Slow, slow, no quick slow.

[compo]

My average speed has been dropping off and I now struggle to even get up to 11mph over a ride and more often come in at 10.5mph. The distance I travel doesn't seem to make a lot of difference so I still have good endurance but not speed. Now at 65 I don't expect to ride like I did in my 20's and 30's but I would like to improve on my pathetic speeds if possible. Last year I was averaging 12/13mph.

As a start to try and improve and working on the principle that one has to ride faster to get faster I went out on a short ride and rode some intervals this morning. I also made an effort to keep the speed above 10mph. The first couple of miles are always slow for me until I warm up then I am OK. I made an effort to power up the hills, and did two and a half miles at 17mph (on a slight descent), then did half mile intervals, pushing up to 17 mph, then recovering before powering up again.

All that, covering 11.24 miles and my overall average........A measly 10.5 mph.
I know that one session isn't going to work miracles but I guess I am going to have to try and speed up during the recovery periods. I certainly can't go any faster during the power phases.

 

[Rob3rt]

Curious, is this a moving average or otherwise?

 

[Andrew_Culture]

It's one of the mysteries of cycling as far as I'm concerned, if I really push I get a certain average, if I can't be jiggered and take it easy I get the same average...

 

[compo]

Curious, is this a moving average or otherwise?

It's a moving average. My clock stops when I stop. However this morning I was non stop. Next outing I am going to start my clock at 2 miles and see just how much that first little bit does drag my time down.

 

[snorri]

I'm happy to believe my lower speeds are due to the increased density of the air at this time of year.

 

[Davidc]

I've found the same as you, compo, for some years now.

My (moving) average speed was down to 14mph when I turned 50, stayed about the same up to when I had a heart attack aged 56, and has hovered around 10 to 12 in the 4 years since.

I know one of the drugs I have to take restricts power, but I feel I should be able to do better. I can't though.

I can go almost any distance, but with a slow average speed. I know I'll never do the sustained 25mph average over 125 miles that I could do when I was 20, but 12.5 mph over 62.5 miles would be nice.

 

[numbnuts]

I'm in the same boat as you, 61 with emphysema and my rides have got slower this year, OK my rides are hilly, but I have a job to get over 12 mph average and now most of my rides are taking over 20 minutes longer than they use to I put it down to my emphysema as I'm getting out of breath on the hills.

 

[compo]

I also think in the New Year, once Christmas is out of the way, I am going to make a determined effort to lose weight. I wonder how many MPH equals a stone in weight!

 

[Davidc]

I also think in the New Year, once Christmas is out of the way, I am going to make a determined effort to lose weight. I wonder how many MPH equals a stone in weight!

I've found that's got more difficult with age too. Although I'm not ridiculously overweight I'd love to get rid of a stone.

 

[Davidc]

I'm in the same boat as you, 61 with emphysema and my rides have got slower this year, OK my rides are hilly, but I have a job to get over 12 mph average and now most of my rides are taking over 20 minutes longer than they use to I put it down to my emphysema as I'm getting out of breath on the hills.

With any chronic disease like yours or mine all we can do is 'make the best of a bad job'. They're not going to go away. The other side of that is that we and many more on this forum who have these conditions enjoy cycling, which is probably as good as it gets for keeping fit and keeping any progression of nasty conditions to a minimum. The averages may go down but we keep going.

 

[Asa Post]

Well, this thread has cheered me up
I read so many posts about people averaging speeds that I can't get near to. I thought it was just me that was slow, and getting slower. Now that I have evidence that it's an age thing, I can stop worrying about it - while still trying to reverse the trend, or at least delay it.

I wonder how many MPH equals a stone in weight!

In my case, less than 0.5 mph

 

[steve52]

It's a moving average. My clock stops when I stop. However this morning I was non stop. Next outing I am going to start my clock at 2 miles and see just how much that first little bit does drag my time down.

this has made me so happy my average includes any stops so im soooooooooooo fasttttttttttttttttttt (i wish)

 

[compo]

I've found that's got more difficult with age too. Although I'm not ridiculously overweight I'd love to get rid of a stone.

A stone is easy. It's the next 5 or 6 stone that will be hard. I am 18.5 stone!

 

[snorri]

I was out on a regular circuit yesterday and got off and walked on hills I had previously cycled struggled up and put this down to wearing too many clothes on a day that turned out less cold than anticipated.......perhaps it's the advancing years.
Maybe we should ask Shaun to consider an over 60s section in CC

 

[Smurfy]

Slow......Quick..Quick.......Slow......

Sounds like an instructional on dancing the Rhumba to me