ROJA

I ride a usual loop of about 13 miles at an average speed of about 12-13 mph. This route has about 1350 ft of climbing, 90% of which is in the first half of the ride. Any guesses as to how fast I could average if I were riding on the flat for an hour? Are we talking 15-16 or 19-20? There is almost no flat riding around here and I'm training for an event with minimal climbing and I would love some rough idea of how much faster I'll be.

Thanks.

Phantoj

Reset your computer halfway through the ride and take your average speed for the second half.

I'm thinking 18 mph, but it's irrelevant if your event allows drafting.

ROJA

The second half is mostly downhill, so that won't work either. The ride I'm doing is a ride around Lake Tahoe and I might draft a little, but will probably be riding on my own most of the time.

donrhummy

Well, you're riding on about a 2% total grade (1350 feet over 13 miles), so at a speed of 13 mph and a total biker+bike weight of 181, you'd be at 177 watts. On a 0 gradient, that'd put you at 17.9 mph. If you weighed a bit more, the speed might jump a little as you change to flat ground, so maybe 18.2 mph. Of course, this assumes zero wind (which would have more effect on flat ground).

Use this to figure it out: https://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

TNoodles

I don't know the answer to your question, but if you are doing the ride around Tahoe on Sept 9th, I can assure you that it is not a flat route. There are two substantial climbs and some smaller ones as well. Your hill training will serve you well on a ride around Lake Tahoe.

ROJA

That is the ride I am doing- you going to be out there as well? I've actually had more climbing training than distance training, which is the bigger fear for me.

adun111

Are you in the Berkeley area? There are many more loops to do in the hills.

ROJA

Yeah, I'm in Berkeley. I know tons of hilly riding, but no local flat training rides (except the short ride to the Richmond marina). Although the Tahoe ride I'm doing isn't flat, it has way less climbing than I'm used to, so hopefully I'll be able to average a bit faster than 12-13 mph!

vantassell

My usual loop has about 1500 ft ascent, i usually average about 17-18. In a TT i averaged 22.3. I think because it was a race, i went a little faster than if it was simply a flat training ride. but hopefully that'll help a little.

cuski

I guess you'll find out eventually. Give it all you got on the hills, and flats will seem like cruising (unless there's a brutal headwind).

SlowSpinner

I have one hill (wall?) that I am going 25 mph when I start up and within 20Ft my speed is down too 11 mph.

orcanova

My guess is that you will be about 17-18 mph on flatter terrain with some drafting...

TNoodles

Yes, I'll be out there. It's a great ride. The Berkeley hills are great training for it. (The Bears, Wildcat, Pinehurst etc.) Get some more miles because it is 72 around the Lake. The ride is very well supported. As I mentioned it is a hilly ride. The two major climbs are from Lake level over the Emerald Bay in the morning and Spooner Summit in the afternoon. There's lots of additional up and down as well; makes it interesting.

Here's a link to the profile: https://www.bikethewest.com/Art/AMBBR-Elev.jpg

ROJA

The longest ride I've done this year is about 45 miles, so I do need to get some mileage in!

atomship47

don't know for sure. i'm guessing they slow me down by about as much as going down them speeds me up. my rides end up being about the same avg mph whether they are flat or hilly.



and i mean "hilly" by illinois definition.

headwind_hater

My guess is that you will go about 25% faster (or around 16.5mph or so) ... that's my 2 cents worth. Let us know how you did, and good luck!

ROJA

Hey guys, just wanted to give an update now that the ride is over. It was tougher than I expected (~3500 ft of climbing) and we were pushing the whole way. That said, this is a gorgeous route and I would recommend it to anyone.

The final result was an average speed of 17.8 mph, so the estimates in here were pretty darn close!

AlexTaylor

nice one!

urbanknight

If they're rollers, about 1 mph off my average
If they're steeper, about 2 mph
If they're even steeper, 3 mph
If they're major climbs, 4 mph
If there are many major climbs, 5 mph
If there are even steeper major climbs, well you get the picture.

patentcad

22+. You Wussie.