How fast are old folks?
 

"Fifty Plus" seems too broad - I would love to have the strength and resilience I had when I was 50! Or even 55, although that's when I was forced to start the process of ceasing to run. I'm a novice (started 6/1) but I'm doing lots of riding, and lots of group rides - 1500 miles so far. I push myself pretty hard.

I didn't have very specific goals when I started cycling, but I generally hoped I'd be able to ride with a group without slowing them down and that I would hopefully be able to do a century at a slow pace. Both of these are coming true, much earlier that I would have imagined.

• Speed - I don't ride with the fast boys on groups but I also don't ride with the stragglers (any more - I sure did in my first weeks). I've been averaging 16.0-16.4 for my 40-60 mile rides for a couple of weeks and feeling decent at the end. Yesterday I was able (barely) to stay close to the lead pack on a small fitness ride - 17.1 average over an 18-mile hilly course. My highest average speed yet.
• Distance - I've done several 60-mile or up rides, with the longest of 83 on a hot day in July on a big-deal ride (Climb to the Clouds, 700 riders).
• Heart Rate - It wasn't really a goal, but as I started riding I realized I should be careful I don't blow up. So I got a heart rate monitor computer. My average heart beat is typically 124-130 (138 for yesterday's fast ride, 143 doing flat-out intervals). The highest HR I remember is 152.
• Drafting & Pace-Lines - This wasn't a goal - I didn't think this could happen for a year or two. But I've recently begun to draft people occasionally (I'm 6/2" 230# - I get drafted all the time). I even did some sort-of pace-line type riding with one other rider last weekend - i.e., he was staying 6" directly behind me, I rode 12-24" behind him.

The above is bragging - I'm proud of how well it's going. And I know I will get faster, although I don't know if I'll get much faster - I suspect the rate of improvement will drop dramatically.

But I wonder about how fast most cyclists are, especially older people. I read postings that make it sound like 20 MPH is pretty common on typical terrain (40-50 vertical feet per mile?). I don't ride with the fast boys on my group rides, so I don't know how fast they ride, if they do pace-lines, or how many of them are old (50+? 60+? 70+?).

Any comments? I'm not even sure what I'm asking, but sometimes responders seem to divine the question.

Thanks

There is a 65-85+ thread, if you are interested.

You talking uphill or downhill?

Your bike on the top of car or pedaling it yourself?

Wish I could remember your question.

You are probably right about in the middle of where folks in this forum are in speed and endurance. Some are much better, some are not as good. You are way, way better than the average person our age.

Here's what I know. Losing weight makes a big difference. If you are 6'2", getting down to about 180-190 will make a huge difference in your cycling.

You started from a much better base than many if not most cyclists in this age group. The thing I have found in cycling is that performance gains are generally slower than in most other sports. I have been back at cycling for 5 years and have improved each year but I suspect the curve to flatten as I get older.

Sounds like you getting ready for a century. That season is quickly approaching.

I don't think it matters where you are with respect to this group, some folks here may do a true average of 15 mph but when you find they are doing this over a 50 mile course with 4000' of climbing, that's pretty good, others are flat landers that looked down at their speedo once and saw 20 mph and report that as their average speed, so you just don't know.

Your question was how well are you doing with respect to other older riders, the answer is simple - your data suggests you are way better. But that is not the question you should ask, the real question is, what are your goals and how do you achieve them. Are you more interested in smiles over miles, are you more interested in riding with a group, or are you a hard core racer. the answer to these questions will guide you to a happier place on the bike.

+1. No matter how fast you are, unless you're world class there is always someone who can crush you. So the only meaningful measure is your own potential and goals. If you reach them, you win. And if you don't but have fun trying and get healthier in the process, you win.

Your own fitness is down to your lifestyle. I used to be one of those "Ultra" fit buggers up till I was 34. Then I had to give up running due to knee problems and a family. Took 10 years off sport but realised that I had to get back to doing something to retain the fitness I still had. Took up cycling and that was 20 years ago. The knee problem was still there but not when cycling. Took a couple of years before cycling fitness came in fully but then it was long distance rides that got my interest. Metrics and 100 milers----But offroad. If you want to find out where your limits are- get a mountain bike and do a 100 miler with plenty of hills.

But you can only push yourself that hard if you are fit-and I do mean fit. You have to keep training and training hard. Some of us cannot put that commitment in all the time. Work and family have a bearing on how much "Spare" time you have to spend on your own leisure time. I cannot put the time in to stay fully fit all the time but I have a 100 miler coming up in October. With my current fitness it will be a struggle but A few extra distance rides- a few extra hills and I will be there. If not then I will have leisurely ride within my capabilities and I will enjoy it.

This is the way I look at it. If you don't enjoy it- why Do it? I think that this philosophy works for most of us as we mature. If you just want to take rides in the country side at a leisurely pace- then fine. If you want to go out and blast for 50 miles- then fine again. But whatever you do- Enjoy it.

"How fast are old folks?" I'm 55 and typically average around 17 mph riding solo. I live in south Louisiana, so there's not much in the way of climbing or descending. I started riding again in May 2009 after a 17+ year hiatus. I've cranked out a 27.3 mph sprint which I guess ain't too shabby for an "old fart".

How fast are old folks? Dunno. I'll tell ya when I get there. ;)

The quickest I've done my regular 10 miler this season is 17.8mph. Longer rides tend to average 16-16.5. Have only riden with other people once this year so I don't really have anyone to push me.

Funny reply DnvrFox....it actually did make me LOL.

+1

I am only 58 so not old yet ... I go out for exercize and the thrill of the ride so am not concerned about speed. I do not know my averagbe but I see the speedometer saying anywhere from 14 up to 17 or 18. Here in the hills of Kansas it is hard to say unless i would look at the average computed by the electronic wonder.
peace and enjoy the ride.

Turtle. Barely over 12 mph, but then I include total time, including time stopped at lights, and divide by distance.

YEAH!! That was my hope.

OP here - no LOL for me! Your third sentence inspired me - I can now see my way to posting results on Connect.Garmin.com that show my ride with 20+ averages. The trick will be to avoid becoming greedy - would you believe 38 MPH average? Thanks, DnvrFox, for the inspiration.

I agree 100%. My hesitation in posting was that my post would sound like I thought I was the greatest. I know I will get crushed regularly, by young and old alike. I am winning by my (and your) definition - I'm definitely getting healthier, and I enjoy it most the time (although I got pretty weary in the last 90 minutes of my 68 mile ride today).

I am staggered by the very thought. And you look so very, very young in your picture. And then it's made more impressive to me because it's in England - I don't picture England with lots of undeveloped land. [On a side note, I got my first "racing bike" in England when I was 9 years old. I used to ride it to the American military school 6 miles away rather than take the bus. I lived there 4 years, starting on my 8th birthday, a little south of London (my Dad was stationed at South Ruislip {sp?**)]

I saw 27 today on a flat stretch. But I noticed I was under 18 on the return leg. Maybe it wasn't as flat as it seemed through my rose-colored glasses.

I find that I regularly do ride faster in groups. There's always that group just ahead that dropped me - I don't like to accept the fact that they're faster. They drop me on climbs (my extra 30+ pounds really hurts on ascents) and I just dig a little deeper on the flats and smile as I pick them off on descents. [Then, of course, they just drop me repeatedly until I simply can't keep up! Foolish behavior by me, but it's part of my motivation.]

I often ride with a group on Wednesday that goes somewhat slower - there's a sweep rider, whoever is riding with the leader will peel off and mark each turn until the sweep appears, and they usually have well-planned breaks every 15-20 miles. I enjoy the rides a lot. But like I said in the original post, I wanted to be able to do group rides without slowing them down, and that means working at it. Work is OK with me. And I like the results.

Exactly how I started. My first real group ride was 38 miles in 2:50 overall - 13 MPH, and I worked like a dog! It was my first ride longer than one hour. I didn't have a computer at the time, and I found the 13 MPH was pretty consistent for a while.

Thanks all - you made me feel better. And that's on top of a woman I haven't seen in a couple months telling me I look ten years younger - "much more fit." Ahhh...

There are a number of regular inhabitants of this forum that are still racing into their 60's (I'm not one of them!). We ride our tandem 95% of the time and our goals center around distance and climbing. With a combined age >130 it's not easy doing the longer (100K and 100mi) organized rides in Northern California, but I can see a lot of improvement in our climbing just in the 15 months we've had the tandem (we hadn't bicycled for 20 years up 'til August of 2008). So on the tandem a hilly 100K (4000+' of climbing) at 15 mph is within our reach and I'd like to see us do the same for a hilly century. I do sometimes take my single out with a group, but it's impossible to talk about average speed since nothing around here is flat; so speed is academic and there aren't enough 60+ riders in my small town to see if I could kick butt or get kicked.

Biggest benefit to cycling in our 60's is the mental and physical well-being that comes with being active. The quality time on the tandem with my wife doesn't hurt and a long, steep climb on the tandem is an irreplaceable character-building experience.

HR BTW: I like to keep it under 140, but when climbing I can sustain 150 if it's not hot. When it's hot all bets are off.

Drafting: Don't care for it much, but I understand the zen. We don't appreciate wheel suckers on the tandem who don't at least say "thanks" when they pass us on a climb.

Here are some numbers from me just to compare. I'm 57 and have been riding for about 8 years.

My Max HR is 194. My average on a typical ride is around 150. For a 10 mile Time Trial the average is around 175.

My average speed on a solo 60 mile ride with 4000 ft of climbing is around 17-18 mph. I've done 100-160 mile rides with less than 4000 ft of climbing and averaged 21-22 mph (with a group).

My average speed for a 10 mile Time Trial on a flat course is 26+ mph.

define "old"?
I think it is when one concedes.

I never could get into off-road, but maybe that's just the early 1970s anti-ORV brainwashing. The notion was that with all the hundreds of thousands of miles of land already paved over, why contribute to the further destruction of our planet by riding a bicycle over unpaved land, thus contributing to erosion, etc.

Despite the goof-ball hippie nonsense, Tom Ritchey still got it right!

One thing you will eventually realize about biking, hobkirk, is that it is ridiculously easy to consistently improve your performance and achieve personal best times and average speeds. What you do is to get yourself set, and take several deep cleansing breaths, while visualizing yourself moving effortlessly at great speed. Then start out, clip in, and very very slowly increase your cadence up to your target. Get up to a comfortable cruising speed, hold that for good while, say a couple of miles, and then very carefully, while pretending to get your bottle for a drink, reach down and turn on your computer :-)

My perceived effort and everything else is almost the same as 30 years ago. The only difference is that I get there somewhat later and my recovery is longer.

Double-U eye en dee. First tail, then head. :D Impressive numbers in any case.... :thumb:

That's nice. What's your average speed?
(Sorry, I just couldn't resist.)

I've been riding mountain bikes since 2005, but I didn't get into road bikes until 2007.
I'm not into the distance thing but I've done a bunch of metric centuries including the one I completed yesterday at 18.2MPH. I have done a 100 mile ride with a stout group. We averaged 18.9MPH. I typically ride with groups that average around 18MPH, and I do around 90% of my rides with groups. I'm trying to ride with the really fast groups (21-22MPH) with mixed success.
Improvements happened with time, weight loss and bike improvements. The two most noticable equipment improvements were moving from a 96 Cannondale to an 06 Giant full CF. Both bikes had 105 so the groupo was not a factor. The second big improvement was upgrading the wheelset on the Giant to some Mavic Ksyrium Elites.
Weight loss, I've lost 38lbs, most of it last year, but a few more pounds this year. I'm still too heavy at 182, (I'm 5'8"). I should weigh around 160 to 170. The biggest personal gain came from the weight loss. I went from someone who struggled to stay with 18MPH groups to someone who regularly does pulls and one of the more dependable riders with the 18 groups and someone who now struggles to stay with 21-22 MPH groups:D.
I'm lucky that because of the way I operate my cycling hobby, I'm able to buy several used, late model bikes. I have three observations about equipment:
1. A heavy bike wears you out over distance and will slow you down. By heavy I'm talking over 20lbs. I love my 01 Bianchi, but it just doesn't cut it compared to the Giant.
2. If you're a fast rider or want to be, ditch the SORA equipment. I'm not saying you need Dura-Ace, but SORA tolerances are too wide resulting in slow shifting and will hurt you especially if you ride in hilly areas.
3. Don't underestimate what a good wheelset will do for you. I wish I had upgraded earlier.