What is your overall average MPH?

Jiffer - glad my story helped!

And now I can add one more new experience that I just had last night...

I ride with a women's only ride on Tuesday nights and last night I was late, so I'd missed the group doing the 30 mile loop. I joined the group doing intervals instead. As we were warming up, I was talking with the leader who is a former racer and has tons of experience with all the different group rides in our area. I told her my goals and how I'd love to try riding with more groups (besides just the women) but that I was afriad that I couldn't keep up. She said that the drills we were about to do would totally help. Anyway, we went and did our intervals and what an experience!! I've never done anything like that on a bike before and man...it was a rush and a nightmare all at the same time. :p After we were done, she caught up to me on the ride back and said that if I could ride like that, I didn't need to worry about being dropped. Man...that made me feel really, really good!

Now my new goal is to be able to do the same set of intervals and be as fast on the last one as I was on the first! :D

I was out for a 17 miler @ 6am this morning and averaged 18miles/hr. Pretty much 98% flat and 2 overpasses.

I have no idea what my total average speed is, but, like most of you, it depends on the company and the situation! I race, so my speeds tend to be up there.

The Tuesday night ride from my team's sponsor shop averaged 24.5 mph on rolling terrain (it's prettymuch an all-out hammerfest) last week. I felt like superwoman after keeping up with that one...
On a 30-40 mile solo recovery ride, I'll usually just spin @ around 17-18mph

Most of the time, I'm somewhere in the middle.

I took a different route to work this week and was quite pleased with myself that I had increased my average speed by 2 mph. But then I realized I went down a really steep underpass.....I reached about 27 mph. I'm going to disengage the computer the next time I take that route and see what my average is then. But wow that underpass is fun :)

Does anyone know approx what your speed increase is when group riding? Not necessarily doing pace lines but catching some draft.

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Originally Posted by cinnamon_toast

Does anyone know approx what your speed increase is when group riding? Not necessarily doing pace lines but catching some draft.

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It's commonly accepted that a person drafting will use about 30% less energy. Now speed is still all relative and will totally depend on the person you are drafting. You may not see any increase in speed at all if the person you are drafting is not speedier than you are, but get to your destination fresher, having worked less hard.

Ah!! That makes complete and total sense.

GLC, thanks for your stories! I always find good things to think about with your posts.

All these posts have made me commit to myself that I will find a club in a neighboring town, if I need to, and find some people to ride with. And, there is one group of people locally who are really nice, but out of my league. I can't hang with them at all. But, this fall, dammit, I am going to at least start riding with them, and if I can only hang on for a mile, well, maybe someday it will be two miles.

Thanks everyone, for wonderful posts. They are inspiring.

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Originally Posted by Eden

It's commonly accepted that a person drafting will use about 30% less energy.

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Thanks Eden... I need to remember this! I consistently get dropped in my new grade (in the local club), but don't come in too far behind them, so if I can stay on, then I might even have a chance of getting the top ten points that are available!
Riding these races at similar paces but on my own makes me strong - just got to sort my cornering, and my ability (or lack of) to surge!




As for averages... well, interesting bits of info, but as so many others have already said, averages are only truly useful in relatio to yourself unless you are comparing averages in the same course/day...

When I can do the week I like to do I will usually have:
min 3 rides with approx 25km averages,
1 hilly ride - approx 18kph average,
1 race... somewhere between 30-32kph

That would give me an overall average for the week/month/year of 24.8 kph (15.5miles)

If I add 2 mountain bike rides with my youngest son in the front paddock (about 10kph av)... my overall average will drop to 20.57mph (thats 12.85 miles).

And that is why I do not record my average in bike journal - I only record distance and time.