alexaschwanden

Just ride your bike at the peace you feel most comfortable.

Lexi01

Agree.

Also, 40km for a first ride aint too shabby at all!

But I'd be surprised if you didn't get home with some sore bits and pieces...

muckymucky

16.8mph

wphamilton

All I can say about average speed for a beginner is that it's faster before you put the computer on. So leave the computer off. Get settled into the routine for awhile, then add the computer.

SyL

Guys, what is a good way to deal with headwinds? It's the most irritating thing I encounter while riding. I try to plan my rides accordingly, but how can I make riding into headwinds easier?

Machka 

Hardly anyone here is "looking to go pro" ... but many of us still cycle lots.


Ride into them more frequently.

speedwobbles

19 with a sub 34 minute 10K? Even if you're new to cycling you're waaaayyyy more fit than a beginner and you're young too. I'm assuming you've got a pretty good idea of effort levels from running so just set out at an effort level you think you can sustain for however long you think you'll be riding. Heck, I bet you could go out and ride 100km without any real problems.

SyL

I can do 10k easily in under 34 minutes. I did it to the mall and back to my house the whole of last year for work. However I have literalyl done 0 activity for a month and a half, so this may affect my start. anyways, i'm excited to get on the bike for saturday!

contango 

Average speed is a vague concept. Some people measure average speed based on the total distance and total time. Others measure distance against time spent moving, which gives a higher value. If you're going through areas with lots of stop signs, traffic lights etc you'll go more slowly, simply because you're spending more time either stopped or stopping/starting.

A lot will also depend on how fit you are, whether you do other sports etc. When I first bought my bike I hadn't taken any exercise in many years, I rode about 5 miles in 45 minutes and at the end I wanted to curl up and die. If you can do 40km at all you're fitter than I was when I got my bike.

Terry66

There isn't much you can do about headwinds, other than get as aero as possible and pedal. If you are in a group, you can share the lead and draft from time to time to get out of the wind. If you can choose your route, I usually ride into the wind on the way out and have a tailwind on the way back. Although we had a nasty headwind last night on the way back from our ride. Poor planning on my part, but we only did 25 miles...still coming back was a b****.

dissident

not a good question to ask. To start with, you should only be competing with yourself. Even the slightest head/tail winds and slightest of grades that you probably never noticed as hills before will slow you down or speed you up. Work on your cadence, and about 75% through your ride work on intervals, meaning push yourself to the limit, then slow down.. repeat. This will build endurance and speed faster than simply putting in miles. Enjoy yourself, and compare yourself to you only. Everyone is different and some people are really high energy types that take everything to the extreme, others have more relaxed personalities. No wrong way to ride if you are not in pain and haven't crashed.

I find sidewinds to be more annoying than headwinds, btw. I do have the option of driving straight south for literally ever though and turn around, on days like today with strong southerly winds, it makes for a great ride back

Machka 

10 km in 34 minutes is 17.6 km/h ... it's not exactly a long distance or a lightening pace. But it's a good starting point.

speedwobbles

I can't find the OPs original post but I definitely thought he meant running. If it was on a bike then I take back what I said about how that makes him pretty damn fit.

Machka 

Running would be a different story.

banerjek

Don't fight them.

Some people try to maintain the same speed into a headwind. If you do that, you'll just burn your legs up (if you don't burn your legs up, it means your normal speed is too low). When you're cruising, your effort level and cadence should be constant. Your speed will vary because of wind and other factors. Your gears allow you to maintain constant cadence and effort while your speed varies.

Andy Somnifac

Just keep moving.

denvertrout

Headwind just means you go slower for a bit. I would say just spin the legs and let them get used to the movement and energy it takes to spin.

androidtt

If it's running, holy crap. Take up swimming too and if the genetics are just right...

gregf83 

I suggested that if he could run a 10k in under 34 min he would have a different average speed than if he had been sedentary. The OP may have misunderstood that I meant running and not riding his bike. If he had ever run under 34min I suspect he would have just pointed us to his results from an actual race.

SyL

Yea, I thought you meant riding my bike and I thought, thats nothing aha.

Lexi01

In the early days when I started to do longer and longer rides I remember complaining to a mate about having a headwind going out and coming back...he said "you need to eat...you're running out of energy."

But apart from that, as others have said get aero...its about the cheapest thing you can do on a bike to go faster...get in the drops and stay there (or stay there for as long as your back will let you).

kaiserboy

I love it!! Tailwinds are the great lie

kaiserboy

Consider the headwinds payment for the tailwind you get to enjoy on the way back

billyymc

It doesn't matter what speed you actually ride. What matters is what yo come back here and say you rode. If its under 20mph hour you will be mocked as dreadfully slow, if it's over 22mph you'll be mocked as clearly lying. So your first ride will be 21.6 mph average. Into the wind.

And we'll all argue about what average speed means.

banerjek

Or just think of them as something that makes you a better cyclist. If you ride into them all the time, you get used to it and anything else becomes a gift. Plus you get a good laugh when they're bad on group rides since everyone else gets depressed.