How to approach a time trial?

wuzziwig

I'm doing my first time trial soon and I have no idea how to go about it. I'm an endurance rider rather than a speedster but recently I've being doing a bit of informal racing over a 30km course. I'm not doing too bad at it. But I've a time trial coming up in a few weeks time, it will be over approx 15km. So do you just go hell for leather from the get go or is there a method to doing well at time trials?

Taxuser1

i'm useless at them but like the idea of them - the race of truth.

everything you read will recommend not going out too hard and pace yourself. That might mean nothing to someone who isn't sure of their own limitations so if I were to recommend anything, I'd practise beforehand start easy before going hard for 20-25 minutes and see what mistakes you make. break the 20-25 minutes into sections where you ease into the ride.

again, this is based on what i've heard - i've done 2 TTs in recent years and after 3 miles I was ready to turn back around and go home.

if you know your heart rate or max power and have done a FTP test it's meant to be easier to pace yourself - there are lads in the club who've it down to a tee. I know I did a FTP test for 20 minutes recently and stuck to a specific cadence without changing gear. at first this felt like a sunday spin and felt easy but the heart rate ended 25-30 beats higher by the end of 20 minutes, and I was heaving for the finish ! everything else constant - i judged that to be correct pacing, the power was consistent all the way through as you'd expect if the cadence remained the same and gears hadn't changed. although uncomfortable all the way through, I felt I'd enough in the tank at every stage to get home. so at least i know my heart and now power parameters for 20-25 minutes or so which is about 15-16 kms for most - hopefully i'll pace a TT just about the same

Borderfox

Is it out and back or point to point, I tend to go out hard and push harder on the way back in.

Get a good warm up before the event

wuzziwig

Thanks for that Taxuser. I don't possess a HRM so I've no idea about zones etc.

The 30km races I've done have been at an average of 32kph or thereabouts. It's not very fast but we are a newbie group to racing.

So if I can maintain that average over 30km what should I be aiming for over 15km? Or does it work like that at all?

wuzziwig

Sorry Borderfox I just saw your post. It's out & back with the back being the easier of the two.

Beasty

Definitely need a good warm-up. Many I know take turbo trainers and do some decent cadence work to get the HR up

The key is to try and get the effort as even as possible. As you are fresher at the start it feels easier and gets progressively harder as fatigue sets in. Ideally you should be at a stage of exhaustion as you cross the line. If you're feeling good you've not done it right!

Knowing the course helps. You gain most by putting in slightly more effort on the inclines and into the wind. Keep your cadence high and unless you have a downward slope where it makes little difference you should try and keep the cadence up throughout (I will typically average 95-100 throughout a 10m TT, although others will be higher or lower)

Maintaining effort at a similar level is very difficult. A HRM helps although you would expect the HR to drift upwards throughout. I have the benefit of being able to monitor how things are going with a Powermeter. Even with that I find I tend to go off a little hard (partly explained by the extra effort getting up to speed), and then fade a little in the middle before picking it up again when I know I'm into the last quarter/4km

smurphy29

If you can get access to a heart rate monitor and work out your heart rate zones, I would highly recommend it.

Despite modern cycling being reduced as much as possible to science, even at amateur level, there is a bit of an art to riding the perfect TT, and it takes a few goes to get it right. It's very hard to practice this, because no matter what you tell yourself, you'll only go as hard as you can when there's something at stake.

15k (are you sure it's not 16k, which is a standard TT distance) is a reasonably short effort, so you generally go quite hard throughout it. The dreaded 40k requires a bit more strategy and pacing. You want to feel like you went as hard as you can and should be on death's door by the end of it! If you could keep doing an extra kilometre at the finish then you haven't gone hard enough.

Bradley Wiggins described it very well; he said if you think you can definitely sustain the effort to the line, you're going too easy, if you think you willl crack, you're going too hard, you have to be constantly in doubt.

nordicb

15k is very short anaerobic exercise. No need to be too cautious about pacing, go harder than usual. Nothing worse when you finish a TT and wished you could go harder. 15k will be over before you know it - you want your last stroke to be, genuinely, your last. Warm up well for 15 mins or so, with an odd sprint, it's crucial. If you feel that you are starting rather cold, you'll only reach your peak after 2-3k - going too hard without warm up will drain you real quick.

Nobody mentioned, that you are not allowed to draft (3-4 lengths behind someone) and must overtake someone within 15-20 seconds, you may find this odd and unnatural after doing road racing.

Riding the terrain smart and putting good power in aero position is a key for a good time.

wuzziwig

Thanks a million for all the tips. SMurphy, it probably is 16km. I did say I'm clueless, didn't I??

I'll be cycling to the TT. It's about 8km so could I do my warm up on the spin there?

So as I have no HRM or no experience of a TT before and the distance is short my strategy will be to go hell for leather from the start. The way out is a slight drag the whole way so you are descending on the return leg but the wind is normally against you. I have got quite good speeds going on that section of road before so hopefully I will again.

I didn't know about not drafting but it makes sense. I'm one of the few females in the group so I keep the guys going because they don't want to lose to a girl and it keeps me going because I'm determined to kick their asses.

smurphy29

Yes, going hell for leather from the get-go is as good a strategy as any, in the absence of any technology. As another poster said, the last thing you want is to feel you could have gone harder. An 8k ride is perfect for your warm-up. Do a couple of minutes hard and throw in a couple of sprints to get the heart rate up so you're not cold starting out. The shorter the TT. the longer and harder the warm-up required.

One other thing that's worth thinking about is concentration. In a race you're generally holding the wheel in front,and you respopnd to the other riders' efforts, but in a time trial it's just you on your own so it's quite easy to drift off and accidentally ease off. Half the battle is staying focused and making sure you keep hurting! The body will naturally fight against it so you've to make yourself do it.

Split the TT into four parts and try and have a goal for each one, and that should help.

And, finally, if you're in or around Dublin, get yourself out for the Corkagh Park women's races over the summer. Good luck!

wuzziwig

Thanks SMurphy, I imagine the concentration will be my biggest battle as I tend to totally drift away in my head when I'm on the bike alone. It's good to be conscious of not doing this so thanks.

I'm not near Dublin but I must look into women's races near me. It's grand racing the men and I do pretty ok against them but I'd love to race women for a change. I keep telling myself that I'm too old for it but I've seen women older than me doing the Rás na mBan and that convinces me to keep giving it a go.

Beasty

There are plenty of examples of women that have taken to cycling later in life, including the likes of Track Master World Champions Orla Hendron (who started with the IVCA) and Susie Mitchell. Eimear Moran switched from rowing at 30 and in her first year was racing for Ireland at the Track World Championships

RobFowl

wuzziwig wrote: »

I'm doing my first time trial soon and I have no idea how to go about it. I'm an endurance rider rather than a speedster but recently I've being doing a bit of informal racing over a 30km course. I'm not doing too bad at it. But I've a time trial coming up in a few weeks time, it will be over approx 15km. So do you just go hell for leather from the get go or is there a method to doing well at time trials?

My method is to check the date time and course. Check the TT bike in my shed. Check my licence us up to date. Then phone koutobia ans go for a coffee spin instead

wuzziwig

Well I'm in my 40s Beasty. I'm fitter now than what I was in my 20s but the body protests a bit too much and recovery takes longer.

wuzziwig

RobFowl wrote: »

My method is to check the date time and course. Check the TT bike in my shed. Check my licence us up to date. Then phone koutobia ans go for a coffee spin instead

LOL, sounds like good advice. But recently I've discovered I'm a bit of a speed Queen so while the coffee spins are great, they don't get the old juices flowing!!

Beasty

wuzziwig wrote: »

Well I'm in my 40s Beasty. I'm fitter now than what I was in my 20s but the body protests a bit too much and recovery takes longer.

I'm a different gender, but did not start racing until I was 49 having only taken up cycling seriously a couple of years previously. Yes as you get older you need more time to recover, but you may well find that there are other attributes that help (and I found one of my strengths was TT'ing possibly because I can be a little more patient/methodical than some at the younger end of the scale)

kierank01

is this a ~weekly club TT thingy, or just a one-off?

If its your first TT, and its a club TT, I'd just be going out to have a bit of crack...see how you get on, and come back the next week, and see if you can do better...

try flaking it 'all-out', and then try it easier at the start, and building up as you go...you'll never know what it's like until you try...

If you can stump up for a HRM, do, if you have a smart phone, record the TT on strava, and track your performance over the weeks.
This HRM will connect to a relatively new smart phone (with bluetooth 4.0):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MMPSSLE/ref=pe_385721_37038051_TE_3p_dp_1

wuzziwig

It's an inter club TT. Yes it would be good to have fun but there's a competitive streak in me too!! :D:P

I have a Samsung Galaxy S7. Will that work with it? The problem with getting a HRM is then I have to learn about zones and technical stuff like that. Where do you start?

kierank01

that phone should work...

there is a competitive streak in all of us (I think)...and its wonderful...

you are(probably) not going to win the thing, so don't go into it expecting to...if there are lads turning up on TT bikes, with 'sperm' on their helmets, forget about them...but maybe try to get a legal tow, as they pass you...

Homer1798

Don't go out "hell for leather", the secret of getting your best performance is maintaining the highest pace that you can keep for the distance of the event. If you go out to hard you will have to slow down and recover and this costs you more time than riding steady. If the event is a few weeks away go and ride the course as training and ride at a higher tempo than normal, If you can maintain 32kmh for 30km try riding the 16km at 34km (32kmh out to the turn and 36kmh back) if you can do this go a little harder next time. The more you ride near your pace the better you'll get at judging your limit. Riding at your limit remember that even little drags can be enough to make you blow if you attack them too hard, so maintain the same effort (not pace) when climbing or descending, same for head/tailwinds. Oh and time trials are agony so if it feels really hard your doing it right

wuzziwig

Road bikes & TT bikes are in 2 separate groups.

There's around 15 of us in my group. We've been racing 4 weeks now. I've never won but 4th has been my worst placement so I'd love to keep myself up around there.

Beasty

Homer1798 wrote: »

Don't go out "hell for leather"

I agree - first time even over a short distance if you go out too hard you will really suffer later on. If you feel you have anything left by 3/4 distance then certainly push on hard from there

Once you have more experience you will have a better feel for how hard you can go

wuzziwig

Thanks Homer. That's exactly what I wanted, an idea of what pace I should be aiming for. It's in a few days but I might get out tomorrow & give it a try. I'm pretty good at keeping an even pace going and my cadence fairly steady. Torturous Sufferfest turbo sessions over the winter thought me that at least!!

wuzziwig

Thanks again Beasty. I'm really looking forward to it now. I hope it doesn't kill me!!

Beasty

wuzziwig wrote: »

Thanks again Beasty. I'm really looking forward to it now. I hope it doesn't kill me!!

There's always a relief when it's over. But more importantly there's a sense of satisfaction that you've done it.

wuzziwig

I'll report back on how I get on. 😊😊

Homer1798

The pace I gave above is only an example, but if you can maintain that on your training spin, then during a race you will be able to go faster (motivation/competition). See how you feel after your training spin and if your comfortable then it's way to easy. As has been said it's about finding your fastest sustainable pace for the distance and it's most unlikely you'll hit it on your first few attempts at any distance. Also don't go full tilt from the gun, use your gears and build your pace over the first Km, you are trying to keep your heart rate aerobic(but at it's limit) and not anerobic(over it's limit) until near the finish when you do go as fast as you can. If in the last 2 km you feel you can go much faster than you pacing has been to slow, if your barely able to raise it then your pacing has been good, if your slowing down over the last few Km's then your pace was too fast.

nordicb

For 15k, just use distance reading for pacing yourself, don't get involved with all this science at this stage. Have a blast.

wuzziwig

Ok I did a trial run tonight. It was tough as there was a horrible wind against me all the way on the return leg. I struggled with it big time. I've never been exposed to the wind like that before as I always ride in a group and it just drained me. The route is just under 16k and it took me 28.09 minutes to do it so not so good. It was hard to guage pace & tactics tonight. Fingers crossed for much calmer weather on the night.

nordicb

That is actually quite a time, humble calculations suggest you were doing 34kph average! Against the wind this is very strong.

Beasty

It's not bad at all for a first attempt - were you on a road bike? Even more impressive if you were

Do you have a TT helmet? If not can you borrow one for the race? It will make a difference, and you will go faster if you can keep a low profile