Average speeds in the winter months........?

[MadDad]

Right, before this turns into a willy waggling thread I am not interested in peoples average speed(s) - so keep them to yourself, I am just curious as to what sort of impact winter riding has on them when riding solo.

I have a few ‘controlled’ routes that I ride on a regular basis depending on how long I have to ride, if I fancy climbing, sprinting etc. I call them controlled routes because short of weather conditions (which I accept can have a huge impact), they don’t vary, the road surfaces are the same, inclines are the same, etc etc etc and my average speeds on these routes are roughly static through the summer months.

I have noticed my average speed has dropped over the winter period by roughly 4-6%, admittedly there are environmental differences such as wind, humidity, air temperature, then there are physical differences like heavier clothes, winter tyres etc.

Having spent the best part of a week off the bike due to travel, I jumped on last night for a quick hours spin - I worked hard, spent over 50% of the ride above threshold and overall the ride felt quick. Got home and uploaded my ride to Garmin and Strava only to find it was nowhere near as quick as it felt.

I am interested to know how much others who ride solo on a regular basis have seen their average speed drop over the colder months?

[Rouleur]

I'd say that on a ride when I'd expect to average 18.5-19mph in summer I'm doing more like 17-17.5mph for the same effort when it's really cold ie. 3c and below.

[TKF]

Only 19.3mph?

Slowcoach!

[okgo]

I don't notice it too much, but it does happen, but then again most of the rides I've done on my own that I've done over xmas etc are over 20mph, which is kind of that threshold where you stop looking at the exact number, unless its over 21.

Wouldn't worry about it.

[Steve vRS]

It's my first winter on a full road bike c/w all the lycra. I'm getting fitter and better but my speeds are about the same as autumn and a little slower that summer. So, I'm hoping that the cold weather impacts on them.

After all, the air is denser and so harder to push through

However I did a ride last weekend, the first one for 2 weeks with my PH Jersey on for the first time and I flew! Must have been the PH 'Powerfully Built Director' effect

Steve

[McFsC]

It does have an impact, longer to warm up, uncomfortable and a lot quicker to cool down going downhill. Maybe 0.5-1mph but it depends on the route.

[Vocal Minority]

Probably quicker in the warm but probably top 2 inches as much as anything else.

I am not fit enough to produce a consistent enough pool of data to tell I am afraid!

[Rob_T]

I refer to my panic thread of a couple of months ago on the same lines:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=...

[MadDad]

TKF said:

Only 19.3mph?

Slowcoach!

- I take your point, but look at the similar routes last year - ave of 20 - 21.5 mph! Could just be age setting in!!!!

[ewenm]

Heart Rate Monitor might indicate effort levels regardless of average pace.

[MadDad]

I set out for another spin tonight - 42 miles and 1,300 ft of climbing and I was about 1.5/2 mph short of similar rides in the summer, I am not too worried about it - yet. If the weather warms up and dries out and I am still spinning along slower than last summer I will be a bit disappointed with myself.

I have noticed that I find it much harder to settle into a breathing pattern in the cold weather, and my throat/chest feels much tighter so I am probably drawing in less oxygen.

I was interested to know if it was just me noticing the 'winter effect', or if I just needed to apply a bit of Rule 5. For now I am happy to blame it on the cold weather, extra layers, heavier tyres, (thicker air?)......

I did wear my PH top tonight but it didn't have the desired effect....

[HurryUpAndWait]

MadDad said:

I was interested to know if it was just me noticing the 'winter effect', or if I just needed to apply a bit of Rule 5. For now I am happy to blame it on the cold weather, extra layers, heavier tyres, (thicker air?)......

I did wear my PH top tonight but it didn't have the desired effect....

Yep, the air can be nearly 10% denser in winter compared to summer, and since the drag exerted on you (at a given speed) is proportional to the air density, this will explain a chunk of the difference. Or put another way, at a given power ( = force x velocity ~ density x velocity^3), therefore the ratio of densities should be the same as the ratio of the velocities, cubed. So a 10% density difference equates to a 3.2% speed difference. Maybe.

But there are other effects, such as variable rolling resistance of tyres, efficiency of the cardiovascular system and plenty of others I should imagine.

What I can't explain is why your PH top didn't give you an almighty boost - Physics can explain lots of things, but on that front, I'm afraid it's powerless...

[racerbob]

I notice around 1 - 1.5 mph difference on my 55km circuit which is mix of flat roads to start then goes long draggy hills to finish, just difference in the weight of extra clothes heavier bike, slower tyres plus all the other things mentioned, main losses are made on the climbs, lower gear needed, bound to make a (small) difference. So yes, your not alone. Roll on Spring though...