Riding speed

Daniel Crispin said:

When I purchased my bike a month ago my average speed was 15 Km/H with
peaks at around 24 Km/H.

Now a month later I have an average speed of 27 Km/H with peaks at 40
Km/H....

I am just wondering how much more it can improve.

First of all, congratulations on the rapid improvement. You've
gained mostly aerobic fitness so far, which rises quickly at first,
then plateaus.

The upper limit for cycling speed over distance is about 30 mph (48
kph). That's how fast the world's best cyclists have been able to
ride on a "normal" bike for one hour on the track.

Quoted message said:

I always go as fast as I can,

That's not the way to get faster, at least not over the long term.
Right now, early in your training, you can see gains from just about
any type of riding. But that won't be the case several months or
years from now. For best results, you need to mix up your workout
effort from day to day by riding in specified heart rate zones:

http://tinyurl.com/35hk2

--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

Daniel Crispin said:

I am curious, what speed do you guys ride at? I mean on flat ground
with no heavy front wind that is.

Quoted message said:

When I purchased my bike a month ago my average speed was 15 Km/H
with peaks at around 24 Km/H.

Quoted message said:

Now a month later I have an average speed of 27 Km/H with peaks at
40 Km/H...

Amateur bicyclists, especially in England, use the 25 mile TT as a
standard of performance. The event is a "time trial" where a solo
rider rides for the best elapsed time on an out and back level
'straight' course to-achieve the shortest elapsed time. If you can do
that in an hour, you are above the average of most clubs.

Quoted message said:

I am just wondering how much more it can improve. I always go as
fast as I can, I don't stand up to gain speed, I pedal always
seated.

Standing is generally considered sprinting, something that enables
putting more force on the pedals for a limited time and puts the rider
into debt. A good TT rider will not have any excess power to waste
sprinting to the finish line if he is riding at his best speed up to
then. On the other hand there are riders who always seem to have a
reserve for a few moments when needed. This is what young racers have
in criterium races where there are few breakaways. These are the
riders who win these events.

Don't worry about it and just ride. When you start catching up to any
rider you see ahead, consider entering a TT and see what you can do.
Of course you can make your own course and test yourself. Out and
back 22.5 miles takes care of any light breeze or wind that may occur.
If you have a good Cyclometer, you can watch your average as you ride.

The Tour de France winner averages better than 25mph for the entire
race some years, but that is not a solo effort. However it includes
climbing some major mountain passes so that gives you an idea how fast
the pack moves as they rotate leaders in the flatlands.

Jobst Brandt
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

The Tour de France winner averages better than 25mph for the entire
race some years, but that is not a solo effort. However it includes
climbing some major mountain passes so that gives you an idea how fast
the pack moves as they rotate leaders in the flatlands.

Plus, they often have long "parade segments" where the entire pack
rolls along at a comfortable pace for a while (also lowering the
average speed). It seems to me these are getting less frequent in
recent years though... someone's always trying to "create a miracle".

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mark Hickey said:

Quoted message said:

The Tour de France winner averages better than 25mph for the entire
race some years, but that is not a solo effort. However it includes
climbing some major mountain passes so that gives you an idea how fast
the pack moves as they rotate leaders in the flatlands.

Plus, they often have long "parade segments" where the entire pack
rolls along at a comfortable pace for a while (also lowering the
average speed). It seems to me these are getting less frequent in
recent years though... someone's always trying to "create a miracle".

Udo Bolts was grumbling about that very thing last year. He said the
pace was pushed so high all the time that perennial domestiques like him
had to push rather hard to avoid getting time-cut in the mountains.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine/wiredcola/
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

"Daniel Crispin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am curious, what speed do you guys ride at? I mean on flat ground with no
heavy front wind that is 😉

In the year since I bought my bike my "cruising speed" on flat
ground has increased from about 14 mph to 18.5 mph. I'm
also curious to see how fast I can go. For those of us who
use English units 20 mph (32 km/h) is a big milestone. I recently
was able to increase my average speed by about 0.5 mph just
by rotating the handlebars to get a more aero position (I have
a hybrid).

Every time I hit 30 mph or so going down a hill I think about how
the pros can maintain this speed over flat ground for an hour
and I am just amazed.

Jeff

Quoted message said:

I am curious, what speed do you guys ride at?
I mean on flat ground with no heavy front wind that is 😉

I can maintain a little over 20mph on the flat with no wind, which is to
say, almost nowhere I ride during most of the year. When I was still
young and strong, I could do a bit more.

Quoted message said:

When I purchased my bike a month ago my average speed was
15 Km/H with peaks at around 24 Km/H.

Now a month later I have an average speed of 27 Km/H with
peaks at 40 Km/H....

That's good progress.

Quoted message said:

I am just wondering how much more it can improve.

That's hard to predict. Variables include your genetics, your training
regimen and diet, the frequency and severity of illness and injury, and
a host of others.

--
Robots don't kill people -- people kill people.
http://www.irobotmovie.com/

Daniel Crispin said:

I am curious, what speed do you guys ride at? I mean on flat ground with no
heavy front wind that is 😉

Depends what I'm doing. On the flat sections of my ride to work, I've
done about 19 to 20 mph for many, many years. But this year it seems to
have dropped by about 1 mph. Maybe I'm getting close to 60 years old.

I go a bit faster if I'm doing recreational rides, either solo or with
guys who like to go fast. I go slower if I'm riding with my wife, or if
I'm just in a mood to cruise and enjoy the scenery.

Quoted message said:

When I purchased my bike a month ago my average speed was 15 Km/H with
peaks at around 24 Km/H.

Now a month later I have an average speed of 27 Km/H with peaks at 40
Km/H....

I am just wondering how much more it can improve.

Hard to say. You've improved quite a bit already. But your maximum
depends partly on your dedication (serious training involves pain) and
partly on genetics.

How carefully did you choose your parents? ;-)

--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

(Jeff) said:

"Daniel Crispin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am curious, what speed do you guys ride at? I mean on flat ground with no
heavy front wind that is 😉

In the year since I bought my bike my "cruising speed" on flat
ground has increased from about 14 mph to 18.5 mph. I'm
also curious to see how fast I can go. For those of us who
use English units 20 mph (32 km/h) is a big milestone. I recently
was able to increase my average speed by about 0.5 mph just
by rotating the handlebars to get a more aero position (I have
a hybrid).

Every time I hit 30 mph or so going down a hill I think about how
the pros can maintain this speed over flat ground for an hour
and I am just amazed.

Having my bike for 2 weeks now, using GPS, I average 14 to 16 KPH and
frequently peak at 29 to 31 KPH. Sometimes it feels like I've run out
of gears and I need a higher one.

Michael J. Klein [email hidden]
Dasi Jen, Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan, ROC
Please replace mousepotato with asiancastings
---------------------------------------------

"Frank Krygowski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Daniel Crispin said:

I am curious, what speed do you guys ride at? I mean on flat ground

with no

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

heavy front wind that is 😉

Depends what I'm doing. On the flat sections of my ride to work, I've
done about 19 to 20 mph for many, many years. But this year it seems to
have dropped by about 1 mph. Maybe I'm getting close to 60 years old.

I go a bit faster if I'm doing recreational rides, either solo or with
guys who like to go fast. I go slower if I'm riding with my wife, or if
I'm just in a mood to cruise and enjoy the scenery.

Quoted message said:

When I purchased my bike a month ago my average speed was 15 Km/H with
peaks at around 24 Km/H.

Now a month later I have an average speed of 27 Km/H with peaks at 40
Km/H....

I am just wondering how much more it can improve.

Hard to say. You've improved quite a bit already. But your maximum
depends partly on your dedication (serious training involves pain) and
partly on genetics.

How carefully did you choose your parents? ;-)

--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

LOL! Well I was not given a choice... dang I knew I got screwed with that
whole
getting born thing... no one asked me anything prior to it. Then when I
came out they
wacked me on the ass... 😉

Well 20 MPH is a good pace. Roughly 32 KM/H...

When I ride for fun, I still like to go fast, I consider biking exercise and
it feels wrong to
go around slowly while trying to get in shape 😉

I've average 15.5 mph on rides that are about 25 miles. At times I need to
stop and go in traffic getting to the park which tends to slow things down a
bit. Overall my max speeds are on weekends when there is less traffic. my
best being 17.5 on a 36 mile ride.
The average speeds in the park are more like 18mph.... It does amaze me as
well as to how the pros maintain such high speeds...

v

"Michael J. Klein" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(Jeff) said:

"Daniel Crispin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I am curious, what speed do you guys ride at? I mean on flat ground

with no

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

heavy front wind that is 😉

In the year since I bought my bike my "cruising speed" on flat
ground has increased from about 14 mph to 18.5 mph. I'm
also curious to see how fast I can go. For those of us who
use English units 20 mph (32 km/h) is a big milestone. I recently
was able to increase my average speed by about 0.5 mph just
by rotating the handlebars to get a more aero position (I have
a hybrid).

Every time I hit 30 mph or so going down a hill I think about how
the pros can maintain this speed over flat ground for an hour
and I am just amazed.

Having my bike for 2 weeks now, using GPS, I average 14 to 16 KPH and
frequently peak at 29 to 31 KPH. Sometimes it feels like I've run out
of gears and I need a higher one.

Michael J. Klein [email hidden]
Dasi Jen, Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan, ROC
Please replace mousepotato with asiancastings
---------------------------------------------

"Daniel Crispin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Frank Krygowski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Daniel Crispin said:

I am curious, what speed do you guys ride at? I mean on flat ground

with no

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

heavy front wind that is 😉

Depends what I'm doing. On the flat sections of my ride to work, I've
done about 19 to 20 mph for many, many years. But this year it seems to
have dropped by about 1 mph. Maybe I'm getting close to 60 years old.

I go a bit faster if I'm doing recreational rides, either solo or with
guys who like to go fast. I go slower if I'm riding with my wife, or if
I'm just in a mood to cruise and enjoy the scenery.

Quoted message said:

When I purchased my bike a month ago my average speed was 15 Km/H with
peaks at around 24 Km/H.

Now a month later I have an average speed of 27 Km/H with peaks at 40
Km/H....

I am just wondering how much more it can improve.

Hard to say. You've improved quite a bit already. But your maximum
depends partly on your dedication (serious training involves pain) and
partly on genetics.

How carefully did you choose your parents? ;-)

--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

LOL! Well I was not given a choice... dang I knew I got screwed with that
whole
getting born thing... no one asked me anything prior to it. Then when I
came out they
wacked me on the ass... 😉

Ah, if we could choose our genetics we'd all be 6 feet or taller with Lance
Armstrong's cardiovascular system and Brad Pitt's looks. LOL

Michael J. Klein <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Having my bike for 2 weeks now, using GPS, I average 14 to 16 KPH and
frequently peak at 29 to 31 KPH. Sometimes it feels like I've run out
of gears and I need a higher one.

Michael J. Klein [email hidden]
Dasi Jen, Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan, ROC
Please replace mousepotato with asiancastings
---------------------------------------------

Hi, what kind of bike are you riding? With the speeds you have
mentioned, a road bike shouldn't be running out of gears?
I think it would be helpful for you to read the following,
particularly the section on "Gear Shifting" -
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

Life is Good!
Jeff

(Jeff Starr) said:

Michael J. Klein <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Having my bike for 2 weeks now, using GPS, I average 14 to 16 KPH and
frequently peak at 29 to 31 KPH. Sometimes it feels like I've run out
of gears and I need a higher one.

Quoted message said:

Hi, what kind of bike are you riding? With the speeds you have
mentioned, a road bike shouldn't be running out of gears?
I think it would be helpful for you to read the following,
particularly the section on "Gear Shifting" -
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

For example, I averaged just over 13mph during a recent race.
Another, I averaged just under 10mph.

The first was as part of a 5 man (old farts) team in a 24 hour MTB
race.

The second was the AZ state hill climb championship (on a tandem).

Both were part of team efforts that resulted in 1st place finishes.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

I bike to work every day on a 12KM route. There are 2 hills, 10 red
lights, etc.
When I started doing this, it took me 28 mins one way. Now, it's down
to 24 mins on my MTB or 21 min on my road bike. So that's around 30-34
kph, counting all the stops.

On my weekend rides, I am usually able to maintain 40kph for half an
hour or so, or 35kph for 1.5 hours, non-stop

It's said that the pedaling power output roughtly = C*speed^2.6, for
speed over 30kph. So you need 60% extra power to gain 20% more speed,
for same bike, same riding position and road condition.

"Daniel Crispin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am curious, what speed do you guys ride at? I mean on flat ground with no
heavy front wind that is 😉

When I purchased my bike a month ago my average speed was 15 Km/H with
peaks at around 24 Km/H.

Now a month later I have an average speed of 27 Km/H with peaks at 40
Km/H....

I am just wondering how much more it can improve. I always go as fast as I
can,
I don''t stand up to gain speed, I pedal always seated.

Dan

(Jeff Starr) said:

Michael J. Klein <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Having my bike for 2 weeks now, using GPS, I average 14 to 16 KPH and
frequently peak at 29 to 31 KPH. Sometimes it feels like I've run out
of gears and I need a higher one.

Michael J. Klein [email hidden]
Dasi Jen, Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan, ROC
Please replace mousepotato with asiancastings
---------------------------------------------

Hi, what kind of bike are you riding? With the speeds you have
mentioned, a road bike shouldn't be running out of gears?
I think it would be helpful for you to read the following,
particularly the section on "Gear Shifting" -
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

Apples and oranges, Mine is Yukon MTB.
Michael J. Klein [email hidden]
Dasi Jen, Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan, ROC
Please replace mousepotato with asiancastings
---------------------------------------------

(rc5) said:

I bike to work every day on a 12KM route. There are 2 hills, 10 red
lights, etc.
When I started doing this, it took me 28 mins one way. Now, it's down
to 24 mins on my MTB or 21 min on my road bike. So that's around 30-34
kph, counting all the stops.

On my weekend rides, I am usually able to maintain 40kph for half an
hour or so, or 35kph for 1.5 hours, non-stop

It's said that the pedaling power output roughtly = C*speed^2.6, for
speed over 30kph. So you need 60% extra power to gain 20% more speed,
for same bike, same riding position and road condition.

Although this is a thread from last month, I think it speaks well to
questions such as "why the concern for speed...just ride the bike?"

BTW, in the equation above, what is "C" (cadence?).

What's interesting to me is how -fast- 20mph (33kph) feels. The bike is
virtually skipping over the pavement when I put the power to the pedals at
this speed. Haha, I'm not sure I want to go 40kph (~25mph). Of course, I
lie.

What I'm trying to bring up to par in my riding is 'sustained' speed, but
for me, that's more like for 10 min at a time - here I can do 18-19mph
(31kph).

What's odd/interesting is that I'm not sure if what causes me to slow back
down to cruising is lack of power or lack of concentration, b/c I still
seem to have more ability in the legs and lungs but something inside says
'ok, I can't keep this up any longer'. Seriously, I think if I had more
motivation, I could. Maybe it's a 'core strength' issue, b/c the feeling is
deep in the stomach if I had to isolate a source. ;-).

-B

"Badger_South" wrote: (clip) BTW, in the equation above, what is "C"
(cadence?).(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
C=Speed of light <G>

Leo Lichtman said:

"Badger_South" wrote: (clip) BTW, in the equation above, what is "C"
(cadence?).(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
C=Speed of light <G>

Well that's the real reason for the Lycra, ya know.

-B

"C" is a constant related to the rider's size, air density, and riding position etc.

Badger_South <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

(rc5) said:

I bike to work every day on a 12KM route. There are 2 hills, 10 red
lights, etc.
When I started doing this, it took me 28 mins one way. Now, it's down
to 24 mins on my MTB or 21 min on my road bike. So that's around 30-34
kph, counting all the stops.

On my weekend rides, I am usually able to maintain 40kph for half an
hour or so, or 35kph for 1.5 hours, non-stop

It's said that the pedaling power output roughtly = C*speed^2.6, for
speed over 30kph. So you need 60% extra power to gain 20% more speed,
for same bike, same riding position and road condition.

Although this is a thread from last month, I think it speaks well to
questions such as "why the concern for speed...just ride the bike?"

BTW, in the equation above, what is "C" (cadence?).

What's interesting to me is how -fast- 20mph (33kph) feels. The bike is
virtually skipping over the pavement when I put the power to the pedals at
this speed. Haha, I'm not sure I want to go 40kph (~25mph). Of course, I
lie.

What I'm trying to bring up to par in my riding is 'sustained' speed, but
for me, that's more like for 10 min at a time - here I can do 18-19mph
(31kph).

What's odd/interesting is that I'm not sure if what causes me to slow back
down to cruising is lack of power or lack of concentration, b/c I still
seem to have more ability in the legs and lungs but something inside says
'ok, I can't keep this up any longer'. Seriously, I think if I had more
motivation, I could. Maybe it's a 'core strength' issue, b/c the feeling is
deep in the stomach if I had to isolate a source. ;-).

-B