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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway
View Poll Results: How fast are you?
<12 mph
8
5.23%
12-14 mph
18
11.76%
15-17 mph
65
42.48%
18-20 mph
41
26.80%
21+ mph
21
13.73%
Voters: 153. You may not vote on this poll

How fast are you?

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Old 04-02-17 | 02:36 PM
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How fast are you?

Just curious what everyone's average speed is on either solo or group rides. Feel free to comment what speed you started out at, how long it took you to reach your peak fitness level, and how long of a duration you can maintain that speed.

21+ mph
18-20 mph
15-17 mph
12-14 mph
<12 mph
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Old 04-02-17 | 02:48 PM
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I just started road cycling again for the first time in 3 years, and I hope to work back up to a decent level. I did a couple short trips these past few days, progressing each one (14 mph, 15 mph, 15.7 mph). I'd like to get back up to 19 or so average across 30 mile rides. Just need to get out, ride, and push myself every time. I was planning on doing a group ride tomorrow but I think I'll spend a few more days solo riding and pushing the distance further each time to ensure I don't cause the group to wait on me. The first group ride will be 28 miles and I'm going to go with C-group, which is a no-drop 15 mph avg. I used to ride B with them a few years back and loved it. I was never able to successfully complete an A group ride, even in my peak fitness (I'd always fall back to B once hills came). Still can't comprehend how well those guys can tackle hills. I'd be right on them doing 24 mph flat, and they can somehow sustain high speed flying up hills. Beast Mode.
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Old 04-02-17 | 03:02 PM
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I ride nowhere that I'm not passing through small villages, replete with topes (speed bumps). Under these conditions, I average 21km/h.
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Old 04-02-17 | 03:08 PM
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I ride alone, I avg high 16 to low 17mph range for 30-50 miles.
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Old 04-02-17 | 03:09 PM
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In interviews it is best to ask open-ended questions in order to elicit more detailed responses .... Questions with a single, specific response shut off the flow of information ... So ...


How fast Aren't you?
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Old 04-02-17 | 03:10 PM
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Old 04-02-17 | 03:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
In interviews it is best to ask open-ended questions in order to elicit more detailed responses .... Questions with a single, specific response shut off the flow of information ... So ...


How fast Aren't you?
It's even better in interviews to have a fully organic conversation
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Old 04-02-17 | 03:27 PM
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Originally Posted by JBerman
Just curious what everyone's average speed is on either solo or group rides.
You know there's a big difference between the two, right?
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Old 04-02-17 | 03:34 PM
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Faster than 15, but not quite 20. Also depends, on the hills I'm a snail spinning 34/28. I ride solo, I have no interest in riding with a group.
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Old 04-02-17 | 03:55 PM
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Old 04-02-17 | 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted by AlmostTrick
You know there's a big difference between the two, right?
Yes but there are also a few other variables so you should be able to know if you are a 18 mph avg rider whether solo or group. A group ride doesn't inherently make you a fast rider despite drafting. Group rides do however make me a faster rider from pushing myself harder too though as you are now accountable to others.

I guess I put both since some don't ride in groups and some don't ride solo. Just put the faster of the 2.
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Old 04-02-17 | 04:07 PM
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I average 15-16 mph when I ride alone ~90% of the time. That adds up to 25 mph 'cruising pace' in BF talk.
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Old 04-02-17 | 04:13 PM
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Sitting here in this chair I'm going over 1000mph.
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Old 04-02-17 | 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Sitting here in this chair I'm going over 1000mph.
Lazyboy Ultra Rocket Rocker Edition?


Last edited by JBerman; 04-02-17 at 04:34 PM.
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Old 04-02-17 | 04:19 PM
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Rotation of the planet. I'm not including Orbital speed over the year..
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Old 04-02-17 | 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Rotation of the planet. I'm not including Orbital speed over the year..
Aren't YOU closer to 750/850? I'm in FL so I would think I'm closer to 1000 (prob 900ish).
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Old 04-02-17 | 04:44 PM
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Not gonna vote, but will say "not fast enough."
Funny thing, when I started riding, my average speeds weren't much lower than they are now, maybe because I'm lazy. However, I have gotten to a point where I CAN ride a lot faster than I used to be able to. I think my fastest ride was about 23-24 mph over about 30 miles. That's hardly typical.
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Old 04-02-17 | 04:51 PM
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Originally Posted by kbarch
Not gonna vote, but will say "not fast enough."
Funny thing, when I started riding, my average speeds weren't much lower than they are now, maybe because I'm lazy. However, I have gotten to a point where I CAN ride a lot faster than I used to be able to. I think my fastest ride was about 23-24 mph over about 30 miles. That's hardly typical.
When you started you were barely slower than 23 mph over 30 miles? Damn. Now that's some innate talent, you should be sponsored and competing at US championships! With that type of talent, just think how fast you would be if you worked at it?
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Old 04-02-17 | 05:15 PM
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I'm a fairly massive guy with many miles in my legs. I'm naturally strong and naturally larger. Rugby was my best sport. I run 2-3 days a week. I am pretty fit and pretty overweight if you believe both exist. The local group rides near my house are often 26-30mph. It is when the train overpass is 28+ I get dropped. On flat holding 30 in the group is NP. Solo, on flat 21+ is easy. 1% grade - not so much. Flat is not so common around here. As I'm never really in a hurry to go anywhere I responded in the 2nd group of the <21mph. I ride a couple time a year with an 82 year old that does 21+ all ride. Big John Watkins broke a lot of riders legs in the day. He rides about 80 RPM and it looks lie he is soft pedaling, but he's not.
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Old 04-02-17 | 05:42 PM
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The real answer is 18.50, according to my gps app since I started tracking rides 6 years ago-



That includes everything from solo rides in the mountains where I could average 12 mph to races that can average 25-28 mph. Does not include Zwift where everyone rides around at 25 at all times evidently.

It's a meaningless data point for comparative purposes.
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Old 04-02-17 | 05:43 PM
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4400 miles a year. That's awesome!
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Old 04-02-17 | 05:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Trsnrtr
I lie on polls.
Liar
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Old 04-02-17 | 05:49 PM
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Liar
What I should have said is that the first liar never has a chance, so lie big or go home.
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Old 04-02-17 | 05:50 PM
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Originally Posted by zymphad
When you started you were barely slower than 23 mph over 30 miles? Damn. Now that's some innate talent, you should be sponsored and competing at US championships! With that type of talent, just think how fast you would be if you worked at it?
No, my AVERAGE speeds now and then are close, closer to 15. That 23 mph ride was a race, and I finished off the back.
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Old 04-02-17 | 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Trsnrtr
What I should have said is that the first liar never has a chance, so lie big or go home.
Exactly.

As for me, I go 45 mph around traffic circles in the wrong direction.
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