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Other than PLF for 10 miles.
warm up
avoid kicking up dust - contrary to popular belief it'll slow you down
big skid at the finish !
Pull over and stop at the first opportunity rather than risk holding up an impatient driver for a few seconds.
Best to start off flat out ,take a few deep breaths , then flat out to the finish.
If you feel slightly faint at the end (and there is some sick in your mouth) then you are doing it about right.
😆
Within reasonable safety....
Focus on a distant point and pedal the shortest straightest line.
do not as i nearly did last week go through the window of a car thats overtaken you and decided to turn right and thus just moves in and brakes - nearly didnt finish my race for want to hunt her down and smash her head through the window see if she liked it.
Sit high in the road on declines and when you have a tailwind so you build up a good queue of cars behind you. Then let them through when the road rises or turns into the wind. They'll all slow down to swear at you and cut you up real tight, but it's worth it for the slipstream they create.
(and yes, I'm serious) ;o)
Warm up loads!.. to the point that you're sweating
I do a gradual 30mnis then 4 x 90secs at race pace (my level 4 HR which is 172)
I have learnt from experience. My 1st one i did I didn't warm up, went out too fast and paid for it the whole way.
I find building gradually helps and i'm stronger on the latter half of the course. The last mile is all out!
Don't swing wide round the final corner and collide with a car.
recce the course
20 min turbo warm up
be at start 2 mins before time
don't start too hard, HR lags effort so too easy to go too hard at the start, control the start effort/ wind up
2 mins in you should be at target HR/ effort, focus on maintaining rythm and speed
be aware of cars
small red rear light advisable
don't be upset when the pensioner starting 5 mins later than you passes you before the turn
shout your number when you pass the timekeeper
Swallow your sick, don't let it splash on your hands because they'll be all sticky.
I got my first 10TT tonight... some good tips here so far... any others
train at race pace on the TT bike at least once a week
I was going to say don't take it too seriously but suspect that ship has sailed.
What course you doing is the ERC Kirky one ? Thought you had to join the club for that or have they lowered their standards...
I believe vomming on the bars is the done thing George ! Don't worry about swallowing it back unless it's early in the race takes 20 mins to absorb the calories so you won't need them.
hels - thats the one. I have joined ERC. PLF it is then.
position yourself on the road where the nearside tyres of cars would be, its the smoothest
warm-up for at least 45 mins
when your legs hurt ride faster and the pain will go away.
EPO and lots of it
Ha ha ha ,if it's the Kirky one.
'You think those hills will help ya punk' ,well do ya ?
🙂
fasthaggis - it's certainly not all that flat, but I know those roads pretty well as I often ride back from Linglithgow to Edinburgh.
Nice one, it's a good course with some inclines. Watch the dead turn tho ! Good luck. I want to see a picture of your bars with some chunky bits tomorrow.
any tips for a 1 mile sprint .... i have one of them tonight !
So what would be a fairly good time on a relatively flat, relatively wind free course?
22 mins
buy lots of expensive kit.
warm up well, keep something for the last mile, I've blown up a mile out before, and it adds a lot of time, much more than that extra 1mph for the first mile
So what would be a fairly good time on a relatively flat, relatively wind free course?
22 mins
I think thats bit harsh! if its your first time aim to do sub 30 (you should do If you have pretty much any fitness) and build from there. My first one was last year. I did a 28.40 odd.
last week I did a 25.07, hoping to get sub 24 this year...
it's certainly not all that flat, but I know those roads pretty well
Me to ,I grew up round there .
Winchburgh is always a good reason to pedal fast 😉
Have a good one 🙂
"I think thats bit harsh! if its your first time aim to do sub 30 (you should do If you have pretty much any fitness) and build from there. My first one was last year. I did a 28.40 odd."
No it isnt.
He asked what's 'a good time'. And got a good answer.
For a beginner I suggest beating 24 minutes or if over 40 beating your std time is a good effort.
That's if you try hard enough - ie actually ride at your true threshhold for the first half, then 90% on the second half and balls (or equiv) out for the last mile.
My tip - get someone who is doing decent times eg less than 23 minutes to ride you at race pace on a course you can practice on. My guess is you will be surprised how harder the effort is than you thought, rather than how much power they put out...
that means holding my wheel smeee !
Beating 24 minutes for a beginner is wholly over the top IMHO. If you can get under 30mins, averaging 20mph for the course then you're doing pretty well. It takes a fair chunk of fitness just to do that, especially in general mtb riding terms as it's a very different load/riding style.
The real incentive for going faster is because it shortens the time you have to keep repeating this mantra "Oh my God, why do these roadies put themselves through this hell? Bike riding is supposed to be FUN!".
Im hoping to give some of these a go this year. I think the warm up part will be key, it usually takes me about 45 minutes with a long or steep climb to feel any good.
someone please take pics 🙂
steveh - MemberBeating 24 minutes for a beginner is wholly over the top IMHO.
If he's a beginner to road biking, perhaps, but a cyclist with a bit of experience and skill, on a flat course, cool night and no wind, I'd say 24 is a realistic target.
A fairly experienced roadie will have the skills/knowledge/roadcraft* to chop a minute off the time of a similarly fit mountain biker.
(*When to draft, when to put up a sail, how to stay out of the wind, where to save energy etc)
(*When to draft,
When to draft?? in a TT
are you a cheat?
When to draft?? in a TTare you a cheat?
No, passing traffic is there for everyone. It's a fact of timetrialling. What are you going to do, back off every time a lorry overtakes???
When to draft?? in a TTare you a cheat?
I saw a rider in a TT drafting a (fast) tractor once. He admitted it straight away, in fact was very open about it and asked that his time not be recorded. When asked why he cheated he replied that it wasn't cheating cos he'd owned up to it straight away and besides, he'd been having such fun averaging 35mph that he was quite prepared to DQ himself from the event!
I thought you meant sneakily drafting another rider
the other tip i've had is
For every moment of the race, constantly ask yourself these three questions:
1- Am I pressing on the pedals?
2- Am I pressing on the pedals?
3- Am I pressing on the pedals?
Well that was quite possibly the most painful 29 minutes and 30 seconds I've spent on a bike. Warmed up pretty well yet still managed to go lactic in the first mile. Winning time was 24 minutes odd and I wasnt last so I am fairly pleased with my efforts. I can see a new addiction coming on right enough.
You broke evens. That's the main thing.
Did you chant my mantra?
the right intervals will knock a fair bit of time off
Amonst other things yes. How do you remove teeth marks from handlebars?
iDave - for that kind of event I agree - intervals would work wonders.
Never mind the bars - have you looked in your shorts yet?
They went straight in the washing machine without a second look.
Like this?
Something like that.
What bike were you on? Hope it didn't have Rubber Queens on.
Nice one!
they are a bit addictive but I can't ever see me going down the aero helmet, TT bike etc.
I like to keep it simple with my road bike and see if i have improved.. Although head winds are demorialising
Bianchi 928 c2c with 25mm tyres.
If the best time was 24 something then that doesnt sound like a particulary fast course so well done for doing less than 30
Stevenh - I did 24:12 on my first go aged 42 😛 - maybe beating it first go is a bit hard - second then (23:48)
if i go abroad to work any time soon and a race is coming up you can have a shot of my stealth.
TT is addictive VERY addictive.
i won a bet with a very senior club mate who told me id never break the hour on a 25tt first try ...... 59.27 - uphill finish and i could see the clock ticking down , one benifit/downside to the road bike id borrowed was flightdeck ! - only the ground opening up and swallowing me was going to stop me at that point .... thought i was gonna tear off my muscles ! its all in the head !
trickydisco - Member
Nice one!they are a bit addictive but I can't ever see me going down the aero helmet, TT bike etc.
I like to keep it simple with my road bike and see if i have improved.. Although head winds are demorialising
POSTED 15 MINUTES
You say that now...
Someone's sig on a tt forum read something like,
pointy hat: 100
fluro spandex suit: 60
fluro shoe covers: 30
Looking like an idiot: Priceless
Iain
Trail_rat I've got a similar bet on great to know it's doable 🙂
Crazy legs, I know of a similar (same?) tractor story from a club in Market Harborough years ago. It wasn't there was it?
I have just come up with a solution fo testers cough - singleton malt 🙂
That was excellent… I loved it.
But sadly not below 24 minutes …. but then the fastest guy on the night got 23:59
28:59 for me and pretty pleased with that. Considering that’s only the second time I’ve ridden a road bike in anger.
Didn’t ride till I puked… aerobically I seemed pretty good (run my first marathon recently and have never been fitter) but lacked power… My legs were giving up before my chest wanted too.
What would you guys advise for power exercises/routines … Hills and HIIT, I presume?
My legs hurt today. Need to get out and do some short sharp rides I think.
Well done mate thats not a bad old starter time, all those folks going on about 24 mins must live down south, there is no such thing as a "flat and windless" course around here !
I highly recommend laps of Arthur's Seat, sprint like a bastard up the climb for as long as you can (or do 2 mins, 30 secs, mix it up), in as big a gear as you can, then recover on the rest of the lap.
My legs hurt today. Need to get out and do some short sharp rides I think.
You did it properly then 🙂 Just spin easy today.
Pacing a TT takes time - the first mile or two should feel a bit too easy, then build the effort so the second half is harder and the last mile is the hardest when you're desperate for the finish line to arrive ASAP.
As well as trickydisco's 3-line mantra I'd suggest adding "Can I pedal any harder?" "Can I change up yet?"
For training try 2 x 20mins at FTP (the pace you could hold for an hour) with 10 mins easy in between, twice a week. @Ro5ey, if you race hills train on hills, if you ride flat courses then train on the flat.
TT is addictive VERY addictive.
^^ that's the voice of experience.
Once you can do it I'd suggest making one of the sessions above 1x30 then build from there to 3x20 once you fancy trying some 25s
If the top speeds were ~ 24 then both riders did pretty well, it helps to have a look in the back of the comic or at the course record to get a sense of what is doable on your local courses and if Huthinson, M beats you by 10 minutes don't worry about it
To get your power up it has to be steep hills as there is no hiding. Power intervals on the flat are too easy to back off on. Steep hills on MTB you can granny or may get too technical so it is more about skill than power
Good effort for your first attempt. TT'ing is learning about yourself and how much you can suffer. The next one you do should be a lot quicker and so on till you get to a point were you reach a rough time your constantly keep hitting.
Thats when it starts getting very ****ing grim, chipping seconds of your best time !!
TT'ing is almost the same effort as a MTB race, full gas from the start and keep it at 90% till the end and then 100%, if you cross the line in both events not feeling very ill or skull ****ed you've not going hard enough. 😀
Enjoy the "testers cough" afterwards, mmmm the acrid taste of blood.
To get your power up it has to be steep hills as there is no hiding. Power intervals on the flat are too easy to back off on
I find it just as easy to back off on a hill as I do on the flat if I'm not in the mood. Meanwhile if you want the training to really count it has to be on the flat as the physiology is slightly different on hills (also on your TT bike if you have a different position on that - if you don't have a TT bike with a lower position than on a road bike there is time to be gained there).
I just need to get the miles in and mix in some intervals and hill climbing work. A couple of years ago I managed to do a road century in 5hrs so just need to get back to that level I suppose. Then when I'm as fit as I want to be then I'll start spending money on stuff.
Think I could have a new addiction though.
Am up for another dig at this one tonight. Will be interesting to see if I can improve on the time.
Good luck George. Trying a TT is on my to do list this summer. Pity I can't try the ERC ones, ill have to find a weekend one to do instead...or try the one in fife ive been told about. You shoulda joined the her(r)velos though 😉
If you fancy some training, we meet on tuesday night for speedwork and attacks on AS.
the guy who drafted a tractor wasn't breaking any rules btw ;)....unless he arranged it to be there!!
best thing that worked for me was 7 pints of batemans xxxb the night before, sleep in car on way to event, ride up the road for 5 minutes then just hammer it....that made me go from 22:30 pb to a 20:58....went out that night, did a sporting 50 next day in a sub 2hr time! haha
Claire - the tuesday night training sounds like a good plan. Had I known that there was such a thing as a Herrvelo I probably would have joined them.
What course you doing is the ERC Kirky one ?
Someone recorded that course for the iMagic so I've actually ridden it "virtually". Probably not all that realistic though as I managed sub 30 minutes...
Must go and ride it for real sometime and see just how much slower I am in real life and with a headwind for half of it.
You shoulda joined the her(r)velos though
What sort of stuff do the her(r)velos do? SWMBO is a Hervelo and has mentioned that there appeared to be some kind of associated partners group.
There's currently three herrvelos...my other half (andy), Druidh and Philip. We generally ride together or meet outwith club rides for faster/specific training rides. A few of the girls other halves show up on an ad hoc basis for the Tuesday sessions and pub nights but aren't members. Its been a while since we had a good turn out on a tuesday night but three of us last night managed to wreck each others legs 🙂 We are also setting up a road race team too. You should both come along, the Tuesday nights at AS are good fun and hard work.
For my first TT, I downloaded a Garmin TCX plot of the route with a time that I wanted to aim for. I used this as a virtual partner on my Edge 500 and PLF'd to make sure I beat the time. Worked well, it shows you your time ahead/behind etc. I beat the time by 30 seconds.
This gave me a pretty good idea of the intensity I needed to aim for in further events
And I crossed the line feeling both of these:
very ill or skull ****ed
aracer - Member
To get your power up it has to be steep hills as there is no hiding. Power intervals on the flat are too easy to back off on
I find it just as easy to back off on a hill as I do on the flat if I'm not in the mood.
hills arent steep enough then!
Im talking [b]steep[/b] - with 18-20% sections where you have to go in the red just to stay upright
It'd take a lot more than 18-20% before I had to go into the red to stay upright.
the guy who drafted a tractor wasn't breaking any rules btw ;)....unless he arranged it to be there!!
yes he was; RTTC regulation 21 "competitors must ride entirely alone and unassisted and not ....take shelter (commonly known as drafting) from other riders or vehicles."
God I'm turning into a testing nerd. if you are enjoying tt'ing this book is quite interesting;
,his pyramid intervals are a fun workout!
okay now this has tweaked my interest. how does one find out about these tts and then enter them. need to be one of the evening ones for me tho.
yes he was; RTTC regulation 21 "competitors must ride entirely alone and unassisted and not ....take shelter (commonly known as drafting) from other riders or vehicles."God I'm turning into a testing nerd. if you are enjoying tt'ing this book is quite interesting;
if he is unable to overtake said vehicle then there isn't a lot he can do...only the most pedantic organiser would take it as read...
btw i have been a tester since the age of 13...ive seen dangermouse draft cars before! 😯
if he is unable to overtake said vehicle then there isn't a lot he can do...only the most pedantic organiser would take it as read...
The great Alf Engers was regularly suspended by the RTTC, not only for drafting behind vehicles, but also for overtaking them, as he was faster than some of the cars on the road at the time.
Which is as good an excuse as any for a retro TT picture - 'King' Alf in his pomp - note the holes drilled in everything, the huge chainring (57 x 12 top gear) and the aerodynamic, but rather suicidal, head position.
[img] 
[/img]
We are also setting up a road race team too. You should both come along, the Tuesday nights at AS are good fun and hard work.
I'll see if I can persuade SWMBO but I'm not optimistic as she's currently in the hill-hating stage. She's not had her road bike long and even with an 11:28 on the bike and a compact chainset she can find the hills a struggle. She's allegedly in training for the womens triathlon in a few weeks but that traiming seems to involve eating chocolate, cake and biscuits rather than cycling, running or swimming...
SBZ If you can ride up a 20% hill below FTP then I would expect you to be a lot quicker than you are - no offence.
In the red means above 85% MHR.
Exceptions: you might be a slow bicycle race expert, do a mean trackstand, or worst of all, have a triple 👿