Quote Originally Posted by ReCYCLE View Post
Hi Ladies,
I'm trying to gage where I'm at in the grand scheme of things. I'm plus sized and on my hybrid (Trek Navigator) I average 12.5 mph. I got a new road bike (Trek 1.5) and am now averaging 12.1 mph : ( I break all the way down hills. There are several group rides in my area where you have to average at least 16 mph and I'm wondering what speed most people actually go. Commuters, century riders, triathletes, pleasure riders, on whatever bike, head wind, tail wind, plus size, regular size, whatever . . . I want to know what is going on with other people.
I'm also plus size and on my bike (same as yours!) I average 12.5-14.5 mph when you factor in stopping at lights and signs (or slowing down for signs). On the straights with no stops, I'll average 15-18 mph and about 20-25 when I decide to push myself. I ride almost exclusively flat terrain because it's what we have where I live. These numbers are based on my most recent rides. Usually I try to ride 20-30 miles, but I've actually only had 2 rides that distance since the end of February.

I had an accident at the beginning of March that took me off the bike for about 2 months (I did do one short ride on my mtb after 5 weeks, but I wasn't supposed to). I'm actually about 1 mph faster now because I dropped about 15 lbs while I was recovering. Apparently with a traumatic brain injury, your metabolism may speed up, and I was eating carefully in order to not put on weight so it was a sudden loss. Unfortunately, it doesn't remain high. Fortunately, I didn't get into the habit of chowing down on junk.

I almost exclusively ride solo for several reasons, mostly because I have only one local friend that rides and her bike was stolen. There is also a fear in me about riding with a group since my accident was caused by another cyclist that was careless at an event. (I was descending a hill at about 25-30 mph according to witnesses. Major crash.)

It sounds like you're probably about where the rest of us recreational cyclists are.

Happy riding!