Time Trialling - a beginner's perspective

[GrumpyGregry]

Can anybody give any insight as to whether TTing is becoming more popular in their district? Certainly round here we are getting nearly 50% more riders for club events than last year. Normally the timekeeper has time to set the last person off and walk/ride to the finish point before the first rider returns but this year it's becoming common for 5-10 riders still waiting to start when the first returns.

I'm told numbers are up around here.

Our club also runs a few social TT's, closed i.e. club members only and aimed squarely at those not in the sporting cadres at the club, aero kit is frowned on, as is practising, and the finish is near a pub....

 

[Proto]

First night of our evening league last Tuesday and we had 60 on the start sheet, compared with only 38 last year. Bit of a problem as even though we started early it was getting dark with riders still on the course.

Mid season last year we were getting 50 or so riders.

 

[fungus]

Excellent write up frank9755 & Jig-Sore you need to learn how to spell before picking fault with other people's posts

 

[fimm]

Really interesting write-up, thank you for posting that.
I've only done 10s with my triathlon club - it is fairly informal. I did cause some amusement by turning up with a (very cheap) mountain bike for my first ones - did 35 minutes or so on it... I've only just scraped under 30 on my road bike. Now I have a TT bike I will have to go faster or risk embarrassment...

 

[Fly]

If anyone is interested in doing a first TT and is within reach of West London, my club, Westerley CC, run 10 mile events on car-free track at Hillingdon every other Wednesday evening through the summer.

What time do these normally start?

 

[frank9755]

What time do these normally start?

7:15pm

 

[addictfreak]

I recently did my first TT, really enjoyed it.12 miles in 33.22.
There were 43 riders turned up on the line. The guy running it was quite surprised by the turn out, I think usually attracts 12-20 riders. By all accounts numbers are on the increase all round.
Can't wait for my next one.

 

[Fletch456]

Thanks for posting. Done just one TT so far - last year - and just bought some tri bars as I fancy having a bash at a few. So will revisit to learn all I can.

 

[jonbrackenridge]

Was a really good read, hopefully taking part in my first TT in the next month or so, only doing it with a road bike for now and going to buy some aero bars that can be fitted to this bike to give it a go without spending the small fortune on a TT bike lol

 

[ttcycle]

Frank, I didn't know you were a time trialist!!!

What a fantastic write up and great to read about all your improvements and beating your times.

Sort of reminds me partially of what I was planning to do two/three years ago - My first intentions were to time trial (hence the name) and got roped into a friend's team attempt to do the olympic distance triathlon (I was to ride the 26 mile bike ride) - trained for it, pretty damn dedicated, disciplined with the focus entirely on cycling - became a figures and bike computer person and fuelled entirely for riding! Came to Mid June and felt pretty well, fit and was tapering down for the event in July but unfortunately came down with Swine flu and had to miss the competition. As the team leader (my friend pulled out) I had to bitterly watch a replacement race for me from the sidelines!

Haven't been the same since! Not sure tt's are my strength as physically built for track racing I think. A couple of weeks ago I finally unsubscribed from my old cycling club's email list after not having ridden with them for a long while or been a member. A sad day.

Hillingdon is a great little circuit- in fact some time ago I organised a 'race' on here up at Hillingdon but it got cancelled due to bad weather and never re-organised - still have the 'medals and trophies'...

I have fond memories of a training session at Hillingdon- managed to crash and destroy the drop out on my new carbon bike (a replacement for two stolen ones in the space of 6 months) taking a low and very tight corner without putting the weight down..great stuff I was proud of that corner!

Frank, it was a pleasure to read - makes me think one day when I am up to it I can consider these things again - besides the Veldrome isn't far from me now. As to this day, still an untested quantity in terms of times - some people who have ridden with me say I'm fast (when I was cycling more than now and fitter than my none cycling days currently) but I'm interested in how fast.

One day...one day who knows?!

 

[Brahan]

Can anybody give any insight as to whether TTing is becoming more popular in their district? Certainly round here we are getting nearly 50% more riders for club events than last year. Normally the timekeeper has time to set the last person off and walk/ride to the finish point before the first rider returns but this year it's becoming common for 5-10 riders still waiting to start when the first returns.

Hi Will. We've just started our club 10s at my club and we've enjoyed meeting a few new faces. Although it's early, I'd say an overall improvement on numbers and we need new blood. Sometimes we only get 5 or 6 people turning up

so when new starters come along we make sure they feel very welcome, ensure they know the course which has 8 turns, one of them a right hander and give them a boost to come and try the next week. One guy did 37:39 in his first ever ten, he came back on Tuesday and did 34:54. Brilliant, he was so chuffed. All I told him was to zip is jacket up and keep his head down.

 

[frank9755]

Thanks for the comments!

I've not done many races this year (as I'm focusing on PBP qualification) but, as it happens, I was out last night on the track at Hillingdon. I didn't think I was going particularly well but I knocked 52 seconds off my personal best for the course (10.35 miles) so was really pleased!

As for whether time trials are becoming more popular, my (limited) personal experience is very mixed with some events being really busy and others way down. My guess is that people are focusing on the events and the courses which are known to be fast and where they can do good times, and not bothering with the others.

Just last night we were wondering why our attendance at the wednesday evening TTs at Hillingdon was much lower than last year - and nobody could think of a good reason. However it could fit with my theory of people not wanting to ride what is a non-standard distance where they couldn't do a standard PB.

 

[montage]

Just last night we were wondering why our attendance at the wednesday evening TTs at Hillingdon was much lower than last year - and nobody could think of a good reason. However it could fit with my theory of people not wanting to ride what is a non-standard distance where they couldn't do a standard PB.

None standard length TTs annoy hell out of me, therefore I am far more willing to avoid these

 

[Will1985]

As we get forced off decent courses, we'll have to look more towards non-standard distance courses. In many ways this is what SPOCO series aim to address - demanding courses on single carriageways which can be ridden as a league with added end of season prize money to entice riders.

There isn't anything wrong about riding DCs in pursuit of a fast time, but it can be a bit misleading when PBs are thrown about. I have ridden a few fast courses in the past where I started on a slow number but end up beating the locals on fast numbers - this dents the ego and some people really don't like it, but it highlights the discrepancy between ability and personal bests.

You're actually a better tester if you ride all sorts of courses - anybody can do a 10 mile dragstrip and get a good time. Doing 14 or 21 miles for example means you need to work out how to pace it so it isn't flat out '10' speed, but not quite as slow as a '25'.

 

[palinurus]

anybody can do a 10 mile dragstrip and get a good time.

Not me. I'm skinny with little power, stick me on a dragstrip into a headwind and I'm terrible. On a lumpy course with some hedges for shelter I go better. Unless I get stuck behind a tractor- DC courses have their advantages.