Just can't get above 16mph average :-(

[Easytigers]

Have been cycling a while now (so sorry for posting in beginners, but still feel like one!). I commute to work when I can...so most days in term-time, about 10 miles each way. I just can't seem to get past the 16mph average, even when I feel like I'm pushing it. It's sooo frustrating!
I guess the real reason it's frustrating is that it's probably down to my weight. I'm 5'9" and about 13 stone. My thinking was that if I just kept at it then the weight wouldn't matter and I'd just naturally get fitter (and faster!).
I feel a whole lot fitter...just not faster!!!
Any help?
Russ

 

[Louch]

Depend on your route Russ. If there's a decent amount of climbing, your average is great at 16 solo

 

[Hill Wimp]

Have to agree with @Louch. Could be that you have become stale on your route or that you may need to set yourself courses within your route ie mile blasts, road and traffic allowing of course. What other cycling are you doing outside of your commute.

16mph if that's on the flat is pretty good.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Do you carry panniers / rucksack on the commute? I find that my rucksack really slows me down, on a weekend ride I can comfortably do 16 mph plus, on my commute most rides are nearer 15mph.

 

[neil_merseyside]

I've 2500 miles in this year and average 4000 most years and I only ever average 10 -12mph. If you have lots of stops and starts on commute then average plummets, I travel at around 16-18 but traffic brings it down hugely to around 10, and a 'high' as 12 on a less turn intensive route.

If I put my cycle computer on manual and start and stop recording only while riding then I can creep the numbers up a bit ;-)

Some of my lack of speed is perhaps me being still a little bit heavy - 6'2" and 13.5 stone but it isn't hilly here so I doubt that is the cause.

Don't worry about it, that's or Froome and Wiggo et al.

 

[SWSteve]

16mph on a commute! Is there much traffic? If yours is anything like mine the first 2 miles kill all speed for the whole journey

 

[jim55]

yeah im the same ,on the flat i can maintain about 18 (in fact i was out on a ride a few weeks ago i done a well known tt road -pretty straight and flat and i rode at max 26 min 22 for the whole rd ,3 mile )so im not the slowest ever (nor fastest)
but on my commute of 7 miles including cycle paths and bumping up pavements and stuff and a fair bit of stopping/slowing for traffic and lights,my average stays around 12.4 mph ,iv had it at 15 once but it was a lot of green lights and hardly any slowing down aproaching lights and junctions

 

[Andrew_P]

How long is a while? What sort of bike? What sort of ascent? Loads of things effect your average. I am almost always racing against my best time on the commute. I decided it would be safer to remove the stops so my Garmin autostops now been set like that for two years now. That way I get a fairly even picture about my times and speed over different time periods.

 

[HLaB]

Like said it depends on terrain and traffic etc. For instance in the latter (because terrain is not a issue in Peterborough ), if I go a relatively short way into town my averages on the heavy fixie can be 10-15mph but a longer out of town commute even with climbing is a more consistent 16.5-17mph.

 

[fossyant]

Don't worry about the average speed on a commute. Even with auto pause then 16 isn't bad at all.

 

[Easytigers]

Thanks for the replies guys. Unfortunately I don't have many excuses! On a road bike and the commute is on country lanes so not much slowing down. I do carry a backpack and it does tend to be reasonable heavy (laptop, books etc)...the problem is that I'm still averaging below 16mph on the weekend rides as well. Could it be that I'm just so used to the speed/cadence that I use everyday that I'm not really pushing it? Thinking of trying to introduce some sprints or high intensity pushes on the flats as part of each ride to mix it up. Would this make a difference?
Also just wanted to say that although this thread is primarily about speed, I do just love getting out and about, enjoying the lanes and putting the world to rights as I cycle! It's just frustrating when I look at people's rides on Strava or read about them in various magazines where everyone seems to be riding about 18-20mph averages over 30+mile rides!!!

 

[Louch]

They will likely be riding in groups, cycling is just one of many things where quicker isn't always better .

 

[BSRU]

Unless your in to competitive riding why bother comparing yourself to anyone else(complete strangers)?, Why worry about increasing your average?
Just keep enjoying the bike and putting the miles in

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Thanks for the replies guys. Unfortunately I don't have many excuses! On a road bike and the commute is on country lanes so not much slowing down. I do carry a backpack and it does tend to be reasonable heavy (laptop, books etc)...the problem is that I'm still averaging below 16mph on the weekend rides as well. Could it be that I'm just so used to the speed/cadence that I use everyday that I'm not really pushing it? Thinking of trying to introduce some sprints or high intensity pushes on the flats as part of each ride to mix it up. Would this make a difference?
Also just wanted to say that although this thread is primarily about speed, I do just love getting out and about, enjoying the lanes and putting the world to rights as I cycle! It's just frustrating when I look at people's rides on Strava or read about them in various magazines where everyone seems to be riding about 18-20mph averages over 30+mile rides!!!

I think you are stressing about something that matters very little in the grand scheme of things - just concentrate on the bit that you like.

Many cyclists do like to see their performance improve or not deteriorate or if it is deteriorating for it to be a gentle decline. So that's natural but if you're not getting any faster so what? Life over? There's a whole heap of people who are infirm/disabled who'd love to be able to swap places with you.

Sometimes life's about counting your blessings.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

My average is always the same and appears unaffected by which bike I'm on, how awake or fit I feel or how badly I need a poo.