how slow am I?

[maillotpois]

I wanted to send a link to you with the results from Tour de Phoenix in April 2006 for 26 miles including a good 4 mile climb. http://www.pbaa.com/!ETP/p26m-06.htm
This includes men and women, not professionals, but simple average riders. Those who beleive that they are a little better enter the 74 mile competition. Please check the average speed of the first 24 riders. This is a pretty standandard goal that an average rider may want to consider. This is not my opinion, just the stats. But again, what you do is your own personal choice and we all have our own motivations.

I regularly race the Tour de Tucson (111 - 114 miles, depening on course), which is put on by PBAA as well. I am a 3 - 4 time Platinum finisher of the race, meaning that I finished under 6 hours and now get to start in the elite section in the front of the race. My best time is 5h 35 minutes, working aggressively in pacelines and actually racing. That puts me at roughly an average speed of 20 - 22 mph. Again, this is aggressive bike racing over 113 miles, with contact and bike bumping and fast pacelines. This is the only race I actually race all year as I have a 10 year old and a full time job and do not have the time to actually race with a team.

I don't know about the Tour de Phoenix, but I can tell you that the average speed of the first 24 finishers of the Tour de Tucson is not a "standard goal" that an average cyclist can attain. Maybe the Tour de Phoenix is more casual? Or maybe I am below average, but since my finishing time at Tucson is in the top 30 - 40 (non-tandem) women, I think that is probably not the case.

And while my average speed on Tucson may be over 20 mph for 10 miles, I can tell you that for my local Northern CA rides, which have many more hills, my pace is what you would apparently describe as slow.

For example:

On my 600k brevet with 13,000 feet of climbing my speed was 13 mph average;
On the Davis Double, working with my husband in a pace line my speed was 17 mph, but on the Eastern Sierra double (11,000 climbing) riding on my own, my pace was 14 1/2 mph;
I did a 115 mile Death Ride training ride earlier in June, and my pace was 11 mph;

At the Death Ride last year my pace was 11.22 mph. I won't get to try to beat that time this weekend because of my pulmonary embolism, but I am hopeful that I can come back next year and post a "slow" time for that ride.

Point is - no one knows what terrain, conditions, whatever anyone is riding. Average MPH is basically worthless from one person to the next or one ride to the next - compare yourself to yourself.

Just get on your bike and ride.