Originally Posted by
badger1
"It would be nice if other people could give a
honest idea of how fast they ride."
You
do know this is Bike Forums, yes?
P.S. That is one beautiful bike, jb!
Apparently, we have some world class level riders on the hybrid forum.
Here is some comparative data from the Sally Edwards Company.
Recently, exercise scientists completed the first study ever that evaluated the workload sustained by professional elite road cyclists during a multistage race using direct power measurements. For background information, please note that these guys are riding 1,750 miles per month or averaging about 50-60 miles a day in training. They are all members of the same team and each competed in at least one of the three major European tours: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, or Vuelta a Espana. And, yes, they are some of the best cyclists in the world.
The researchers measured the cyclists’ power and heart rate during the six stages of a road race that included a mean uphill time trial. Here’s what they found out:
Road Race Averages for Six Professional Cyclists
Age 27.3 years
Maximum power output (peak watts) - 390 watts
Maximum power output per kilogram body weight (peak watts per kg body weight) - 5.5 watts
Watts at threshold - 248 watts
Heart rate at threshold - 137 bpm
Now you can compare your riding data with some of the best in the world. Unless, you, too, are one of the best in the world, just don’t take the comparison too seriously. Next, and more appropriately, how do you compare with others that might be more of your class of rider? We don’t have data that’s as specific for this next table; for example, what would be better is to compare watts per kilogram of body weight, to equalize the power output. For now, though, you can just use total watts as a benchmark to your standing.
Peak Power for Time Period **
(watts)
Males*
2 hours 1 hour 30 min 5 minutes 30 seconds
Fit guy
147-170 172-192
194-206 213-239 452-565
Category 4 Rider
182-209 212-237
240-254 266-293 559-698
Domestic Pro
252-291 295-330 [B]
334-353[/B]
372-404 777-971
International Pro
275-317 321-359
364-388 394-452 846-1057