Cycling is a lot of fun. When you first get into it can be quite overwhelming to understand how fast you should be going, how long you should be riding without stopping, and even what you should be wearing. It takes time to learn, and it’s ok to ask questions to other cyclists.
A question we get all the time is, “How long does it take to bike a mile?” This is a very interesting question, and it’s quite challenging to understand as so many factors affect it.
In this article, we’re going to be telling you what affects it and roughly where people are.
What affects the speed when you ride?
Before we go into telling you where you should roughly be as far as speed goes and biking a mile, it’s important to speak about the factors that affect it.
Bike
The first thing to mention is the bike, which will make a huge difference. If you are on a road bike with skinny tires and excellent aerodynamics, you will be much quicker than a mountain bike on fat tires.
The difference can be up to 5 mph, and you will still be giving the same effort.
Terrain
Then we have terrain, and that’s what you’ll be riding on. A track will probably be the quickest terrain, and sand will probably be the worst terrain.
The difference between these can be about 20 mph, which is a lot of speed.
Elevation
The elevation is the amount of climbing you will need to do over the mile. If it’s very flat or you’re going downhill, you can expect it to be a very fast mile.
If you’re going uphill, you might find it much slower.
The rider
Yes, this section is about you, the rider. If you are in peak physical form and weigh very little, you will have a very quick time. It could take a little longer if you’re new to cycling and just finding your fitness.
How do you track cycling speed?
The easy way to track cycling speed is to use an application or a GPS tracker. Applications such as Strava or RidewithGPS are an excellent way to find out exactly where you are, and you can even link a heart rate monitor.
Or you can use a dedicated computer such as Garmin or Wahoo to track your stats, and they can even be used for navigation.
How long should it take me to cycle a mile?
As there are so many factors involved when it comes to cycling speed, we’re going to give you a few examples of splitting different types of bikes and people riding. The first few bikes we’ll discuss are bikes you will typically see on the road.
| Cyclist on Flat Tarmac | Hybrid Bike | Road Bike | Track Bike |
| Beginner | 6-7 Minutes | 4-5 Minutes | 3-4 Minutes |
| Experienced | 4-5 Minutes | 3-4 Minutes | 2-3 Minutes |
| Professional | 3-4 Minutes | 2-3 Minutes | 1.5-2 Minutes |
Secondly, we will speak about bikes you will typically see being used off-road. Obviously, all these figures we are using are very rough estimates because there are so many external factors.
| Cyclist on Hilly MTB Course | Gravel Bike | Hybrid Bike | Mountain Bike |
| Beginner | 7-8 Minutes | 7-8 Minutes | 6-7 Minutes |
| Experienced | 5-6 Minutes | 5-6 Minutes | 4-5 Minutes |
| Professional | 4-5 Minutes | 4-5 Minutes | 3-4 Minutes |
How can I get faster?
So say you want to get faster and go from maybe being a beginner to experienced or even experienced to professional. Here are our top recommendations for improvement;
Train harder and more
A great way to improve your speed is by improving your fitness. An easy way to do this is to train harder and more often.
Your body is going to adapt more to the exercise, and you will become a better cyclist. We recommend contacting a cycling coach if you’re unsure what to do.
Get a better bike
Equipment does make a huge difference. By upgrading your bike, you could save yourself a huge amount of time. Aerodynamics and the bike weight can save you minutes on the mile bike time.
Have a bike fit
A bike fit is the process of an expert setting your bike up correctly for you. It will help you pedal more efficiently, get you in a more comfortable position, and can even help your aerodynamics. They can also help prevent injuries and stop the pain while riding.
Conclusion
So how long will it take you to bike a mile? Generally, it can be between two minutes to eight minutes.
There’s a huge amount of variables to think about, and it will be different for everyone depending on who you are, where you’re riding, and what you’re riding. We hope you enjoyed our article and are ready to return to the bike to improve further.
Robbie Ferri has spent years working in a bike shop, has worked with industry leading brands on product creation, has been a semi pro athlete, and is a fully qualified strength and conditioning coach. He has broken World Records, bikepacked all over the World and raced ultra distance at a top-level.
