AJW2W11E

Anyone care to name their average brisk speed for a 25 mile ride? I'm just curious , sometimes I dream about entering a plus 60 age group race.

Eric F 

Average speed while riding solo is not a good metric for judging racing capabilities. Races are usually determined by what you can handle at your limits. If you can’t go 30+mph for 2+ minutes, and that’s what breaks the group, your chance to compete is done. If you just want to finish, go ride and see how it goes.

If you are a new racer, be aware that the “old guy” categories are often populated with a few guys who have been racing for a long time, and may include ex-pros.

EDIT: FWIW, on last night's solo 20mi road ride with 1000' of total elevation gain, I averaged 17.2mph. My pace was what I would consider an easy tempo (zone 2) for almost all of the ride. At 54yo, I can still put out over 1000W in a max effort sprint. but I have not raced in almost 20 years. I estimate that I could hang in the pack in a 50+ crit on a flat course, but probably would not be competitive at the finish.

CliffordK

I probably sustain 15 or 16 MPH. Occasionally I can hold around 20 MPH for about 16 miles or so.

I had thought about doing a local TT. But, the prior results were posted online, and the 50 to 60 year olds were much faster than me.

Riding in a small group or paceline will be much faster than a solo ride.

downtube42

I'd guess on a flat calm 25 mile course with no stops, properly warmed up, I'd be at about 18mph. I've entered crits and cx in 60+ and Cat 4. Way way out of my league since I'm slow AF, but definitely Type 2 fun.

Just enter. Set yourself two race goals: don't be last and don't crash. You'll probably ride harder than you knew was possible, and get shelled out the back. You'll get yanked from the course if you're going to pose a problem for the field, so you can have another goal of delaying the hook as long as possible. From that experience you'll be in one of two camps: can't wait to do it again or never want to do it again. If you don't mind having your ego shredded, it's a good time.

MinnMan

Very true. I can ride solo centuries at between 18 and 20 mph average moving speed, depending on the course and my level of fitness, but my maximum power is not very good at all. In a road race or crit, where there are accelerations that require high wattage over short periods of time (as on a short steep hill), I'd be out the back.

smontanaro 

I've never raced, but wonder... Are you interested in testing yourself or comparing yourself to others? If the former, then aside from going so slow that you miss a time cutoff, who cares?

What about cyclocross? The way races are designed, it's more democratic in that everybody rides roughly the same amount of time. From my perspective as a sometimes watcher, the atmosphere also seems more festive.

GhostRider62

I still have my racing license but very rarely race. In a 20 mile criterium with 60-65 year olds, many of whom were once top racers, the speed might only be 24-25 mph UNTIL someone dials it up for 3-5 minutes and that is the test, whether you can hang onto a wheel for deal life until the herd is thinned. Speeds might be around 30 mph during such crunches. Average speed on a training ride on public roads isn't too helpful. For reference, the top racers in that age in my area are 58-1:00 40km TT racers, I'd guess if you could do a 1:05-1:08, you could affix to a wheel on a crit but might come unglued at some point.

BobbyG

I'm 61 and commute most days 6 miles each way on a mix of streets and trails. Depending on which bike I ride, in dry conditions I average 11.5 on my heaviest bike and 13.5 on my lightest bike. On my 20 - 25 mile weekend fun rides, also on streets and trails, if I push it I'll add another mph to my speed and go 12.5 to 14.5mph.

I'll have long relatively flat stretches where I maintain 18-24mph, but there are a lot of hills here in Colorado Springs. I'll hit the low to mid 30s on longer downhills, but my reflexes and nerves aren't what they used to be.

seypat

I usually try to ride at a brisk pace, but it varies.

pdlamb

Ralph.

I also name my own salary. I call it Greg.

(The joys of posting in the old farts forum!)

big john

Sometimes I ride briskly, sometimes not. If you want to test yourself against others and not enter a race, find a suitable group ride. I have done thousands of group/club rides and they can be a lot of fun. You might also make some good friends and some lifetime memories.

Jughed

I’ve never raced. My avg speed and power outputs put me in Cat 4/5 on the “charts”, but not top end speed- I would get dropped after the first or second acceleration.

Nor would I ever race a crit or cross race in the first place - I don’t need that type of potential wreck or bike destruction.


I could do a bottom tier TT without embarrassing myself.

Eric F 

The only thing I ever wrecked in a CX race was my body. CX racing was the most I have ever suffered on a bike.

rsbob 

Riding solo, which is very much different than riding in pacelines or a peloton, if I really push myself can maintain 20 MPH over that distance. I’m 68. In a group, could probably hang on at 22.

My comfortable solo distance (30-60 miles) is 16 MPH with 18-19 on the flats and hills bringing the average down. Never a racer - just recreational.

Hermes

I am not sure what you mean by brisk speed. On a flat course around a 4.1 mile island course with light winds, I can ride 18-19 mph at a tempo pace on my road bike. I can go faster on my TT bike and I can go even faster if I ride at higher power.

Entering a mass start race requires a completely different set of metrics and a set of pack riding skills and pack awareness including cornering at high speed. I have a sports car and I might dream of racing on a track. Without training by a qualified race car instructor, I could also dream about crashing my car and getting seriously injured. At least I have a drivers license and experience driving at higher speed in close quarters with other cars on the freeway. But not high speed cornering.

What I did to start racing was hire a coach, begin formal training and attend group rides instructed by the coach. I took a skills course offered by the local racing association

Keep in mind that many prospective racers do not take any steps to develop training or skills and just show up. That is often suggested by BF by members. Some do quite well and some end up on the deck injured to whatever extent that is and never return. Their crashes take down other racers. Part of learning to race is being able to spot riders who are a problem and always have a plan what to do if something goes wrong.

Also, some races for beginners have mentors. The mentors ride with the peloton and offer instruction and reprimand those that are behaving erratically.

So there are many paths to racing. Unfortunately, USA Cycling, the governing body, encourages a structured entry to racing with skills courses and practice sessions but does NOT require them for a license. In fact, one can show up at a Cat 5 race, never been on a group ride, have zero pack skills, be totally clueless, buy a one day license and race.

And to the above point, and in general, beginner older racers, are NOT allowed in mass start masters fields. They have to race with the Cat 5 mass start beginner field until they have enough qualifying races to upgrade to a Cat 4. That will take at least one year / season to complete. Then one can enter a masters 60+ field.

Eric F 

This is one more reason why I'm not considering road/crit racing again. I have zero interest in mixing it up with Cat 5s.

79pmooney

OP, read Hermes post carefully. At 60+, crashes do us far more damage than they did when we were young and indestructible. Same goes for all around you you are racing against. The guy who paid his dues 40 years ago is not going to take kindly to a newcomer leaving him with a broken body to deal with perhaps the rest of his life. That same guy lives to compete against his friends who have been racing as long as he has.

PeteHski

Around 20 mph for me on a solo ride at tempo in a normal road position (i.e. road race bike, not a TT bike). Rolling terrain with no major climbs, but not dead flat.

Bald Paul

Try a race on Zwift. I really doubt you'll crash, or cause anyone else to crash. Compare your results with that of others in your age group. Believe me, you'll work harder than you thought you ever could. And, if you get tired, have a cramp, or (worst case) get tight in the chest, you can stop.

Eric F 

I've crashed on Zwift...because I'm an idiot. I needed to tip my fan's angle just a bit during a ride, and was sure I could reach it without getting off my bike, or even unclipping. I was wrong. My (wheel-on) trainer tipped over with me and my bike still attached. My leg got wedged between the frame of the trainer and the bike frame. It hurt like hell, and I still have a scar. As I said, I'm an idiot. Safety tip: Don't be an idiot.

CAT7RDR

This was my moderate paced Friday ride today.
Did not feel that great but averaged 10.4 mph over 35 miles and 3700 feet of climb.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42869498
Not my best effort or worse. I'll take it.
I cannot afford another crash so I do not press my luck on descents.

canklecat

On a popular local roller coaster route, it used to be 17 mph solo, 18+ mph on group rides, until late 2021. My health took a hit and I've slowed to around 14 mph. No more fast group rides, I can't keep up and don't want younger, stronger riders waiting for me at regroup points.

No idea what happened in 2021, and my doctors don't know either. All COVID tests were negative, and I was vaxxed. It wasn't a reaction to the vaccines -- those usually occur almost immediately and my symptoms didn't show up until months later. I'm guessing it's a combination of worsening autoimmune disorder (Hashimoto's) and worsening spinal stenosis. Hazards of aging.

But 2020 was good. Possibly my best year after resuming cycling in 2015 after a 30 year hiatus. I set many PRs and cracked a few hard Strava segment top tens, but never a KOM on any significant segment.

I've mostly switched to jogging since then, mostly due to chronic neck pain. I'm about as slow a runner as I am a cyclist now.

I'm trying to ride more often this year, although I can still manage only an hour to 90 minutes before neck pain forces me to quit. But I'm regearing my road bikes to bigger cogs and/or smaller chainrings. These old legs used to be okay with 39/25 combos on our steepest hills, but now I prefer 38/28 or easier.

Jughed

Any masters Mercks (regular road bike) TT’s out there that one can enter without prequalifying or prerequisites?

This is something I would like to try.

Hermes

We have them in San Diego. In fact, there is one this Sunday. Closed road with a Merckx division but not by age group. No USAC license required. If you want to race a time trial and ride Merckx, just show up at any USAC TT and ride with the Cat 5 men. You will be on the course by yourself and it does not matter if you rider a road or TT bike. You will be slower on a road bike but who cares. You are racing against the clock. It will give you an opportunity to see if you like it or not.

In general, TTs are safer races and I would rate them similar to riding solo on the road. However, beware of the course particulars, off camber turns, gravel and etc. And really beware of finish areas. At the end of a TT the brain is foggy and there will be other foggy racers around the finish area. Do not run into them.

spdntrxi

20mph