I'm a 3W/kg cyclist and can average 22mph for 50mi and 2000ft on my road bike. Here's a list of equipment and random thoughts.

• Continental GP 4000's or 5000's and latex tubes are fast.
• I'm 6'1" 210. My 20min best = 285.
• I'm usually the lowest rider in any paceline. I'm even lower when riding alone.
• 2018 Cannondale SuperSix Evo HiMod w/ mix of Ultegra & DuraAce, di2.
• Reynolds Strike wheels (58mm depth???)
• -17 degree 140mm Stem, slammed all the way down on a Size 56 bike.
• Hoods turned in at almost 45 degrees. Looks ridiculous, but fast.
• I ride with my elbows at 90 degrees and hands as far inwards as possible on my already-turned-in hoods. Elbows tucked in.
• Head down often.
• Skin tight kit.
• Giro Isode helmet & glasses
• Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt out front
• Sworks shoes
• Look pedals on 172.5mm cranks.
• 25mm or 28mm tires at max PSI if roads are smooth-ish.
• Riding in warm conditions is faster.
• Riding in calm conditions is faster.
• I fuel well with >100g carbs per hour and close to 1L fluid per hour. Zefal Magnum Bottles (32oz) (no affiliation... just sharing bottles I use)

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I am that currently (closer to 4 than 3, but still) and can do that currently, but not in Z2. What kind of power we talking, because it seems I need to be taking aero lessons from you.

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That's only 40ft per mile elevation.

The original poster was more like 66ft per mile.

That may have something to do with it.

While riding zone 2 I rarely avg 22mph on my road bike, regardless of elevation. I have a couple of times, but that is the exception not the rule. I guess I am just really not that aero for a 62kg 5'6" tall male.

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200-210W - ish.

My experience in aerodynamics: bobsledding.

I now have thickening of 2 spots on both my ulnas (forearm bone). One near the wrist where it rests on my bars when hands are on hoods. Wrist cocked way into ulnar deviation and hyperextension so that my wrists are 20cm apart. And bone-thickening near the elbow where it rests on my bars just inside the tape (near the stem) for when I'm pretending to be Ashton Lambie on my road bike (happens often... hence forearm bone thickening). :)

I learned to ride in this position because at 6'1", 225 (see: bobsledding), when I started cycling:

1. I frequently rode with a guy on a recumbent, and the only way to draft that is to kiss your handlebars.
2. My wife is a cat 1 roadie who drops me constantly.

PS. When I say "head down often" I mean, literally all the time, only looking forward occasionally to ensure safety. (also see: bobsledding)

Desperate times call for desperate measures!

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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Well, put me down as impressed. I only recall one solo ride in the last few years where I avg'd over 22mph for a proper(ish) distance and some minor elevation gain. Let's just say I am nowhere near your level. For reference the photo below was taken at a circuit race 11 days after the aforementioned ride.

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Going around Hains Point on a mild winter day (50F) with relatively mild wind (difference of 3.5 mph between leeward and windward), I averaged 21.5 mph on 232 W (3.3 w/kg, ~78% FTP). I was probably wearing a somewhat loose fitting LS jersey with a somewhat loose fitting vest, full length legwarmers plus shoecovers. I think i rode with a 23 mm GP 4000 front and a 25 mm Gatorskin rear, both on 30 mm alloy wheels.

In warmer month, 232 W is probably good for 22.5 mph at Hains. 230 W gets me about 20 mph on overall elevation gain of 1.7% (basically riding in Montgomery County Maryland).

Note that the person who did 22 mph in Z2 is at 210 lbs. That's a lot of power for the flats and downhills.

Going around Hains Point on a mild winter day (50F) with relatively mild wind (difference of 3.5 mph between leeward and windward), I averaged 21.5 mph on 232 W (3.3 w/kg, ~78% FTP). I was probably wearing a somewhat loose fitting LS jersey with a somewhat loose fitting vest, full length legwarmers plus shoecovers. I think i rode with a 23 mm GP 4000 front and a 25 mm Gatorskin rear, both on 30 mm alloy wheels.

In warmer month, 232 W is probably good for 22.5 mph at Hains. 230 W gets me about 20 mph on overall elevation gain of 1.7% (basically riding in Montgomery County Maryland).




What elevation?

This all jibes with my train of thought. The power difference between 21.5 and 22 is not insignificant, though. However, your poor choice in tires, wheels, and kit would help bridge that gap. ;-)


Yeah, they said they're putting out less power than I do to go the same speed.

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How did you get 165 and 220w? Coggan L2 is 56-75% FTP, which is between 154 and 206w.

It was actually back of a fag packet breakfast time maths based on my own zones which are actually inscyd testing based.
So a couple of percent here or there, and accounting for a bit of variability in ftp fluctuation, and it’s about right.

Z2 is a wide zone (even on my flat rides I can only get about 60% on a good day in there, little flat it’s either up down or rolling, and lots of small lanes with junctions ) it’s what you do with the other 40% that’s what’s probably skewing the op’s data.

The difference between my best road bike with lw’s and 23mm corsa Cx tubs, and my hack giant defy with 26mm tubeless winter tyres and a rear rack and a sit up position is possibly 0.5mph difference on similar routes, so doubt tyres etc are going to make much improvement

I'm not the person you asked the question to, but z2 does seem to vary quite a bit depending on which source you are using.

Here's the one for the book "80/20" which is popular around here:
https://www.8020endurance.com/8020-zone-calculator/


For this calculator, for cycling 275w, their z2 of 70-83% corresponds to 193-228watts. That really should be faster than 17mph on a roller hill course without giant climbs.

0-2500 ft elevation, usually.

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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Here is a calculator: http://www.bikecalculator.com/

And an even better one: https://www.gribble.org/...g/power_v_speed.html

Just for fun, I tried the gribble calculator with my weight and all other parameters at their default setting.
If I select goal speed of 21.5 mph at 0 percent incline, it requires 215 watts which seems reasonable.
Leaving all the parameters the same, but changing to 1 percent incline, it requires 290 watts! Yikes!

@Kid

THIS. 100 TIMES THIS. From the fast road bus/cycleway on an old railway near me I'm cruising around 35 km/h as long as there's not a significant headwind, yet get me out on the grippy, rolling country lanes and I'll be going 28km/h if conditions are good. Best way I've ever had this demonstrated is in an Olympic distance tri, going from smooth tarmac to rough tarmac on a dual-carriageway. Speed drops at least 1 km/h for the same speed and you feel the difference massively.

Yep, around here the road maintenance authorities have decided spraying tar on a road, covering it with fine gravel, and letting the traffic roll it in for the following few months, constitutes road maintenance. Roads where this has been done are horrendous to ride on. I reckon my speed drops at least 8-10% if I encounter a typical section like this having previously been cruising at around 30km/hr. It feels horrible too!

 
that’s high quality road maintenance around here! It’s normally unless the potholes eat a whole car it’s good.

I live in Ireland. We have plenty good roads, but too many bad ones, especially when you get into the hills.
To be fair, potholes are not usually allowed to get too bad. But hitting some of the badly executed patches can be nearly as bad as hitting a pothole!
Regarding the "road maintenance" technique I mentioned, I was watching the Criterium du Dauphine a few years ago and the commentators started talking about the poor surface and how some road surfaces just felt really "heavy" and slow compared to others. Then one of them said "The worst is this thing they do in Ireland where they spray tar on the road and just cover it in pebbles, what's that about?" His colleague joined in "Oh yeah, we hit some of that on the [insert race here] when I was with [insert team here], horrible stuff". Then they reminisced about riding in Ireland for 5mins and mentioned some place in England they do the same thing (Lancaster maybe?). To be fair we have some really great cycling roads here. But the occasional road just makes you shake your head.