The Elusive, for me, 20mph Average
 

None of my family or friends care or even understand and probably no one here cares either but at least you might understand. I started riding about 20 months ago mainly for health and fitness but then I started to pay attention to my progress. I keep getting a bit better but a 20mph average was something I couldn't quite manage. This summer I managed to do 20 miles sections under an hour but could never do a 20+ mile loop ride (no elevation advantage) at that pace. Today I finally hit a 20mph average on a loop ride. Stupid lights during the last 5 miles threatened to disappoint but managed over the last couple miles to squeak it out.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214526458

Here is almost the same ride from about 4 months ago for comparison.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/168086796

Most importantly, this was my first ride on a new set of wheels proving once and for all that new wheels do make you faster. :) 23mm rims ftw!

Maith thu as they say in Irish!

And what do they say in English?

Way to go champ.

Cool. Better than my daughter who just said "uh."

Impressive progress in a short time.

Congrats.

And no EPO.

Well done! Would love to get to that point myself.

It's hard, isn't it? At least for fat, old guys (me, not you). Now I have to repeat to prove it wasn't a fluke.

I've got the same goal. I'm 23 months in and I'm up to 19.2 with aero bars. I struggle for every tenth and appreciate how tough it is.

Congratulations!

Thanks. I really struggle with hills. Here is another ride I did recently.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/212130844

Managed to do the first 27 miles and 1000 feet of climbing at 20mph average but then the road kicks up and my speed goes down.

That's the sweet spot number I try to get to as well. Good work. I haven't been able to get much past 17mph cruising in the last couple years(Less training til this year). In college I used to hit that all the time, but that was a few pounds ago... At least cycling doesn't care about age :)

LOL, how do we know?

Like everyone else, we'll just have to wait 12 years for USADA to rule.

Nice..

I think you should think about racing. Not because you can average some speed for an hour or so, but because you like to train for a goal and suffer while doing it.

Races usually average at least 25 mph, you'll love it.

Congratulations! I cannot WAIT to hit that mark. I've only been riding a few months so im only at 16.5 average right now but it is gradually increasing.

Well I've been riding seriously for about 2 months and I have a long way to go. This was my ride today, I'm 51 and was riding my mid 90's De Rosa, so I guess this wasn't to bad, considering. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/214474540

I vividly remember hitting that goal. Good job! It took me another 4-6 weeks to make it an every day occurance after that first taste.

From here on out, improvements are a b**ch.

umd (is he still banned?) when he was CAT 3/4 and had won some races... posted his 3 year average for the 14K or miles he does yearly and he said it was like 15-16 mph. That dude definitely keeps his data. I remember this and is a good point of reference. I think this was like 2-3 years ago, but the world may have changed. We all get 4G now on our phones, so maybe we all have gone faster. 41 still sounds the same.

Nice work. :thumb:
Your heart rate is very up and down. You'll go more fasterer keeping your effort constant.

That's awesome progress!! Now get to 21!!!! :)

Yeah, my 3yo daughter is already honing her soul crushing skills

The mutually shared suffering makes it more fun and riding with others always pushes you harder. I don't race but when I started training with people who do my general fitness and cycling skills improved greatly. I started doing that years ago (and still do) and appreciate the discipline I learned; having a structured plan is great when aiming for specific goals. You should mention that while sustained averages in races are higher, riding in a pace line helps one maintain those speeds. Riding solo and maintaining a 25mph average is a whole different proposition as there are loads of variables that affect average speed.

;)

15-16mph on flat terrain isn't going to cut it in a flat terrain road race, but when your races are in the mountains that's a little different.

Nice job...good inspiration for us that are not there yet.

20 mph is the sweet spot for me too. When I come home and check the data, anything under 20.0 and I'm ticked.