First Time Trial
- Thread starter Sam123
- Start date
Sam123 said:
First tip would be ride (or drive) the course and know where all the turns are as well as the start and finish.
-Figure out how long it takes to get from where you're parked to where the start is. If it's a fairly informal event out in the boonies and the parking is about 50 yards from the start then it isn't an issue but it leads into the next point...
... which is probably one of the most important for a short (under 30 minutes) time trial:
-Get a really good warm up.
Start slow and ramp it up to where you're riding above the pace that you expect to time trial at. Spend about 15 minutes raising the pace in steps and once you're above your TT pace hold it there for a minute or two and then back off. When recovered go back to the just above TT pace for another couple of minutes. Repeat a few times. It seems rather brutal but it's not as brutal as getting out on course and discovering 1.5 miles into the event that you started a bit too hard and you're not feeling the best and now you have to suck it up for the next 8.5 miles. If you can finish the warm up about 10 minutes before your start and report to the start line a few minutes before you're off then you'll be good to go.
-Use the ride to the line to keep warmed up as well as relaxed.
Time trials, ridden properly, are brutal events both mentally and physically. You need to get both your legs and head ready for it. Make sure you have enough time to get to the start without having to rush. If you need to ride though traffic lights and stop signs add enough time to account for worst case senario's - i.e. You get to a light just as it turns red, because if you're in a rush then Murphy's Law will dictate that it will. If you get to the start early you can use that time to check for bits of flint, glass etc in your tires - especially if you're using expensive tubulars (most notibly Vittoria tubs). Make sure too that you ride the last 50 yards in the gear you intend to set off in.
- Start brisky but not overly hard.
Your adrenaline will ensure that you won't start slow but starting too fast is probably the biggest mistake people do. Pacing is key. You shouldn't be trying to get upto pace within 50 yards. Sure, it looks like the Pro's get upto speed quick but they have a effing great big start ramp for their time trials.
- Finishing effort.
If you have anything left in the legs with about 25% of the course left then don't leave it until the final 200yards for a Mark Cavendish style sprint. Pull the effort out over the final 1/4 of the event. You shouldn't be able to pick up the pace much but it you underestimated your effort a little then have at it...
+1 on the post, that's all great advice but IMO, this is the big one.swampy1970 said:
Start slow(er) finish fast, don't go out like lightning, blow up and limp home.
-Dave
Yeah, that's an incredible time for a 40K time trialSam123 said:
You didn't tell us how long the course was, whether it was flat or hilly, what the wind was like....
Twenty seven minutes would be a decent first time effort for a 10 mile time trial on a flat course without wind. Not record setting but a good 22+ mph which is a great starting point. A big breakthrough point for many racers is their first 40 km TT (25 miles) in an hour or less or a speed (25mph) that translates to finishing a 10 mile TT in 24 minutes. That's a good goal for a dedicated rider with clip on TT bars or a very good goal for a pretty serious roadie riding stock road bars.
-Dave
daveryanwyoming said:Yeah, that's an incredible time for a 40K time trial
You didn't tell us how long the course was, whether it was flat or hilly, what the wind was like..
-Dave
That was very funny Dave.I just did my first TT, a 10 mile out and back with a gross headwind on the return. These guys have given me a ton of great advice in a thread here too. If you're using drop bars the best advice I can muster is get a pair of clip on aero bars, and practice riding hard in them
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