Average Speed

[indysteel]

Typo or Freudian slip, Indysteel?

LOL. It was a typo, but now that you mention it.....

[Catrin]

LOL. It was a typo, but now that you mention it.....

Hehehe, this has been helpful. I think that I will just not worry about using "average speed" as any mind of metric. I think a better one is how my body feels when climbing hills and dealing with the wind - and how I feel afterwards. Knowing me I will be rather ambitious this year and I want to avoid further over-use injuries. I will also be changing the rest of my fitness activities during the season with the same goal - to be able to ride and ride and ride without injury

[OakLeaf]

In a flatland paceline with da boyz, barring excessive wind, 19-20.

In the hills, terrain much too variable for small-group drafting, a hard ride of 30-40 miles might average 16. Much longer than that, or at an easier pace, I'm more likely to average around 14-15. That's moving average. Using total ET could be a lot slower, depending on how often we regroup, whether we stop for lunch, etc.

Same bike. Same self. Different conditions. Don't worry about it.

[arielmoon]

I use average speed when recording my miles but there are so many factors that are more important on a per ride basis. I may have a fast average on a Monday night group ride with upwards of 10 strong riders but I know I didnt do all or even half the work. The terrain, wind and company are going to strongly influence the average.

However, I can track and compare my averages month to month and yearly. I do like to see what months I tend average more or less. Stuff like that. I have noted that my overall averages have increased every year since I started riding.

[redrhodie]

When I got my first Merckx, I decided not to put a computer on her. It was a hard decision, because I was addicted to it on my old bike. But, so many rides were ruined by it. I often felt I should be faster. It's such an awful feeling, never being good enough.

I think not having a computer has been really good for me. I bet if I had one, there would be days I wouldn't ride because they'd lower my average speed, like windy days. Knowing me, I'd probably design my routes to bump up my average, only riding with tail winds and no hills. It's just better that I don't go there. There's no reason. I'm not racing.

As for speed, I'm happy with where I am. I don't need to be faster. I get to work on time.

[Catrin]

I haven't found myself stressing over my speed, it helps to be a beginner I like my computer because it help me to keep track of my mileage - I am not known for sticking to my own mapped routes It is nice to have cadence for the hills, but haven't allowed myself to obsess about the speed - though I could do so quite easily...

[chicagogal]

Like has been stated many times, speed day to day is affected by too many things, so I don't really compare from one day to another. However, I do my intervals on a loop, and without a power meter, I still like to know that I am putting out basically the same effort from interval to interval, rather than fading into oblivion. So, I do use my computer to compare these efforts. If I can't keep my speed up, my workout is over.

[arielmoon]

When I first started I was obsessed with speed to the point that I now do not allow the computer to be on average while I am riding. Only when I am done do I look at it.

For the most part, I know, after a ride, what kind of effort I put in and that, in the end, is what matters for fitness and strength. It is kind of nice sometimes to realize, all things being equal, you did a specific route faster and with less effort and know that the hard work is paying off.

[nscrbug]

Ehh...I used to totally stress-out about my crappy "average speed", which on most rides is usually somewhere in the 14's or 15's. But then I realized that all of my riding is done in very traffic-congested areas, with stop signs and/or stoplights every 1/2 mile (or often more frequently), as well as dealing with wind on nearly every ride...so that will definitely bring my average speed down by a lot. I'll check it, every so often on longer rides...but generally I don't concern myself with it anymore. If I remember, I might check it at the end of a ride just to see how I did.