First TT of the year with club

[Dave Pace]

This Sunday the 7th will be the first Ride of my cycling club. It is a time trial, but we consider it more of a training type of run. Now then here is my situation.

I can do 30 -38 miles in 2 hours at a nice pace 70-75 rpms. But that is due to I have been training myself up. I was at 296lbs in August of last year, today I weigh 261lbs ( I may be down to 258 by the run due to the diet I am on.) so I guess what I am asking is the following.

what timing should I be shooting for?
What should I expect?
Should I scare people by putting on bike shorts or keep them under my normal shorts?

Here is a link the TT
http://www.buffalobicycling.com/training-event.php?id=237

Here is the map of the TT
http://www.buffalobicycling.com/course-map.php?id=6

Thanks for all the input

 

[daveryanwyoming]

Very hard to say, but if you push yourself to the limit and race this then based on your typical rides I'd expect you'd finish this in 35 to 45 minutes or thereabouts.

Since it's your first time trial and it doesn't sound like you're going to show up decked out with a TT bike and full aero kit I'd suggest starting hard but at a pace you think you can hold. From what you've posted that should be around 19 to 20 mph if there's not too much wind. Roll into the first couple of miles at that pace and then assess how you feel. If possible start picking up the pace and try to push yourself hard all the way to the finish. If you've bit off too much then settle down a bit but try to stay focused and riding as hard as you can manage without blowing up.

Get the pacing right and you'll have nothing more to give when you cross the finish line, go too easy and you'll feel fine and could sprint hard at the end, go too hard and you'll blow up mid course, have to slow down dramatically and you'll go much slower overall. Pacing is an art and most folks have to invest time into dialing it in. The biggest mistake most beginner time trial riders make is going out much, much harder than they can actually sustain and then blowing up after three to five minutes of very hard riding only to end up going much slower than their capabilities. Everyone is amped up and hard riding doesn't hurt for the first couple of minutes but it catches up with you quickly and then it's a world of hurt. So don't make that mistake, sure try to get up to speed quickly but don't go crazy at the start but try to build speed as you go.

As you have this week to prepare I'd suggest going out one day and doing a few hard time trial starts with rest between them. Pick a mile or two of flat road without traffic stops. Start with one foot on the ground and then start, get up to speed and settle in to your race pace. If you stretch these to two miles you'll go far enough that you'll know if your start pacing is realistic or crazy hard. Do four or five of these for one of your workouts and figure out what start pacing feels fast but not impossibly hard to sustain. That might be settling into an 18 mph pace at the start, it could be 20 or 21 mph if you've been more conservative on your longer rides but figure that out before Sunday so you're realistic with your pacing targets. Remember you'll be out on course for over half an hour, there's plenty of time after those first five to eight minutes to build on your pace so don't blow it at the beginning by trying for way too much when in doubt hold back a bit more at the start.

Good luck and let us know how it goes,
-Dave

 

[Dave Pace]

Awesome reply and thank you. this is exactly what I was looking for. i will follow that advice and let you know how it turned out on Sunday.