Mph to achieve a target time in a TT?

[Sharky]

The main flaw in riding to an average speed is the tendancies for courses to be "out and back". In my 50+ years of riding TT'S, I've never had a race where the wind has been the same on both legs.

 

[rogerzilla]

I remember one open TT with a fierce wind straight down the course. I was spinning out my fixed gear all the way to the turn and having to brake for bends. Then I painfully crawled back at 15mph. My time was terrible.

 

[HLaB]

The main flaw in riding to an average speed is the tendancies for courses to be "out and back". In my 50+ years of riding TT'S, I've never had a race where the wind has been the same on both legs.

 

[TheDoctor]

You can't really ride to an average mph to achieve a 5 hour 100. You will slow as the race progresses.

A rule of thumb I was told for estimating a 50 time, was to take your 25 time, double it and add 4 mins. For a 100, it would be double the 50 time, plus a factor, which I never worked out.

In my youth (1968), I rode and finished my one and only 100 TT and I had target times taped to my stem and a Smith's pocket watch on the bars. I was close to 5hrs, but hugely disappointed with my time of 5hrs and 10 seconds! I often think if I could have done each mile quicker by 1/10th of a second, I would have beaten the 5hrs and the 20mph target.

The only time I've ever ridden 100 miles it took me all day, including a few cafe stops and fish 'n chips at the seaside.

 

[KneesUp]

I wonder what the graph of speed would look like on a windless day on a flat course? I’m guessing it would be a quadratic curve, like a sad mouth, showing a rise in speed up to a peak at halfway as you warm up, and then a decline mirroring the rise as you tire?

Most ‘scientific’ calculators made in the last 40 years or so have a DMS button (Degrees / Minutes / Seconds) that has on it 0 ‘ “This will allow you calculate with time in that it will use base-60 for the fraction part of the answer (so will give you 1 30‘ not 1.5 for example)

 

[honeybadger]

View attachment 722746

Similar to a spocco TT I did a couple of years ago. Averaged 34mph to the roundabout then just 19 back to the finish. I was one of the last riders to set off and felt like Filippo Ganna as I was wizzing along. Saw a rider coming back and thought : He’s going slow, poor sod must’ve punctured. Then spotted another rider going the same speed. Then it dawned on me : oh crap, that’s going to be me in a bit…..

 

[Fastpedaller]

Similar to a spocco TT I did a couple of years ago. Averaged 34mph to the roundabout then just 19 back to the finish. I was one of the last riders to set off and felt like Filippo Ganna as I was wizzing along. Saw a rider coming back and thought : He’s going slow, poor sod must’ve punctured. Then spotted another rider going the same speed. Then it dawned on me : oh crap, that’s going to be me in a bit…..

Bill Norris (who founded SPOCO) was a friend of mine - A sad day when he passed. He was a great person with good values (much like Alan Bates).

 

[Norry1]

Just divide the number of miles x the number of minutes and multiply by 60

So in your example: 100/((4 x 60)+36))*60 = 21.74mph

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The only time I've ever ridden 100 miles it took me all day, including a few cafe stops and fish 'n chips at the seaside.

That’s the way to do it, with beer for hydration

 

[TheDoctor]

This is indeed the way.
My first ride in the Alps, I stopped for lunch, which naturally involved an apero and 1/2 litre of wine, then rode down the Col de La Colombière, What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Jameshow]

Bill Norris (who founded SPOCO) was a friend of mine - A sad day when he passed. He was a great person with good values (much like Alan Bates).

Alan bates was a year above my dad in school. Usd to pass him on the evening 10s apparently.
Obituary in CW last week.