Originally Posted by
chasm54
Rekmeyata, you're talking to a woman, not a man. And she has a fair bit of experience at working on her endurance and average speed.
Goldfinch, 13.5 mph isn't that slow as an average. When I'm out doing a training ride at endurance pace I'll probably average 16-17, but I train and race, I'm not a recreational cyclist and I've been doing a lot of miles for quite a while. Most recreational cyclists would think a 13.5 average was pretty decent.
I like your strategy. Get decent rest, eat plenty of protein, try the back-to-back rides this week, see how you feel. Do the ride if it feels like a challenge, don't do it if it feels overwhelming.
Sorry, I had no idea this person was a she. My understanding from a local bike club that their average speed is 14 mph and I think recall reading that was the average everywhere. Problem is with this tour she wants to go on is the average speed is higher, and she has difficulty doing long back to back rides, so the problem becomes that the more tired she gets her average speed will drop. She may want to contact the tour company again and find out what they do if someone is trailing far behind.
But like I said, she needs to test herself by doing a training program to see if she can do it.