ecandl said:
How exclusive are TT and Hillclimbing?
I started this year with a TT festival in early June. The first race was a Friday night 3 mile hillclimb into a strong head wind. I finished 6th in my CAT 5 group. 2nd race was a 15 mile rectangular course with strong winds and one short hill. I finished 12th of 16. 3rd race was a 5 mile out and back with the same winds and hill as the second - no aero equipment allowed. 2nd and 3rd races were Sat. I finished 11th in the 3rd race. I am 6'1" and 157lbs. I only have clip-ons for my road bike - no other aero equipment.
In July I raced a 15 mile race gaining 3800 feet. I ended up 11th out of 45 cat 5 and middle of cat 4.
I definitely enjoy hillclimbing better. What are the chances that I can see big improvements in TTing? Should I just accept the fact that TT isn't my strength and focus on hills? Thanks.
Never accept the fact that if something isn't your strength right now that you can't be good at it in the future. If you're a good climber who can timetrial life can be good!
In addition to the good points that Dave made, I'd invest in a skinsuit. The body produces way more drag than your frame and wheels do - so that's the place to start. A well fitting one is more aero, it's lighter and they're damned comfy. I used to like the Descente skinsuits and still have a 1992 USA Olympic team issue black "batman suit' with the gold ribbing upstairs.... Somewhere. LOL. If it doesn't require the skills of Hoodini to put on then it's too big. It's a skinsuit, it's supposed to be skin tight - and not skin like a 75 year old woman that spent most of her life in the sun with no sun cream!
For time trialing an aero helmet is a must but positioning is key. The back of the helmet must be close to the top of your back/lower neck when in the position that you ride in the most to be really effective. Also tape/glue your race number on to aid smooth airflow over your back. Numbers, like bad fitting aerohelmets, make very effective airbrakes. Stick your hand out of the car window at 25mph - now consider that the drag of a number that sticks up at the front. Not a nice thought is it?
Leave the cycling mitts in the bag unless you're riding a tricky course where you feel there may be a chance of falling off - or if the course or conditions mean that no mitts = blisters or sore hands.
If you need to carry a water bottle put it on the seat tube, not downtube.
That's the "easy stuff". I used to find that pacing is key for time trials. I was once light and fairly quick (5ft 11 and 140ish lbs) and even though I had a reasonable amount of power it took lots of concentration to maintain the power required to go fast - it was a "mental" thing. Learn to love the pain and it will become your friend. Being able to relax somewhat at your max sustainable pace helps enormously, IMHO, especially when trying to stay as low and compact as possible.
One thing that beginners often underestimate is the importance of a really good warm up prior to a short time trail. That 5 mile time trial probably deserved a warm up that was almost twice as long as the event itself - and towards the end at a pace equal to or greater than that of the time trial itself. Finish the warm up with enough time to zip up the skinsuit, put on your helmet, ride to the start and brush any dirt/grit off your tires before the start. Even though 5 miles is a pretty short event and should be ridden like a long pursuit, you don't want to nail the start too hard, even with the best warmup. Get within a couple of mph of your race pace pretty quickly and ease that last couple of mph over the next 30 to 60 seconds. You want to be hurting in the last mile - not the first.
Dave, just out of interest, what's your height and weight?