Average speed?
 

I know there are a lot of variables to this, but, I wondering what your avg speed is for say a 40 mile ride?
I'm new to road cycling and have about 800 miles on my bike and can't seem to break 17 mph avg. I have bettered my avg since starting , but seemed to have plataeud/peaked.
Real world, honest averages please!

15 mph

Depends.

Quit worrying about it.

Enjoy the ride.

prepare to be ridiculed by a bunch of know-it-all's who will tell you, or point you to a thread where you can read, that paying attention to your average speed is a waste of time, and not what anyone who knows anything about cycling would do.

actually if you do the same route a lot, and if you can track the moving average, then average speed will be useful.

obviously, it's easy to measure, which is precisely what makes it so useful - especially for beginners..

also..., have you ever noticed that in a race..., the guy with the highest average speed wins?

as far as why your average is not improving any more..., i have no idea, but i can tell you i got faster by joining some group rides that were faster than i was riding, and building up to their speed.

i'd prefer to tell the OP to use the search engine, so they can discover that this inane question has been asked again, and again, and again.

with only 800 miles of riding you really are not going to see a dramatic improvement... somethings take work, 800 miles is couple of weeks worth of work... how much can you improve in that time?

If you're just starting out, 800 miles is more than enough to improve significantly, especially if you're not starting from an endurance sport background


If you can't average at least 25 MPH solo, don't go to Europe.

LMAO. I'm pretty sure that's about the average speed of the winner of the tour de france. If you can average that speed solo in europes terrain I'd advise definately coming. Idealy july next year with some team support.

Fixed.

You can track your own average over a fixed course for comparison over time if you wish.

I don't have an "average" speed.

If this weren't BF, I wouldn't even dignify this with a response

Meaning?

:popcorn:

I think it means that he responded because this is BF. Just a guess.

+1 million.

I even took the stupid computer off my road bike, and enjoy riding even more without it.

Google must be broken today.

OP, join your local cycling club and go on some group rides. You'll soon find riders faster than you. Riding with them as much as you can will help increase your average speed. More fun than riding intervals by yourself.

I don't get to ride much except on the weekends and I've hit about the same average as you. I can ride with the "fast" group for a while till they drop me on a climb but that's okay.

Or, you can just buy a new set of carbon tubulars and instantly go 3mph faster!!! Results Guaranteed!!

anywhere between 11mph and 23 mph. really helpful right?

Well yes, but that means he generally wouldn't consider responding. I was more wondering why he didn't consider it worth a respone (yet still responded with pointless rubbish).

because this is BF

Op, the reason you get these responses is that this is done about twice a month.

To answer your question, the apparent paradox is that the way to increase your average speed is to forget about average speed.

To get faster you need to do intervals (which are going to lower your average, but maek you stronger and faster).

With 800 miles base, you're ready to start doing some interval training. Pick up Friel's book, or one of Carmichael's.

Or do a search for interval training.

Okay so no one can start a thread huh? Everyone just needs to search and respond, eh? Blah blah blah. If you don't like it just let it die.

I can get over 17 mph on 40 mile rides, but it is a push. I did 16.01 on a 109 mile ride on Friday, but I was wiped out. I've done better. You have to enjoy your ride though or you might as well go spin at the gym. This is early in the year. Keep putting on miles and pushing yourself. Anything over 18 is a much more focused ride if you have any hills mixed in. Do what you can do and don't sweat what you can't.

But you're looking at the wrong metric. Time trial speeds for the Tour de France are closer to 30mph, with the record being over 33mph.

If you can't do 25mph solo, on a conventional road bike for a couple of hours you really shouldn't go to Europe.

i managed 27 mph over 60 miles last weekend.

Obviously anyone can start a thread, and everyone else can choose to post or not, and to read or not.

However, the forum will be of more value to the OP, and ultimately to others, if the OP reads some of the existing content, then if needed, posts a targeted question designed to expand on previous threads, or tailored to his specific circumstance.

My average speed for hilly windy 6 mile time trials is 22.7 mph.