# century timing vs elevation drop



## yuris (Oct 4, 2011)

*century timing vs elevation change*

Hello,

Just curious - people are quoting timing for a century ride (supposedly around 5hrs for a strong rider?). how would this normally corelate wih elevation drop?


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## MerlinAma (Oct 11, 2005)

Are you suggesting the 5 hour century is due to a downhill route?


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## yuris (Oct 4, 2011)

For a newbie like me for sure 
I was jist ondering. My average speed drops a lot with lasting hills, i guess this might have more to do with lack of skills/shape on my end


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## yuris (Oct 4, 2011)

Just re-read my own post, of course i meant elevation gain/drop


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

yuris said:


> Just re-read my own post, of course i meant elevation gain/drop


Your post still doesn't make sense.
First off, is it a metric or standard century? (62mi or 100mi)
Are you asking if there's some sort of formula or rule of thumb of how long it should take given a particular elevation change?

What ever you're asking, it's more important to know...
How far do you normally ride?
How long does it normally take?
What's the farthest you've ever rode?
What kind of hills do you normally do?
How much elevation is there in the century?


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

I think your question may be re-phrased thus: All else being equal, for a given rider, will average speed be lower on a ride with more ups and downs than on a flatter ride? The answer is, "yes." Your slower speeds on hilly routes are not because you're new -- it's just the way it works. You can't make up as much time on the downhills as you lose on the climbs. The math works that way, and the aerodynamics (more drag at higher speeds) makes it worse.

Check the average speeds for the winning rider on various stages of a race like the Tour de France. The speeds are much higher on flat stages than hilly or mountainous ones, even though the mountain winners probably are working harder than the flat stage winners.

Examples from this year's Giro d'Italia: The very flat sprinter's stage 5 was won at a speed of over 26 mph. On the final mountain stage, including the famous Stelvio Pass, the winner averaged under 20 mph (took nearly 7 hours for the 135 miles). 

A 5-hour century takes quite a strong rider, or a good group working together. The hillier the route, the longer it will take, generally.


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## yuris (Oct 4, 2011)

Thanks for a very comprehensive answer. It very much to the point, even thouh point was blurred in my original post.
My longest ride thus far was 65 miles, with long break in the middle. Most of my rides are hilly, and my average speed drops a lot on those rides. Hopefully this will improve with experience.


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