and the other was to do 20 miles under an hour. Last week I accomplished both. The fastest to 20 was 56 minutes. The machine was set to random and level 6 of 10.

I'm not sure if that equates to 20 flat miles,but I think it does. Given what I accomplished, 20 miles under an hour is probably doable. Now I just need to get back to my road bike and a flat road to prove it.

If it was truly flat, I could probably still do it. If I had a fast wheel to suck, it wouldn't be a problem at all

After the 1st of the year, I was driven inside to the trainer. I set two goals for myself. One was to do 100 miles in a week and the other was to do 20 miles under an hour. Last week I accomplished both. The fastest to 20 was 56 minutes. The machine was set to random and level 6 of 10.

I'm not sure if that equates to 20 flat miles,but I think it does. Given what I accomplished, 20 miles under an hour is probably doable. Now I just need to get back to my road bike and a flat road to prove it.

No. It doesn't equate. Trainers don't do miles, they do minutes. They may be harder than minutes on the road and they may prepare us for riding on the road, but it is pointless to try to equate them (imho).

After the 1st of the year, I was driven inside to the trainer. I set two goals for myself. One was to do 100 miles in a week and the other was to do 20 miles under an hour. Last week I accomplished both. The fastest to 20 was 56 minutes. The machine was set to random and level 6 of 10.

I'm not sure if that equates to 20 flat miles,but I think it does. Given what I accomplished, 20 miles under an hour is probably doable. Now I just need to get back to my road bike and a flat road to prove it.

Thre's not a lot of wind resistance on a trainer is there?

No.

Does the breeze count that I felt walking over to the gym count... :rolleyes:

I had to use a different machine this morning. It's readouts were totally different from the machine I used last week. So, you are correct in pointing out the mileage is very suspect. But on either machine the workout was still beneficial. When I get home, I'll just have to find someplace flat and try it. That would be the only true test.

I suspect there are some more here who can do it. This would appear to be one of those magic #s that we like to set as goals to strive for (but not necessarily make) .

My worst fear is that its flat..:eek: No hills to climb.......great thats good right.........no downgrades either....not place to cheat, to catch a little rest. This is like a solid hour on the trainer at high intensity.

I'm going to have to put that on the calendar to go watch. I want to see who shows up over 50 and how well they do.

For those in the area.......Cyclonauts Racers Criterium...Stafford Springs Motor Speedway..Stafford Springs CT..May 24 2008 from 8am on all day.

is this for real? there is no mention of it on the speedway calendar. hmmmm are they afraid the bikes might draw too big of a crowd?
the speedway is right down the street. just might have to go watch

My vacation last year was in VT. Every day I averaged more than 20 miles for each of the two or three hours I rode. I was staying in the area North of Lake Champlain which is very flat with very few intersections. It was great for my ego.

I did 20.4mph avg on a hilly course this summer, 18 miles in multiple loops. It was pretty hard but I felt like I could keep going for another couple of loops, I just ran out of time as it was an after work ride and it was getting dark. I was doing the uphill at 18+ the first 3 loops, then about 17 the last 2. This was my only goal for the year, to do 20mph on park loops.

Here's a question, do the up and down hills on a hilly loop, where net elevation is zero, make it easier or harder than on a flat course?

If I could find a road with no red lights, no hills, no headwind, I'm pretty sure I could do that. Really pushing it, might be able to squeeze out a bit more. But that would be it for the day.

Where did you say that road was located????

Add in really nice pavement. It is amazing just how much difference perfectly smooth can make and it becomes more pronounced if you are trying to push over any distance.

Just come back from the gym and decided to see what I could do on the bike. 27.4 mph average. I can never do more than 10 minutes on these bikes before I get bored- but got the mind set- Take it steady- set the level to level 7/10 (one below my normal) get the HR right and away I went. Felt comfortable all the way- Hr at 86% of my max- the rollers felt like pimples after a couple of minutes and then it hit me. I was comfortable- going like a train but bored. Tried singing to the I.Pod- looked at the tight lycra around me.(Stretched more like it) And gave up after 30 minutes.

How any of you can sit on a trainer for hours at a time and do it day after day- I do not know. Give me a bike any day out in the rain and the wind and the cold and I am happy at my 17ish mph on a flat ride.

18 MPH was about my limit for a hour back a few months ago before the world froze. That's about as fast as I'm interested in riding over any long hauls.

On a flat stretch of road i can do 20 miles in one hour .

I did 20.4mph avg on a hilly course this summer, 18 miles in multiple loops. It was pretty hard but I felt like I could keep going for another couple of loops, I just ran out of time as it was an after work ride and it was getting dark. I was doing the uphill at 18+ the first 3 loops, then about 17 the last 2. This was my only goal for the year, to do 20mph on park loops.

If you were going up 'em at 18+ mph, they were "rises", or "rollers", or "bumps"...not "hills".


Here's a question, do the up and down hills on a hilly loop, where net elevation is zero, make it easier or harder than on a flat course?

You always spend more time climbing than descending...thus, it's always harder to have a high average speed on a hillier course than a flat course, even when net elevation gain is zero.

20 miles in an hour is a piece of cake. My best in an hour time trial (not a standard 40K TT) was 25.5 miles.

If you were going up 'em at 18+ mph, they were "rises", or "rollers", or "bumps"...not "hills".



No, it isn't a big hill, but more than a rise. You can't let your momentum take you over, it is much longer than that. After you've done the same hill for 50 years (or at least as long since I've learned to ride a bike) you do learn a trick or two to conquer it. I've struggled to get up at 12mph on a bad day, and on a good day with a shot of adrenaline (naturally produced of course) I've done it at 21. Even the fast guys in the park are shocked when they see me do that. The real trick is to know every little bump, every slight change in incline, where it starts to level off, when to start the attack (just past the zoo entrance) where to catch your breath before it etc... I'm 52 and I've been riding up that damn hill since I was 6.