How long does it take to cycle long distance?

Question

With this bicycle http://www.merida.no/customers/stianssport/merida/bilde.php/World-Champion.jpg

How long does you take to cycle 30 km? I just want to know how fast you can cycle to the point.

Answer 1

From my experience with several recreational cycling clubs in the US, 30 KM or 18.6 miles is an entry level beginner's medium long ride distance.  Typically, these groups average tween 10-12mph.  So 90 min to 2 hours is about par for casual recreational cyclist and those still new to the activity.

2 hours is also about the time most bodies have exhausted existing blood sugar fuels.  For an effort going beyond 90 minutes I have to consider eating and drinking before during and after the exertion.  Up to about 2 hours, I can wait til lunch after the event.

Many recreational clubs rate their rides something like;

casuals less than 10mph

beginners -- 10/12 mph

Intermediates -- 13/15 mph

advanced -- 16/18 mph

expert -- more than 18 mph

Answer 2

Look at the website:

http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed....

Looking at the link from the above post, he has a time trial bike, and which means that he rides in the superman position. He averages 51km/hr.

Again, look at the above web site. He averages - 361 Watts output. Click now the mountainbike radio button. add 361 to the Watts tab, remove the average speed and recalculate..... He would average 37km/hr with the same effort on a MB. That is minus14 km/hr.

Now factor in that it takes you an extra 10 minutes to ride that distancance. Given that the average speed will go down a few km/hr.

I ride in the city a lot. Traffic lights will kill your average speed. Even if you do not count the time wated at the lights - you loose your rythem. The reply depends on the road. (I had a tail wind today and cruised at just over 40km/hr home from work  - 35 km.) Also, I never ride at real rull speed inside the city limits - it is too dangerous. Again minus a few more km/hr depending on conditions.

Next, do you feel dead at the end of the ride, if not you should add an extra few km/hr.  

Add it all up and 30 km/hr on a MTB is  good. (Unless you are on the flat, outside of the city - possibly with a tail wind.)

Answer 3

You show a mountain bike so I'm assuming you're talking about an offroad ride. 15kph is not too bad but you should measure in minutes to gauge any progress.

I ride a semi-technical 4 mile (6.5k) loop that takes about 27 minutes at a sustainable pace. Faster people or at an all out pave it could be done in closer to 20 minutes so about 19kph.

EDIT: Well either I'm lame or we have some real cycling pros here. One can do 30k in 1/2 hr. or about 37mph, another can do 30k in 45 min. or about 25mph. That's pretty respectable on any mountain bike.

Answer 4

Nice looken bike.  I love hard tails not a huge fan of rear suspension it absorbs too much power that could go to the pedals instead.  I would say somewhere around 45 minutes for me to go 30km.

Answer 5

Assuming the course is moderately rolling, I can ride 30 KM in about 1 hour.  I'd be much slower on a mountain bike with knobbie tires, though.

A mountain bike is great for off-road riding.  However, knobbie tires and suspension rob energy.  When riding on a paved road, you need to do the following to maximise your speed on a mountain bike:

1. put on lightweight, slick, road tires.

2. lock out your suspension

You may also want to consider adding some clip on aero bars to improve your aerodynamics.

The real kicker, however, is you: the engine.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

If you're just wondering how quickly we all can do it, I can knock that out in just under 35 minutes in a time trial.

Answer 7

Depending on the terrain, the physical condition of  rider, about a half hour.

Answer 8

Really it is hard to say, you did not mention how the trail conditions are or how much climbing is involved. I've seen trails close to the same distance and on one trail take about an 1 1/4 hr and on an other take over 2, I know of one in Pisgah that will take close to 3.