Kyle du Ford: “An average cyclist puts on about 5,000 miles annually.” (Inside Triathlon, September 2005, pg 43).
Makes me wonder how he selected his sample population. Although I know a few guys who ride 5,000+ miles every year, I know far more that are in the 2-3,000 mile range. Maybe 5,000 is accurate for Ironman athletes and competative road racers, but for the general cycling community I doubt it.
That is about my best year total, but I doubt average as well. Should be about 4-4,500 this year
If you take about 3 days off a month that’s only 15 miles a day. I’d say competitive road racers are putting in a good deal more than 15 miles a day. Maybe for multi-sporters that are only riding 2-4 times a week? For reference, I put in 1532miles last month, in the mountains, and I’m a CAT5
Anyone who can ride with Bjorn isn’t average.
Competitive cat 1/2 road racers probably average over 10,000 miles/year
Cat 3/4 is probably in the 5,000 to 10,000 range
Cat 5 probably 2,000 to 5,000 range.
Triathletes probably less than 2,000
I have stepped up my bike training this year…not a roadie…45 year old triathlete and I am average about 290-300 miles a month. So far this year I have logged just under 2200 miles. Should finish the year with about 3600. I ride 4 days a week.
Mark
If you bike commute 30K per day for only 200 days per year, that alone is 6000K before even doing any “real riding”. I know tons of bike commuters who only ride bikes for transport and do 8000 to 10000 miles per year just getting to work and back.
My usual year is 2500K running, 2500K XC skiing, 8K-10K biking, total 13000 to 15000 K of human powered motion 
I got in about 950 miles the last two weeks, and I do IM’s, not a cyclist. A rough estimate of my yearly total is anywhere from 11,000 to 13,000 miles. I think any CAT 1/Pro(are these the same?) guys are putting in alot more miles than this. I would guess they are between 15,000 to 20,000 miles a year or more.
Last year I rode about 5,500 miles for my best year (as a triathlete) of training so far and I don’t race longer than Half-IM. With those miles I went from being an average cyclist with a good run to a good cyclist with a really fast run afterwards.
My first quarter of the year was ahead of last years pace, but then I was sent to the desert. No riding for the last two months, but my wife is sending my bike in a few weeks. Then I get to do endless loops around the inside of the camp. Not complaining; that’s more than most guys in Iraq can do.
Chad
I’ll probably be around 3500 this year and I consider myself to be an average cyclist.
I also didn’t start riding untill late March this year but still, 5000 seems a little bit high.
Maybe they were trying to glorify triathlon and get the road racers to stop making fun of us
jaretj
Maybe they were trying to glorify triathlon and get the road racers to stop making fun of us
I think a lot of the stuff they print in triathlon mags fits this description. I know that there are plenty of people on forums like this who are faster than I am, and do much bigger mileage, but these groups by there very nature draw the more, should I say - obsessed, triathletes. Anyway, I’m 45 years old and ride 5000-6000 miles in a good year. I’m not a “gifted” athlete, but I do pretty well. But I still typically finish in the top 10% of bike splits at regional races up to HIM distance. So, to say that the “average” triathlete rides over 10,000 miles per year is ridiculous. Maybe the average IMH qualifier, but not the average triathlete.
Also, I ride with a few Cat 1/2 guys and the ones who work full time are doing between 10-15,000 per year.
Seems high to me too.
The last couple of years, I’ve only gotten about 2000 km in on the road prior to an IM and then only done another 1000 km afterwards for the rest of the season (I concentrate on adventure-racing instead).
I guess I probably put another 1000-1500 on the trainer in the winter if that counts - but the total still only comes to max 4500 which is less than 3000 miles.
I’ve pulled off around a 5:20 ride in both my last Ironmans but then been unable to really push it on my run (~4:10). I think the consensus is that I need more bike miles in my legs so that I can ride that 5:20 more easily and then be able to run better.
But who has the time? Or maybe I’m just a weather wimp!
cheers,
Aaron
Certainly it depends on how you define “average” but 5K is not a big number, even for non racers. There are a bunch of “social” riders in the group I ride with who never miss the Tuesday night 40 or the Sunday ride/lunch 70 miler. Throw in just 2 more 25 mile rides during the rest week and a couple of centuries and tours over the course of the summer and they’re on track for 5K even if they take the winter off.
I’ve never gotten to 5000 but I’m now what you might call… dedicated. I do think the climate where you live plays a pretty big role in determining yearly mileage. The folks in CA/AZ/FL have a lot more opportunities to ride than those of us who live in a place that has winter. But I guess the xc skiing is a little thin in most of CA/AZ/FL so I guess you win some, you lose some… Anybody venture a guess at a conversion from xc ski mileage to bike mileage as far as effort level?
Lehmkuhler
IMNA marketing stuff says that the average participant at one of their events trains something like 18 hours a week…which I can’t believe is anywhere near true.
The folks in CA/AZ/FL have a lot more opportunities to ride than those of us who live in a place that has winter. But I guess the xc skiing is a little thin in most of CA/AZ/FL so I guess you win some, you lose some…
Lehmkuhler
Caifornia is home to both the lowest and highest spot in elevation in the lower 48. Knowing that, I’d think people would understand that the weather in California can be pretty diverse. Measured by square miles, there may be more mountains in California than any other state other than Alaska, anybody know for sure?
For the most part you are right though, I’m in socal and I only rode when it was snowing about 10-15 times last winter, and it doesn’t tend to go below 20, so it’s bearable. And with proper gear, it’s no problem to ride in the rain of course.