I was reading a post and the writer mentioned " at the slow speed of 13.4"
I thought "Oh Oh" my average speed is 13.5 and I thought I was doing OK
I ride about 100 miles per week with each ride being a minimum of 20 miles (have done up to 60 in a day this summer) Finished a 3 day tour with a total of 158 miles last week and you guessed it my average speed was 13.5
I am not a super strong rider but then again I am not a weakling either.
To make a longer story longer What I want to know is what are some of the averages out there and what kind of conditions are you riding in.
A typical ride for me here on the wide open prairie usually includes a minimum of a 10 mph wind. I ride a loop so am not getting a good tailwind benefit.
Closer to reality on the wind ( I always check weatherbug before I go) it is 14 - 20 mph
Also I always do at least one hill that is 1/2 - 1 mile long with about an 9% grade (we live in a valley) - I know that is an average killer I have yet to make it up faster than 7mph
The remainder of the various routes are rolling with the odd flat stretch
I have been working on my shifting and cadence and have found good improvement over last year.
I am not first in on the club ride (the Hammerheads are) but neither am I last
Last week one of the Hammerers pulled me for 5 miles then I teamed up with a friend who was faster than me so I pushed hard to keep up - my average for 25 miles that night was 14.3 (wind of course was about 18mph) no big hills
Oh yeah, I am riding a specialized sequoia and using clipless pedals