Average speed (bit hilly)

[chipmonster]

My last 4 rides road bike

8.64 miles, 574 foot climb and average speed 12 mph,
11.36 miles, 905 foot climb and average speed 11.3
14.4 miles, 994 foot climb and average speed 12.3
20.71 miles, 1772 foot climb and average speed 10.8

Am I slow,

 

[HLaB]

Depends what you are comparing against, its slow compared to me but I am very slow compared to other folks; I enjoy my miles though, what matters most is that you enjoy yours.

 

[Rebel Ian]

Don't get hung up on it. I'm not a fast rider at all. Recently I switched tyres on my bike and was chuffed that it had added 1-2mph onto my usual average. That same morning when I was feeling pleased with my speed I got overtaken by three girls!

I've found that my average has increased a lot since I started cycling again 3 or 4 years ago but there will always be people way quicker than me. As long as you're happy with your ride that's the main thing.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

As already said - compared to who? Unless you are looking to get into racing I wouldn't worry about average speed. Enjoying your riding and distance is far more important

 

[corshamjim]

It sounds like you're about the same speed as me. I enjoy long rides without too much effort. Some people really like to push themselves. I liken it to the difference between walking and running - I prefer walking.

It's been pretty windy weather lately - I expect you'll find you're a bit faster when the wind dies down a bit.

 

[asterix]

I expect you'll find you're a bit faster when the wind dies down a bit.

Yes, try cycling in the opposite direction.

 

[numbnuts]

I'm slow as I'm old and have emphysema, as most of my rides have hills mountains (well they feel that way) I average about 12mph, if I do a flat ride it can go up to 13mph

 

[steve52]

about the same as me ish, and only reg club riders leave me, its odd this average speed thing so many claim 20mph + i can do that for a ten but thats about it so in reality i should see loads go flying by me! where are they?

 

[on the road]

My last 4 rides road bike

8.64 miles, 574 foot climb and average speed 12 mph,
11.36 miles, 905 foot climb and average speed 11.3
14.4 miles, 994 foot climb and average speed 12.3
20.71 miles, 1772 foot climb and average speed 10.8

Am I slow,

It's really hard to compare average speeds unless someone else does the same route as you. That is slow compared with my average speed but then I don't live in a hilly area.

 

[VamP]

Sign up for a sportive and you'll get the chance to compare directly to others doing the same route. Best way to resolve the ''Am I slow'' question.

 

[ohnovino]

I've never liked average speed as a measure of performance, because I've found it's more affected by external factors (e.g. wind, traffic, wind, road surface, wind again) than by fitness level.

 

[monkeypony]

My last 4 rides road bike

8.64 miles, 574 foot climb and average speed 12 mph,
11.36 miles, 905 foot climb and average speed 11.3
14.4 miles, 994 foot climb and average speed 12.3
20.71 miles, 1772 foot climb and average speed 10.8

Am I slow,

Well, maybe.....

The important question is "did you enjoy the rides?"

If the answer is 'yes' then frankly, the rest doesn't matter one jot.

 

[marinyork]

My last 4 rides road bike

8.64 miles, 574 foot climb and average speed 12 mph,
11.36 miles, 905 foot climb and average speed 11.3
14.4 miles, 994 foot climb and average speed 12.3
20.71 miles, 1772 foot climb and average speed 10.8

Am I slow,

Very healthy, respectable averages. Is it slower than the super elite riders on this forum? Yes. Is it slow compared to top end club cyclists? Yes. Are either of these a fair comparison to yourself? No (well not unless you want to be one).

 

[tyred]

I've come to the conclusion that average speeds are largely irrelevant to me and I guess, most other people.

If you aspire to race, then obviously, you need to aim to get faster. For those of us who don't, it's all about enjoyment, and I enjoy cycling at what speed feels comfortable rather than completely knackering myself. What speed that is depends on which of my many (diverse) bikes I choose to ride, which route, what mood I'm in and what the weather is like.

 

[pip ryder]

Am I slow,

Hell yes! Thanks for posting, I don't feel so slow now

Seriously though, asking random people on the Internet is not going to help you much. There's always going to be a bias towards the faster riders replying (people are more likely to reply if they have something to boast about, the slower riders are less likely to bother, or even measure their average speed)

All that really counts is how you compare to your previous times. Are your times improving, or have you hit a plateau? Whether you're improving or not is what matters.

I did 40 miles the other day on a mountain bike with slick tyres, 12.9mph average.

However... last year I did a century on the same bike last year, averaging 13.7mph. So I'm pretty out of shape. If I continue this rate of decline, you'll soon be faster than me!