First ride in heavy rain - does it affect average speed tho?

[jeremy barker]

I'm very new to cycling, now just done my fourth run after some 18 years or more since last riding a bike

I wanted to push myself today which i definitely did as to me it was a very hilly run over the south downs and covered a route of 46 miles with an average speed of just 12mph. Plus to add to the hills I got heavy rain for the whole run!!

I ran a 40 mile route with an average speed of just under 17mph last week but the run was pretty flat to be fair but today my legs at the end had just about had enough in fact most of me felt pretty tortured. Disappointingly I had to walk up one of the really steep climbs towards the end, my legs just felt shot to bits. Still pleased with myself overall but just felt a bit disappointed that i couldn't do the last big hill, GPS recorded an asscent of 1400m and descent also of about 1400m for the record. As it was heavy rain would this have made the ride more difficult reducing my average speed regardless, I've felt dryer in a wetsuit diving than i did during todays ride.

I did give it a good go down Duncton hill and managed a top speed of 48 mph which felt pretty good, apart from not initially having any brakes at the bottom till the water cleared off the rim not clever when it turns sharp left at the bottom lol, thought i might have to take the escape road instead.

 

[snorri]

A lower speed would be expected as you avoided puddles and slowed to reduce skidding risk.
Can't say I would have "felt pretty good" at 48mph with no brakes.

 

[Steve H]

The hills will probably have made the biggest difference to your avg speed. Rain may have been a factor, bit I think hills make a massive difference.

Only one way to find out for certain though - do both the routes again!

 

[PaulSB]

Obviously hills make a big difference to the majority of cyclists. However I'd agree the weather makes an impact. The better the weather the better I ride. I find cold, damp days or heavy rain the worst as it seems to dampen my spirits and motivation no matter how hard I try.

I also believe, rightly or wrongly, clothing makes a difference. Swathed in winter gear my body, legs in particular, feel restricted. I always feel fantastic when I can get get rid if a couple of layers and back into shorts.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Both the wet and the hills would have slowed you down, the hills more than the rain.

 

[Deanno1dad]

well done on the 48mph..best i can get on the hybrid is in the 30's

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

48mph downhill in the wet without brakes makes ''breakneck speed'' seem more like a prediction than a figure of speech! Even more so after a long stretch of dry weather - the roads can get very, very greasy.

Being either wise or a coward means I'd prefer to wipe a little speed off by feathering the brakes so that there's less build up of water between pads and rim.

 

[Norm]

48mph downhill in the wet without brakes makes ''breakneck speed'' seem more like a prediction than a figure of speech! Even more so after a long stretch of dry weather - the roads can get very, very greasy.

Indeed, and Duncton is coming off the north scarp of the South Downs so it is generally milky white from chalk in the rain, making the left at the bottom a dodgy one in the car with disc brakes and ABS!

I have an emotional attachment to Duncton Hill, as, very nearly 10 years ago, a good friend was killed on his motorbike by two chavs racing down it side by side round the corner at the top near the car park.

 

[jeremy barker]

Sorry to hear about your friend, I've seen more than a few have accidents here. I would definately like to do the same run again in the dry, as you say it's the only way to compare the two.

 

[Norm]

Sorry to hear about your friend...

Thanks. It will be 10 years ago next month and it's no less painful, although at least it means I can put a name on my guardian angel as I feel his (considerable ) weight on my shoulder whenever I'm riding now.

The effect that hills can have is easily understood if you do some quick maths, so I'll throw out a quick example.

Let's say you generally ride at 15mph (chosen for simplicity) on the flat. That means that two miles will take 8 minutes.

Let's say that a particular hill is 1 mile long and of a steepness that you climb at 10mph but descend at 24 (loosely based on reality but also rounding to make the calculations easier). That hill will take 6 minutes to climb and 2.5 minutes to descend, so the two miles will take 8.5 minutes, which is 30 seconds, or 6.25% slower than 2 miles on the flat. And, as air resistance increases with the square of speed, that is probably being conservative as the hill which I have in mind is closer to 20 coming down, unless I significantly increase my own output.

If you increase the steepness, you'll eventually get to a point where your climbing speed is half your speed on the flat - in this example, that would be 7.5mph. At that point, your 1 mile climb takes 8 minutes and you'd need to travel at the speed of light on the way down.

Any slower than 7.5mph average going up hill and Newton tells us that you can never make up the speed on the downhill.

 

[Jon2]

The rain will slow you down, or at least make it harder work. If nothing else it'll be the extra weight you're carrying when you're drenched.

 

[jeremy barker]

I was definately drenched, my shoes are still drying out.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Fair play on your efforts today. I actually find torrential rain nigh on impossible. I also, to be fair, have a medical condition where my lugholes don't drain properly so I have to be very careful in heavy rain because I'll lose about 40% of my hearing if too much of the wet stuff gets in! Put bluntly, it's a pain.

I was lucky today, a slight drizzle as I left my mum's house for the way back home - I had a long ride home and was dreading the whole thing in the wet but it didn't transpire.

48mph downhill in the rain...I don't know whether to say well done or be careful; probably both. As for average speed, it's one of those things that's bound to happen with a lot of hills, end of. It's very hard, as others have pointed out, to make up but as you progress they'll become easier and you'll get into your rhythm on the climb, thereby limiting the 'damage' to your average speed. I live on a hill and sometimes the 100 yards or so it takes mto get to the top at the end of a ride changes my overall average.

46 miles with lots of hills is a solid run, all the best to you.

 

[cycling cedric]

I ride the north downs and my best ever average speed has been 16.0 mph, anywhere else with a few less testing climbs and it can be nearer 18.5. The rain, or more importantly, the wind affect this time, but most definitely the climbs more so.
Agree with monsieur remings that 46 miles on south downs is challenging and as you say you are quite new, it's excellent.

 

[jeremy barker]

Well I'm hoping the weather is kind to me next week because i'm going back to try and beat it this time. Out of interest I had a "little" mishap on one hill section and whilst i managed to release one foot out of the pedals saving me from looking like a complete tit i do appear to have knocked the two little yellow blocks off the back of my left cleat. Are these just to protect the allen bolts from getting worn or have I just knackered my first set.

And thanks for all the encouraging comments, I am more than a bit competitive and never give in Even if i did feel a little bit stupid having to get off and walk lol