I don't race and really know almost nothing about what to expect from people listed in various categories (cat 1 through cat 5), but a friend of mine who is just getting into racing and so is cat 5 told me about a race he just finished. It was a 3.7 mile road loop which you had to circle 11 times (cat 1-3 did it 15 times).

It was pretty flat and the winds were probably around 12 mph or so.

Anyway, he said the first lap apparently had some sort of pacing limit which was 20 mph for the cat 4-5 group. Well, I guess I could do that in a group by drafting, or when the wind was behind me for that distance, maybe, but he said when things opened up on the 2nd lap, they were going 32-35 mph mostly and were always above 30! I've never gotten past 28 even with a tail wind and even that only lasted a matter of seconds. To go that fast, I have to go downhill! This apparently got rid of 30 of the 43 starters.

I don't know yet what the winning time was, but I was kinda stunned to hear cat 4-5 going that fast even if they may have gone slower on ensuing laps.

So, I'm just wondering if anyone can give me an idea of how fast road racers will be in different categories over a fair distance (at least 25 miles though this race was more like 40).

Bob

totally depends on what people are doing during the race. i've had races where nobody wanted to pull so we all slowed down to around 18mph. other times, when the pack is motivated, it's screaming fast.

my race this weekend (i'm cat 5) averaged 25mph over 20 miles and that included being neutralized for a half a lap.

This thread should answer most of your questions:

https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in...p/t-78097.html

Well, I guess I would want to know what they can do - not what might happen if people were holding back.

I can't imagine averaging 25 mph for at all, let alone for distance. On a section where it is fairly flat (for about a mile it very gradually is uphill, but you have to really pay attention to realize it isn't flat, then it does the same thing back down), I consider myself doing well if I run between 18-19. It usually is a into the wind, but those speeds are when the wind is not bad. I think I did some sprints or intervals for 30 - 60 seconds and my TOP speed might hit 22-23. No drafting though.

I had kinda thought a cat 5 rider might be able to do 20 mph for some distance, but that is a long way from 25, let alone 30-35 for at least some miles!

Amazing what some people can do.

Thanks for the link. Clearly my impression of what cat 5 riders do was way off!

The only difference between cat-4/5 and cat-1/2/pro isn't the 35-42mph top-speeds, they all can hit that during the race. Just that the cat-1/2/pro guys can hold those speeds for close to HOURS at a time...

you're probably not so far off from being competitive actually. remember that these speeds are usually in a group of 20-30 other riders. when you're in the middle of something like that you're almost getting sucked along. in fact, many times you have to coast to keep from hitting someone's back wheel.

the hardest part about racing isn't the average speeds, it's the surges in speed. you might have to go from 20 to 25, back down to 22 then up to 28, etc. that can wear you down after a while and if you let a gap form it's very very hard to close. when everyone wants to go, you have to be ready (even if your heartrate is 200bpm and your lungs are on fire). that's the hard part.

Yep, couldn't agree more.

I don't think I'd be competitive. True, in a group you can go faster, but take today for example. After riding about 18 miles (not really pushing hard), I met up with two others I ride with sometimes. We headed on into what was mostly a headwind (I'd guess 11-12 mph). One guy lead, I was last. He kept a 16 mph pace which I felt comfortable with (don't know how long that would have lasted though). Then the other guy took the lead and we worked up to 19 mph. I did it for awhile, but finally just fell behind. The total distance for these two paces was only about 2.5 miles - certainly no more than 3. The other two continued on till they had covered about 5.3 miles where they waited for me. Of course, the wind killed me, especially since the road tends to gradually turn even more into the wind as it goes. I was under 12 mph a couple times. I was often under 13. And I think I was only briefly over 15. Meanwhile, the same guy led the rest of that distance, wasn't stressing himself, and kept up the 19 mph pace. Heck, he can do that pace faster than that easily, into the wind by himself. I'm lucky to hit 19 mph by myself with light winds for any extended distance.

Its a good thing I never planned on being competitive because I sure haven't shown any improvement in a very long time. I don't really train, but to some extent I would have though I would improve beyond my typical 15-17 mph average speeds for 10 miles or so after so many miles. I've certainly hit plateaus before, but I don't think it is a plateau when it lasts more than a year!

Oh well, thanks everyone for the info on the categories. I was really curious about those speeds.