How fast cyclist

But age counts against all of us! Older riders will usually be less strong at fast sprints or bursts up short hills, but very good at maintaining steady speed over longer distances. There are lots of year old cyclists who can hold their own in rides with 25 year olds. Cycling in a group - paceline riding - has very significant benefits.

For much of the time you will be 'drafting' the person in front ie experiencing limited wind resistance yourself. So it is very unlikely your average solo speed will be comparable with the local cycling group.

The Tour de France riders achieve 25 miles per hour over miles, but that is very much due to the large size of the peloton group of cyclists. Bearing in mind all the provisos above, you still want to know the 'average cycling speed?

This allows you to cycle for short bursts at speeds above your usual average pace and then slow down and recover before going fast again. Fartlek training was designed by a Swedish coach and basically means playing with speed. You might choose to ride as fast as you can to the end of the road and then recover until you pass five lampposts before going fast again.

Use any markers you like from your environment; parked cars, road signs, gateways. Pick your target and pedal hard till you reach it, then ease off. Make sure the road is safe and that no matter how hard you are trying keep your head up to spot any hazards - or try completing session cycling indoors where you can concentrate on the efforts alone. If you want a more structured session try this one. If we assume you usually average 14mph on the flat, ride for minutes to warm up before finding a reasonably flat stretch of road.

When you get there cycle for two minutes at 16mph. Choose a harder gear, and maintain the same cadence rather than trying to pedal faster.

After pedalling hard for two minutes change back into your easier gear, slow down and take it easy for five minutes — but keep your legs pedalling, this helps the recovery process. If it feels too easy next time aim to go 3, 4 or 5mph quicker during your interval than you would normally ride. After a few trips out you will know what works for you. No problem at all, since that is not the challenge. The challenge is to slowly get you and your legs used to cycling at 16mph instead of 14mph.

You can gain strength with specific gym training - but building up your cycling muscles and developing your efficiency as a bike rider takes place over a long period of time, there is no substitute for time on the bike when it comes to improving cycling fitness. If you ride regularly your average speed will gradually increase as will the distance that you feel comfortable riding.

However, to speed up your development and to establish good techniques and help build some cycling muscle there are exercises you can practice while on the bike. Fast pedalling has greater dependency on your cardiovascular system than slow pedalling in a heavy gear.

Fast pedalling helps you to be more efficient as well. Therefore you need to do both types of training in your cycling — fast legs and big gears — so that when you put them both together you get the speed you need. Pushing very big gears at very low speeds works in much the same way as the weight lifter who lifts heavy weights very slowly. Instead of building up one fibre of a muscle and making it stronger, it adds more fibres to the muscle making it far stronger.

After a good warm up, find a steady drag with a shallow gradient and pick a gear that requires you to pedal slowly to keep it turning. You should be doing around 50rpm, less and you may strain your knees so be careful. As you pedal you will feel all your leg muscles working.

After a minute of this switch to an easier gear and pedal fast, once you feel recovered repeat. Do this up to 10 times in your ride once or twice a week. Pedalling fast is important to get your muscles firing rapidly and establish the right connections between your brain, nervous system and the muscle fibres.

On a flat bit of road find a gear you are comfortable in and make a note of your speed. Change down to an easier gear and see if you can still keep the same speed by pedalling faster. Try turning your legs as fast as you can but stop when you start bouncing on the saddle. If you really want to go all out you can buy speed. If you plan on riding for more than an hour, definitely make sure your clothes are tight and hug your skin.

Also, you should invest in riding shorts to make sure you have padding to protect your sit bone. The lighter your bike, the less energy it takes to get up to speed and to go up hills. Thankfully, most road bikes across the price spectrum weigh between 17 lbs and 23 lbs. An incredibly expensive bike can get down to about 15 lbs, but saving that much weight will really only help if you are a professional. For reference, a mountain bike can be closer to 30 lbs with nothing on it.

My road bike, a Trek 1. If you are wondering what gear I have, you can visit the Recommended Gear page and check it out.

You can have the most aerodynamic bike and outfit in the world, but a rusty chain will slow you down. Maintaining your equipment is key to ensuring the longevity of your bike, and making sure that you can keep enjoying your rides for years to come. We all have a tendency to pedal at a certain speed, called a cadence, regardless of what gear we are in. That means that you can speed yourself up with minimal effort just by shifting into a higher gear.

That makes a lot of sense, but it definitely has diminishing returns. So, one of the fastest and most permanent ways to improve your speed is to live a more active lifestyle and to ride more frequently. It is important, however, to recognize the kind of fit that you are. This topic is very similar to bike weight, but it has a much bigger range of weights. The heavier you are, the more energy it takes to get you up to speed and get you to the top of a hill.

So, keep your weight in mind when looking at how your average speed changes over time. Thanks to different hormones in males and females, we form muscles differently under the same conditions. Men tend to grow larger muscles than women. So, on average, they tend to be able to pedal with more power than women going through the same training.

On the flip side, though, women tend to be smaller. That makes them more lightweight and aerodynamic than men. Generally speaking, a female of the same training as a male is only going to be mph slower. There are plenty of technical skills and knowledge to be had as well. Confidence on a bike is built by practicing getting in and out of more difficult riding situations.

A big crack in the road could slow you down, but you can maintain your speed if you know how to hop over it. Where you ride matters too, because hillier terrain will often bring your average speed down, as will riding into a headwind and wet weather or tricky conditions.

Even how smooth the tarmac is can make a difference — pros used to racing in continental Europe have been known to complain about how much slower the tar-and-gravel UK roads are when they ride the Tour of Britain. Crucial though is your level of fitness. Ride consistently and get fitter, and you should be able to maintain a mileage per hour in the mid-teens around An easy starter for 10, this one.

Knowing when to pedal is important too. Another obvious one. Riding faster downhill will come with practice and increased confidence. On an undulating road, a faster descent will give you more momentum to get you part way up the next uphill too. Gauge it right and you might make it to the top of the next ridge without needing to drop to your small chainring, and without too much of a drop in speed.

Starting a climb from a low speed will be harder and slower. Learning how to take corners faster will increase your average speed too. Read our advice on how to corner with confidence. The main benefit of riding in a group, however, is the drafting effect. Drafting effectively and safely takes practice, so again more miles will make you better.

Drafting is why, if you watch a road race, the riders further back are often freewheeling even when those at the front of a pack are obviously putting in a lot of effort. Clubs are a great way to find fellow cyclists to ride with.