Originally Posted by
chasm54
Average speeds are the losers' performance metric. If you want to know how good you are, take out a racing licence and pin on a number.
Wouldn't you say there's a difference from riding solo for a long distance and riding in a pack, to break out for a sprint finish? I'm a bigger fan of the one man break-away, than the sprinter that uses his lead-out train to pass the break-away rider inside the last 10 km.
I would never claim that "I'm the best" 'cause I have a higher average speed. FWIW, my point was just curiosity since I don't get many chances to ride solo at that distance. Normally, I'm either riding to work/home or long weekend tours with the wife.
I did ride a gravel-grinder century in June (Westside Dirty Benjamin) - I did 109 miles cause I thought 100 wasn't enough (& maybe I'm no good at following cue sheets). I pinned a number and rode hard, but the weather was the biggest competitor with gale-force winds (50+mph) and heavy rain. Finished 57th, taking me 9:39, Strava recorded an average speed of 12.5 mph. Faster riders included single-speed riders and fat-bike riders, fastest riders finished in 5:49 ... so I know I'm no speed-racer.
IMO, your "losers' performance metric" is a bit harsh.