"My top speed on a flat road is 32 mph. I can go about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile. For anything longer, it's probably 20-22 mph"

I think you need to clarify your question a bit, seems like some 'peeps' are confusing top speed on flats vs. top sprinting speed which is TOTALLY not the same. A good sprint is usually about 500 meters give or take, whereas top speed on flats, riding the American River Bike Trail for instance, which is mostly flat, can be as long as 10-15 miles.

Just my 2 cents

All top speeds need to be reality checked by doing the same run in the opposite direction.
Test --> report back.

My top speed, flat-no-tail-wind course always has a tail wind and is really ever so slightly down hill.

BD, Considering what you have gone thru over the past few months you have authorization to add any tail wind assistance to your max effort.

I hear that. I don't know what my top speed is. I haven't tried in a very long time. And even when I did, it was never under any kind of "rested" or wind-free conditions.

I think the statistic means something, But I think Carmichael picked the "12-mile time trial" as a real measuring stick for evaluating differing training loads and abilities.

I'm not sure, wouldn't ya know I wouldn't have the cyclometer on the bike the time I picked to ride past that BIG DOG!!!

+1

I honestly have no idea, as I haven't tried to find it. I believe the fastest I've gone on a flat road is 19, even over just a 100 yard distance.

I think the question needs to be clarified a bit, it seems like some 'peeps' are confusing Top Speed on Flats versus Top Sprinting Speed which are TOTALLY not the same. A good sprint is usually about 500 meters give or take, whereas Top Speed on Flats, riding the American River Bike Trail for instance, which is mostly flat, can be as long as 10-15 miles.

Just my 2 cents

OP stated Max recorded speed on his GPS......................and he used normal sized print.

My post was meant to find the top speed on a flat with no wind. Distance is not a requisite, just speed. How fast can you make your body and bike move.

There have been some very impressive posts. This group has some very fast riders.

My best was 24:37 for a 16 K = 10 miles = 24.4 average.

best time on this course was 23:07 ~26 mph a local tri Filipano champion'

Actually my best flat speed was around 42 BUT I was drafting a jeepney

My top speed is elusive since our terrain is hilly and we have a lot of wind. The best data I have is from the track last week where I did 32.4 mph from a standing start in 500 meters. I used a 51/15 gear. Since I went around the track, it was flat and wind to an extent canceled out. I was accelerating at the finish so I could probably got up another 10% with that gearing.

[QUOTE=Hermes;7450332]My top speed is elusive since our terrain is hilly and we have a lot of wind. The best data I have is from the track last week where I did 32.4 mph from a standing start in 500 meters. I used a 51/15 gear. Since I went around the track, it was flat and wind to an extent canceled out. I was accelerating at the finish so I could probably got up another 10% with that gearing.[/QUOTE

Nice job Hermes. Any idea what your cadence is at 32 mph? When I do my sprints from a standing start I begin in 50/18 and drop gears two at a time once the cadence is above 120. I get seated near the end to be more aero and am somewhere around 130 in the 14 or 13. You must be spinning around 150 to 160.

Nice job Hermes. Any idea what your cadence is at 32 mph? When I do my sprints from a standing start I begin in 50/18 and drop gears two at a time once the cadence is above 120. I get seated near the end to be more aero and am somewhere around 130 in the 14 or 13. You must be spinning around 150 to 160.[/QUOTE]

Thanks...According to Sheldon Brown's Gear calculator 51/15 @ 120 rpm yields 31.9 mph. FYI, most of my peers were hitting the high 30s low 40s. I suspect 50/15 would have been a better choice.

There are no flat roads here so this is impossible to answer. The closest thing is the paved section of the MUP but it even has a 3% grade from end to end. Additionally it is clogged with moms with baby jogger strollers, rollerbladers, joggers and such. A time trial would be dangerous.