Quote Originally Posted by Lenusik
Oh, sorry for using the word "average" refering to the riders of the Tour. They certainly produce that speed at a certain point of the stage. But you just prooved with your numbers that they ride faster than any one of us after several days of very long miles. So, does this put anybody down?
Sorry, I am done here. i was tryign to do this a little while ago. My apologies for disterbing peace.
Lenusik, I think you missed her point. The point being if the top cyclist in the world "only" go 40 kmp/25 mph while drafting off of one another on a flat stage in the TDF then it is reasonable to assume that the women here on TE are riding pretty doggon fast if their "average" speed is 15 mph - because they are factoring in traffic, hills, etc. - shoot, even less then 15 mph is pretty good for us recreational riders. If you can average 20+ mph (by definition avg. means factoring in the climbs too) then I would recommend you go pro...you're not far from being able to compete with the very best.

Even though this thread has ruffled some feathers I'm glad it was started. All new riders wonder how we are doing. It's only natural to question if your speed is considered "okay". I think we all know there are a lot of variables but I think most new folks probably search out about the same terrain...not too many hills! And I'm finding out that to go from 14.7 mph to 15 mph is hard!! So, I'm guessing that if you bear in mind that your ride isn't the same as my ride we can still use each other's averages to give us an idea of how we are doing. To me it obvious not to compare myself to someone who is riding 5,000 miles a year...they are obviously much fitter than I. So I try to "compare" myself to those who do about 1000 miles a year and have been riding for for only a year or two.

So here is my recommendation, let's see if we can post something that others can compare to:

Years riding: 2
Miles per Year: 700/1,000
Terrain: Rolling (options: flat, rolling, hilly, city)
Wind: Moderate (options: none, slight, moderate, windy)
Heat: Hot (options: cold, cool, warm, hot)
Avg Speed: 14.7 mph / 23.66 kph (this is what your computer says, or what your speed averaged over the entire ride, not just what you did on the flats sections)

Maybe this will help those of us interested in how we are doing to "compare" ourselves with people doing at least somewhat the same ride. I know there are more factors than the above, such as age, weight but I'm trying to keep it short.