How to approach a time trial?

wuzziwig

Thanks guys. I guess I was disappointed because I felt the wind drained me so much. There's a small, sharp hill near the end that you normally have great momentum coming off for the sprint to the end. I had none of that tonight.

Beasty I don't have a TT bike so I rode it on my road bike, down in the drops for the duration. I'm not sure I know anyone with a TT helmet but I'll look into it.

Homer1798

Well done, remember in competition you'll be able to push a little harder, and the wind well........try riding with your hands on top of the leavers keeping your forearms level, this apparently is more aerodynamic,but it also may be more comfortable than on the drops for the duration, and try maintain your cadence, many new tt'ers tend to bog down in a gear which ruins their speed.

Harrybelafonte

wuzziwig

Thanks, I would never have thought to ride in that position but I guess it's kinda similar to the position of those on a TT bike?

I'm quite conscious of keeping my cadence constant but at times I found I was losing my rhythm completely when the going got tough. It's something to work on

wuzziwig

Harrybellafonte, gotta love that cyclists tan!!!

fat bloke

I've a question.

Trust in the Gods and ride empty pocketed? Or ruin your skinsuit aerodynamics with pump/levers/tube/gas canisters?

Beasty

fat bloke wrote: »

I've a question.

Trust in the Gods and ride empty pocketed? Or ruin your skinsuit aerodynamics with pump/levers/tube/gas canisters?

I use tubs and prepare for the "walk" - only time I had to do so was in a 50 miler...

I'm actually going to switch to clinchers (disc wheel on order!) and not use the skinsuit except for vets championship events. All the best stuff will be kept for the track

fat bloke

Beasty wrote: »

I use tubs and prepare for the "walk" - only time I had to do so was in a 50 miler...

I'm actually going to switch to clinchers (disc wheel on order!) and not use the skinsuit except for vets championship events. All the best stuff will be kept for the track

Hmmm interesting. There was a right mix of wheels at the last ivca TT. Any idea if there is a time penalty in going for clincher disc over tub?

Seems to be reasonable "value" in 10 speed ffwd discs at the mo. But no 2nd hand discs around at all.

Beasty

fat bloke wrote: »

Hmmm interesting. There was a right mix of wheels at the last ivca TT. Any idea if there is a time penalty in going for clincher disc over tub?

Seems to be reasonable "value" in 10 speed ffwd discs at the mo. But no 2nd hand discs around at all.

Can't comment about the last IVCA TT as I turned up at the wrong circuit and ended up racing against myself - felt I was very competitive mind.....

In terms of FFWD they certainly are very popular on the track. Will comment a bit more on their road qualities when my new one arrives

I'm switching to clinches as they run at lower pressure and I'm currently having major shoulder issues in the TT position on the road. I'm hoping less pressure plus a few other changes will help (seemed to on Tuesday anyway)

fat bloke

You heading over for the 25 miler this Tuesday? Say hello if so. I was Billy no mates the last day. Think I'll bring my turbo, shades, and Dre Beats Headphones in future

Beasty

fat bloke wrote: »

You heading over for the 25 miler this Tuesday? Say hello if so. I was Billy no mates the last day. Think I'll bring my turbo, shades, and Dre Beats Headphones in future

Reckon 25 miles would just about destroy my shoulder at present. Only done the one 10 miler in anger since the accident and was in bits after that. Need to do one or two more 10 milers at full pelt before attempting 25 miles on the TT bike.

They are a friendly bunch though so don't be afraid of talking to any of them :pac:

wuzziwig

So I did the TT for real tonight and my time was 26.14 (has to be confirmed later but it's pretty spot on with what I recorded myself). I didn't think there was much wind until I turned around to come back and it was quite strong but not as bad as the last time so I'm very happy with that.
I'm not a sprinter so I need to work on that final dash to the finish line

Homer1798

Well done wuzziwig, hope you got some benefit of the advice given, you now have a PB to aim to beat in your next 16km tt

lennymc

i find the most important thing is the warm up (as people have said). The shorter the TT the longer the warm up.
anyone approaching the naas one?

The tax man

Hope to sign up for it. Don't think it clashes with anything else,just need to check the calendar first.

Harrybelafonte

lennymc wrote: »

i find the most important thing is the warm up (as people have said). The shorter the TT the longer the warm up.
anyone approaching the naas one?

Stupid enough to think I could do it on track bike... then I saw the parcours. Not a hope.

fat bloke

Couple of other questions then. I did the IVCA 25 miler last night. Perfect conditions, but Jebus was it tough. I clattered into the only pothole between Batterstown and Trim around the 10k mark and my left elbow rest flew into the ditch, so I was lopsided like a bird with one wing for the rest of the course. Thought for a nanosecond about stopping to retrieve it but fcuk it - when you're out you're out.

So anyway - after stopping I my left leg nearly locked up completely - like an immediate onset muscle soreness, if there is such a thing, maybe because of my misaligned position. Really really sore in my a$$ basically or top of my thigh. And then after a brief chat with the timekeepers I went to toddle back to the car and all of a sudden a chill came upon me, the likes of which I've never experienced before. I was shaking and panting. I thought I wouldn't make it back to the car! I was still cold 2 hours later, showered and changed and sitting on the couch with my hat an coat on. In fact I had an awful night's sleep - sweating and freezing. So I need to take better care of myself in the aftermath of an effort.

I suppose it's not rocket science - warm down, eat, drink, and change clothes as quickly as possible.

lennymc

At least you are enjoying it fat bloke. I literally couldn't walk for about 30 minutes after my first 40k tt.

Hide behind the post

For those running power meters what zones would you be in for 10 miler and 25 miler.....

wuzziwig

40km time trial? :eek::eek::eek: I won't be doing one of them any time soon.

Fatbloke, if I don't get home, showered and changed as soon as I possibly can then I'm freezing for the rest of the day and cannot warm up. I've been known to wear a hoodie and bring a hot water bottle to bed with me after cycling as I'm so cold. I was told by someone to make sure I'm wearing warm enough gear on the bike. I overheat very easily and tend to go with less is best and while I don't feel cold on the bike maybe I'm not wearing enough layers.

Chips Lovell

Put simply,

10 miler - Right at the top of Z4
25 miler - Bang in the middle of Z4

If your TT position means you can't put out as much power as on a road bike, you'd need to try adjust for that.

wuzziwig

Homer1798 wrote: »

Well done wuzziwig, hope you got some benefit of the advice given, you now have a PB to aim to beat in your next 16km tt

Yes the advice I got here was very beneficial. Especially the position on the bike. I found it much easier to stay in that position rather than go down into the drops for the duration.

Beasty

fat bloke wrote: »

So anyway - after stopping I my left leg nearly locked up completely - like an immediate onset muscle soreness, if there is such a thing, maybe because of my misaligned position. Really really sore in my a$$ basically or top of my thigh. And then after a brief chat with the timekeepers I went to toddle back to the car and all of a sudden a chill came upon me, the likes of which I've never experienced before. I was shaking and panting. I thought I wouldn't make it back to the car! I was still cold 2 hours later, showered and changed and sitting on the couch with my hat an coat on. In fact I had an awful night's sleep - sweating and freezing. So I need to take better care of myself in the aftermath of an effort.

I suppose it's not rocket science - warm down, eat, drink, and change clothes as quickly as possible.

Don't worry - you'll get used toi it after another 2-3 25 milers ....

First time I did it I definitely suffered a reaction and it was probably a couple of days before I was walking straight again!

Certainly for those of us at a "more advanced stage of life" will need more recovery. Pounding continuously for over an hour when you may be used to sitting in a bunch with opportunity to reste/recover takes some getting used to.

I recommend trying the 50 miler later on in the year - that will make you better appreciate the 25 miler:p

fat bloke

Beasty wrote: »

I recommend trying the 50 miler later on in the year - that will make you better appreciate the 25 miler:p

Yeah, I saw that. I'm oddly keen to giving it a go actually. It's later in the summer isn't it. I wonder how you'd approach it, in terms of pacing. There's no way I could've turned around for the same again last night, so you'd obviously have to knock off the pace a bit.

I wonder which is more tortuous. 40k at 90+% or 80k at 80%.

Homer1798

I've done 2 50mile TT's in my lifetime, and swore I'd never do another, 1st in my first one @ 2hrs and 1 minute I thought I was good then 11th in my second @ 1hr 57mins (but British tt legend Ian Cammish won it) so I gladly gave them up.......They are EVIL.:mad:

fat bloke

40kph over two hours is pretty savage Homer. Beyond my capabilities certainly.

lennymc

i missed the 50s last year in the vets. Wouldnt mind trying one. Maybe next year.

Another tip for time trialling is check your watch matches the time keepers, and know your time slot. Aim to get to the start 2 - 3 minutes before you are due to start so you dont cool down too much.

Doing a 54k one on SUnday i think (in between two runs) so will be interesting to see how that goes. Havent ridden the TT bike in anger in a while.

The tax man

Who runs the 50 miler? Sounds like fun. My first ever TT was a 100kms. Much prefer the longer distances.

lennymc

IVCA

lennymc

There are a couple of 100 mile ones up norf. Ill do one if you do.