Beginner cyclist, good average speed to aim for?

[dim]

Those are 'average' speeds. Average speeds include a multitude of evils, speeding up, slowing down, getting pinned in traffic, etc. etc. etc. A lot of people 'trim' their Strava plots to deliberately remove any warm up / warm down bits, and deliberately ride flat courses when recording rides, or ride in 'chain gangs' to seemingly get their speeds up. Strava averages are by and large, a load of balls. I find a better way to judge your actual speed, is to look at a GPS speedo when riding at steady state, take a mental note, then the next time you get to a steady state, look again. See if you can get that reproducible, then do similar, but going up inclines, then work on getting those figures reproduceable. When you can hit a certain speed reproducibly, then work on increasing that speed.

depends how competitive you are. Average speed is very important and a benchmark to compare yourself to others

I have a few routes that I use for my quality weekend rides .... first thing that I look at is the wind forecast for the day then decide what route to use (I have a microsoft access database program where I record all my quality rides plus the info such as wind speed, wind direction, average speed, ave cadence, heartbeat etc

On the day, I decide from the wind speed and wind direction, which route to use. The main filter is the average speed .... i.e. if the wind is blowing NNW, I will filter my results to show all the rides when the wind was NNW and check which routes had the highest average speed, and what the wind speed was on the day of the ride.

to check the wind speed and direction, I use windytv.com

average speed on a course is very important, and I always try to better my previous best. It's always always nice to do a fast ride (I commute during the week to several different sites, so have all wind/weather daily, from all directions, but weekends I want to do quality long fast rides

Through Strava, I also always compare my average speed to others who have cycled the same route/segments on the same day, and check how I performed compared to others in my same age group

 

[bozmandb9]

Yeah, I am doing it for fitness but I also want to try doing some local competitions, and speed is key usually. I have cycled with the slower group a few times now. We did 65km, at 24kmh. then I cycled 30km extra, to the club and home.

Club cycling is really fun. I think I will be doing a lot of club cycles from now on.

I am not sure if it matters but I am 15. So maybe as I get older I will get slightly faster? with muscle development and stuff.

Well that changes everything! If you get in shape, you should be able to get up to 30 kph pretty quickly. Then it just depends on how hard you train, and how high your ambition is.

I manage a team of Youth A riders (under 16). We'll be taking four of the best for a three day race next year in Spain. Over 60km, the leaders will average 40 kph over the flattish stage. 40 kph average over the three days.

But average speed is not really that relevant, compared to elevation. and other conditions, such as wind and temperature. I can average 17-19 mph, and find it an easy ride, but on a proper hilly ride, be wiped out with an average under 15!

If you really want to improve, see if you can find a local club which offers youth coaching. Also, pay as much, if not more, attention to bike skills, as you do to speed. If you get involved in other cycling activities such as cyclocross, track cycling, maybe even bmx or mountain biking, you'll pick up bike handling skills.

Extremely important for you, right now, is ensuring that you have the skills, and knowledge, to ride safely. Don't worry about going out with faster groups, until you are really confident with riding in groups, with the communication within the group, safety protocols, etc etc.

Also pay attention to what you do off the bike. Our off season training schedule is as much off the bike as on it, including gym work, swimming, running, yoga, and ideally a team sport too. It's very important at your developmental stage that you don't spend too much time on your bike, without doing other sports. The training benefits of cross training are well proven, and there are other important aspects, such as social, and keeping a balance.

Cycling is an incredible sport. If you want to get competitive, you will need structure and guidance. You can look on the British Cycling website for local races, but just make sure your skills are ready for any race. Criterium racing for example, you'll need good handling skills for.

Sounds like you're putting in great effort, so keep it up. Your heart rate will come down a zone or two for the speed you're doing as your aerobic fitness increases (which may happen pretty quickly). Keep up the great work, enjoy it, but put safety first! (Which means skills, and road safety).

 

[S-Express]

Average speed in racing means nothing.

 

[dim]

Well that changes everything! If you get in shape, you should be able to get up to 30 kph pretty quickly. Then it just depends on how hard you train, and how high your ambition is.

I manage a team of Youth A riders (under 16). We'll be taking four of the best for a three day race next year in Spain. Over 60km, the leaders will average 40 kph over the flattish stage. 40 kph average over the three days.

But average speed is not really that relevant, compared to elevation. and other conditions, such as wind and temperature. I can average 17-19 mph, and find it an easy ride, but on a proper hilly ride, be wiped out with an average under 15!

If you really want to improve, see if you can find a local club which offers youth coaching. Also, pay as much, if not more, attention to bike skills, as you do to speed. If you get involved in other cycling activities such as cyclocross, track cycling, maybe even bmx or mountain biking, you'll pick up bike handling skills.

Extremely important for you, right now, is ensuring that you have the skills, and knowledge, to ride safely. Don't worry about going out with faster groups, until you are really confident with riding in groups, with the communication within the group, safety protocols, etc etc.

Also pay attention to what you do off the bike. Our off season training schedule is as much off the bike as on it, including gym work, swimming, running, yoga, and ideally a team sport too. It's very important at your developmental stage that you don't spend too much time on your bike, without doing other sports. The training benefits of cross training are well proven, and there are other important aspects, such as social, and keeping a balance.

Cycling is an incredible sport. If you want to get competitive, you will need structure and guidance. You can look on the British Cycling website for local races, but just make sure your skills are ready for any race. Criterium racing for example, you'll need good handling skills for.

Sounds like you're putting in great effort, so keep it up. Your heart rate will come down a zone or two for the speed you're doing as your aerobic fitness increases (which may happen pretty quickly). Keep up the great work, enjoy it, but put safety first! (Which means skills, and road safety).

under 16's who will average 40km/hr for 60 km?

they must be test tube babies who were fed GMO

 

[bozmandb9]

under 16's who will average 40km/hr for 60 km?

they must be test tube babies who were fed GMO

I'm sure you know better Dim, I'm only going on what I was told by the team manager who took his riders out there last year. You do realise that these are international riders we're talking about? A decent youth will start to get considerably faster than your average club rider from 13/14. By 15, they are pretty much man sized, on a perfect 100% legal natural program of mega doses of testosterone and human growth hormone, but still weighing in at half to two thirds of what we weigh.

But what the hell, I'm sure you know better (feel free to come along for a rider with our Youth A some time and you'll change your mind!).

 

[bozmandb9]

Just love the wonderful constructive feedback you get on this forum from armchair experts.

So as a Youth team manager helping to coach and manage kids same age a OP, I get one guy instantly saying that my stats are wrong because he thinks they're too high, and another saying they are meaningless because they are from a race. I think it's just shock and resentment from both on realising that snotty nosed teenagers can ride the pants off them before they're out of short trousers. Get over it guys, or say something constructive.

 

[dim]

I'm sure you know better Dim, I'm only going on what I was told by the team manager who took his riders out there last year. You do realise that these are international riders we're talking about? A decent youth will start to get considerably faster than your average club rider from 13/14. By 15, they are pretty much man sized, on a perfect 100% legal natural program of mega doses of testosterone and human growth hormone, but still weighing in at half to two thirds of what we weigh.

But what the hell, I'm sure you know better (feel free to come along for a rider with our Youth A some time and you'll change your mind!).

dunno .... I look at stats from segements on Strava .... anything close or over 40km/hr for 60km is world class IMHO

here's a link to a strava segement on a very popular route of 16km .... the guys on top of the leaderboard who averaged approx 40km/hr were most probably helped by gale forced winds from the back:

https://www.strava.com/segments/7007129

if you can average 30-35km/hr on a 60km route, without a strong wind pushing you, you are very talented

 

[S-Express]

Just love the wonderful constructive feedback you get on this forum from armchair experts.

So as a Youth team manager helping to coach and manage kids same age a OP, I get one guy instantly saying that my stats are wrong because he thinks they're too high, and another saying they are meaningless because they are from a race. I think it's just shock and resentment from both on realising that snotty nosed teenagers can ride the pants off them before they're out of short trousers. Get over it guys, or say something constructive.

I'm not criticising you fella, I'm simply saying that average speed in races is irrelevant and I'd be surprised if you didn't agree.

I'm also involved in youth coaching /racing and my view is that being first over the line is far more meaningful than how fast you went.

 

[S-Express]

dunno .... I look at stats from segements on Strava .... anything close or over 40km/hr for 60km is world class IMHO

here's a link to a strava segement on a very popular route of 16km .... the guys on top of the leaderboard who averaged approx 40km/hr were most probably helped by gale forced winds from the back:

https://www.strava.com/segments/7007129

if you can average 30-35km/hr on a 60km route, without a strong wind pushing you, you are very talented

Bear in mind those are bunch speeds, not individual.

 

[User48980]

Recently I think I have been getting a bit faster.

3 days I just wanted to go for a cycle on all flats, no hills. It was slightly windy, but I managed 28.5 kph for 32km! I could have went for longer. But my back was killing me, because the saddle was really bad and I am yet to have my bike fitting.

So now that I have my new saddle and going to be getting a bike fitting soon, Maybe i could managed 30 kph? + 1.5 kph doesn't seem so hard.

Edit: Also thank you guys for all the advice!

 

[bozmandb9]

Good that you're improving Novantix.

I'd suggest reading up on bike fitting, and saving your money for the moment. I'm all for bike fitting in general, but assuming you have limited funds, I'd use them for joining a club first, getting BC membership if you don't already.

If you're getting back pain (lower back?) I'd hazard a guess that either your bars or too low, or your stem is the wrong length (could be too long or too short). If you turn up at a club, you'll find plenty of people who can advise you on fit.

The main reason I would suggest paying for a bike fit just yet, is that you'll change your ideal riding position quite quickly over the first year or so, as you get more comfortable on the bike. You'll also get better at knowing what works, what feels right, and what doesn't. I think a novice can't really give good enough feedback to make a fit worthwhile.

Remember, as said above speed is pretty irrelevant, compared to wind, elevation, and conditions. Most of us will slow during the winter for various reasons. For example on winter roads, you have to take descents and corners slower in general, and cold muscles just don't really work as well. If you're improving now, you'll see a step change in Springtime, as well as probably getting many more miles in.

If you get out with a club ride, especially if you can find one with riders of your own age and ability, you'll immediately be going significantly faster, due to sharing the work of breaking the wind, and you'll probably really enjoy the sociable element, and learn a lot too.

Keep up the great work anyway.

 

[bozmandb9]

dunno .... I look at stats from segements on Strava .... anything close or over 40km/hr for 60km is world class IMHO

here's a link to a strava segement on a very popular route of 16km .... the guys on top of the leaderboard who averaged approx 40km/hr were most probably helped by gale forced winds from the back:

https://www.strava.com/segments/7007129

if you can average 30-35km/hr on a 60km route, without a strong wind pushing you, you are very talented

Maybe, or maybe they're 14-18 year olds, who can put out much more power than us, and weigh much less! Also, as S-Express pointed out, race speeds are much higher because being in a peleton is totally different to being solo!

Just reading another post about how increase in speed requires a proportionately much higher increase in power, due to wind resistance. Take away most of the wind resistance when you're in the peloton, and you can quickly see how the speed will shoot up.

Having said which, 40+ kph still sounds massive to me, don't think it would happen for me, but honestly, youngsters are so lucky, like I said, high and increasing power, low weight, plus natures perfect doping program during adolescence, oh, plus when they are fighting wind, their frontal area is probably half of ours!

 

[jefmcg]

dunno .... I look at stats from segements on Strava .... anything close or over 40km/hr for 60km is world class IMHO

here's a link to a strava segement on a very popular route of 16km .... the guys on top of the leaderboard who averaged approx 40km/hr were most probably helped by gale forced winds from the back:

https://www.strava.com/segments/7007129

if you can average 30-35km/hr on a 60km route, without a strong wind pushing you, you are very talented

Well, yes, of course they will have tail winds. There are thousands of riders on that segment, so there have been tens of thousands of individual rides, some with a head wind, some with a tail wind and some on still days. It would be extremely unlikely that the fastest speed would have been recorded on a day without a tail wind.

Of course, if you want actual data, you can check the weather. April 1st 2015 - the date of the fastest ride - had westerlies around 20mph. Presumably they help. On the other hand, the date is a bit suspicious plus here is another ride by the same guy; there is something extremely dodgy about his GPS.

 

[nickyboy]

dunno .... I look at stats from segements on Strava .... anything close or over 40km/hr for 60km is world class IMHO

here's a link to a strava segement on a very popular route of 16km .... the guys on top of the leaderboard who averaged approx 40km/hr were most probably helped by gale forced winds from the back:

https://www.strava.com/segments/7007129

if you can average 30-35km/hr on a 60km route, without a strong wind pushing you, you are very talented

If you look at some of the strava stuff posted by pros in races it gives some perspective.

Here's one from a domestic UK pro (so very good but not right at the top of the tree). 180km, 1500m of climbing and he averaged 41 km/hr
https://www.strava.com/activities/702946069

It wouldn't be that much of a stretch to imagine a really good 16 year old doing 60 flat km at a similar pace in a peloton. Never ridden in the middle of a big, fast group but appreciating the tow you get just sitting behind one rider it must be a hell of a difference

 

[smutchin]

Average speed in racing means nothing.

Except in time trials!