In the extreme hustle and bustle of daily life, everyone looks for ways to burst their stress bubble. One of the best ways to distract and relieve yourself from the stresses of life is to partake in Hobbies. It helps one feel rejuvenated and satisfied even when going through a disappointing phase. More so, some people can harness the power of their hobby and turn it into a money-making venture. While the others stay content with the joy and satisfaction, it provides them. And cycling is one of the best examples of such an amazing hobby.
Cycling is the best way to stay fit and get in shape and relish as your stress buster hobby. Cycling 30 mins a day can boost your metabolism your self-esteem, build your lean muscles, and drastically decrease the chances of you acquiring any heart diseases. A 155-pound person can burn as many as 298 calories in a 30-minute bike ride. But unfortunately, people often have a misconception that bicycles are only for kids and overlook their positive mental health and physical benefits. Contradictorily, some adopt it as their devoting passion and relish it as their hobby. And professional cyclists are obsessed with numbers! Their average speed, elevation, power, etc.
Clean a Bike Chain with Household Products
The Average Cycling Speed by Age
Indeed, a strong relationship exists between Cycling and Age. There is an indirect relationship between them. However, cycling is directly related to cyclist power, which reflects their performance. With growing age, there’s a sudden decrease in power. Hence there’s a decrease in average cycling speed. Besides, many other influential factors affect the average cycling speed. Like gender, location, bike type, etc.
A cyclist can only improve and achieve higher speed by monitoring and calculating their speed. Knowing your average cycling speed and whether it fits well with your age bracket allows you to know whether you are fast or slow. And use it to your advantage to improve further. Moreover, the average cycling speed by age chart below indicates that any speed slower than 20 mph is unsafe. Hence, any speed below this mark is too slow. The 20 – 35 mph is an excellent mark to ride safely on the road.
Average Cycling Speed by Age Chart:
Every cyclist wants to top the chart. They want to go as faster on their bikes as possible. But the question here is how fast they can go? The answer to this tricky question is layered in the chart that shows Average Cycling Speed by Age. It also manifests what speeds are attainable at different stages and ages of life. So, let’s ride through!
| Age | Average Speed – mp/h | Average Speed – km/h |
| 18 – 23 | 22 | 35 |
| 24 – 39 | 20 | 32 |
| 40 – 54 | 18 | 29 |
| 55 – 64 | 16 | 25 |
So, you can see that as the age increases, your average speed decreases. And the main reason is the functional threshold power of an individual, which starts to decrease after 35. All in all, the power is directly related to the cycling speed. This means more the power; the better will be the cycling speed.
What’s a Good Average Speed for Cycling?
Everyone strives to give their best shot and seeks to attain that level of perfection. And it’s very important to know the good average speed for your experience level. Mostly, beginner riders can hit up to 10 – 12 mph speed with limited training. At the same time, an experienced one can hit 15 – 16 mph in certain conditions. And the professionals can easily mark up to 16 – 19 mph. Meanwhile, the competent club riders can also achieve the milestone of 20 – 24 mph. That too through their regular training.
Factors that Affect Your Cycling Speed
Various factors can influence your average speed on a ride. It can be due to the wind direction, humidity, road surface, heat, traffic volume, strength, terrain, etc. Besides, when you compare the age groups, you can see that your average cycling speed also decreases as you grow older. That can be due to the lack of training if you aren’t riding often. Or due to a decrease in physical strength and endurance as you get older, and your body isn’t able to hold up quite as much. Moreover, weight can also hinder your cycling speed, especially if you aren’t following a proper exercise program.
Furthermore, your routes tend to be a major factor affecting how fast you can ride. The stop signs on the way or the crowd around can distract you as well. Moreover, the hills and plains change your ride metrics, and turns can slow you down. Additionally, your riding gear plays a significant role in determining your cycling speed. For instance, if your bike is heavy, it’ll lower your speed as weight produces more gravity force. That is why bikes are made of carbon fiber, as it’s the lightest material. Also, clothes catch the wind, which can slow you down. Therefore, it’s better to wear tight clothes and hug your skin.
Tips to Improve Your Average Cycling Speed
If your average cycling speed is too slow, you can follow the following tips to increase your cycling speed:
If you are looking to improve your average cycling speed, here are some tips to help you out. First, make sure that your bike is properly adjusted to fit you. This means that the seat height should be set so that when your feet are flat on the ground, they are slightly bent at the knee.
Drafting
Drafting is a cycling technique where you ride close behind another cyclist to take advantage of their slipstream. Not only does drafting save you energy, but it can also help you maintain a higher speed for a longer period of time.
Cadence
One of the best tips to improve your cycling speed is is cadence. Cadence is the number of revolutions your pedals make per minute (rpm). The average cadence for cyclists is around 80 rpm. You can improve your cycling speed by increasing your cadence to around 90 rpm.
Gears
In order to increase your average cycling speed, you need to use the right gears. By using a higher gear, you can pedal more quickly but with less effort. This will help you maintain a faster speed for a longer period of time.
Positioning
Positioning is key when it comes to improving your average cycling speed. Proper positioning will help you to ride in a more aerodynamic manner, which will allow you to travel faster with less effort. There are a few basic tips that you can use to improve your positioning while cycling.
- First, make sure that you do not lean forward or backward too much during each cycle.
- Second, try and keep your head as upright as possible so that air does not get caught between your helmet and body.
- Third, if you have long hair, then ensure that the wind cannot catch hold of them by keeping them out of the way.
- Fourth, avoid holding on to anything such as handlebars or other objects because this could slow down your movement.
Practice Different Routes
One of the best tips to improve your cycling speed is practicing different routes. When you know the route well, you can anticipate what lies ahead and make the appropriate preparations. This results in less wasted time and energy, and ultimately a faster ride.
Enhance your fitness level
It is no secret that in order to be a successful cyclist, you need to be in good shape. This is because cycling is a physically demanding sport that requires a lot of energy and stamina. If you are not in good shape, you will likely find that it is difficult to keep up with other cyclists. In addition, you may also experience pain and discomfort during and after cycling. That is why it is important to get into good shape before you start cycling.
Increase tire pressure
Increasing the tire pressure on your bicycle is a great way to improve your cycling speed. By increasing the air pressure in your tires, you make it more difficult for the tires to deform as they come into contact with the road. This results in less rolling resistance, which means you will travel faster with less effort.
Before you increase the air pressure in your tires, however, be sure to check the recommended pressure level printed on the sidewall of your tires.
Conclusion
Cycling is the best therapy and sport to keep you mentally and physically fit and healthy. Moreover, age is just a number. It is indirectly related to your average cycling speed. However, your cycling speed is directly related to the power, decreasing as you get older. In simple words, As you grow older, there is a steady decline in the average speed as the human body starts to wear off and isn’t producing the same power threshold as it used to.
Nonetheless, cycling is a demanding sport that requires practice and a physically fit body. Other than that, to monitor your progress, you need to pick a safe, flattish route that you know reasonably well to ride on and practice. This will help you improve your average cycling speed. Most importantly, don’t forget to wear your protective gear while cycling. Better be safe than sorry!