Is it just me?
05-30-18, 12:49 PM
#51
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05-30-18, 12:50 PM
#52
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We're talking about the same course, but you missed my point.
This is a ridiculous statement and is either a typo or the poster is not sharing by which measurement he is getting his number. 2 riders holding 28 miles per hour for 1-2 hours is never "a piece of cake" no matter how flat and calm it is. It is in no way doable for a regular recreational cyclist. Exactly what the OP is maligning, people post and propagate nonsense and it ends up diminishing one's own experience and projecting a distorted review of the reality as experienced by most of their peers.
Here's the leader board for the Marietta Crit, the one lap shows some impressive speeds:
https://www.strava.com/segments/660461?filter=overall
But the 20 lap segment is more illustrative, racers, both in practicing aggressive racing and during the actual sanctioned race, have not yet broken 28 miles per hour for a little less than an hour of racing:
https://www.strava.com/segments/6826486?filter=overall
As you noted, this is not a pan flat course, but it is a course where 30-40 riders are racing together.
Cruising around the roads near her at ~28mph for an hour or two is a piece of cake, and I'm neither pro nor high level amateur racer.
Here's the leader board for the Marietta Crit, the one lap shows some impressive speeds:
https://www.strava.com/segments/660461?filter=overall
But the 20 lap segment is more illustrative, racers, both in practicing aggressive racing and during the actual sanctioned race, have not yet broken 28 miles per hour for a little less than an hour of racing:
https://www.strava.com/segments/6826486?filter=overall
As you noted, this is not a pan flat course, but it is a course where 30-40 riders are racing together.
Last edited by Spoonrobot; 05-30-18 at 12:57 PM.
05-30-18, 12:59 PM
#53
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We're talking about the same course, but you missed my point.
This is a ridiculous statement and is either a typo or the poster is not sharing by which measurement he is getting his number. 2 riders holding 28 miles per hour for 1-2 hours is never "a piece of cake" no matter how flat and calm it is. It is in no way doable for a regular recreational cyclist. Exactly what the OP is maligning, people post and propagate nonsense and it ends up diminishing one's own experience and projecting a distorted review of the reality as experienced by most of their peers.
Here's the leader board for the Marietta Crit, the one lap shows some impressive speeds:
https://www.strava.com/segments/660461?filter=overall
But the 20 lap segment is more illustrative, racers, practicing aggressive racing, have not yet broken 28 miles per hour for a little less than an hour of racing:
https://www.strava.com/segments/6826486?filter=overall
As you noted, this is not a pan flat course, but it is a course where 30-40 riders are racing together.
This is a ridiculous statement and is either a typo or the poster is not sharing by which measurement he is getting his number. 2 riders holding 28 miles per hour for 1-2 hours is never "a piece of cake" no matter how flat and calm it is. It is in no way doable for a regular recreational cyclist. Exactly what the OP is maligning, people post and propagate nonsense and it ends up diminishing one's own experience and projecting a distorted review of the reality as experienced by most of their peers.
Here's the leader board for the Marietta Crit, the one lap shows some impressive speeds:
https://www.strava.com/segments/660461?filter=overall
But the 20 lap segment is more illustrative, racers, practicing aggressive racing, have not yet broken 28 miles per hour for a little less than an hour of racing:
https://www.strava.com/segments/6826486?filter=overall
As you noted, this is not a pan flat course, but it is a course where 30-40 riders are racing together.
05-30-18, 01:01 PM
#54
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We're talking about the same course, but you missed my point.
This is a ridiculous statement and is either a typo or the poster is not sharing by which measurement he is getting his number. 2 riders holding 28 miles per hour for 1-2 hours is never "a piece of cake" no matter how flat and calm it is. It is in no way doable for a regular recreational cyclist. Exactly what the OP is maligning, people post and propagate nonsense and it ends up diminishing one's own experience and projecting a distorted review of the reality as experienced by most of their peers.
Here's the leader board for the Marietta Crit, the one lap shows some impressive speeds:
https://www.strava.com/segments/660461?filter=overall
But the 20 lap segment is more illustrative, racers, both in practicing aggressive racing and during the actual sanctioned race, have not yet broken 28 miles per hour for a little less than an hour of racing:
https://www.strava.com/segments/6826486?filter=overall
As you noted, this is not a pan flat course, but it is a course where 30-40 riders are racing together.
This is a ridiculous statement and is either a typo or the poster is not sharing by which measurement he is getting his number. 2 riders holding 28 miles per hour for 1-2 hours is never "a piece of cake" no matter how flat and calm it is. It is in no way doable for a regular recreational cyclist. Exactly what the OP is maligning, people post and propagate nonsense and it ends up diminishing one's own experience and projecting a distorted review of the reality as experienced by most of their peers.
Here's the leader board for the Marietta Crit, the one lap shows some impressive speeds:
https://www.strava.com/segments/660461?filter=overall
But the 20 lap segment is more illustrative, racers, both in practicing aggressive racing and during the actual sanctioned race, have not yet broken 28 miles per hour for a little less than an hour of racing:
https://www.strava.com/segments/6826486?filter=overall
As you noted, this is not a pan flat course, but it is a course where 30-40 riders are racing together.
Strava is not just for "recreational" cyclists.
edit...
I can see where I might be misunderstanding whatever message you are trying to convey.
But the OP was talking about 20mph plus, which is within reach for many of us if we care to commit to the training and exercise to ride at that level.
Last edited by Iride01; 05-30-18 at 01:07 PM.
05-30-18, 02:30 PM
#55
Senior Member
Here I am a seasoned rider of 20+ years. I ride about 7K+ miles per year including several week long tours of 500+ miles each. I ride about half a dozen centuries a year as well. I'm in shape (6 foot and 175 pounds) and not too old (50's).
But I keep on reading about riders who can average 20+mph on the flats for hours on end or can average 15+mph including 4000+ feet of climbing. To make it worst, some of these guys say they are 70+. I also routinely get passed on bike paths by people who are just effortedlessly riding past me as though its a Sunday recovery ride.
So is there something seriously wrong (i.e. setup, conditioning) with a seasoned cyclist who rides 33 miles in 2 hours (with minimal climbing) when going full tilt on a MUP (i.e. no traffic whatsoever)? Or are these other people just special.
But I keep on reading about riders who can average 20+mph on the flats for hours on end or can average 15+mph including 4000+ feet of climbing. To make it worst, some of these guys say they are 70+. I also routinely get passed on bike paths by people who are just effortedlessly riding past me as though its a Sunday recovery ride.
So is there something seriously wrong (i.e. setup, conditioning) with a seasoned cyclist who rides 33 miles in 2 hours (with minimal climbing) when going full tilt on a MUP (i.e. no traffic whatsoever)? Or are these other people just special.
does that answer your question. i ride serious commuting hardware.
05-30-18, 02:30 PM
#56
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https://www.strava.com/segments/12576615?filter=overall
This is the local Saturday race ride, a few miles east of Davis, even flatter than the Wheelworks Ride. 33 miles, 45 feet of elevation. Pretty much every rider in the top 100 races at Cat 3 or higher, as far as I can tell from scanning the pages. KOM is 27.3mph.
We get a handful of pros on the ride, usually during the winter. Evan Huffman is 97 on the list.. Neilson Powless is 175. Chris Horner used to do the River Ride, but that was pre-Strava.
This is the local Saturday race ride, a few miles east of Davis, even flatter than the Wheelworks Ride. 33 miles, 45 feet of elevation. Pretty much every rider in the top 100 races at Cat 3 or higher, as far as I can tell from scanning the pages. KOM is 27.3mph.
We get a handful of pros on the ride, usually during the winter. Evan Huffman is 97 on the list.. Neilson Powless is 175. Chris Horner used to do the River Ride, but that was pre-Strava.
Last edited by caloso; 05-31-18 at 07:29 AM.
05-30-18, 06:53 PM
#58
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I am just amazed that when somebody who does not want to put in hard disciplined work, everybody faster than them is automatically assumed/labeled doper. The plan to get fast is simple. You got to want to do it. That is what sets people apart from others. People who work hard understand that a bike at that time is a tool and not a fun activity. Training hard hurts and takes serious dedication, which is not for everybody, and not for people who don't have time. Its not about clocking in miles and doing grocery runs and getting on forums and talking like you are a veteran in cycling.
Yes, getting faster takes some motivation and effort, but it can be accomplished to a recreational rider's great satisfaction without crankiness and misery - it can be a lot of fun. A lot of the fast riders I know got there just by riding with faster and faster groups, and maybe giving a little more thought to their diet and patterns of exercise and recovery. Just a little ambition, and no real "structure" other than regular riding with equally enthusiastic friends.
05-30-18, 07:11 PM
#59
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05-30-18, 07:24 PM
#60
Non omnino gravis
Average speed in a group/paceline is meaningless. You could sit in the middle all day and average +25mph on 200 watts.
I do like those "fast group ride" guys when they get caught out alone. Most of them can't muster up the gas to push the air out of the way.
I do like those "fast group ride" guys when they get caught out alone. Most of them can't muster up the gas to push the air out of the way.
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05-30-18, 08:10 PM
#61
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05-31-18, 08:50 AM
#64
Senior Member
I'm sure it is very common...in those areas where you can actually ride for "hours" and remain on the flats (i.e., not encounter any elevation).
Around here I can barely go a quarter mile in any direction without climbing a hill, and the easiest recovery rides I can cobble together still include >2,000' of elevation.
But when I visit my sister in Davis CA we can do a 40 mile ride and wind up with less than 50' of elevation. Total. Cruising around the roads near her at ~28mph for an hour or two is a piece of cake, and I'm neither pro nor high level amateur racer.
Around here I can barely go a quarter mile in any direction without climbing a hill, and the easiest recovery rides I can cobble together still include >2,000' of elevation.
But when I visit my sister in Davis CA we can do a 40 mile ride and wind up with less than 50' of elevation. Total. Cruising around the roads near her at ~28mph for an hour or two is a piece of cake, and I'm neither pro nor high level amateur racer.
05-31-18, 09:04 AM
#65
Non omnino gravis
The Men's Pro Criterium at the local annual Bicycle Classic here averaged 29.31mph. That's on a closed, completely flat course, in a peleton of 134 riders.
Any claim of 28mph average on any open road is just not plausible. For a small, wind-efficient rider, maintaining a solo 28mph on the flats requires around 440W-- or 6.5W/kg for a 150lb rider.
Any claim of 28mph average on any open road is just not plausible. For a small, wind-efficient rider, maintaining a solo 28mph on the flats requires around 440W-- or 6.5W/kg for a 150lb rider.
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05-31-18, 10:50 AM
#67
Non omnino gravis
05-31-18, 10:52 AM
#68
Senior Member
05-31-18, 10:55 AM
#69
Non omnino gravis
Well, I figure that's how many of the Big Fish guys on here arrive at their "averages."
"I averaged 34mph down that one hill for about 20 minutes, so I technically averaged 34mph! AND IT WAS EASY! ANYONE COULD DO IT!"
The speed going the other way... less impressive.
"I averaged 34mph down that one hill for about 20 minutes, so I technically averaged 34mph! AND IT WAS EASY! ANYONE COULD DO IT!"
The speed going the other way... less impressive.
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05-31-18, 11:02 AM
#71
Non omnino gravis
I am comfortable at 20-22mph on level ground. I can stay there for a long time. Above that, and it just gets tiring punching a hole in the air. At my size, 20mph takes barely 200w-- generally ~190w. Now say 24mph? 260-270w. That's not cruising.
That's why when I see anyone claiming "no problem, everyday" average speeds of 20+, or flat ground speeds like the above mentioned 28mph, the needle on the BS-o-meter goes right into the red.
That's why when I see anyone claiming "no problem, everyday" average speeds of 20+, or flat ground speeds like the above mentioned 28mph, the needle on the BS-o-meter goes right into the red.
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05-31-18, 11:13 AM
#74
Non omnino gravis
Even on a group ride, unless they took a bus to the top of a mountain and just pacelined down, a 28mph average is highly unlikely. There is a VERY fast group of local guys here, and it is rare to see their 50-60 mile rides top even 20mph average. They will hit near 30mph in a paceline on the flats, but you would never see anything like a 28mph average. Not outside of a closed-course race or crit.
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05-31-18, 11:33 AM
#75
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That's true. Often when people are talking about their average speed, they are really just talking about how fast they were cruising along at, for a long stretch of road.