3 miles is a great distance to ride for a commute to work or just for an enjoyable cruise.
However knowing how long it will take you to reach 3 miles, can help you prepare mentally, so how long does it take to bike 3 miles?
The average time it takes to bike 3 miles is 12 minutes riding at a speed of 15 mph on a flat road. However, advanced riders riding at a pace of 25 mph can expect to ride 3 miles in 7 minutes.
There are 4 factors that come into play when it comes to how long it will take you to bike 3 miles. These are your fitness level, wind resistance, the type of bike you ride, & much more. So let’s dive into it!
Biking 3 Miles What To Expect
To have a better understanding of what it will take to reach 3 miles in your desired finishing time, let’s take a quick look at the numbers.
Maintaining an average speed of 10 Mph = 18 minutes to bike 3 miles
Maintaining an average speed of 15 Mph = 12 minutes to bike 3 miles
Maintaining an average speed of 20 Mph = 9 minutes to bike 3 miles
Maintaining an average speed of 24 Mph = 7 minutes 30 seconds to bike 3 miles
Maintaining an average speed of 30 Mph = 6 minutes to bike 3 miles
Factors That affect How Long It Takes You To Bike 3 Miles:
Your Fitness Level
The most important factor that determines how long it takes you to bike 3-miles is your physical fitness.
There are 5 aspects of your physical fitness that matter in cycling aerobic endurance, muscular speed, strength, muscle power, & muscle endurance.
Your aerobic endurance allows you to maintain high-performance speed for an extended period of time. The better your aerobic endurance, the better your body will be able to supply oxygen and nutrients to your body. As a result, you will be more efficient & will be able to ride at a faster pace for an extended period of time.
Muscle speed has a direct impact on the rate at which you pedal, this is also known as cadence. Cadence is measured in revolutions per minute, in simpler words, this is the number of times you turn the cranks in a minute.
Strength is another important factor which affects your average speed, this refers to the amount of force you can exert. This is primarily built for riding on inclined surfaces such as hills, this can also be developed in the gym from exercises such as squats.
Muscle power is a combination of both strength & speed, this refers to the amount of power you can exert in short bursts of 15-20 seconds, removing endurance out of the equation.
Muscle Endurance is different from aerobic endurance, this is completely dependant on how your muscles react from long workouts. Low muscle endurance will experience early muscle fatigue & quicker lactic acid build-up.
Resistance
Aerodynamics is crucial for one major reason, air resistance. Air resistance is known to reduce your overall average cycling speed significantly. According to research, 75% of air resistance comes from the rider & 25% is from the bike.
To make your self aerodynamic, you must adopt a more aero cycling position. To optimize your riding position simply bend your elbows 90 degrees while keeping your forearms horizontal & your elbows tucked in, then slightly lower your head between your shoulder blades while keeping your back flattened.
Clothing is another element that has an impact on air resistance, particularly baggy clothing. Baggy clothing can increase drag & reduce your overall average speed. If speed is important to you consider wearing a more fitted attire to ramp up the speed.
Weight
Weight causes gravitational resistance when cycling, so the more weight on you the harder it is to bike, & the slower your average speed will be. This includes both the weight of the bike & your body weight. Simply getting a lighter bike or losing weight will have a positive impact on your average speed.
Route
The route you take will obviously have an impact on your overall average speed, some routes contain flat surfaces with low wind resistance, while others are inclined and have a higher level of wind resistance. Also the more hills your & inclined surfaces you encounter in your route, the better your fitness level will need to be.
Type Of Bike
The type of bike you ride has an impact on your overall average speed, some bikes such as road bikes are designed to be more aerodynamic & lightweight whereas others have a less aggressive geometry & designed more for comfort than for speed.
As we mentioned above 25% of air resistance occurs from the bike its self, so an aero bike can make. a huge difference.
Rolling resistance is another element of resistance that involves your bike, this accounts for 11% of resistance experienced when cycling & is completely dependant on your bike tires. Tire pressure tire tread, tire diameter, tire width, & tire construction all play a role in rolling resistance.
Final Thoughts
The most important thing that determines how long it takes you to bike 3 miles is your average speed, as mentioned above this is determined by your fitness level, resistance, weight, & the type of bike you ride, & the route you take.
The most important factor being your physical fitness, if your physical fitness is on point a lot of issues become much easier to deal with such as riding on hills & resistance. This will make your daily commutes or daily joy rides much easier & more enjoyable. We hope you enjoyed this article, thanks for reading & happy riding!