Hands up who cycled over 809km last year?
Strava reveals the average UK user spent 35hrs in the saddle last year – but halved their commutes over winter
Did you manage an average speed greater than 23km/h on the bike last year? Then you’re in the upper percentile of UK users of Strava, which just released its figures for 2014.
Their average UK user racked up 809km (men) and 407km (women) for 2014, with an average total elevation climbed of 7,729m (men) and 3,567m (women). Average total time in the saddle was 35:13hrs (men) and 20:12hrs (women).
The average distance per ride was 41km (men) and 34km (women), with an average elevation per ride of 390m (men) and 294m (women). Average time in the saddle per ride was 1:46hrs (men) and 1:39mins (women).
Unsurprisingly, when the Tour de France came to Yorkshire last July there was a big leap in segment activities on tour climbs, including a whopping 261% increase for Buttertubs Pass, an 89% rise for Holme Moss and a 65% gain for Grinton Moor.
(Image: Kreuzschnabel)
The fastest county per ride was Cambridgeshire, with an average speed of 26km/h – though this is also the flattest county per ride, with an average elevation per ride of just 121m. By comparison, the hilliest county per ride was Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, which had an average elevation of 591m per ride.
If you’re a commuter in London then you’ll have a slower average commute than the rest of the country (23km/h compared to 26km/h for men) – though you’ll also have a shorter distance to cover (14km compared to 17km).
… and if you’ve been feeling guilty about commuting less over winter, take heart in the fact you’re not alone – there was a 54% drop in winter commutes compared to a high point in mid-July, when around 50,000 commutes were made each day across the UK by Strava users.
If you want to relive your 2014 on the bike then Strava have released a new feature that creates a personal annual highlights video for each user – to check it out click here.
How do your bike stats for 2014 compare? Let us know in the comments below!
Jamie Beach
Former digital editor 
