average speed

skiver1

Hi, new to cycling and just back to exercise after a years lay off from tennis / squash. Did 15k in 45 minutes last night....third cycle and first that i measured / timed. wasn't going at 100% but was wondering whether this pace is reasonable / slow....I guess its not fast! Did it around Taylors tree Rock / carrickmines area so a few hills....

Lumen

The average speed on yesterday's slightly-uphill-for-174km Giro stage was 45kph. Most of the riders spent the stage sitting up and chatting.

We're all slow compared to that.

skiver1

Thanks for that....think i'll go home and have a little cry.....

Morrisseeee

...........yes, go home, put on the kettle and >>>>



Seriously though, that's an OK average for someone starting out, the problem is there are alot of variables concerned with setting an avg pace, type of bike, route, flat/hilly/very hilly, traffic, traffic lights, hold-ups, solo/group, wind etc etc.

On another note: do you think you can improve ? what are you goals ? short term/long term ? are you motivated to improve ?

I know where you are coming from, we all started out at base camp, I was in your position 18 months ago, I've since progressed to A4 pace (38-40km/h) and would regularly do 27-30km/h training spins.

thebouldwhacker

The real answer is that it does not matter as it all depends on hills and wind etc.
However .......... 25kmph will see you fit in with most groups in sportives, 35kmph will see you spinning away near the front and faster than that you'll be the one that people are trying to keep up with.
All a rule of thumb

skiver1

Dont have any goals yet other than getting out two / three times a week in the evenings and see how the knee holds up....trying to get into golf at weekends.

going to head up to Jonny Foxes tonight.....starting from Marley Park. I think its about 20k and hoping to do it in 60 mins or so. 5k longer than yesterday but will try and maintain the pace. As its up hill most of the way would a good rule of thumb from a pace perspective be 40 mins up and 20 mins back?

Lumen

skiver1 wrote: »

As its up hill most of the way would a good rule of thumb from a pace perspective be 40 mins up and 20 mins back?

There is no rule of thumb. Comparing yourself to other people is a dead end. Set your own goals.

monkeybutter

30k over an hour is a good speed to aim for, depends on how good the road is. Thats cycling on your own, if you are in a group you can push that up. If Eddy Merckx can "only" manage 50k in one hour, at altitude on a track, then 43k shows what the peloton can do for you.

Jawgap

skiver1 wrote: »

Dont have any goals yet other than getting out two / three times a week in the evenings and see how the knee holds up....trying to get into golf at weekends.

going to head up to Jonny Foxes tonight.....starting from Marley Park. I think its about 20k and hoping to do it in 60 mins or so. 5k longer than yesterday but will try and maintain the pace. As its up hill most of the way would a good rule of thumb from a pace perspective be 40 mins up and 20 mins back?

What type of bike do you have?

I'd also offer the following as advice -

If you have knee issues make sure your bike is set up properly, especially if you are going to go for longer distances and / or bigger hills. Certainly have a read around and just check that things like saddle height and position are not going to aggravate your knee.

Set some goals, even if it is to knock x mins off the Johnny Fox climb, or cover x km during a week or month.

Enter a sportive - it will give you something to aim for, plus they are good fun.

on the golf thing - I went the other way from playing lots of golf to spending more time cycling. Golf is good fun and very social (like cycling), but it's never going to make / keep you fit. I found the cycling helped the golf by improving my fitness which made playing hillier courses much easier, but the time came when I relaised I'd rather spend four hours on the bike rather than four hours on the golf course on a Sunday morning.

seamus

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Seriously though, that's an OK average for someone starting out, the problem is there are alot of variables concerned with setting an avg pace, type of bike, route, flat/hilly/very hilly, traffic, traffic lights, hold-ups, solo/group, wind etc etc.

+1
It's very easy to get hung up on average speeds, but there are are so many variables that unless you compare your times over the same course twice on similar days, then focussing solely on your average speed will sometimes make you feel good an other times make you feel ****.

For example, I did one 140km route 3 weeks ago. Did another entirely different 140km route last weekend with 20% less climbing. 2km/h faster. I didn't get 2km/h better in two weeks, it was just an easier day. But if I was to focus solely on averages, I could be fooled and will be disappointed when my next spin is 2km/h down again.

As a very rough rule of thumb, 20km/h over a moderately hilly spin (like a trip up Glencullen) would be a good average for someone new to cycling. As you ride more and get stronger you should expect to see your averages creeping into the range of 22 - 27km/h (depending on whether it's hilly or flat), and then onto 25 - 30km/h. Above that you're getting into racing territory.

monkeybutter wrote: »

If Eddy Merckx can "only" manage 50k in one hour, at altitude on a track, then 43k shows what the peloton can do for you.

This is one thing that's very important to remember. If you imagine a graph plotting speed against effort, it's not a straight line where someone twice as powerful as you can go twice as fast. It bends like the chart below.
So for example, a jump in average from 20km/h to 25km/h represents only a 25% increase in speed, but almost a 70% increase in power output. It's useful to remember this if you don't think you're getting quicker as fast as you would like.

ednwireland

last year (when i was fitter even though i was and still am lardbucket)

i averaged 27.7km/h on lap the lough 26.2 on tour de breffni 24.4 on the poison glen tour and 33.2 on a ten mile time trial, did 72 km ride up the col de la biche and the col du grand colombier the year before and averaged 13.2 km/h

smacl

skiver1 wrote: »

going to head up to Jonny Foxes tonight.....starting from Marley Park. I think its about 20k and hoping to do it in 60 mins or so. 5k longer than yesterday but will try and maintain the pace. As its up hill most of the way would a good rule of thumb from a pace perspective be 40 mins up and 20 mins back?

Depends on your route as well. I tend to do Cruagh - Johnnie Foxes - Marlay as a regular lunch time spin, as the Cruagh - Pine forest - Johnnie Foxes is lovely stretch in that direction. If you're coming back via the Blue light - Lamb Doyles, watch out for the very steep down hill which they've recently added ramps to. It can be a bit hairy if you're not used to it. Johnnie Foxes - Kiltiernan is IMO a nicer descent for the return journey IMHO.

Great night for a spin, been out the last three nights myself, and plan on getting out again tonight. Enjoy, and don't fret the time.

skiver1

smacl wrote: »

Depends on your route as well. I tend to do Cruagh - Johnnie Foxes - Marlay as a regular lunch time spin, as the Cruagh - Pine forest - Johnnie Foxes is lovely stretch in that direction. If you're coming back via the Blue light - Lamb Doyles, watch out for the very steep down hill which they've recently added ramps to. It can be a bit hairy if you're not used to it. Johnnie Foxes - Kiltiernan is IMO a nicer descent for the return journey IMHO.

Great night for a spin, been out the last three nights myself, and plan on getting out again tonight. Enjoy, and don't fret the time.

thanks for the advice on the trip down....last time i cycled down from the blue light was about 20 years ago after a few pints.....blew the bulb in the light from the dynamo......

Wishbone Ash

skiver1 wrote: »

trying to get into golf at weekends

:eek: :eek: :eek: