Originally Posted by
Runner 1
I like to consider the laws of physics to be suggestions.
Anyway, a lot more replies than I expected! In case you're wondering, the reason I'm trying to "compare" my average speed is because I'm a college kid without a job who has all summer to train as much as I want each day (nice, right?) and it's really the only method of comparison I have to see how well I'm doing. Racing's not too popular where I live and I won't be able to get into that until I go back to school in the fall, so I can't compare myself against cat-whatever racers. And there's no way I can afford a power meter. So that pretty much leaves average speed.
Although... I just realized there is a perfectly flat 1 mile loop around a local high school. Once the school is empty for summer, I can go and time trial around it and I think that would give me the best basis for comparison.
Anyway, thanks for your all's help! It does seem like the hills can indeed make a good bit of difference. In regards to the climbing, I'll take 10-15 minutes going up a hill on the way out, and it takes me like 5 minutes on the way back in, so I do spend a lot more time at a slower speed.
Not quite. You need to add some qualifiers to the bolded sentence. The ride you describe would be the "best basis for comparison
to a rider riding the same course under the same weather conditions on the same or similar bike with the same or similar purpose who calculated average speed the same way you did.
If just one factor is different then the comparison could be completely meaningless, or at a minimum not an accurate comparison unless the results are adjusted for the variables. If you compare your results on the described ride against someone who calculates their results by using an adjusted average but you use actual averages then there is no comparison. Or if the other rider wasn't doing a time trial effort but you were then the comparison is also meaningless. Of if it was pouring rain for one rider and not the other. Or it was 110 degrees and no wind for one rider and 72 degrees with a 5mph breeze - etc.