First off, I live in a semi-rural area so stop signs and traffic lights are not much of an issue. I do NOT ride through red lights, nor do I do a stop-look-go. I'm stopped until the light turns green.

My commute two years ago was 10.7 miles with only six stoplights. My goal was to do the first nine in less than 30 minutes for 18mph, then 'cool-down' for the last 1.7 at around 10-12mph. All told, the goal was 40 minutes for the 10.7 for an average speed of 16mph. Some days I made the ride in 35 minutes, and sometimes 45 - all depending on the wind.

I tried not to overheat on the way to work because I didn't want to get too sweaty. Usually still air when I'd leave the house at 6am. I'd stand around in the cool-ish morning air for five to ten minutes, then I'd change out of my riding t-shirt and put on my uniform shirt. On the way home, I rode with a pre-water-soaked t-shirt to help with evaporative cooling. I was heading into the prevailing afternoon west 10-15mph breeze and I'd hammer it a bit harder to meet my time goal, sometimes with no cool-down. On those occasions, I'd just grab the garden hose and soak myself afterwards (feels real good on an 85* day!)

The last time I rode an organized century three years ago, I think I did OK for not having ridden one in 15-20 years - I pretty much maintained a 15-16mph pace between rest stops for a slightly under seven-hour block-to-block time. That was two water/snack stops, a lunch stop, and one more water stop.

The last 1253.71 miles:
71:15:34.59
3:25/mile
avg speed 17.6 mph
max speed 64.3
avg HR 127 bpm
max HR 154 bpm

Slowest week avg 16.6
Fastest week avg 19.1

25% of the time, solo.
50% of the time, only one partner, and with her, I pull 100% of the time.
25% of the time, 3-5 riders; we all ride about the same.
That puts me in the wind at least 75% of the time, and I like it that way.
It's peaceful, and I don't have to think.

Maybe 150 of the miles above are on bikes made after 1985.

So far this year, at 860 miles in, my Avg is sitting at 15.38, with a 5.81 mile avg ride. Ride speed ranges widely depending on in town or on trail. My 52.3 mile solo birthday ride (mostly on a trail) averaged 15.54....not too bad for a 51yr old trying to get back in some sort of shape. Riding is mixed pretty evenly between my 87 Bridgestone and my MODERN Felt, though in shakedown runs lately on my 69ish Torpado....a 13 mile ride Saturday with AVG of 16.29, not bad for a gaspipe frankenbike with fenders.

My classic Sol is cruising at 45,000 mph, that's my average speed.

You can average 25mph? Holy Toledo!

Since June, my moving average over 25 to 30-ish mile rides has been between 15 and 17. Total average is lower since I always take a stop here and there. That's over basically flat land with a few little bumps that don't qualify for real hill status but cause me to wheeze mightily nonetheless... Never done any rides of significant length... maxed out so far at 51 and 54 miles, but I sense a metric try coming up this fall.

Chicago is frightfully bad, traffic lights(they need money so they will write invitations to the policeman's ball), pedestrians,(gota love the cell phone users cutting between cars "surprise"), car doors swinging open with hi, cars cutting in front to park or turn, just to name a few. Once out of the city it's smooth sailing. 13.8 best time while in the city (stopping for lights and stop signs), out of the city 18.2.

We've got a pretty large local club, Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey, just over 2,000 members. Rides are graded A-D for average speed, in general faster rides are longer and hillier. A=17+, B*=15-17, B=13-15, C*=11-13, C=9-11, D=<9. In my youth/prime I could never hang with the A riders but B* rides were fine. 30yrs and a lot of pounds later, a hilly B ride hurts and just ain't fun. There is a lot of Strava madness in the higher categories, so avg speeds are often a full category higher than advertised. I'd rather be comfy on a C* ride than sucking wheels on a B ride that's averaging 16mph.

46mi today at 12.9mph with 1,700' climbing on a 69" fixed gear was fun and tolerable. Club half-century last week 58mi @ 13.6mph w/2,000' climbing, on same 69" fixie, was fun, but most of the climbing was at the end and my legs/knees complained for the next few days. Gears will get me a little bit faster and a little further, especially when it's hilly. But I learned a long time ago that folks like me who slow down when it hurts never go as fast as those that hammer faster through the pain. Never had that switch in my brain, can't say I've missed it.

I like that term. I use Strava, just not a slave to it. There are a lot of Strava Slaves around where I live.

Normally I average 17.5 overall, I ave not yet fully figured out how Strava handles stoplights and stop signs, not worth the hassle to put the iphone app on pause.
Today is was 14 mph, rode just shy of 2 hours with my son. I was quite happy with how smooth he was going. Typical is surge then recoil when depleted.

I think caring about your average speed is pretty dumb. It's not a good metric for comparison since everyone's terrain and distance are different, and if you allow yourself to become a slave to improving this metric, you may stop doing any riding that would bring it down. Which would be a shame.

If I'm parsing this correctly, I'm glad to hear that your condition has improved.

Like most things in life, kinda yes and no? Of course you'll miss a lot by caring about it to the exclusion of anything else. But knowing what average speed I'm comfortable with and can maintain, over what distance and what kind of terrain, is pretty crucial when when I'm looking for a group/club ride. Minimizing suffering maximizes fun.

I am up to walking a little further, my shop is 32 steps from my back door and I try and get in a decent stroll every day as walking muscles and cycling muscles are different. It is the walking that is most messed up and needs the constant work.

I have a ancient Cat's Eye computer that came with a bike, but it's not mounted. When I got back into road bikes after decades of absence, I decided that the sense of inferiority that I allowed to kill my first love was not going to interfere again. I have calculated some speeds using time/distance, but I forget what they were.

My objective is to get as many daily sessions in during a weekly period as I can — weather and schedule allowing. My usual runs vary — 60-70 minutes. For me, I reckon that five rides a week is better than one big ride on the weekend. Unless there is snow or a lot of ice, the winter does not deter me. I don't ride in pouring rain. I've done my share of being cold and miserable, and I need very good vision for part of my rides.

The first leg of all my sessions is in traffic — trains, crosswalks, lights etc. It's a chance to warm up. But when I get on the river-floodplain there no hindrances. I ride as bloody fast as I can. It often hurts, but the rewards come on the final stretch home when I am limbered up and in my stride. Somedays I am faster than others. I don't how fast. One of the reasons I ride vintage is because I love the ride, and the effort and discomfort is compensated.

I am not recommending anything; this routine is an individual's riding/training mode. Millions of riders are faster — much faster. But, I often ride relatively short distances at my personal limit. It makes me feel good and the effort shows up when the doc examines me.

I have been months off due to back problems and chronic sinusitis. It may be a couple of more weeks before I can ride again in the steam-bath that envelopes Japan this time of year. I know I will be merely creeping about for some weeks until I work up yet once again.

So, an average speed is less important to me than how I feel on the bike and my general condition. And I gotta get those endorphins flowing