BlazingPedals

I used to ride straight through except if I needed to top off my water. But then I realized that at these pay-to-ride events I was paying for the goodies at the stops, so now I stop at all of them!

Piratebike

My avg. even on my carbon road bike is 14-15. There is a local group that rides and they always say they will be 18-20. So I can't ride with them. I don't want to hold them back and I don't want them to kill me.....so I ride....alone.

linberl

Same here. I found a group on Meetup that rides at a more moderate rate. Maybe there is something in your area or you should start one! Not everyone wants to kill themselves. I bet you would find others just like you.

sevenmag

Funny what we'll do for a T-shirt and some fig newtons.

bikeridesteve

13-14 mph with an occasional speed gust to 15 mph. Not sure if it's me or the bike holding back increasing my speed but it is what it is...

OldTryGuy

My Garmin has 2 functions for average speed. Total time average and moving time average. My last Friday's Relay For Life ride shows the difference between the two very nicely. This ride was an easy does it and windy challenge up until 2AM and then things calmed down. 11:02:16 total time at 13.8mph average but 9:28:15 moving time at 16.1mph average

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1692543654

In comparison, my 2013 ride during IM70.3FL was a non-stop get-r-done ride that followed the 1.2 mile swim and before the 13.1 mile half marathon.

IRONMAN 70.3 Florida Results - IRONMAN Official Site | IRONMAN triathlon 140.6 & 70.3

Different approach with differing results.

wthensler 

I enjoy brisk rides, and without wind here in flat FL typically average between 18-20 mph during 30-60 mile jaunts. However, at 60 y.o. I am starting to pay more attention to heart rate, especially in our persistent windy conditions, rather than speed alone. Also, I've been down on the tarmac hard (broken pelvis), so I do exercise more caution.

I mostly ride alone and do weekend rides with the club here in Gainesville, and stop at least once to hydrate and enjoy a nice candy bar.

Loose Chain

When I was in my 30s I could, and fairly easily, break 25 MPH for an hour. I did so in many triathlons (40K). Also time trials. Now at twice that age, I can hold maybe 18 MPH for an hour. Swimming during that same time, I would go under 20 minutes even for open water ocean swims. Now, I much prefer cruising along at maybe 28 minutes (1.5K).

Running, well, the shattered femur and hip, ended my running days. But in my 30s I would run 38s and my last run (six years ago) would have been around 48 minutes for a 10K.

Doohickie

I typically roll at at about 12-13 mph. And that's fine. At least I'm faster than canklecat when I want to be.

(But he's better at avoiding armadillos.)

Artmo 

My wife and I, with combined ages of 153, ride our tandem 25-30 miles three times per week with other oldies (ages 62-84) and average 13-14.5 mph, on the flatlands around here, but also includes a couple of tandem rallies in hillier terrain. I'm allowed(!) out on a solo bike once per week when I ride 30 miles with a 79-year-old when we average around 16 mph. After those rides, I have to lie down in a darkened room

IronM

I’m faster in a group than solo, and slower in the hills. I’m quicker when trained and rested ‘on form’. And I’m quicker when skinnier. Some rides are purposefully hard, while others purposefully easy. As such, my speed varies so much that I haven’t a clue what average is. Honestly, I don't even look at it, unless it's a Strava segment or something (and even then it's for benchmarking purposes).


“It doesn’t get any easier, you just get faster” – Greg Lemond

Gerryattrick

I'm with IronM on this. My rides rarely take the same route or the same time of day/traffic conditions. Wind conditions vary and there are always some hills of different toughness so it's almost impossible to work out an overall average or whether I have improved.

My average 25-ish mile ride speeds can vary from 12mph to 15mph.

A few weeks back I did the same ride two days apart. The first one I averaged 13.5 mph, the second, when I made a real effort, only came out at 14 mph. Was it worth the effort? Not really, because the next time I try that ride I know I'll knacker myself trying to beat 14 mph and be disappointed if I fail.

AlexCyclistRoch

I'm sorry, but averaging 25 m,ph for an hour would classify you as hors catagorie, or "worthy of the peleton" on the TdF. Heck, even the domestiques on the top teams BARELY manage that.....

Oh, I just realized who you must be.....
Ladies and Gentlemen, this poster is actually Lance Armstrong, posting incognito!

MikeOK

Interval days and a longish ride with heart rate above 85% works for me. When you get above 15-16 average mph you have to do some serious traing to get any more gains. I averaged 24 one time. I had a hard south wind pushing me out and I rode through a cold front and the wind switched around to the north so I turned around and had a tailwind all the way back lol.

bikemig 

Up through my 30s, I could hang in all the local training races. I'd get to the point I could ride solo on a flattish course that was 20 miles in under an hour solo; at that point I knew I was fit enough to do the local training races. I also made it a point to knock out a sub five hour century every fall with friends.

Then life got busy (or at least I thought it did) and I took the better part of a decade not riding. Now my basic training ride is a 30 mile out and back. The first 9 miles is essentially flat. 12 miles of that ride (the last 6 out, the first 6 back) has 1600 ft of climbing. Not a lot but steady rollers with one real climb. I average right around 12-13 mph on the ride. I know I could do it faster but I like getting home and having plenty of energy to help out around the house.

MikeOK

I thought that's what wives were for

bikemig 

i tried that line . . .

Baldy1953

I have been riding for a little over 2 years. Had to take 3 months off last year in jan. due to a broken ankle ( not bike related). I ride between 20-40 miles a day( 4-6 times a week) and average between 15.5 and 17.5 depending on the wind and how I feel. I would like to go faster, just for myself. No competition . It is hard to increase the average.

I did ride a metric century and averaged 16.9 for it. Was riding with a couple guys who finally rode off and left me as I could not keep up.
Keep riding and pushing now and then, you will get faster although it sometimes is slow progress.

Cougrrcj

Hmmm, could also be Dave Stoller....

canklecat

I've met a couple of 50+ guys locally who are either pretty dang fast or have superman endurance. I follow 'em on Strava. One fellow in his early 50s routinely averages 20 mph on 30-60 mile rides, a little slower on days with serious headwinds -- I ride some of the same routes and struggle to average 14 mph. He has several KOMs on route segments I ride, and my speed is usually right at half of his.

The other guy, I think in his early 60s, has been riding two or three centuries a week, averaging 15-16 mph. I've seen him ahead of me a couple of times and tried to pace off him but couldn't keep up. Turns out both times I saw him he was near the end of yet another weekly century and was still chugging along.

Granted, they're riding decent road bikes and I'm on a 1990s rigid mountain bike. But I doubt a 20 lb road bike would turn me into either of those fellows without a lot more conditioning and some magical go juice on the side.

europa

Isn't your average mph the awful reality that you did fewer miles than you'd wanted divided by more time than you'd hoped?

MikeOK

Are you telling us you could average 25? Bull.

MikeOK

Tandems go super fast. When we're in a group ride with tandems we always draft behind them. It makes a huge difference.

MikeOK

You might be surprised. I bet your average would go up 4-5 right out of the box.

SHBR

That doesn't look too bad, (heavy traffic, big city standards) but it would be annoying if that was happening every few minutes.