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New rider...what is a good average speed?

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

New rider...what is a good average speed?

Old 07-03-20, 04:45 AM
  #26  
Germanrazor
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That average will bonk when you start riding “Real” hills I assure you. But it is not about the avg. speed in all reality. Your recovery time and avg. cadence are also variables I look to. I too can average almost 20 mph on a typical 20 miler flat with minor climbing (rolling hills). I find those rides to be considered fun rides. Get a 2000’ feet of climbing ride and then reevaluate a bit.

The main thing......enjoy. Us weekend warriors as I say will never compete against even a advanced amateur and definitely never even against even the worse pro rider. When you ride with one of those guys you will see what genetics and training can do.
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Old 07-03-20, 04:47 AM
  #27  
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My main question is......you joined a decade ago here on the forum and just started riding???? You surely aren’t in a hurry are you.....LOL

In all seriousness, have fun and don’t worry about statistics right now. Ride the roads, admire the sights you miss in a car and smell that lovely scent of road kill!
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Old 07-03-20, 08:08 AM
  #28  
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Thats pretty good. I been riding on off a few years mainly summer and I ride my hybrid for 20 miles on a bike path in about an hour and 30 minutes so your doing good. I also am 85 lbs overweight

For some it takes years of hard work to get up to 20 mph. My father could ride his old steel Schwinn Varsity roadbike at a 20 mile an hour pace, but it took him years of hard work riding his bike literally everywhere and all the time to get that good.

On the bike paths I ride I would say 20+ miles an hour is elite. Most riders arent that fast on the bike paths I am on even those I see with $2,000 road bikes.

Last edited by littleArnold; 07-03-20 at 08:13 AM.
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Old 07-03-20, 08:11 AM
  #29  
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Average cycling speed to many is like reporting your golf score. Sometime the info is accurate, sometimes it’s not. When it’s not, the inaccuracy is almost always in your favor. Go out and ride without worrying about your speed. With more time in the saddle, the speed will rise on its own.
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Old 07-03-20, 08:20 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by littleArnold
On the bike paths I ride I would say 20+ miles an hour is elite. Most riders arent that fast on the bike paths I am on even those I see with $2,000 road bikes.
On many bike paths, I'd say 20+ miles an hour is nuts.

Many bike paths aren't for riding fast. Too much going on that can cause things to end badly.
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Old 07-03-20, 08:47 AM
  #31  
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Most accurate would be to divide your distance by how long it actually took you.
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Old 07-03-20, 10:43 AM
  #32  
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I read through some post stating 20 is good and up to 28 or so considered even better......********** The average of a TDF winner taken over the last several years shows a 25 mph average. Now that is with a lot of mileage daily obviously but even then, if they wore out the flats for same distance I am sure that average would be higher. If you achieve things like this then you may want to consider a job change. I find it hard to think however as a beginner you are there to those numbers as I suspect like I stated, when the real hills set in, that average usually drops a bit.

But once gain, not what it is about. Having fun and getting out and exercising should be the main goal. Just have fun buddy.
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Old 07-03-20, 10:48 AM
  #33  
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For your weight, power, and course description 19.8mph seems too low? Are including stopped time In the average speed but not including zeros for power?

I’m 150lbs and yesterday on a 16 mile course with around 600ft of elevation gain yesterday I averaged 19.2mph at 176w (including stopped time for signs and traffic and averaging all zeros in power).
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Old 07-03-20, 11:21 AM
  #34  
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A good average speed is one that leaves you wanting to ride again. Could be 10 mph or 20 mph.
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Old 07-03-20, 11:47 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by rubiksoval
On many bike paths, I'd say 20+ miles an hour is nuts.

Many bike paths aren't for riding fast. Too much going on that can cause things to end badly.
Depends on the particular bike path and time/day. The ARBT is a bike commuting highway on weekday mornings/evenings. You could do 20 sustained and you'd be passing experienced riders who are just riding their ride and probably aren't going to be bothered.

In the middle of the day on a work day, it's pretty wide open. Do your intervals, go nuts.

Saturday mornings, it's a zoo. Avoid at all costs.
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Old 07-03-20, 01:33 PM
  #36  
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I'm going to respectfully disagree with some of the guys here who think you're especially quick. Based on the timing and content of one of your earlier posts, one of the challenges you face is old age taking over before you have a chance to figure things out.

The good news is that there are groups for every level of ability, so all you need to do is join one that matches yours.

The cool thing is that even if you need another decade to act on your decision, the rest of the group also will have aged, so you'll still fit right in
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Old 07-03-20, 01:34 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by colnago62
While he is fit, he has never ridden in a pack. He had a lot to learn before he is ready to ride the faster groups. There is much less tolerance for poor riding skill the faster things get.
good point, I was too caught off guard by the speed
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Old 07-03-20, 01:36 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Germanrazor
I read through some post stating 20 is good and up to 28 or so considered even better......********** The average of a TDF winner taken over the last several years shows a 25 mph average. .
Yeah, but that includes mountain stages. Take out the mountains and you're looking at 28-29. Pretty good. Some days are over 30. I'd say that's great.

Or you can just look at the time trial stages. Those are more indicative being solo efforts. . Some guys dog those a bit for additional recovery, but again, lots of 30+. Pretty great average speeds.
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Old 07-03-20, 01:40 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by rubiksoval
Yeah, but that includes mountain stages. Take out the mountains and you're looking at 28-29. Pretty good. Some days are over 30. I'd say that's great.

Or you can just look at the time trial stages. Those are more indicative being solo efforts. . Some guys dog those a bit for additional recovery, but again, lots of 30+. Pretty great average speeds.

Exactly! That is why I do not think the OP will have anywhere near a 20 mph avg speed on rides even 20 milers once they add some decent climbs. The psychological alone of upcoming climbs to this day plays havoc on me....LOL

But that is cycling and I love it because to me it is like golf......you play yourself each time rather than an opponent.
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Old 07-03-20, 01:41 PM
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I've never tracked average speed. I find it depressing. I have never been able to lift it to the level of above average. No matter how fast I ride, it stays just average. (Had to say that.)
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Old 07-03-20, 01:45 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Germanrazor

But that is cycling and I love it because to me it is like golf......you play yourself each time rather than an opponent.
Well, unless you race. Then it's only your opponents.
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Old 07-03-20, 01:48 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by rubiksoval
Well, unless you race. Then it's only your opponents.
True that! I was never in the world of cycling soon enough and even if I were, not sure I have the right combo of genetics and drive. I grew up playing baseball to go almost pro but just plain got tired of it.
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Old 07-03-20, 02:10 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
I've never tracked average speed. I find it depressing. I have never been able to lift it to the level of above average. No matter how fast I ride, it stays just average. (Had to say that.)
There's a training camp in Lake Wobegon that will fix that for you.
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Old 07-03-20, 06:51 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Germanrazor
But that is cycling and I love it because to me it is like golf......you play yourself each time rather than an opponent.
This is exactly how I rationalize riding the same routes repeatedly - in the same way a golfer will happily play the same course over and over - they’re competing against the course. When I go out, I’m competing against the route. Sometimes the route wins, and I crawl back on my knees(figuratively speaking), but on the days when the stars align, the legs are great, I charge up the hills, I power along the flats, I get home with my dignity intact and I’m rewarded with a good average speed - these are the days that I win

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Old 07-03-20, 07:06 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by colnago62
While he is fit, he has never ridden in a pack. He had a lot to learn before he is ready to ride the faster groups. There is much less tolerance for poor riding skill the faster things get.
Yeah. You don't want to be remembered as "That Guy Who Touched Wheels And Took Down The Whole Group Ride That One Time."
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Old 07-03-20, 07:33 PM
  #46  
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Boy am I glad I kept my mouth shut! I rode 2,950 miles so far this season (started on 3/1) and I average slightly under 15 MPH. I am 68 yrs old and weigh about 173 lbs. I would love to average 19 mph.
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Old 07-03-20, 08:13 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by ultrarider7
Boy am I glad I kept my mouth shut! I rode 2,950 miles so far this season (started on 3/1) and I average slightly under 15 MPH. I am 68 yrs old and weigh about 173 lbs. I would love to average 19 mph.
I'm with you. 62 and 200 pounds. Average speed is about 15mph according to Wahoo. When I first got serious about riding in my mid-30's I was at 18mph and about 10 pounds lighter. Never close to 20 though.
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Old 07-04-20, 03:52 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by Germanrazor
My main question is......you joined a decade ago here on the forum and just started riding???? You surely aren’t in a hurry are you.....LOL

In all seriousness, have fun and don’t worry about statistics right now. Ride the roads, admire the sights you miss in a car and smell that lovely scent of road kill!
Relax...this forum has many topics other than road cycling. Not that I need to justify this, but I joined years ago when I bought a crappy mountain bike that I used about 3 times.

Appreciate some of the advice on here. I know hills will be a different story and look forward to riding some. Agree that it isn’t all about speed at all, I just didn’t have great context to know how I’d do with a group. Sounds like I will be fine in most except for the whole learning how to ride in a group thing which is clearly important.
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Old 07-04-20, 04:38 AM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by kosmo886
Relax...this forum has many topics other than road cycling.

It does??? No way! What is this mountain bike thingy you speak of? LOL

Seriously, enjoy and road cycling rules over mountain biking. I have done both disciplines and would never go back to the fore mentioned other.
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Old 07-04-20, 04:58 AM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by genejockey
Yeah. You don't want to be remembered as "That Guy Who Touched Wheels And Took Down The Whole Group Ride That One Time."
Wheel overlap is a bad habit that so many riders have. In a large pack sometimes it can’t be helped. I see it however, with groups of 4 and 5 riders. Basic group riding skill to have; learn to ride directly behind the person in front of you.
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