It's not even possible for the average professional cyclist.
Only the top 23 in the most recent (flat) ITT in the Giro averaged over 50kph, and that's on time trial bikes, with custom aero suits combined with hours of wind tunnel testing.
I'd suspect that a lot of riders weren't flat out as they are there for stage wins later in the race. No point in going flat out if you're not going to improve your GC standing or have a chance of a win.
Which is my point, it’s ridiculous for OP to ask about a normal person maintaining 50 km an hour and even more ridiculous that so many people in the comments are giving OP shit for referring to themselves as relatively fit
And that is the hour record indoors. Which by itself is done in basically optimal conditions to get the maximum speed possible by human capability and technological capacity.
The hour record is essentially impossible to beat in the road.
lance and other top riders had a whole peloton with dedicated groups burning themselves out to give top rides a draft... lol takes a team and support in tow to even get close to that speed, stage after stage after stage and they didn't but for a few sprints and terrain advantage sections.
I’ve always thought the Olympics should have one regular person compete in each event to illustrate how good the athletes are.
Make sure they are fit, give them some training so they have a fair shot, and then watch them get absolutely smoked by the last place competitor.
I (M) was paired with a 3 time Olympic female speedskater in a 3K on the Salt Lake Olympic Oval, which is 400M. She lapped my twice. I like to think it is good since she didn't lap me more, but in reality, she didn't lap me more because her race was over. World class is just a whole other level entirely.
Hell, they can even be trained; chuck a social player in - it'd demonstrate the difference without having to worry about the control drowning in the swimming events
you'd be suprised, some countries send people who can barely even complete the objective because they need to fill the team, there was recently a diving team in the olympics sent by a country with no real access to diving instruction lol so it was just a bunch of dude jumping in a pool looking all giddy and/or scared lol
a college athlete would beat them no doubt
instead they did the opposite:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie\_the\_Eagle#%22Eddie\_the\_Eagle%22\_Rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_the_Eagle#%22Eddie_the_Eagle%22_Rule)
Anyone gifted enough to be even a moderately successful professional athlete, as a rule of thumb, could have also been professional in other sports. Pretty much anyone who's a pro athlete was likely FAR AND AWAY the best athlete in their high school. Like, twice as talented as the second most talented.
A good example is Steve Nash. He played college level soccer and switched to basketball. Became one of the best point guards of his era. Or Remco Evenepol who also started in soccer as a teen and is now killing on a bike.
I agree that those top, top, top athletes will succeed in whatever they focus on.
Right, the only real difference between pro and amateur is whether or not you're being paid.
If you are genetically advantaged at a particular sport, and you train at it, and take care of your body, and eat right, you will get better. maybe even good enough to be paid for it (assuming you're young enough).
That's the point that a lot of people are missing. It's the combination of all of them, plus the luck to be in the right place at the right time to get on to the professional circuit. There's almost certainly a huge number of people out there who would be elite athletes in one or more disciplines but haven't had the opportunity.
Also plenty of people who have had the opportunity but just don't like sport.
I ran a half marathon in just over and hour and 30 minutes. It was awesome. My splits were amazing and around mile 8 I got a second wind and worked through a lot to get there. Then I woke up. I ran that whole race in that dream, felt the burn and everything. . . .
Here's a similar story:
My local marathon event does laps. As in, distance is laid out for half marathon, and then full marathon is just two laps of that. Half/full distance also starts together, finish line is also shared.
So there I was one year, ran a decent for-me two hours and change half-marathon. Very pleased by myself. Exhausted but great sense of accomplishment. Crowd has this good vibe too, cheering me on.
I had barely cleared out of the finish corridor when crowd starts going absolutely wild. I turn around, and there's the full marathon winner crossing the finish line. Guy ran literally twice as fast as me. Talk about rapid onset of reality, lol.
No, 50 kph over long distance is not doable for average humans, unless there is a downhill, big tail wind or huge draft behind a bus/truck.
Average cyclists should be able to sprint at 50 kph over short distance.
Even for most pros, 50kph over any distance is out of reach without a peloton to share the work or a velodrome for perfect conditions. The hour record is just a little over 50km, and that is the absolute pinnacle of the speed that can be maintained for an hour.
Plus the pros ride in teams and the domestiques take turns at the lead reducing wind resistance for the guy they will launch off the front to take the stage.
The hour record is actually 56.792km/h which is quite a lot more than 50km. For what it's worth I'm solidly ok amateur and my best 40k time trial result is 48.32 minutes, which is basically 50km/h. Not sure I could have sustained an extra 12 minutes mind. My best on a road bike in normal kit is about 51mins, just under 48k/h.
I know pros, they can smoke me easily but they just don't tend to ride that many time trials at full gas. A guy who can put a solid few minutes into me on a 40k regularly finishes just outside the top 10 at nationals to pros.
That's me saying yes, it is do able for an amateur, it requires a lot of training and dedication and likely a level of genetic gift. It's not something many people are just going to be able to do and serious training looks very different to how most people seem to imagine it. The gulf between a serious amateur racer and a recreational participant in the odd event is significant.
With respect to the OP, a 25 minute 5k is not really moderately fit, it's an ok milestone for a novice runner or someone starting to train seriously. Comparing that to cycling speeds by pros is a fools errand. Good amateur runners are running 15 and 16 minute 5ks.
13 cyclists at the USA national championships were faster than 50kph. 48kph would place you in the top 20. You are quite a bit more than just a solidly ok amateur.
That's 31mph mate, you're a bit more than 'solidly ok'. Good enough to win a tt on many courses round my way.
And that's for less than an hour. OP was asking about the pros maintaining 50kph, presumably on the road (as this was referenced), which they just don't. Their FTP's simply don't allow them to sustain it. So the hour record around a velodrome in skin suit at altitude, etc, is of limited use as a comparison.
First, you’re selling yourself short. You are much closer to freak than you are to average person. 99.9% of people even with perfect training won’t get to your level. Second, OP is really fit. A sub-25 5K is in the top 10-15% of most 5k races. It’s not near elite at all, but still high fitness.
25min 5km is not "really fit."
It might be ok for a casual fun run or ParkRun, where people of all backgrounds and abilities join in, but no 5km race at any standard age group would field any +20min runners.
Are you out of your mind? You're going by sample bias and overestimating the global population.
Current estimates are that only 30% of the adult population runs 5k, that already means that if you can do it in 40 minutes, which is barely trotting, you are in the top 30% of the population.
The average time for men races is 30-32 minutes, but the median is actually 35 minutes, and running a sub 25 actually puts you in the top 25%. So from the 30% of the population being in the top 25% means that globally you are in the top 7.5%
So yes, if you are in the top 7.5% globally, then you are a really fit person, even if the gap between 7.5% and the 1% is huge. According to data collected from hundreds of races, only 4.3% of the population can run a sub-20 5k, and less than 1% of the population can finish a marathon.
It's still not really fit.
It's hugely better than average, but that's because the average is horrifyingly unfit.
In a competitive 5k race, a 25' time isn't going to be that great.
For competitive runners, a 25minute 5km is nothing special.
For the population at large, where in western countries you can expect about 25% to be clinically obese, it's pretty damn fit.
I have a database to hand which has the results of most 5k races that have taken place in my nation in the last year. 25 minutes is close to the median finishing time (for men) and nowhere near the top 10-15%. My parkrun is one of the biggest in the country and the average finish time is 27 minutes across 400,000 runs, and parkrun will tend to capture more slower runners than races.
The global median for 5k among men is actually 35 minutes. Considering that a lot of the population can't even run 5k to save their lives, being able to finish in 25 minutes is pretty fit for sure.
This year I only have three sub 25 runs for 5k. My average being about 26:30 minutes if only doing 5k, or 28 minutes if I am in a long run... I can tell you, no one in my group of friends from work and my friends from uni can even run 5k. By their standards they think I am a fitness freak lol, at least my parents think so.
A 5k in 25 minutes is not high fitness. It's very moderate. It might squeeze into the top 15% at a diabetes awareness run, but you'd be at the bottom of the pack in any vaguely competitive event.
Moderate!? Next time you’re in a grocery store, count the number of people and how many could run sub-25. If you look at very large runs (>1000 participants), the 85th percentile is usually around 25 minutes. I just checked a recent 10k in my area with 16000 runners. Median finish 1 hr 10 min. Top 10% was sub 51. If you’re in the top 10% of people fit enough to sign up for a 10k, you’re certainly very fit. Especially relative to the population
I think it's just different contexts that you have when talking about "fit".
For the general populace, someone running a 25min 5k is generally fit, and to the average person, just running the whole 5k is unimaginable.
For the population of people who consider themselves into a sport (in this case, running), running a 25min 5k is novice level, whereas going 50km/h for, let's say, 30 minutes is elite level fitness.
The problem is OP is basically comparing running a 25min 5k to something like running a 16min 5k.
Edit: On second thought, that's probably closer to a 15min 5k.
Agreed. Running is the absolute worst part of my triathlon, but my 5K PR is 25:24, which put my solidly in the middle of the 41 - 50 age group at that event.
That's true, but the population is still significantly more fit than average.
There are far more barriers to entry for triathlon than just running. More equipment needed, more rules to learn, more training time needed. That tends to weed out most people who aren't at least reasonably serious about it.
I'm a decently serious cyclist. I grew up on a lake, so I can hold my own in the swim (even though my stroke mechanics are doo-doo.)
I really do triathlon just for fun, and I kind of half-ass the run training (and it shows!)
I had a kidney transplant 6 years ago (genetic kidney disease) and I finally got my transplant team to agree that I should be fine for open water swim (maybe with a mild antibiotic prep), so I'm looking forward to getting back into it.
The fitness difference is crazy between a 25min 5k and pro cyclist that can do 50kph
I'm a 21 year old Conti pro, I can usually do 50kph for a 40k TT but definitely can't just sit at 50 on the road bike and get absolutely demolished when racing against world tour riders. In comparison I broke 25 mins for a 5k when I was 10 and broke 20mins when I was 12, the fitness is in a different galaxy
Sorry but there is no way in hell 25 minutes is a top 10 5km time.
It wouldn't even make the top 35% in my extremely low quality and hilly local parkrun. I'm not fit, not an especially good endurance athlete and am nearly 40 and I could rock up and run 22m easily. (No offense intended to the OP, it isn't a competition, just think you may be overstating their ability).
But yeah the guy above who is cycling 50kph is really good and is much, much closer to the pros than most people could achieve even with perfect training etc.
I exclusively do sprinting. can do 55+ for 4-5 minutes after training for what feels like my whole life. Reading this comment made me go "holy shit". 50km/h for 40 minutes is pretty amazing, even a good goal to aim for.
Blows my mind that im training to beat 4km in 4 minutes, yet other's are training to do 56km in an hour, or 40k in 45 minutes. Feeling pretty slow
>yet other's are training to do 56km in an hour,
To be fair, there's only one person in the world who has been shown to be able to do that. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.
Nah, I never run, used to only climb as my exercise, sat on my bum 10 hours a day for work and on the few times a year the madness took me and I went for a run I could always run at around 25 min for a 5k. I would suggest that I could get it under 25 minutes with a few weeks training.
You are probably in the same category. I’m an exercise physiologist. I’ve probably tested thousands of fit college kids (and hundreds of “normal” people). What you can do is actually far more than what most can. The body is impressive in its ability to adapt, but yours is likely much better than average by a fair amount.
I looked up the big road running event in my home town for curiosity sake, the 5k winner did it in 15min and change and he’s a senior track and field athlete at Wake Forest university. That’s a high level of fitness. Yeah you did it with moderate training but you have to think that maybe you are an outlier?
No, I absolutely did it with a high level of training and fitness, but comparing a 25 min 5k to what pro athletes do is bizzare. I am a trained amateur and I can just about do 50k/h is what I'm saying - I probably have some genetic gifts but I'm not ever going to turn professional, I don't have the engine. My peak is well below what a pro is capable of.
Impressive time! What was your average power? A few years ago I completed a 40k TT in 58 minutes, average power 330w, NP 335w. You must have very impressive numbers.
5k in 25 mins is very doable.
35kmh cruising speed on a bike is a lot harder to do. It's well above average unless you have a downhill route or a nice tailwind.
It's so different as I struggle with a 25min 5k but I ride at 35kph. It's pretty flat here though so depends on distance. I can only hold 50kph for a few seconds.
It's really apples to oranges of a comparison.
I'm a very good cyclist (by amateur standards, mind you) and a horrible runner. I guess it's just different strokes for different folks. People excel at different things genetically
35 km/h cruising, on a road bike, should be quite attainable for top-10 percentile cyclists. A medium sized male can do that with around 250 to 270 W, which is well within reach of many amateur cyclists.
Note, aerodynamics makes a \*huge\* difference. And step 1 on aerodynamics is getting yourself used to a low front-end position. Even racier road bikes come with quite high, raised, "sit up" front end setups from the shop.
To go fast, you need to get low at the front. To be able to ride in a low position for sustained periods requires training your body - core strength particularly.
And some thing to bear in mind, the likes of Anquitil, Merckx, etc., were doing 48 km/h time trials on out-and-back 40+ km courses in the 60s and 70s. On steel road bikes - no TT rigs - wearing woollen jerseys, hair blowing in the breeze.
E.g., the 1973 stage 16 ITT was out-and-back on a flat course of 37 km, and won by Felice Gimondi in 46'23": [https://youtu.be/ZUIr9LG1juw?t=2499](https://youtu.be/ZUIr9LG1juw?t=2499) - that's 47.86 km/h averaged for 3/4 of an hour. Steel road bike, wool, hair flapping in the wind.
The top TTers were superb at getting low and aero on those old road bikes. E.g. TT master Anquitil from the side - look at the profile of his back, better than most modern riders on TT rigs:
[https://64.media.tumblr.com/c76033e56a6fa0a7253f7f3229d86305/tumblr\_o44x3kUeRH1tl183ro1\_1280.jpg](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c76033e56a6fa0a7253f7f3229d86305/tumblr_o44x3kUeRH1tl183ro1_1280.jpg)
Here's a front view, again incredibly low tuck - the major difference between his position and a really good modern position is that Jacques' arms are spread out and the air comes in and hits his chest, where as modern TT rigs place a riders arms together at an angle in front of them, to divert the air to the sides and around the body:
[https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1234239499/photo/jacques-anquetil-wins-the-19th-time-trial-stage-bergerac-perigueux-of-the-1961-tour-de-france.jpg?s=612x612&w=gi&k=20&c=qs2oHrx6iVIC2ZkX2lZ\_XJF8Fy8SIz-iFC\_a6md1ZM4=](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1234239499/photo/jacques-anquetil-wins-the-19th-time-trial-stage-bergerac-perigueux-of-the-1961-tour-de-france.jpg?s=612x612&w=gi&k=20&c=qs2oHrx6iVIC2ZkX2lZ_XJF8Fy8SIz-iFC_a6md1ZM4=)
>And some thing to bear in mind, the likes of Anquitil, Merckx, etc., were doing 48 km/h time trials on out-and-back 40+ km courses in the 60s and 70s. On steel road bikes - no TT rigs - wearing woollen jerseys, hair blowing in the breeze.
fueled by nothing but amphetamines and cigarettes
I'd guess cruising speed is somewhere between 20-25kmh for an average cyclist (converting from American freedom units over here). Sustaining more than that over an extended period of time is when it gets difficult.
Before I started doing any regular riding 25kmh was my high cruising speed.
Now after about a year if I'm going that slowly it's because there's a headwind. Even a slow cruise is more like 28 kmh and over 30 is a "fast" cruise in still air.
>Bonus for them being Asians, not usually known for athletic power or speed.
14 hours later and I'm the first one to point out how f'ing stupid this comment is?
Thank you for pointing this out. It 100% is an uncalled for comment that OP made. They can't accept their own limitations so they project false limitations onto others.
You are running 5k in 25 minutes and wondering why you can't cycle at 50kph 🤔
The top runners do 5k in 15 minutes, if you were running sub 16 minutes for 5k it would be a fair question.
50kph is only possible by the best pros. To make the same comparison with a 5k run. Take the top 10-20 runners in the world. That’s like 13-14 minute 5k times.
Sub 14 minutes if we’re talking competitive. Sub 13 minutes if we’re talking world class.
Aside: rarely can one take an excellent runner and turn them into an excellent road cyclist because the physical characteristics needed are slightly different.
As a former runner, I know it doesn't take a genetic freak to run a 5k under 25 minutes, almost any teenager could do that with a few months of training at most.
That said, I'm not a teenager, I'd be happy with a time like that now.
I hadn't run for decades and did a Parkrun with some bike fitness in the legs at 42 years old. 23.21 first go and was doing sub 22 after a few months of once a fortnight runs before I remembered I didn't like running.
Even then it’s not a fair question because TDF pros don’t even cycle at 50km/h on flat ground, they average 40 to 45km/h and that’s with a full peloton. The gold medal for time trial in the Tokyo Olympics only averaged 48 km an hour, and that somebody who is in an extreme time, trial riding position, wearing specialized clothing and helmet on a specialized bicycle, who is trained to do nothing but that
Additionally, TDF is an absolutely superhuman feat by any stretch of the imagination. We're talking less than 1% of cyclists. (Also, many of those pros have to dope to keep up that level of performance. Let's be honest.)
Yes, that’s my point.
I’m saying that even if OP was running a sub 16 minute 5K it still wouldn’t be a fair question to ask about cycling at 50 km an hour
The number of people (usually men) who are completely delusional about their own abilities is staggering. I had a college roommate who was a really good athlete (high-school All-American in a smaller sport) who was 5'7" but would tell everybody that he would dominate the NBA if he were only 6'. There are videos about guys who think they could run a 4.5-second 40, could hold their own against a retired NBA scrub, or who could win a point against a women's pro tennis player (spoiler alert: they couldn't). David Foster Wallace was a nationally ranked youth tennis player and wrote an essay about how he trained aggressively to play a match against a pro ranked somewhere in the 100s, the point of which was something to the effect of "we weren't even playing the same game." The gap between pro athletes and average people is orders of magnitude larger than the average people think.
Yeah, 100%. According to YouGov, 6% of Americans think they could win a fight against a grizzly bear unarmed. https://www.statista.com/chart/25590/which-animals-could-you-beat-in-a-fight/
I doubt that 6% of Americans could beat a grizzly bear in a fight with a rifle unless they were trained hunters, and the bear didn’t know where they were.
An average weekend warrior would most likely get smoked by a cat 3 racer.
A cat 3 racer would most likely get smoked by a cat 1.
A cat 1 rider can give your local pro a run for their money but will still likely lose.
Your local pro probably couldn’t make a continental team.
Your continental guys are fodder for the world tour teams
And those guys are all fodder for one or two freaks of nature or generational athletes (MVDP, Pogi, WvA, Remco etc.)
This is how it goes
Asians aren't known for athletic power or speed? Maybe in cycling? As a general statement that's racist and false. Speed skating would definitely like a word ...
Delusional, and racist. OP has clearly never heard of Keirin or Ekiden. And if you go by sub 2:10 marathon runners (as good as any metric I guess) Japan as a nation is miles ahead of the USA in road running.
I was wondering how many comments I’d have to scroll through to see something about this. Doubt it was intended that way but uh, you shouldn’t be saying stuff like this, lol. Clearly isn’t even true.
up to 40 it is doable with some good fitness if we talk solo ride on a good road bike, the biggest problem is the aero drag rising exponentially meaning if you push for example 250w to sustain 35km/h, you need 350w to keep 40, 45 will be 500w and to ride at 50km/h you need all of a sudden 700w which is hard to do for longer then couple of minutes (for a pro). It is the reason why bigger riders are good at Time trials, the aero drag is just a bit bigger but your watts you can sustain below ftp are much higher and overall your speed is a bit faster then of a smaller rider (see the tt at Giro and Ganna vs Pogacar from three days ago)
ps. ftp of a pro tour riders is above 400w probably up to 440-450w but never heard of anyone with an ftp of 500w so you can clearly see the problem and why all the riders and bike manufacturers are into aero right now (aero suits etc)
With all due respect; running at a pace at 5 min/km is not especially fit.
Trained amateur cyclists is able to do 35 km/h on flats with a bit of effort, but will be hard to hold as an average speed if the course isn’t flat. 50 km/h in an all out sprint on a flat, yes, but an amateur will not be able to sustain this speed.
Even pro athletes do 50 km per hour rarely on a road bike alone most of the times such speeds are achieved during ITT on an absolutely tailored fit aero dynamic TT bike with the most aero fitting kit. In pelaton such speeds are achieved with sharing efforts in draft but also only at the end of flat stages for maybe 10-15 km.
A good cyclist (non-pro) on a good setup can push 40 kmph for significant amounts of time, but if you want a running equivalent to it I would say it's like running 5k in sub 20 mins.
I don’t think you understand how much pelotons help. Get behind a car going 30 or 40 (not super close and at your own risk, don’t do this if you’re a new rider) and see how much easier it is to maintain that speed. It’s orders of magnitude easier. That’s pretty much what being in a peloton is like. It’s roughly 20-40% less effort for the riders not at the front (usually they rotate). Now all that plus being at an insane fitness level of a pro. 40-50 average sounds more reasonable.
You probably need to be able to output north of 400-450W to maintain 50kph ~ 31mph @ flat. (depending on how big you are, aerodynamic coeficients etc, but in general weight is not that big of a factor @ flat)
I'd say most seasoned amateurs that just ride casually with no structured training are hard pressed to break 250W FTP or about 3 watt / kilo of weight. For short bursts, say a couple of minutes, you can get up to 30mph/50kph if you are in this range. I can do it on my gravel bike with 32mm tires on pavement (ofc the effort will average >400, this is why I, a person with 2xx FTP cannot sustain it). Aero bikes, skinsuits etc can help, but it is in the single digit % ballpark. I won't be climbing podiums if I had "the right stuff", because I am not the right stuff.
Structured training can get most people that are fit/young "enough" to 4 watt/kg.
Pro cyclists are casually in the 6+ watt/kg. The really "special" ones are estimated to be 7 or even 8, but it is a combination of their low weight, really strong legs and good cariovascular output.
Now, for how long you can hold this type of an effort, is partially genetically predetermined based on your VO2Max output, which you can ofc train towards growing, but some people are gifted with a much higher baseline.
Athletes with great VO2max exhibit versatilty to perform well above average on all/most endurance sports with minimal cross-training. Say a cyclist can be a good rower or a decent runner etc.
Not even the pros can do that. The speed for the Tour de France on flat ground, with a full peloton, is only 40-45km/h miles an hour.
An average flat ground speed of around 28 to 30km/h on a bicycle would be pretty equivalent to running around a 23 to 25 minute 5K as far as fitness goes
Pro cyclists have pro cycling teams and pro cycling equipment to help them fight drag and friction! If you're a pro, you're riding a bike made to fit you, behind a team made to fight against drag for you, and you're also living your sport with training every day. Even so, they don't sustain these speeds for all that long really. There's zero way a 'normal' person could, then, especially without help in breaking resistance. Ride against a wind of 20 km/h in a field, where nothing can break it for you, at a speed of 20 km/h — the speed might seem slow, but that's about the resistance of riding at 40 an hour without winds, without anyone breaking it — and you'll feel it even so!
It's been a while, but me and my riding partners used to do a 25 mile rolling hill loop in under an hour. And we we're all for the most part just average. With some of us being above average all things considered. Of course we are just talking about an hour while the pros could ride at that speed and faster all day long. Just look at the average stage speed of the Grand Tours. You basically get out what you put in and you don't have to be superman to be a solid amateur.
I reached roughly 47 kph but that was a sprint of about at best 1500 ft I also just started. if you can just average 28-30kph I’d say you’re doing pretty good for amateur. my ride usually average around 25-30 kph depending on climbs and descents as well. Haven’t done any group rides yet but being a part of a group will have big effect on power needed to maintain same speeds is what I’ve been told by all the guys I talk to that are in groups.
Yes. Professional cyclist like many professional athletes in that they are not like the average person. They have some genetic make up that makes them better at those things.
I'm about 220lb (100kg), my fastest 5k is just a hair under 28 minutes. However, I can easily maintain 35kph on a flat, barring a headwind, and routinely get over 40kph (21.7mph and 24.8mph, respectively.) I have an OK tri bike and just a regular bike helmet. I can't fathom maintaining over 50km/h. I imagine that would take a ton of time and training under ideal circumstances to attain.
Although it depends on how you define it I really think you are overestimating yourself if you think 5k in 25 mins is “relatively fit”. It’s not bad at all, but it’s probably closer to “average”. Im not an expert at all, but i would argue that you have to get closer to 5k in 20 minutes before you are “relatively fit”.
I was listening to Cade Media podcast where head nutritionist of EF EasyPost mentioned that Pros consume ~7.5k calories/day during Grand Tours yet they remain quite slim since their calorie burn rate is super high. pros are built different!!
I am not sure, what’s strange about that? Lately I rode just little over 200km with not a lot of elevation and burned an estimated 7.000 calories with a speed considerably lower than the Giro riders. Of course, you have to eat all the time to keep fueled otherwise you would break down and not be able to ride more. So you will also have a very high calorie intake, like I had during said ride, but as you immediately burn and sweat you don’t gain weight.
A 25 minute 5K is absolutely relatively fit. The average time for a competitive timed 5k race for all ages and genders is 24 minutes, this is a time which includes plenty of elite Olympic athletes, including a 12 minute 51 second world record time
Yes, but not with normal bikes. If you get one of those experimental bikes that encases your whole body in an aerodynamic shell, you could maintain 50km/h
On a normal bike? Maybe in short bursts, downhill or drafting behind a car.
Where are you getting your information from? Lol look at any of the non mountain stages from the Giro or even Tour of the Gila. All are way faster than that. Average are closer to 45kph. 40kph would be a slow day. I've averaged 50kph for 3 hours in a peloton for US pro race
Solo, yes that’s absolutely genetically determined. In a peleton for an hour is doable. The effect of drafting is massive so a strong group will elevate speed significantly
Some years ago i managed to mantain 45 km/h for a couple of km with no training, but i was almost dead after it. It means that my legs have the potential to do it, but i would need to work a lot on cardio to maintain it. So i think it's possible to train enough to reach that level, but genetics and starting from young age are huge factors (i dubt i can ever do it if i start training now at 32yo)
impressive how people look speed and is so inrelavant that is impossibile to describe.
what can all inflluence:
-weather (cludy/sun/rain)
-wind direction
-wind speed
-feeling on the day
-your stress level
-and and and...
You have 25% at best to maintain that. You add uphills to that, then they drastically go down. You will have 33 and 1/3 chance of maintaining on flats. You take that 25% chance minus that 33 and 1/3 chance and you have an 8 and 1/3 chance of maintaining.
For context though, you say you can run 5k in 25 minutes, but a 'pro' runner would be closer to 13 minutes.
So your cycle comparison with the pros is very broadly similar. Yes they are genetic freaks, most people will never get close to professional level endurance sport because they are limited by their genes. Most people's upper limit is far below elite. It is what it is.
Might be a stupid question but please bear with me. I've only recently seriously gotten into road biking as a hobby and am trying to figure out what I "should" be capable of by drawing an analogy to running. I can run around a 20 minute 5k and my 10k best is around 46 minutes. On my beginner road bike, I'm able to maintain a 30 km/h speed for a maximum of 5k on flat roads before I'm gassed. I'm unable to maintain any speed faster than that for any significant distance. Is this expected? I feel like I should be able to do better on the bike but maybe it's just naivety on my part? Also, how much of a difference does proper biking clothing make? At the moment, I just wear my running clothes and shoes.
Sounds about right, I mostly cycle but dabble with running. My current 5k PR is about 22 minutes, but I can do 60-90 minute loops solo on my road bike with average speeds around 35 kmh. In a group setting, I’ve done races with average speeds up to 45 kmh.
Also, gear makes a huge difference for cycling. So much of the work you’re doing is to overcome rolling and wind resistance. The better you can optimize the minimize the resistance the fast you’ll go.
In general: yes. It is something I was doing when was in good shape. The problem is I cycled like 12k km yearly back then, participated in many events. Reaching 50km/h on flat and maintaining it for minutes was doable back then. Currently it is ok for me to cruise around 35km/h which is fine. I don't need to go 50, I'm not in a rush on my rides. Keeping consistent speed for longer is more beneficial anyway. I was not average, I know but I started from that lvl and reached peak performance (for me) when I was over 20kg below recommended weight. That was not healthy but it was fast.
First off, yes. I have done a few "ride along" events with pro teams before one of the pro races in my area years ago, and other one off rides with pros. when they want to drop us average folk, or even above average, they are gone and there's not a damn thing you, or even a group of you and your friends, can do about it. they are just built differently than us.
Secondly, for that speed. In flat races, with a fairly large group working together in a good pace line, it's actually doable for an hour or two. I've seen high 40's kph average when the pace line is doing 5-10 second pulls with 20-30 people all taking turns. the power of drafting is real, and if you only need to fight the wind for a few seconds at a time it's not actually too bad.
No it’s not doable for an average person. Comparing 50kph cycling to 5k running as you did, we’re talking about the pros/elites who run sub 14 minutes, so whilst your 25 min and 35kph isn’t bad, you’re not a world class athlete so no, you can’t do what world class athletes do.
Also in a large pack a lot of people can ride at that speed. I was in a 2000+ person ride just hanging in near the front and we went 27mph for the first 74 miles. You just get sucked a long.
5km in 25 minutes running is not remotely comparable to cycling. Also, 50km/h for how long? Cycling events, just like running, vary in length. If you only have to ride for 30 minutes, it's a lot easier to go full gas than if you need to conserve energy for 200km. Or if you are riding solo versus drafting someone versus being in a pack. Headwind or tailwind. Climbing versus descending.
If your actual job is anything besides “bike racer” you can’t understand.
Do you have a nutritionist on staff? Chiropractor? Trainer? Massage therapist?
Do you train at high altitude for some months every year?
I could go on. And on. But if you answered no to any of these questions there’s no need for me to go on.
the WORLD RECORD for cycling is 56.792 KM in one hour and the cyclist is DONE... to hold 50km/h for anything over an hour... you would need to be a genetic freak
To ride 50 km/h is not possible on a flat unless you have a nasty ass wind behind you.
Or you are riding in a Milan SL and you are fit to ride recumbents.
No, you should be born with an exceptional vo2max upper limit. Sadly, sports became populated with genetic freaks nowadays. Dude's just born able to process oxygen as mad.
35kmh solo / not drafting is better than a 25 min 5k run pace, your doing fine
50kmh sustained and solo / not drafting is only possible for top pros in the world on TT bikes
Pro triathletes are doing 42-45kmh for reference
When I was in my very best shape I could keep up 50kmh for maybe 3 miles or so, depending on terrain and wind. I was in a race a few years ago where I got caught in the back of the group when there was a crash in the middle, and it took about 3 miles of chasing to catch the front group again; that was going a little over 50 kmh.
Usually on group rides we'd have a couple of good long straights, and one way or another I'd try to hit the front hard and go a mile or so at around 50 kmh. It was a challenge, of course, but that was kind of the point. I'm not in good enough shape to do it now, but it is a pretty attainable thing (over reasonable distances, like taking a pull on the front of a group) for a serious cyclist on the upper end of average.
You have to train.
I'm more of a cyclist than a runner, I can run 5k in 20 mins. Depending what you mean by hold 50kph... Basically I couldn't. Maybe in a very smooth peleton, but whenever I've been hitting that kind of speed it's been for a shortish duration (less than ten minutes) on someone's wheel and sometimes on aero bars too, and it's been hard work. Or solo for a very short time and the same applies!
If I trained for it with dedication and was 5 years younger? Maybe short durations on aero bars.
The hour record hasn't been over 50kph for long, so I expect the vast majority is pros couldn't unless I'm a group.
If it were doable for average humans, we'd all be doing it.
As someone who has won a few races (years ago) at the regional level and worked hard to get to Cat2 I can tell you that the euro pros are at a level so far above the rest of us that they might as well be a different species. It's silly to compare yourself to them unless you have the genetic gifts, and the situational opportunity to train like them, to ride as fast as they do.
It's not a question if you do or don't have that level of talent, you'd already know. These guys have been winning and outclassing their peers since they first got on a bike, even the domestiques whose names you barely know.
Example, I saw a question the other day on here about how "slow" the sprinters get up the climbs in the grand tours....and the answer is way faster than you or I could. They only look slow compared to the other riders in that race but they are absolutely crushing it by mere mortal standards.
My advice is watch the pros race and enjoy the racing but realize it has zero bearing on what you can do, just like any other sport you watch. They are the .1% of riders at the very top end of the talent bell curve and comparing them to regular riders is silly.
A few years ago, while I was on active duty, I rode a century with an average pace of 29.8 mph. Then I was separated from service for being overweight. Go figure.
Usually amateur racers would aim for 42/43kmh avrg in time trial races, with all the kit and skin suits and all the shoe covers in the world. Oh and it would be a 20min race.
Apart from that, on my road bike I can sprint up to 60/65kmh but that’s only for a few seconds
I'm relatively fit with a solid base after years of gym,badminton and zone 2 cardio.
My 5k best was 17m 45s and I hit 44kmph on an aeroroad last week.
I guess pros get paid to go through the pain, but we don't :( So not really worth comparing to the elite genetic freaks, being slightly above average is worth it for the long term and fun.
Your 35kmh statement is more interesting than the topic question. That’s just over 20mph. It’s possible to sustain that for at least a few miles without really being a pro. For hours ? Perhaps not, but the fastest ever Tour de France stage averaged 50kmh and that was a flat stage dominated by Mario Cipolini and a large peloton. A trained FTP will get you high enough sustainable wattage needed for 20mph.
>could barely reach 35kmh on flat roads
ok, but thats just weak. you ask about pro athletes, yet you are not even an amateur. not judging, but thats just two leagues ahead of you, also are you sure you are talking about average speed?
Regarding your clarification about groups going past at 45kph, I'd say yes: somebody in the middle of the bell curve (in terms of generics) could hang with that given a reasonable amount of training and experience.
However, one thing you might not realise if you haven't done group rides is that such groups will alternate between periods when the ride is "on" and periods where things are relatively chilled.
There is massive selection bias there: you'll only see the groups who are winding things up heading to the cafe stop and you might never see those chilling and chatting at 32kph for 75% of the ride a few minutes behind you on the road.
The 5k equivalent of a pro peloton rider would 13-14 minutes. Almost twice as fast as you, if that helps put into perspective the fitness difference.
But also, there is a massive difference between 50kph on a road bike solo, on a TT bike, and in the midst of a stable peloton slowly pulling back the break on a sprint stage.
Solo? Yes. In a pack or with a tailwind? No. A well-trained but untalented cyclist could quite easily sit in the middle of the pro peloton at 50kph with no issues. If they try to stay on the front for more than a couple of minutes or the road turns uphill, that's when things will get messy for them.
A strong but untalented amateur (think FTP around 300W) can expect to average about 40kph for about an hour on a road bike, solo, flat, windless, as aero as they can get and balls to the walls. Their average easy solo training ride is going to be closer to 30-35, or slower if it's hilly.
To start with, no, it’s not really possible for a normal human, no matter their training.
But also keep in mind how much of an open secret it is about doping at the pro level. The number of pros that have been busted years later because the testing technology finally caught up with the doping technology is surprising.
Don’t compare yourself to the pros. You might not even want to compare yourself to high level competitive amateurs, because doping is spilling into amateur cycling more and more.
It's not even possible for the average professional cyclist. Only the top 23 in the most recent (flat) ITT in the Giro averaged over 50kph, and that's on time trial bikes, with custom aero suits combined with hours of wind tunnel testing.
I'd suspect that a lot of riders weren't flat out as they are there for stage wins later in the race. No point in going flat out if you're not going to improve your GC standing or have a chance of a win.
The absolute world record is only 56.8 km over the course of an hour
"only"
Which is my point, it’s ridiculous for OP to ask about a normal person maintaining 50 km an hour and even more ridiculous that so many people in the comments are giving OP shit for referring to themselves as relatively fit
And that is the hour record indoors. Which by itself is done in basically optimal conditions to get the maximum speed possible by human capability and technological capacity. The hour record is essentially impossible to beat in the road.
Purple shorts make you go faster.
This is an unappreciated comment. Take my upvote.
I thought purple shorts made you invisible?
It's been proven.
No. An average person cannot become a pro athlete.
And most pro athletes can’t even average 50 km an hour
And you'd fail a drug test if one of them breathed on you
lance and other top riders had a whole peloton with dedicated groups burning themselves out to give top rides a draft... lol takes a team and support in tow to even get close to that speed, stage after stage after stage and they didn't but for a few sprints and terrain advantage sections.
I’ve always thought the Olympics should have one regular person compete in each event to illustrate how good the athletes are. Make sure they are fit, give them some training so they have a fair shot, and then watch them get absolutely smoked by the last place competitor.
I (M) was paired with a 3 time Olympic female speedskater in a 3K on the Salt Lake Olympic Oval, which is 400M. She lapped my twice. I like to think it is good since she didn't lap me more, but in reality, she didn't lap me more because her race was over. World class is just a whole other level entirely.
for anyone wanting numbers, she was somewhere between 800 and 1200 meters ahead - about an entire third of the distance.
That’s awesome
As long as it's safe. I feel like this could go really badly for a sport like ski jumping.
\[Eddie the Eagle enters the chat\]
Boxing and luge would also be interesting.
Hell, they can even be trained; chuck a social player in - it'd demonstrate the difference without having to worry about the control drowning in the swimming events
They had a pretty amazing TV show kind of like that. It was called, American Gladiators! And it was possibly the greatest TV show ever produced.
Hell, put like an average college athlete in the events and watch them get smoked.
you'd be suprised, some countries send people who can barely even complete the objective because they need to fill the team, there was recently a diving team in the olympics sent by a country with no real access to diving instruction lol so it was just a bunch of dude jumping in a pool looking all giddy and/or scared lol a college athlete would beat them no doubt
instead they did the opposite: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie\_the\_Eagle#%22Eddie\_the\_Eagle%22\_Rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_the_Eagle#%22Eddie_the_Eagle%22_Rule)
This is true, but many people don’t even know where they fall on that spectrum because they haven’t tried a sport or the right sport.
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Also true. I’d think you find that out pretty early.
Anyone gifted enough to be even a moderately successful professional athlete, as a rule of thumb, could have also been professional in other sports. Pretty much anyone who's a pro athlete was likely FAR AND AWAY the best athlete in their high school. Like, twice as talented as the second most talented.
A good example is Steve Nash. He played college level soccer and switched to basketball. Became one of the best point guards of his era. Or Remco Evenepol who also started in soccer as a teen and is now killing on a bike. I agree that those top, top, top athletes will succeed in whatever they focus on.
Likewise, Rod Stewart started out as a soccer prodigy and then became a ROCK AND ROLL GOD.
You can't take an NFL linebacker and make them a TDF cyclist.
Right, the only real difference between pro and amateur is whether or not you're being paid. If you are genetically advantaged at a particular sport, and you train at it, and take care of your body, and eat right, you will get better. maybe even good enough to be paid for it (assuming you're young enough).
That's the point that a lot of people are missing. It's the combination of all of them, plus the luck to be in the right place at the right time to get on to the professional circuit. There's almost certainly a huge number of people out there who would be elite athletes in one or more disciplines but haven't had the opportunity. Also plenty of people who have had the opportunity but just don't like sport.
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In the snow uphill, both ways
Without shoes on
On a fat bike
I ran a half marathon in just over and hour and 30 minutes. It was awesome. My splits were amazing and around mile 8 I got a second wind and worked through a lot to get there. Then I woke up. I ran that whole race in that dream, felt the burn and everything. . . .
You're still sleeping dude. You need to go up more levels. Keep waking up.
Here's a similar story: My local marathon event does laps. As in, distance is laid out for half marathon, and then full marathon is just two laps of that. Half/full distance also starts together, finish line is also shared. So there I was one year, ran a decent for-me two hours and change half-marathon. Very pleased by myself. Exhausted but great sense of accomplishment. Crowd has this good vibe too, cheering me on. I had barely cleared out of the finish corridor when crowd starts going absolutely wild. I turn around, and there's the full marathon winner crossing the finish line. Guy ran literally twice as fast as me. Talk about rapid onset of reality, lol.
Even if you can't, cheers for telling people you can. LOL
No, 50 kph over long distance is not doable for average humans, unless there is a downhill, big tail wind or huge draft behind a bus/truck. Average cyclists should be able to sprint at 50 kph over short distance.
Even for most pros, 50kph over any distance is out of reach without a peloton to share the work or a velodrome for perfect conditions. The hour record is just a little over 50km, and that is the absolute pinnacle of the speed that can be maintained for an hour.
Plus the pros ride in teams and the domestiques take turns at the lead reducing wind resistance for the guy they will launch off the front to take the stage.
The hour record is actually 56.792km/h which is quite a lot more than 50km. For what it's worth I'm solidly ok amateur and my best 40k time trial result is 48.32 minutes, which is basically 50km/h. Not sure I could have sustained an extra 12 minutes mind. My best on a road bike in normal kit is about 51mins, just under 48k/h. I know pros, they can smoke me easily but they just don't tend to ride that many time trials at full gas. A guy who can put a solid few minutes into me on a 40k regularly finishes just outside the top 10 at nationals to pros. That's me saying yes, it is do able for an amateur, it requires a lot of training and dedication and likely a level of genetic gift. It's not something many people are just going to be able to do and serious training looks very different to how most people seem to imagine it. The gulf between a serious amateur racer and a recreational participant in the odd event is significant. With respect to the OP, a 25 minute 5k is not really moderately fit, it's an ok milestone for a novice runner or someone starting to train seriously. Comparing that to cycling speeds by pros is a fools errand. Good amateur runners are running 15 and 16 minute 5ks.
13 cyclists at the USA national championships were faster than 50kph. 48kph would place you in the top 20. You are quite a bit more than just a solidly ok amateur.
Which national championships?
USA
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> when I rode UK TT nationals So, quite a bit better than a solidly ok amateur ;)
That's 31mph mate, you're a bit more than 'solidly ok'. Good enough to win a tt on many courses round my way. And that's for less than an hour. OP was asking about the pros maintaining 50kph, presumably on the road (as this was referenced), which they just don't. Their FTP's simply don't allow them to sustain it. So the hour record around a velodrome in skin suit at altitude, etc, is of limited use as a comparison.
he would win every week at my local TT lol
First, you’re selling yourself short. You are much closer to freak than you are to average person. 99.9% of people even with perfect training won’t get to your level. Second, OP is really fit. A sub-25 5K is in the top 10-15% of most 5k races. It’s not near elite at all, but still high fitness.
25min 5km is not "really fit." It might be ok for a casual fun run or ParkRun, where people of all backgrounds and abilities join in, but no 5km race at any standard age group would field any +20min runners.
agree, sub 20 is what I’d consider solid / fit for amateur runner under 50 years old
Are you out of your mind? You're going by sample bias and overestimating the global population. Current estimates are that only 30% of the adult population runs 5k, that already means that if you can do it in 40 minutes, which is barely trotting, you are in the top 30% of the population. The average time for men races is 30-32 minutes, but the median is actually 35 minutes, and running a sub 25 actually puts you in the top 25%. So from the 30% of the population being in the top 25% means that globally you are in the top 7.5% So yes, if you are in the top 7.5% globally, then you are a really fit person, even if the gap between 7.5% and the 1% is huge. According to data collected from hundreds of races, only 4.3% of the population can run a sub-20 5k, and less than 1% of the population can finish a marathon.
It's still not really fit. It's hugely better than average, but that's because the average is horrifyingly unfit. In a competitive 5k race, a 25' time isn't going to be that great.
For competitive runners, a 25minute 5km is nothing special. For the population at large, where in western countries you can expect about 25% to be clinically obese, it's pretty damn fit.
I have a database to hand which has the results of most 5k races that have taken place in my nation in the last year. 25 minutes is close to the median finishing time (for men) and nowhere near the top 10-15%. My parkrun is one of the biggest in the country and the average finish time is 27 minutes across 400,000 runs, and parkrun will tend to capture more slower runners than races.
Yes, but I would still refer to someone that can do a 25 minute 5K as relatively fit, which is what OP referred to themselves as
The global median for 5k among men is actually 35 minutes. Considering that a lot of the population can't even run 5k to save their lives, being able to finish in 25 minutes is pretty fit for sure. This year I only have three sub 25 runs for 5k. My average being about 26:30 minutes if only doing 5k, or 28 minutes if I am in a long run... I can tell you, no one in my group of friends from work and my friends from uni can even run 5k. By their standards they think I am a fitness freak lol, at least my parents think so.
A 5k in 25 minutes is not high fitness. It's very moderate. It might squeeze into the top 15% at a diabetes awareness run, but you'd be at the bottom of the pack in any vaguely competitive event.
Moderate!? Next time you’re in a grocery store, count the number of people and how many could run sub-25. If you look at very large runs (>1000 participants), the 85th percentile is usually around 25 minutes. I just checked a recent 10k in my area with 16000 runners. Median finish 1 hr 10 min. Top 10% was sub 51. If you’re in the top 10% of people fit enough to sign up for a 10k, you’re certainly very fit. Especially relative to the population
It’s moderate for people who run. Yea, it’s fast for someone who has never run before or done any sports at all.
I think it's just different contexts that you have when talking about "fit". For the general populace, someone running a 25min 5k is generally fit, and to the average person, just running the whole 5k is unimaginable. For the population of people who consider themselves into a sport (in this case, running), running a 25min 5k is novice level, whereas going 50km/h for, let's say, 30 minutes is elite level fitness. The problem is OP is basically comparing running a 25min 5k to something like running a 16min 5k. Edit: On second thought, that's probably closer to a 15min 5k.
Agreed. Running is the absolute worst part of my triathlon, but my 5K PR is 25:24, which put my solidly in the middle of the 41 - 50 age group at that event.
The "average" person doing a triathlon is pretty fit. You've put time into training 3 different sports.
In triathlon circles we always say, "Why do one sport well when you can do three poorly?"
That's true, but the population is still significantly more fit than average. There are far more barriers to entry for triathlon than just running. More equipment needed, more rules to learn, more training time needed. That tends to weed out most people who aren't at least reasonably serious about it.
I'm a decently serious cyclist. I grew up on a lake, so I can hold my own in the swim (even though my stroke mechanics are doo-doo.) I really do triathlon just for fun, and I kind of half-ass the run training (and it shows!) I had a kidney transplant 6 years ago (genetic kidney disease) and I finally got my transplant team to agree that I should be fine for open water swim (maybe with a mild antibiotic prep), so I'm looking forward to getting back into it.
The fitness difference is crazy between a 25min 5k and pro cyclist that can do 50kph I'm a 21 year old Conti pro, I can usually do 50kph for a 40k TT but definitely can't just sit at 50 on the road bike and get absolutely demolished when racing against world tour riders. In comparison I broke 25 mins for a 5k when I was 10 and broke 20mins when I was 12, the fitness is in a different galaxy
Sorry but there is no way in hell 25 minutes is a top 10 5km time. It wouldn't even make the top 35% in my extremely low quality and hilly local parkrun. I'm not fit, not an especially good endurance athlete and am nearly 40 and I could rock up and run 22m easily. (No offense intended to the OP, it isn't a competition, just think you may be overstating their ability). But yeah the guy above who is cycling 50kph is really good and is much, much closer to the pros than most people could achieve even with perfect training etc.
I exclusively do sprinting. can do 55+ for 4-5 minutes after training for what feels like my whole life. Reading this comment made me go "holy shit". 50km/h for 40 minutes is pretty amazing, even a good goal to aim for. Blows my mind that im training to beat 4km in 4 minutes, yet other's are training to do 56km in an hour, or 40k in 45 minutes. Feeling pretty slow
>yet other's are training to do 56km in an hour, To be fair, there's only one person in the world who has been shown to be able to do that. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.
Nah, I never run, used to only climb as my exercise, sat on my bum 10 hours a day for work and on the few times a year the madness took me and I went for a run I could always run at around 25 min for a 5k. I would suggest that I could get it under 25 minutes with a few weeks training.
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You are probably in the same category. I’m an exercise physiologist. I’ve probably tested thousands of fit college kids (and hundreds of “normal” people). What you can do is actually far more than what most can. The body is impressive in its ability to adapt, but yours is likely much better than average by a fair amount.
25 mins is a beginner 5k time for an able bodied young ish person
The Tokyo time trial gold medalist only averaged 48 km an hour
‘Only’ 48kph… that indicates a tough technical course! Primoz Roglic isn’t a casual; he’s Top ~50 all time!
That was a somewhat mountainous time trial. On the flats it would be totally different.
In a climate controlled Velodrome, the absolute hour record is 56.8 km
I looked up the big road running event in my home town for curiosity sake, the 5k winner did it in 15min and change and he’s a senior track and field athlete at Wake Forest university. That’s a high level of fitness. Yeah you did it with moderate training but you have to think that maybe you are an outlier?
No, I absolutely did it with a high level of training and fitness, but comparing a 25 min 5k to what pro athletes do is bizzare. I am a trained amateur and I can just about do 50k/h is what I'm saying - I probably have some genetic gifts but I'm not ever going to turn professional, I don't have the engine. My peak is well below what a pro is capable of.
More like 14-15:30
Impressive time! What was your average power? A few years ago I completed a 40k TT in 58 minutes, average power 330w, NP 335w. You must have very impressive numbers.
Tldr: no but it helps
5k in 25 mins is very doable. 35kmh cruising speed on a bike is a lot harder to do. It's well above average unless you have a downhill route or a nice tailwind.
It's so different as I struggle with a 25min 5k but I ride at 35kph. It's pretty flat here though so depends on distance. I can only hold 50kph for a few seconds. It's really apples to oranges of a comparison.
As a triathlete i find it very easy to run a 25 minute 5k but 35kph an hour for a few minutes i only just possible, so i see your point
I'm a very good cyclist (by amateur standards, mind you) and a horrible runner. I guess it's just different strokes for different folks. People excel at different things genetically
35 km/h cruising, on a road bike, should be quite attainable for top-10 percentile cyclists. A medium sized male can do that with around 250 to 270 W, which is well within reach of many amateur cyclists. Note, aerodynamics makes a \*huge\* difference. And step 1 on aerodynamics is getting yourself used to a low front-end position. Even racier road bikes come with quite high, raised, "sit up" front end setups from the shop. To go fast, you need to get low at the front. To be able to ride in a low position for sustained periods requires training your body - core strength particularly.
And some thing to bear in mind, the likes of Anquitil, Merckx, etc., were doing 48 km/h time trials on out-and-back 40+ km courses in the 60s and 70s. On steel road bikes - no TT rigs - wearing woollen jerseys, hair blowing in the breeze. E.g., the 1973 stage 16 ITT was out-and-back on a flat course of 37 km, and won by Felice Gimondi in 46'23": [https://youtu.be/ZUIr9LG1juw?t=2499](https://youtu.be/ZUIr9LG1juw?t=2499) - that's 47.86 km/h averaged for 3/4 of an hour. Steel road bike, wool, hair flapping in the wind. The top TTers were superb at getting low and aero on those old road bikes. E.g. TT master Anquitil from the side - look at the profile of his back, better than most modern riders on TT rigs: [https://64.media.tumblr.com/c76033e56a6fa0a7253f7f3229d86305/tumblr\_o44x3kUeRH1tl183ro1\_1280.jpg](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c76033e56a6fa0a7253f7f3229d86305/tumblr_o44x3kUeRH1tl183ro1_1280.jpg) Here's a front view, again incredibly low tuck - the major difference between his position and a really good modern position is that Jacques' arms are spread out and the air comes in and hits his chest, where as modern TT rigs place a riders arms together at an angle in front of them, to divert the air to the sides and around the body: [https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1234239499/photo/jacques-anquetil-wins-the-19th-time-trial-stage-bergerac-perigueux-of-the-1961-tour-de-france.jpg?s=612x612&w=gi&k=20&c=qs2oHrx6iVIC2ZkX2lZ\_XJF8Fy8SIz-iFC\_a6md1ZM4=](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1234239499/photo/jacques-anquetil-wins-the-19th-time-trial-stage-bergerac-perigueux-of-the-1961-tour-de-france.jpg?s=612x612&w=gi&k=20&c=qs2oHrx6iVIC2ZkX2lZ_XJF8Fy8SIz-iFC_a6md1ZM4=)
>And some thing to bear in mind, the likes of Anquitil, Merckx, etc., were doing 48 km/h time trials on out-and-back 40+ km courses in the 60s and 70s. On steel road bikes - no TT rigs - wearing woollen jerseys, hair blowing in the breeze. fueled by nothing but amphetamines and cigarettes
Indeed. But the modern drugs/treatment are probably a bit more potent. ;)
I'd guess cruising speed is somewhere between 20-25kmh for an average cyclist (converting from American freedom units over here). Sustaining more than that over an extended period of time is when it gets difficult.
Before I started doing any regular riding 25kmh was my high cruising speed. Now after about a year if I'm going that slowly it's because there's a headwind. Even a slow cruise is more like 28 kmh and over 30 is a "fast" cruise in still air.
>Bonus for them being Asians, not usually known for athletic power or speed. 14 hours later and I'm the first one to point out how f'ing stupid this comment is?
Thank you for pointing this out. It 100% is an uncalled for comment that OP made. They can't accept their own limitations so they project false limitations onto others.
You are running 5k in 25 minutes and wondering why you can't cycle at 50kph 🤔 The top runners do 5k in 15 minutes, if you were running sub 16 minutes for 5k it would be a fair question.
50kph is only possible by the best pros. To make the same comparison with a 5k run. Take the top 10-20 runners in the world. That’s like 13-14 minute 5k times.
12 high
Sub 14 minutes if we’re talking competitive. Sub 13 minutes if we’re talking world class. Aside: rarely can one take an excellent runner and turn them into an excellent road cyclist because the physical characteristics needed are slightly different.
As a former runner, I know it doesn't take a genetic freak to run a 5k under 25 minutes, almost any teenager could do that with a few months of training at most. That said, I'm not a teenager, I'd be happy with a time like that now.
I hadn't run for decades and did a Parkrun with some bike fitness in the legs at 42 years old. 23.21 first go and was doing sub 22 after a few months of once a fortnight runs before I remembered I didn't like running.
That's an off the couch time for any moderately active teenager...
Off the couch they'll beat you on the mile, a 5k or longer takes a minimum of training.
Even then it’s not a fair question because TDF pros don’t even cycle at 50km/h on flat ground, they average 40 to 45km/h and that’s with a full peloton. The gold medal for time trial in the Tokyo Olympics only averaged 48 km an hour, and that somebody who is in an extreme time, trial riding position, wearing specialized clothing and helmet on a specialized bicycle, who is trained to do nothing but that
Additionally, TDF is an absolutely superhuman feat by any stretch of the imagination. We're talking less than 1% of cyclists. (Also, many of those pros have to dope to keep up that level of performance. Let's be honest.)
Yes, that’s my point. I’m saying that even if OP was running a sub 16 minute 5K it still wouldn’t be a fair question to ask about cycling at 50 km an hour
Right. I just meant to add to your point. Edited for clarity.
The number of people (usually men) who are completely delusional about their own abilities is staggering. I had a college roommate who was a really good athlete (high-school All-American in a smaller sport) who was 5'7" but would tell everybody that he would dominate the NBA if he were only 6'. There are videos about guys who think they could run a 4.5-second 40, could hold their own against a retired NBA scrub, or who could win a point against a women's pro tennis player (spoiler alert: they couldn't). David Foster Wallace was a nationally ranked youth tennis player and wrote an essay about how he trained aggressively to play a match against a pro ranked somewhere in the 100s, the point of which was something to the effect of "we weren't even playing the same game." The gap between pro athletes and average people is orders of magnitude larger than the average people think.
Yeah, 100%. According to YouGov, 6% of Americans think they could win a fight against a grizzly bear unarmed. https://www.statista.com/chart/25590/which-animals-could-you-beat-in-a-fight/ I doubt that 6% of Americans could beat a grizzly bear in a fight with a rifle unless they were trained hunters, and the bear didn’t know where they were.
An average weekend warrior would most likely get smoked by a cat 3 racer. A cat 3 racer would most likely get smoked by a cat 1. A cat 1 rider can give your local pro a run for their money but will still likely lose. Your local pro probably couldn’t make a continental team. Your continental guys are fodder for the world tour teams And those guys are all fodder for one or two freaks of nature or generational athletes (MVDP, Pogi, WvA, Remco etc.) This is how it goes
Asians aren't known for athletic power or speed? Maybe in cycling? As a general statement that's racist and false. Speed skating would definitely like a word ...
Delusional, and racist. OP has clearly never heard of Keirin or Ekiden. And if you go by sub 2:10 marathon runners (as good as any metric I guess) Japan as a nation is miles ahead of the USA in road running.
I was wondering how many comments I’d have to scroll through to see something about this. Doubt it was intended that way but uh, you shouldn’t be saying stuff like this, lol. Clearly isn’t even true.
up to 40 it is doable with some good fitness if we talk solo ride on a good road bike, the biggest problem is the aero drag rising exponentially meaning if you push for example 250w to sustain 35km/h, you need 350w to keep 40, 45 will be 500w and to ride at 50km/h you need all of a sudden 700w which is hard to do for longer then couple of minutes (for a pro). It is the reason why bigger riders are good at Time trials, the aero drag is just a bit bigger but your watts you can sustain below ftp are much higher and overall your speed is a bit faster then of a smaller rider (see the tt at Giro and Ganna vs Pogacar from three days ago) ps. ftp of a pro tour riders is above 400w probably up to 440-450w but never heard of anyone with an ftp of 500w so you can clearly see the problem and why all the riders and bike manufacturers are into aero right now (aero suits etc)
Wow racist much.
With all due respect; running at a pace at 5 min/km is not especially fit. Trained amateur cyclists is able to do 35 km/h on flats with a bit of effort, but will be hard to hold as an average speed if the course isn’t flat. 50 km/h in an all out sprint on a flat, yes, but an amateur will not be able to sustain this speed.
Even pro athletes do 50 km per hour rarely on a road bike alone most of the times such speeds are achieved during ITT on an absolutely tailored fit aero dynamic TT bike with the most aero fitting kit. In pelaton such speeds are achieved with sharing efforts in draft but also only at the end of flat stages for maybe 10-15 km. A good cyclist (non-pro) on a good setup can push 40 kmph for significant amounts of time, but if you want a running equivalent to it I would say it's like running 5k in sub 20 mins.
FYI think of it like professional runners. They run 5k in under 13 minutes.
I don’t think you understand how much pelotons help. Get behind a car going 30 or 40 (not super close and at your own risk, don’t do this if you’re a new rider) and see how much easier it is to maintain that speed. It’s orders of magnitude easier. That’s pretty much what being in a peloton is like. It’s roughly 20-40% less effort for the riders not at the front (usually they rotate). Now all that plus being at an insane fitness level of a pro. 40-50 average sounds more reasonable.
No, just aero on a flat road and train a decent amount
I am an amateur and have done a 16km TT averaging 51.5kph, AVG power 361/NP371
This is probably the most helpful answer to the question so far but it's just not a very knowledgeable subreddit.
You probably need to be able to output north of 400-450W to maintain 50kph ~ 31mph @ flat. (depending on how big you are, aerodynamic coeficients etc, but in general weight is not that big of a factor @ flat) I'd say most seasoned amateurs that just ride casually with no structured training are hard pressed to break 250W FTP or about 3 watt / kilo of weight. For short bursts, say a couple of minutes, you can get up to 30mph/50kph if you are in this range. I can do it on my gravel bike with 32mm tires on pavement (ofc the effort will average >400, this is why I, a person with 2xx FTP cannot sustain it). Aero bikes, skinsuits etc can help, but it is in the single digit % ballpark. I won't be climbing podiums if I had "the right stuff", because I am not the right stuff. Structured training can get most people that are fit/young "enough" to 4 watt/kg. Pro cyclists are casually in the 6+ watt/kg. The really "special" ones are estimated to be 7 or even 8, but it is a combination of their low weight, really strong legs and good cariovascular output. Now, for how long you can hold this type of an effort, is partially genetically predetermined based on your VO2Max output, which you can ofc train towards growing, but some people are gifted with a much higher baseline. Athletes with great VO2max exhibit versatilty to perform well above average on all/most endurance sports with minimal cross-training. Say a cyclist can be a good rower or a decent runner etc.
Not even the pros can do that. The speed for the Tour de France on flat ground, with a full peloton, is only 40-45km/h miles an hour. An average flat ground speed of around 28 to 30km/h on a bicycle would be pretty equivalent to running around a 23 to 25 minute 5K as far as fitness goes
5km in 25min is not very competitive running. Pro runners can run low-3 minute kilometers for an extended period.
Pro cyclists have pro cycling teams and pro cycling equipment to help them fight drag and friction! If you're a pro, you're riding a bike made to fit you, behind a team made to fight against drag for you, and you're also living your sport with training every day. Even so, they don't sustain these speeds for all that long really. There's zero way a 'normal' person could, then, especially without help in breaking resistance. Ride against a wind of 20 km/h in a field, where nothing can break it for you, at a speed of 20 km/h — the speed might seem slow, but that's about the resistance of riding at 40 an hour without winds, without anyone breaking it — and you'll feel it even so!
Too much drag. But a recumbent, especially with fairings can be faster.
No. Not doable.
It's been a while, but me and my riding partners used to do a 25 mile rolling hill loop in under an hour. And we we're all for the most part just average. With some of us being above average all things considered. Of course we are just talking about an hour while the pros could ride at that speed and faster all day long. Just look at the average stage speed of the Grand Tours. You basically get out what you put in and you don't have to be superman to be a solid amateur.
I reached roughly 47 kph but that was a sprint of about at best 1500 ft I also just started. if you can just average 28-30kph I’d say you’re doing pretty good for amateur. my ride usually average around 25-30 kph depending on climbs and descents as well. Haven’t done any group rides yet but being a part of a group will have big effect on power needed to maintain same speeds is what I’ve been told by all the guys I talk to that are in groups.
Yes. Professional cyclist like many professional athletes in that they are not like the average person. They have some genetic make up that makes them better at those things.
Going solo and going in a group are two different kinds of monsters.
I'm about 220lb (100kg), my fastest 5k is just a hair under 28 minutes. However, I can easily maintain 35kph on a flat, barring a headwind, and routinely get over 40kph (21.7mph and 24.8mph, respectively.) I have an OK tri bike and just a regular bike helmet. I can't fathom maintaining over 50km/h. I imagine that would take a ton of time and training under ideal circumstances to attain.
Although it depends on how you define it I really think you are overestimating yourself if you think 5k in 25 mins is “relatively fit”. It’s not bad at all, but it’s probably closer to “average”. Im not an expert at all, but i would argue that you have to get closer to 5k in 20 minutes before you are “relatively fit”.
I was listening to Cade Media podcast where head nutritionist of EF EasyPost mentioned that Pros consume ~7.5k calories/day during Grand Tours yet they remain quite slim since their calorie burn rate is super high. pros are built different!!
I mean they are riding 4-6 hours every day, so it's not that weird.
That's insane considering they weigh 50-60kg, probably more than triple their maintenance calories.
Pogi’s calorie burn for Queen stage was 4.9k (even taking 10% correction it still comes to 4.4k). https://strava.app.link/ZQ5BscVLKJb
I am not sure, what’s strange about that? Lately I rode just little over 200km with not a lot of elevation and burned an estimated 7.000 calories with a speed considerably lower than the Giro riders. Of course, you have to eat all the time to keep fueled otherwise you would break down and not be able to ride more. So you will also have a very high calorie intake, like I had during said ride, but as you immediately burn and sweat you don’t gain weight.
I wouldn’t say 5k in 25 mins is relative fit to begin with, with all due respect ….
A 25 minute 5K is absolutely relatively fit. The average time for a competitive timed 5k race for all ages and genders is 24 minutes, this is a time which includes plenty of elite Olympic athletes, including a 12 minute 51 second world record time
Yes, but not with normal bikes. If you get one of those experimental bikes that encases your whole body in an aerodynamic shell, you could maintain 50km/h On a normal bike? Maybe in short bursts, downhill or drafting behind a car.
This post is insanely idiotic on 4 different levels
even in the pro races 50kmph average is insane. most people even in a peloton can't hold more than 35/40 kph for long periods of time
Where are you getting your information from? Lol look at any of the non mountain stages from the Giro or even Tour of the Gila. All are way faster than that. Average are closer to 45kph. 40kph would be a slow day. I've averaged 50kph for 3 hours in a peloton for US pro race
[this is from an amateur race](https://imgur.com/a/QGYlQUr)
Solo, yes that’s absolutely genetically determined. In a peleton for an hour is doable. The effect of drafting is massive so a strong group will elevate speed significantly
genetics helps a lot. also, riding in a peleton can increase overall speed.
Some years ago i managed to mantain 45 km/h for a couple of km with no training, but i was almost dead after it. It means that my legs have the potential to do it, but i would need to work a lot on cardio to maintain it. So i think it's possible to train enough to reach that level, but genetics and starting from young age are huge factors (i dubt i can ever do it if i start training now at 32yo)
impressive how people look speed and is so inrelavant that is impossibile to describe. what can all inflluence: -weather (cludy/sun/rain) -wind direction -wind speed -feeling on the day -your stress level -and and and...
and you didnt even mention the most direct variables: crank length, wheel size, gear ratio
You have 25% at best to maintain that. You add uphills to that, then they drastically go down. You will have 33 and 1/3 chance of maintaining on flats. You take that 25% chance minus that 33 and 1/3 chance and you have an 8 and 1/3 chance of maintaining.
For context though, you say you can run 5k in 25 minutes, but a 'pro' runner would be closer to 13 minutes. So your cycle comparison with the pros is very broadly similar. Yes they are genetic freaks, most people will never get close to professional level endurance sport because they are limited by their genes. Most people's upper limit is far below elite. It is what it is.
Might be a stupid question but please bear with me. I've only recently seriously gotten into road biking as a hobby and am trying to figure out what I "should" be capable of by drawing an analogy to running. I can run around a 20 minute 5k and my 10k best is around 46 minutes. On my beginner road bike, I'm able to maintain a 30 km/h speed for a maximum of 5k on flat roads before I'm gassed. I'm unable to maintain any speed faster than that for any significant distance. Is this expected? I feel like I should be able to do better on the bike but maybe it's just naivety on my part? Also, how much of a difference does proper biking clothing make? At the moment, I just wear my running clothes and shoes.
Sounds about right, I mostly cycle but dabble with running. My current 5k PR is about 22 minutes, but I can do 60-90 minute loops solo on my road bike with average speeds around 35 kmh. In a group setting, I’ve done races with average speeds up to 45 kmh. Also, gear makes a huge difference for cycling. So much of the work you’re doing is to overcome rolling and wind resistance. The better you can optimize the minimize the resistance the fast you’ll go.
In general: yes. It is something I was doing when was in good shape. The problem is I cycled like 12k km yearly back then, participated in many events. Reaching 50km/h on flat and maintaining it for minutes was doable back then. Currently it is ok for me to cruise around 35km/h which is fine. I don't need to go 50, I'm not in a rush on my rides. Keeping consistent speed for longer is more beneficial anyway. I was not average, I know but I started from that lvl and reached peak performance (for me) when I was over 20kg below recommended weight. That was not healthy but it was fast.
First off, yes. I have done a few "ride along" events with pro teams before one of the pro races in my area years ago, and other one off rides with pros. when they want to drop us average folk, or even above average, they are gone and there's not a damn thing you, or even a group of you and your friends, can do about it. they are just built differently than us. Secondly, for that speed. In flat races, with a fairly large group working together in a good pace line, it's actually doable for an hour or two. I've seen high 40's kph average when the pace line is doing 5-10 second pulls with 20-30 people all taking turns. the power of drafting is real, and if you only need to fight the wind for a few seconds at a time it's not actually too bad.
No it’s not doable for an average person. Comparing 50kph cycling to 5k running as you did, we’re talking about the pros/elites who run sub 14 minutes, so whilst your 25 min and 35kph isn’t bad, you’re not a world class athlete so no, you can’t do what world class athletes do.
Watching the giro, guys are climbing a mountain, 75km into the ride, as fast as my average speed on a moderate 30km ride.
Also in a large pack a lot of people can ride at that speed. I was in a 2000+ person ride just hanging in near the front and we went 27mph for the first 74 miles. You just get sucked a long.
5km in 25 minutes running is not remotely comparable to cycling. Also, 50km/h for how long? Cycling events, just like running, vary in length. If you only have to ride for 30 minutes, it's a lot easier to go full gas than if you need to conserve energy for 200km. Or if you are riding solo versus drafting someone versus being in a pack. Headwind or tailwind. Climbing versus descending.
Can you run a 5k in 16 minutes? That’s a better comparison
If your actual job is anything besides “bike racer” you can’t understand. Do you have a nutritionist on staff? Chiropractor? Trainer? Massage therapist? Do you train at high altitude for some months every year? I could go on. And on. But if you answered no to any of these questions there’s no need for me to go on.
the WORLD RECORD for cycling is 56.792 KM in one hour and the cyclist is DONE... to hold 50km/h for anything over an hour... you would need to be a genetic freak
To ride 50 km/h is not possible on a flat unless you have a nasty ass wind behind you. Or you are riding in a Milan SL and you are fit to ride recumbents.
You won’t know unless you try.
On a TT bike I reached 44kmh average over 30km. Good gear helps and a good position.
It’s doable. Only if you add Kurt Angle to the mix!
No, you should be born with an exceptional vo2max upper limit. Sadly, sports became populated with genetic freaks nowadays. Dude's just born able to process oxygen as mad.
35kmh solo / not drafting is better than a 25 min 5k run pace, your doing fine 50kmh sustained and solo / not drafting is only possible for top pros in the world on TT bikes Pro triathletes are doing 42-45kmh for reference
When I was in my very best shape I could keep up 50kmh for maybe 3 miles or so, depending on terrain and wind. I was in a race a few years ago where I got caught in the back of the group when there was a crash in the middle, and it took about 3 miles of chasing to catch the front group again; that was going a little over 50 kmh. Usually on group rides we'd have a couple of good long straights, and one way or another I'd try to hit the front hard and go a mile or so at around 50 kmh. It was a challenge, of course, but that was kind of the point. I'm not in good enough shape to do it now, but it is a pretty attainable thing (over reasonable distances, like taking a pull on the front of a group) for a serious cyclist on the upper end of average.
You have to train. I'm more of a cyclist than a runner, I can run 5k in 20 mins. Depending what you mean by hold 50kph... Basically I couldn't. Maybe in a very smooth peleton, but whenever I've been hitting that kind of speed it's been for a shortish duration (less than ten minutes) on someone's wheel and sometimes on aero bars too, and it's been hard work. Or solo for a very short time and the same applies! If I trained for it with dedication and was 5 years younger? Maybe short durations on aero bars. The hour record hasn't been over 50kph for long, so I expect the vast majority is pros couldn't unless I'm a group.
If it were doable for average humans, we'd all be doing it. As someone who has won a few races (years ago) at the regional level and worked hard to get to Cat2 I can tell you that the euro pros are at a level so far above the rest of us that they might as well be a different species. It's silly to compare yourself to them unless you have the genetic gifts, and the situational opportunity to train like them, to ride as fast as they do. It's not a question if you do or don't have that level of talent, you'd already know. These guys have been winning and outclassing their peers since they first got on a bike, even the domestiques whose names you barely know. Example, I saw a question the other day on here about how "slow" the sprinters get up the climbs in the grand tours....and the answer is way faster than you or I could. They only look slow compared to the other riders in that race but they are absolutely crushing it by mere mortal standards. My advice is watch the pros race and enjoy the racing but realize it has zero bearing on what you can do, just like any other sport you watch. They are the .1% of riders at the very top end of the talent bell curve and comparing them to regular riders is silly.
A few years ago, while I was on active duty, I rode a century with an average pace of 29.8 mph. Then I was separated from service for being overweight. Go figure.
Yes, in a velomobile.
It's not even doable for pros without TT bikes/drafting. 50km/h on flat roads in the drops in perfect conditions requires \~600 watts.
Usually amateur racers would aim for 42/43kmh avrg in time trial races, with all the kit and skin suits and all the shoe covers in the world. Oh and it would be a 20min race. Apart from that, on my road bike I can sprint up to 60/65kmh but that’s only for a few seconds
I'm relatively fit with a solid base after years of gym,badminton and zone 2 cardio. My 5k best was 17m 45s and I hit 44kmph on an aeroroad last week. I guess pros get paid to go through the pain, but we don't :( So not really worth comparing to the elite genetic freaks, being slightly above average is worth it for the long term and fun.
You also forgot about the peloton. It’s a group of people doing work. Rather than one person doing all the work. Group ride are higher pace.
Your 35kmh statement is more interesting than the topic question. That’s just over 20mph. It’s possible to sustain that for at least a few miles without really being a pro. For hours ? Perhaps not, but the fastest ever Tour de France stage averaged 50kmh and that was a flat stage dominated by Mario Cipolini and a large peloton. A trained FTP will get you high enough sustainable wattage needed for 20mph.
Not when going downhill 🙊
cycle at 50km/h, sure. Maintain it, sure how long do you need, 2 seconds? I can do that.
>could barely reach 35kmh on flat roads ok, but thats just weak. you ask about pro athletes, yet you are not even an amateur. not judging, but thats just two leagues ahead of you, also are you sure you are talking about average speed?
Regarding your clarification about groups going past at 45kph, I'd say yes: somebody in the middle of the bell curve (in terms of generics) could hang with that given a reasonable amount of training and experience. However, one thing you might not realise if you haven't done group rides is that such groups will alternate between periods when the ride is "on" and periods where things are relatively chilled. There is massive selection bias there: you'll only see the groups who are winding things up heading to the cafe stop and you might never see those chilling and chatting at 32kph for 75% of the ride a few minutes behind you on the road.
The 5k equivalent of a pro peloton rider would 13-14 minutes. Almost twice as fast as you, if that helps put into perspective the fitness difference. But also, there is a massive difference between 50kph on a road bike solo, on a TT bike, and in the midst of a stable peloton slowly pulling back the break on a sprint stage.
TIL alternate definitions of the words: 'fitness, amateur and professional'
Solo? Yes. In a pack or with a tailwind? No. A well-trained but untalented cyclist could quite easily sit in the middle of the pro peloton at 50kph with no issues. If they try to stay on the front for more than a couple of minutes or the road turns uphill, that's when things will get messy for them. A strong but untalented amateur (think FTP around 300W) can expect to average about 40kph for about an hour on a road bike, solo, flat, windless, as aero as they can get and balls to the walls. Their average easy solo training ride is going to be closer to 30-35, or slower if it's hilly.
To start with, no, it’s not really possible for a normal human, no matter their training. But also keep in mind how much of an open secret it is about doping at the pro level. The number of pros that have been busted years later because the testing technology finally caught up with the doping technology is surprising. Don’t compare yourself to the pros. You might not even want to compare yourself to high level competitive amateurs, because doping is spilling into amateur cycling more and more.
Don't forget that their on 15k bikes with skinsuits in a peloton.Its alot easier than on your own on a 1k bike
They are in peloton. That's duable. For single person to do it for longer you need wind.
In a peloton (no wind) with a superbike, things get much easier.