Bike Pace Calculator

What the bike pace calculator does

After a ride, the natural question is how fast you went, and this tool answers it. You enter the distance you covered and the time it took, and it gives you your average speed in kilometers per hour along with your pace per kilometer.

It is a simple, handy tool for keeping a training log, comparing rides, or pacing a time trial, turning a distance and a stopwatch into the numbers that actually describe your effort.

How to use it

1. Enter your ride distance in kilometers.
2. Enter your time as hours, minutes, and seconds.

Press Calculate for your average speed and pace, or Reset to clear the fields.

How it is worked out

Both numbers come straight from distance and time. Speed is distance divided by time, and pace is its flip side, time divided by distance:

Average speed = distance ÷ time

Pace = time ÷ distance

Speed comes out in kilometers per hour, the figure most cyclists watch, and pace comes out as minutes per kilometer, the way runners usually think. They are two views of the same ride: a higher speed always means a lower pace number, and vice versa.

An example with real numbers

Say you ride 40 kilometers in 1 hour and 30 minutes.

• Average speed = 40 km ÷ 1.5 hours = about 26.7 km/h
• Pace = 90 minutes ÷ 40 km = 2 minutes 15 seconds per kilometer

So you averaged a touch under 27 kilometers an hour, which is the number you would jot in a training log or compare against your last ride on the same route.

Speed or pace? Why cyclists usually say speed

Here is a small difference in culture worth knowing. Runners almost always talk in pace, minutes per kilometer or mile, while cyclists almost always talk in speed, kilometers or miles per hour. They are describing the same thing, just from opposite ends, but each sport leans on the one that suits it. Cycling speeds are much higher and swing around far more with hills, wind, and drafting, so a single average speed is an easy, intuitive headline for a ride, whereas a runner's steadier effort makes minutes-per-kilometer the more natural handle. This tool gives you both, so you can use whichever fits, but if you are comparing notes with other cyclists, average speed is the language they will be speaking.

Questions people ask

How do you calculate average cycling speed?

Divide the distance you rode by the time it took. Forty kilometers in 1.5 hours is an average speed of about 26.7 kilometers per hour.

What is cycling pace?

Pace is time divided by distance, expressed as minutes per kilometer. It is the same information as speed, viewed the other way round, and is more commonly used in running than cycling.

Why does it show both speed and pace?

So you can use whichever you prefer. Cyclists typically watch speed in kilometers per hour, while pace per kilometer suits those who also run or who like to think in minutes per kilometer.

What is a good average speed?

It depends entirely on terrain, wind, fitness, and the type of ride, so there is no single figure. The most useful comparison is against your own past rides on similar routes rather than against anyone else.

References

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Special Publication 811: Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI). https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811