Average cycling speed:
distance ÷ hours

Average cycling speed: the formula

Average cycling speed is the distance you rode divided by the time in hours. If you cover 45 kilometres in 2.5 hours, your average speed is 18 kilometres per hour. The only trap is the time: it must be in hours, so 2 hours 30 minutes is written as 2.5.

Moving time versus total time

Your watch or app usually shows two times. Moving time stops the clock when you stand still at a traffic light or a tea stall, while elapsed time keeps running. Divide by the one that answers your question.

Suppose the 45 km ride took 2 hours 30 minutes in total, including 20 minutes of stops. Moving time was 130 minutes, or about 2.1667 hours, so the moving average is 45 ÷ 2.1667 = 20.77 km/h, against 18 km/h on elapsed time. Both are correct; they just answer different questions.

Planning ride time from your speed

Rearrange the formula to plan: time = distance ÷ speed. Here is how a 40 km route works out at different steady speeds.

Add time for stops on top. For a 60 km group ride at 24 km/h you need 2.5 hours moving; at 22 km/h it becomes about 2 hours 44 minutes.

The same maths suits a commute. A 12 km ride to work in 40 minutes is 40 ÷ 60 = 0.667 hours, so the average is 12 ÷ 0.667 = 18 km/h. If a 30 km training loop takes 1 hour 40 minutes one week and 1 hour 35 minutes the next, your average rises from 18 to about 18.95 km/h, a clear sign of progress on the same route.

Kilometres per hour and miles per hour

One mile is exactly 1.609344 kilometres. Divide km/h by 1.609344 for mph, so 20 km/h is about 12.43 mph, and 25 km/h is about 15.53 mph. Check the unit in your app settings before comparing with a friend.

Why your average changes from ride to ride

• Hills slow the climb more than they speed the descent, so hilly routes have lower averages.
• Headwinds cost more than tailwinds give back.
• Bike type and tyres matter, as does riding alone or in a group.
• Traffic, junctions and rough surfaces lower the average in towns.

Because of this, compare averages on the same route in similar conditions rather than judging yourself against a stranger. Progress shows when you ride one loop again and finish it faster.

Group rides are a good example. A 60 km club ride with a long café stop may show a moving average of 24 km/h but an elapsed average much lower, so check which figure the group quotes before you compare.

Common mistakes

• Typing 2.30 for two hours thirty minutes. That reads as 2.3 hours, which is 2 hours 18 minutes.
• Mixing a moving-time speed with an elapsed-time plan.
• Averaging the speeds of two legs. Divide total distance by total time instead.
• Comparing km/h with mph without converting.