Fifty Plus (50+) - Just Curious - How far and how fast do you guys usually ride?

I'm getting close to 50 years old and my mind tells me to ride 20 miles and then after about 1/2 a block my body tells me just a few miles and only at about 13-15mph, sh**T!. I hate when my mind wins out.

Well, today I rode my bike and it turned out that some guy without all the riding garb was riding much faster than I was and someone who looked like he was a velodrome type of rider; I saw that he only had one gear in the back. Normally I ride by myself so I don't have much to gauge my riding against other than my cyclometer and heart rate monitor.

So far I ride about 5 miles at an average of 10-12 miles per hour and right now my legs don't like uphill climbs. I am planning to double the mileage to 10 miles per ride and something faster than 13mph.

So how far and how fast do you guys usually ride (non racer guys) and especially how about all of you in the say, 45 to 55 year old category?

all types on these forums.

personally, i ride 4-5 times a week at about 15-30 miles each ride... a bit longer on the weekend.

i find that keeps everything enjoyable and it doesn't consume so much of my life.

I'm 52. I commute to work (20 mi round trip) 3 or 4 times a week, year round. I average about 12 mph on this trip; it's hilly, I'm loaded down with stuff, and this time of year it's in the dark. I get passed a lot.

My recreational rides (on weekends) range from 15 to 100+ miles (last year). Most of my riding has some amount of hills involved, from mild rollers to mountains. My average speed never varies much, from 14 to 16 mph.

My "comfortable cruising speed" seems to be faster: Flat, no wind, no commuting load, 18 mph to 20 mph seems comfortable to me without a paceline. But I'm never on flat ground long enough to know if I could average that over a long distance, so maybe I'm just dreamin'.

BTW, since returning to bicycling two years ago, I haven't gotten much faster, but I've become much more comfortable climbing and with longer distances.

I rode 5,300 miles last year.

I'm in the "closing on 50" demographic myself. I ride a touch over 9 miles each way to work 4-5 days a week. I can do it in 38 minutes on my fastest day, 55 with the wind in my face. That's something like 13.5 mph on a good day 10 mph on a bad one.

You don't have to race bikes to enjoy riding. In running the big goal is the PB "Personal Best". Don't waste too much time comparing yourself with anyone else. This site is frequented by racers and wannabe racers in a much higher proportion than society as a whole, so don't worry about what "they" can do.

Be 67 y/o in April.
1211 miles to date.
17 rides
Four Century's
Average 71.2 miles per ride.

Goal 20,000 this year.

So far I ride about 5 miles at an average of 10-12 miles per hour and right now my legs don't like uphill climbs. I am planning to double the mileage to 10 miles per ride and something faster than 13mph.




I bike commute daily. I average anywhere from 10-11mph to between 14-15mph on a 20 mile each way trip. Depends on a combination of wind/cold and which of my bikes I'm riding and how well I catch the lights.

That's real averages, not made up for BF averages :lol: Oh, and I'm 52

Early 40s ... 18-20 km/h ... and anywhere from 20 km (my really short ride) to 200 km ... with the occasional 300 km, 400 km, 600 km, 1000 km, and 1200 km ride thrown in for good measure.

Hi. 52-year-old Athena girl with a bad knee. I try to bike commute 2-4x/week and do some weekend rides. I started riding 7 months ago. My first rides were measured in blocks; my commutes are 9-17 miles each way; longest ride is 50, and I am hoping to get 300 miles in this month. This morning I commuted 11 miles around 12.5 mph avg with a rack+pannier, lots of stop signs and stop lights. Most of my rides have some hills. I would like to be faster to be able to ride with more people.

49. Better weather - Vermont here - and I'll do at least 12 miles distance - usually more. According to my Cateye Strada Wireless, My average speed is 14 - 16 mph. That's on my Trek hybrid. On my decked out vintage Puch frame and where I went from there, I don't have a computer. But the mileage would be the same, and the speed quite a bit faster. The Puch just entices, then demands, you spin it out on my 42T - 52T Campy Super Record cranks and my 11T on a Miche 8 Spd. cassette.

MY idea is to ride about 10 miles a night, and longer on weekends, with occasional charity rides thrown in. The regular Saturday morning ride is about 24 miles, and I try to ride 20-40 miles on Sunday afternoon if I can. I'm ridining a single-speed cruiser, usually average 12-14 mph per my speedometer. And I'm 48.

I'm 55. I live in Michigan so my road bike is indoors for the winter months. Of course, as a kid I bicycled but I bought my first road bike in fall of 2005 and another one in the spring of 2008. In the warm weather I ride 25-40 miles on Saturday and/or Sunday at 17.5-18mph. I did my first century in October of 2007. I did 4 centuries in 2008 at 16.5 mph average.

Yes. This is an excellent question.

During outdoor season I ride twice a week, from 12 to 30 miles a pop, although I sometimes go further. My favorite ride is around 45 miles but I only do it a few times a year.

I average 12-14 MPH in rolling terrain.

My longest ride has been 62.4 miles.

I'm thinking about signing up for the Team-in-Training and doing the Fletcher-Flyer century.

At this point dont sweat the mileage or the speed, and never compare yourself with anyone else. The more you ride - the longer you'll be able to do it, and you'll naturally get faster.

I'm 52 and ride a 10-mile training route almost every day, on top of commuting to work My average speed over this route is generally from 13.2 to 14.5 mph dpending on the winds and how I feel. This is also with about a dozen intersections or crosswalks that slow me down, otherwise my averages would probably be higher.

Stay focused on your bike, where you're riding, and your health, and dont worry about anything else.


Enjoy :D

Regardless of your age, someone older will invariably ride further, faster than you; enjoy your ride at your speed.

Just turned 5o a couple of weeks ago :notamused: I've been riding for 4 years now. My first ride was into town, at 5 miles, I thought I was going to faint :p...mild panicking as I realized I had to ride back home! It was on my hybrid, avoiding roads and finding bike paths :lol: I had read all about bonking, and I was sure that was what was happening to me!!

So far this year, I've been riding about 100 miles a week. I joined a local race team recently - my reaction to turning 50 :rolleyes:. I raced for the first time a couple weeks ago, and held the wheel of the mentoring Rock Racer Adam S. and a Metromint guy at speeds up to 28 for a few miles, before I got spit out the back at the first sprint... :D

The distances I like best are about 50-60 miles on the weekend. I have a lot of work to do. My goal this year is to finish a race. Next year my goal will be to be able to suck wheel and hang onto the back of a pack~ :p

God knows what foolish thing I'll attempt when I hit the big 6-0!

Remember, that the distances and speeds given will vary depending on the terrain, surface and type of biking. A 13 mph average for a beginner or returning rider is a good starting point. Most of the higher speeds quoted here are done with road bikes on flat to rolling terrain. Expect lower speeds in hill country and much lower speeds on dirt with an MTB.

Speed and distance are interesting numbers for training purposes and can be used to compare you progress against yourself. The really important numbers though involve your enjoyment factors............are you having fun riding. That's important because even if you use riding for exercise, it wont stick unless your having fun.

I'm 62, with a bad knee. I ride a Specialized Crosstrail, Hybrid. An old retired guy!

I do between 30 and 42 miles every day, plus 5 to 10 for errands. Mostly on paved MUP.

I usually average 13 to 15 MPH.

I'm getting close to 50 years old and my mind tells me to ride 20 miles and then after about 1/2 a block my body tells me just a few miles and only at about 13-15mph, sh**T!. I hate when my mind wins out.
...
So far I ride about 5 miles at an average of 10-12 miles per hour and right now my legs don't like uphill climbs. I am planning to double the mileage to 10 miles per ride and something faster than 13mph.

So how far and how fast do you guys usually ride (non racer guys) and especially how about all of you in the say, 45 to 55 year old category?

however far and fast you ride, its great whatever the outcome
I'm not gettin that you;re unhappy with yourself, thatz great!
cycling, at any level, is one of those special things where things come slowly.
Your own improvement
the passing landscape
building friendships with other riders...
'work' done slowly usually has a solid base and last much longer... thatz the point

a more direct answer to your Q, I like that 1.5 hr evening ride a lot. That usually means about 26-28 miles when you add a nice warmup and comfortable 'cooldown'. 4 nites a week is fun, especially when I can get my Tuesday Hillclimb in.
Wkends means anywhere from 40 to 50 on a Sat morning and 60+ on Sunday (if I'm not off on sometin else...)
course none of this holds on those days I do some 'offroad'. Then miles really vary, and terrain controls the horzintal and the vertical.
and like someone said, its good not to let it 'control' you completely.
speed/pace? that dependez... on whoz wheel I can suck... I AM an unrelenting wheel-suckin leech :twitchy:
Oh, punching the clock @ 60...

I'll be 55 soon and I do 80-100 every Saturday and 25-30 Sundays and try to get in a couple hours on the bike on Wednesday. All my Saturday rides have climbing, some of them have a lot. Don't know about average speeds. Did my first century in 1988.

I ride 75 miles per day and average 28 mph..
Oh... wait... I thought I was in the road forum for a minute... :rolleyes:
Actually, I'm 51 and commute 6 miles each way to work and wade through the winter slush at around 12 mph.
Summer riding is slightly faster. Weekend rides are longer (50 - 75) and I throw in the occasional century but I don't like to make a habit of it.

I average 120 to 130 miles a week, with ride distances from 25 to 200 miles. My average speed varies from 13 to 20 mph, depending on how long the ride, which bike I'm on, etc.

I'll be 55 next week and during the week day I usually ride by myself or with my wife, then its about twenty miles and about an 13 mph average, on weekends I ride with a friend who likes to set a faster pace we usually end up with about a 17 mph average. Lots of hills in our area so 17 is a very good pace for me, he goes about 170 and I go 270 so it takes me a little while to catch up to him after the hills, we try and do at least forty to sixty miles on a Saturday.

Right now I'm putting on about 30 miles/week on my trainer, average speed 12.5 mph. In season my average is around 100 miles/week, average speed 13-14. That's on a Trek hybrid, rolling hills.

It's all fun. Well, maybe not the trainer so much.

While I was employed I did at least 1.5 hours per day at 18 MPH on a bike or trainer.
These days I am retired and do at least 3 to 4 hours per day at 17 to 18 MPH. The idea is to wear out and not rust out.

I might be young for this category, i ride 17 miles 4 -5 times a week for fitness. I ride a Trek 4300 with slick 1.95 tires i average 14-17 MPH on flat terrain.

I'm 52. Don't use a computer much as I don't really measure my rides any more, but am usually familiar with many of the rides I do and can estimate pretty well also (probably from the many years of using computers and logs and such).

I ride mountain bikes generally, usually in hilly terrain in the coastal mountains where I live, a typical ride is probably 25 miles in distance, 3000 ft of elevation gain, time depends on terrain and whether I'm with people on a schedule or taking my time to smell the flowers so it varies all over the place. On the road I usually go for about 40 miles with 2000-3000 ft of climbing, in around 3 or so hours. I'll be 53 this year and I don't ride as long or as hard as I did 10 years ago...but more frequently (as I worked 10 years ago :o).

During the season (on the trainer now) I average 150 miles per week at 16-18 mph on rolling hills. Club rides are faster. I'm 55 and plan to add 1000 miles more this year over last year but I'm not looking to go faster just longer.

In 2008, my average ride was 47 miles, most all rides were between 40 and 60 miles, 3 times a weekor so. Speed varied with terrain. Any time I made it home over 15 mph, I felt like I had moved pretty well.

I'm almost 52. I commute to work a couple of times a week for about 15 miles (depending on the route.) For other rides, I really don't like to get all dressed up for anything less than 30 miles or so. In the summer/fall on the weekends if I'm not doing an organized event of some kind I like to get in one century ride, or one shorter ride with lots of hill climbing. I did about 8300 miles last year.

I don't track my speed much. I know it's not very fast :)

My wife Gina, a 46 yo non racer type Athena rider. Our usual ride is anywhere from 42 to 60 mile rides on Saturday and Sundays. Her best on a 42 miler is 18.4 average. The usual on a 40-50 is 17. On a 60 miler, it's 16'ish and a 72 miler is 15.5..........In 2008, she hit 3600 miles for the year.Thumb:

If she wanted to train, she'd be a killer!:D..But she has the "why should I try hard? I'm just here for fun" attitude!:D

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/32308C.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/GinaJ.jpg

62 in Jun, 3700+ miles in 2008, 300 to date as of 1/21/2009, would ride more but still work 9-11 hrs /day.

When I do get time to get a ride in, other than around the neighborhood, it usually ends up 20-30 miles. Don't keep track of speed, but I would guess we average 12-14mph most of the time, some days more, some less. My wife is my riding partner, and while I prefer pace, she is the "observer" type, so we compromise on pace (not that I'm any speed demon anyway!). Our neighborhood loop is 5 miles, and we'll do at least two of those if we don't have much time to ride longer. Ride whatever distance feels good, at your own pace, and enjoy, isn't that reason for riding anyway? You can alway increase distance and pace as you grow stronger from riding more.

53 (54 in april 09)

30-38 miles, 3-4 time per week in summer. 17-18 mph avg, mostly flat-ish MUP, with 2, 3 or 4 laps up a 0.2 mile 9% grade.

I'm 56 and ride 18-20 miles 3-4 times a week after work( yeah still working)and 20-40 on weekends during the warmer months. I average 17-18 mph and there are a few hills thrown in as well. Winter has slowed me down on all phases of riding but I am still trying to get out and ride. This past weekend in temps around 30 I went out three days in a row and said I was going to go real slow , well I averaged 13-14 all three days and did 18 miles each day. I want springtime and warmer weather!!!!!!!

I'm 53. Being a Weather Wimp(r), I put the bikes away in November and get them out again in April. First longer rides of the season are usually at 15-16 mph, but by August I'm doing centuries at 19.5-20.5 mph. Five-hour centuries are rare, mostly because I like to stop for food and drink. Shorter evening rides might be at up to 23-24 mph average. Most of my rides are group rides, and I'll do 25-35 miles on an evening ride and 50-100 miles on a weekend ride.

Right now both of my lowracers have cracked frames. :( But I expect to have them both fixed by spring.

I'll be 56 next month. I started to train and race last year. I'll ride at least 5 times a week unless I'm in a resting phase of training. My usual rides are 25 miles to 30 miles long with longer rides added for endurance or doing group rides. Average speed varies by workout and whom I'm riding with. In one 28 mile race last summer I averaged 22.8 and on fast group rides averages of over 21 mph are common. Last summer I did a "solo ride of truth" of 40 miles and averaged 20.3 mph over a square course on flattish land. That ride really hurt for a day or two. When I divide last years total miles by the hours trained/ridden the average for 2008 was 18.8 mph. In prior years, when I was a Zone 3 recreational rider, my average ride would have been around 17.5 to 18.5 mph.

I am 50, and I commute on a bike most of the time. In the summer my 15 mile one way ride over rolling hills usually takes about an hour - the fastest I have done it is 46 mins (19.6mph average), but that was on a fast bike, and not carrying my usual load of lunch, clothes etc. The last couple of days the temp has been really cold, and there has been a lot of slush on the roads, which slows me down considerably. It took me and hour and 25 mins (10.5mph) to get home last night and the temp when I rolled into my driveway was -8F. I drove to work today :) The weatherman this morning told us to brace for some really cold weather over the next few days!

52 My rides normally run from 25-40 miles final pace is usually about 14-15 MPH. Since we have a lot of hills, long false flats, and wind here, I really struggle to be tolerant of the fact I am slow, much slower than I used to be. Course I am also fatter. Couldn't be that though

I am 57. I during the week, I do 90 minutes or more on a trainer. On Saturdays, I do a bit over 50 miles. I average 18-19 mph. It is pretty flat here in central FL. I will put in about 3 centuries this year.

54 In August, so far the little compter tells me:
Avg Speed: 9.3 mph
Distance in Jan so far: 90 miles
Avg. Distance: 20-25 miles
Terrain: lot's of multi-surface paths and trails (prefer DIRT), some minor local single track (very minor), don't get on the Road with traffic unless I have no other choice, I'm a coward, I'll ride the sidewalk to stay out of the insane cage drivers way!!:twitchy:
Bicycle: POS Roadmaster Mnt. Sport SX, aka: Triple T, (Three Ton Tessy)

Might try some of the "shorter distances rides" put on in a lot of the area centuries, would like to do some "chairity rides". I only ride for FUN, if I think of as "exersize", I'll end up finding a reason to quit!:rolleyes: Hoping for a LBS low level MTB to make into a really buff cross/hybrid bike (I distain the looks of current hybrids, my old Fuji Monterey comfort bike at least looked like a MTB!)

I'll be 56 next month. I started to train and race last year. I'll ride at least 5 times a week unless I'm in a resting phase of training. My usual rides are 25 miles to 30 miles long with longer rides added for endurance or doing group rides. Average speed varies by workout and whom I'm riding with. In one 28 mile race last summer I averaged 22.8 and on fast group rides averages of over 21 mph are common. Last summer I did a "solo ride of truth" of 40 miles and averaged 20.3 mph over a square course on flattish land. That ride really hurt for a day or two. When I divide last years total miles by the hours trained/ridden the average for 2008 was 18.8 mph. In prior years, when I was a Zone 3 recreational rider, my average ride would have been around 17.5 to 18.5 mph.

You are too old and fast to respond....your racing age is 56 effective Jan 1 2009:D. OP excluded racers so I am too old (60) and too fast to respond.:p

Solo, I have averaged 20 mph for a 13 or 14 mile ride, and 19mph for a 20 mile ride. Last fall I was averaging 16-17 mph for 35-50 mile rides (my computer is set up to run continuously until I stop it). My rides in Nov and Dec were a bit slower.

Our club rides are a bit slower, with regroup stops.

I'm 63 yrs old and just starting riding a recumbent. I rode uprights for 32 yrs and was always somewhat obsessed with my average speed. My entire mindset changed when I started on the recumbent. You cannot really attack hills on bents and will always go slower. It is hard to maintain the speed of an upright even on flat terrain. However on downhills I fly by everybody. I used to try to do about 70 to 80 miles on my total weekend rides. Maybe a 35 or 45 miler. Averaged about 14.3 mph depending on terrain. On the bent I only average about 12.8 to 13.3 but I feel like a stronger rider. If I were you I would not be concerned with other riders accomplishments as much as your own progress. Start a log (spreadsheet) and write the date, distance, avs, and comments (nice day, felt strong, windy, knee pain, etc.). Every month review the earlier rides and make a mental note of your progress. You may be pleasantly surprised. Also, do not avoid hills! Particularly if your goal is conditioning. Nothing will help you more than climbing hills. You will also note your progress on the hills as they get easier. You will reach your conditioning goals much quicker by climbing frequently. Most of all enjoy yourself. My entire perspective changed when I started riding recumbents. You can see so much more. My biggest problem is keeping the constant grin off my face.

Enjoy,
Bill

I will be 52 y/o this year and I ride approx 15-30 miles/wk at an avg speed of 15 mph.
Almost all my miles is on a fixed gear gear bike (equipped with 2 brakes) running a gear of 70".
I am a widower with 3 young children so time is not in abundance for me now.

GeraldChan is too good looking for this forum...

There are two truisms about cycling: (1) You can always get better; and (2) there is always someone better than you. I started riding to improve my chances of survival after coming down with a stage 4 colon cancer at age 47. I started motivated by fear, now at age 52 I do it for enjoyment and health. 3367 miles last year, average pace 16.8; fewer miles and a slower pace in 08 compared to 07.

For me (age 58, 2 months away from 59) cycling speed and distance vary a lot!

I usually ride 4 - 5 times a week. My after-work ride is 31 miles, mostly flat at between 16 and 17 mph., usually on a fixed gear bike. Club rides (Sat. and Sun.) are from 30 - 60 mi. at between 15 and 18 mph average (most often on my Ti GT w/SRAM).

I ride between 8 and 12 centuries a year, ave. speed is very dependent upon how much climbing is involved. I've done flat centuries at 19 mph ave. and climbing centuries at 12 mph ave. Long mountain climbs kill my average, I never make it up on the descents! Mostly on my Ti GT or my Calfee Tetra.

I ride between 5 and 7 double centuries a year. Again, climbing kills the average speed. My fastest double last year was 13 hours and my slowest 17 hours. I like double centuries though, because I feel as if I'd had a full day on the bike. Always on my Calfee Tetra.

Double Century record here:
http://www.caltriplecrown.org/DoublesbyName/RiderHistoryReport.asp?RiderID=729&ClubID=

I've never tried a 24 Hour ride, but have come close with 300 mi. in 22:45 and 272 miles in 20:16. But that was when I was much younger (35 and 36 respectively). Not sure what the average was on those, but I'm guessing it was pitifully slow!

Rick / OCRR

Impressive stats, but sometimes I'm thinking, "Show me the Garmin".

GeraldChan is too good looking for this forum...

Thanks MNBikeguy! But that is a picture of Jackie Chan not me. It's just a private gag.

56 today. Athena. Been back on the bike(s) for a bit over a year. I ride what I ride. It might be fast ("fast" being a relative concept, and what's "fast" for me could well be "slow" for someone else), it might be slow. It might be on a MUP, it might be mixed MUP and streets. It might be "jam in as much of a ride as I can before work," it might be a long, leisurely weekend ride of 30-50 miles with lots of stops for picture-taking and socializing.