Want to do fist Time trials. 20k

[Builttotrain]

Hello athletes. Name is John from Florida USA .

BACKGROUND= 50 year old male. lifelong athlete. In pretty good shape. strength= excellent. cardio=7 on scale 1-10. Leg power =excellent

My main background is weight training with emphasis on CARDIO power. ex like a sprinter.

I've ridden Mountain bike with clip less pedals last 15 years for fun an can generate great power for short duration. hence the reason I want to try TIME TRIALS.

I'M very dedicated to diet , training and rest, recovery.

Here's my question. I picked up cheap road bike $90 at Goodwill. already has bars for TT on it. otherwise stock set up.

I've been reading and watching a lot of videos and starting to understand what needs to be done to at least look like I know what I'm doing.

My questions
1) it has regular pedals on it. worth my time to get clipless pedals on it?
2) it's a 21 speed. at top gear on a flat it's not hard to pedal due to leg power, should I get bigger tooth top end sprocket ?
3) my "big" physique has a hard time squeezing into the trial bars..any tips oh how to get "set up" best way for my body. I'm looking to find someone else local help me get set up on bike
4) I have very little budget. bought a timer/distance/ speed odometer for it. On a flat with no wind assistance I was able to get to 29mph. not for long haha. what should I strive for speed wise and be able to sustain that speed for??

Thank you in advance. I love challenges and this is gonna burn.
Regards
John

 

[Cycleops]

We really need a PIC of the bike preferably with you on it. With 21 gears doesn't sound like a TT bike, but that might not bother you.

 

[S-Express]

My questions
1) it has regular pedals on it. worth my time to get clipless pedals on it?
2) it's a 21 speed. at top gear on a flat it's not hard to pedal due to leg power, should I get bigger tooth top end sprocket ?
3) my "big" physique has a hard time squeezing into the trial bars..any tips oh how to get "set up" best way for my body. I'm looking to find someone else local help me get set up on bike
4) I have very little budget. bought a timer/distance/ speed odometer for it. On a flat with no wind assistance I was able to get to 29mph. not for long haha. what should I strive for speed wise and be able to sustain that speed for??

If time trialling is your objective, then my suggestion is that you enter/ride/finish a time trial - my feeling is that the questions you will ask after your first TT will be nothing like the ones you are asking now. But to answer the questions you asked:

1) Secure foot retention is important - you may be ok on flat pedals. Toe cages or clipless may help.
2) Questions about gearing can only be answered by you. Preferably after finishing your first TT. You may also discover that 'leg power' is not nearly as important as sustainable aerobic power - which is what TTing is all about.
3) If that is you in your avatar, then you have entirely the wrong physique for an aero position. Upper body bulk is of no use to you for cycling. For TTing, it will actually work against you. You will probably be able to get some kind of prone position, but it will take a lot of trial and error.
4) TTing is all about you against the clock. Don't aim for a speed - aim for a level of effort which you can sustain for the distance - it might take you a few attempts to get this right. Then note your time and aim to beat it at the next event.

 

[Builttotrain]

It is just a regular road bike and the previous owner put on aero bars.

I'll see if I can set my phone up to get a picture of me on the bike.

 

[Builttotrain]

If time trialling is your objective, then my suggestion is that you enter/ride/finish a time trial - my feeling is that the questions you will ask after your first TT will be nothing like the ones you are asking now. But to answer the questions you asked:

1) Secure foot retention is important - you may be ok on flat pedals. Toe cages or clipless may help.
2) Questions about gearing can only be answered by you. Preferably after finishing your first TT. You may also discover that 'leg power' is not nearly as important as sustainable aerobic power - which is what TTing is all about.
3) If that is you in your avatar, then you have entirely the wrong physique for an aero position. Upper body bulk is of no use to you for cycling. For TTing, it will actually work against you. You will probably be able to get some kind of prone position, but it will take a lot of trial and error.
4) TTing is all about you against the clock. Don't aim for a speed - aim for a level of effort which you can sustain for the distance - it might take you a few attempts to get this right. Then note your time and aim to beat it at the next event.

Thank you great advice. Yes that is me in the profile picture I am a bodybuilder.

I actually just found a class that is 4 road bike only with no time trial components called the MERCY

If time trialling is your objective, then my suggestion is that you enter/ride/finish a time trial - my feeling is that the questions you will ask after your first TT will be nothing like the ones you are asking now. But to answer the questions you asked:

1) Secure foot retention is important - you may be ok on flat pedals. Toe cages or clipless may help.
2) Questions about gearing can only be answered by you. Preferably after finishing your first TT. You may also discover that 'leg power' is not nearly as important as sustainable aerobic power - which is what TTing is all about.
3) If that is you in your avatar, then you have entirely the wrong physique for an aero position. Upper body bulk is of no use to you for cycling. For TTing, it will actually work against you. You will probably be able to get some kind of prone position, but it will take a lot of trial and error.
4) TTing is all about you against the clock. Don't aim for a speed - aim for a level of effort which you can sustain for the distance - it might take you a few attempts to get this right. Then note your time and aim to beat it at the next event.

Thank you all sound advice. I know I am not built for this kind of competition butt I love a challenge and I actually enjoy the lactic acid pain threshold that comes with cycling at your limit.

 

[Tin Pot]

My questions
1) it has regular pedals on it. worth my time to get clipless pedals on it?
2) it's a 21 speed. at top gear on a flat it's not hard to pedal due to leg power, should I get bigger tooth top end sprocket ?
3) my "big" physique has a hard time squeezing into the trial bars..any tips oh how to get "set up" best way for my body. I'm looking to find someone else local help me get set up on bike
4) I have very little budget. bought a timer/distance/ speed odometer for it. On a flat with no wind assistance I was able to get to 29mph. not for long haha. what should I strive for speed wise and be able to sustain that speed for??

Welcome John.

1) Yes
2) I wouldn't worry about gears yet
3) Your big physique will give you great power output but your overall weight will count against you big time - power to weight ratio is where it's at, so if you get serious you'll think about losing some bulk that isn't helping your rides
4) Training for time trials is not like weight training, you're talking about a hard and constant exhertion over ~20mins for a ten mile TT, a 20k I'm not sure but either way this is going to require aerobic endurance.

I've heard the guys on trainerroad talk a lot about people coming into the sport from lifting, in your place I'd look to get a turbo trainer (can't recall what they're called in the US), and checking out trainerroad podcasts.

 

[Builttotrain]

Welcome John.

1) Yes
2) I wouldn't worry about gears yet
3) Your big physique will give you great power output but your overall weight will count against you big time - power to weight ratio is where it's at, so if you get serious you'll think about losing some bulk that isn't helping your rides
4) Training for time trials is not like weight training, you're talking about a hard and constant exhertion over ~20mins for a ten mile TT, a 20k I'm not sure but either way this is going to require aerobic endurance.

I've heard the guys on trainerroad talk a lot about people coming into the sport from lifting, in your place I'd look to get a turbo trainer (can't recall what they're called in the US), and checking out trainerroad podcasts.

Thank you so much for the input everybody. No matter what I do I try to put 100% effort into everything I won't purposely lose all the muscle is taking me forever to build LOL however the thought of grinding out 20 minutes all out it's very appealing to me just like running out a hundred rep squats

I'll keep reading all the various threads and I hope to learn a lot from you guys have a blessed weekend and a prosperous New Year

 

[User16625]

Thank you so much for the input everybody. No matter what I do I try to put 100% effort into everything I won't purposely lose all the muscle is taking me forever to build LOL however the thought of grinding out 20 minutes all out it's very appealing to me just like running out a hundred rep squats

I'll keep reading all the various threads and I hope to learn a lot from you guys have a blessed weekend and a prosperous New Year

Sorry to go off topic but you look strong A.F. Do you find it easy to win fights? I bet you could knock out an elephant lol, you would be great in a road rage incident.

Anyway bicycle setup is one of the most important things to get right. Definitely dont need clipless. I been riding years on normal pedals and like you, I have managed about 30mph on a flat. Not very often and not for long tho, and my lungs ingest half the planets atmosphere after it. My usual speed on the flat is about 20mph altho my average for any ride is more like 15. I never compete or anything. I dont like the idea of targets as it would take the fun out of it for me. I do however like to see how high I can get my MPH on certain downhills. My highest ever is 50mph.

 

[Racing roadkill]

This is Robert Forstemann. He is a very fast sprint cyclist. He has huge leg muscles, and less than 4% body fat. That's the key to it. The size of the muscles isn't as important as how lean they are. Granted you need a lot of muscle to produce the required power, but as long as its lean, the weight won't affect performance as much as you might think. Power to weight is key, but it's no good having the powerful muscles, if the fat cells are robbing the muscle cells of vital Oxygen.

 

[S-Express]

Forstermann is a good example of a sprinter who is 'over-capacity' for his event, in the sense that it is simply not necessary to have legs that muscular. Compare his physique to that of Jason Kenny, for instance. Kenny is the world and olympic champ - Forstermann isn't.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Forstermann is a good example of a sprinter who is 'over-capacity' for his event, in the sense that it is simply not necessary to have legs that muscular. Compare his physique to that of Jason Kenny, for instance. Kenny is the world and olympic champ - Forstermann isn't.

The OP has big legs, that's the point I was trying to help with.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Power to weight is key, but it's no good having the powerful muscles, if the fat cells are robbing the muscle cells of vital Oxygen.

You've said this a couple of times: In another thread you said that fat cells "compete with muscle for oxygen".

I'm no expert (I've long since forgotten the biochemistry I stuffed briefly into my head for exams), so I'm not picking an argument, I'm just curious. I'd put a non-antagonistic polite emoji in here if I knew which one to use.

Why would fat cells be competing for oxygen? What would they "want" it for? All I can think of is to transform the stored fat into some short-term metabolisable chemical (fatty acids probably) to be used in mitochondria. I don't know if that requires oxygen.

Obviously a higher power to weight ratio is a good thing, and fat cells detract from this, but I'm curious as to why fat cells should be sticking their chubby noses into any oxygen pathways.

Edit. I guess they indirectly require oxygen because the muscles have to work harder to tow the extra weight around. Is that what you mean?

 

[Racing roadkill]

You've said this a couple of times: In another thread you said that fat cells "compete with muscle for oxygen".
I'm no expert (I've long since forgotten the biochemistry I stuffed briefly into my head for exams), so I'm not picking an argument, I'm just curious. I'd put a non-antagonistic polite emoji in here if I knew which one to use.

Why would fat cells be competing for oxygen? What would they "want" it for? All I can think of is to transform the stored fat into some short-term metabolisable chemical (fatty acids probably) to be used in mitochondria. I don't know if that requires oxygen.

Obviously a higher power to weight ratio is a good thing, and fat cells detract from this, but I'm curious as to why fat cells should be sticking their chubby noses into any oxygen pathways.

Edit. I guess they indirectly require oxygen because the muscles have to work harder to tow the extra weight around. Is that what you mean?

There's a biological hierarchy. Fat>energy requires more oxygen, than muscle function, so therefore gets priority use of any available Oxygen, it's a shift in equilibrium rather than a black and white either / or scenario. You can't run an engine without the fuel being there first, and the engine functioning is dependent on having a ratio of fuel / oxygen, modern cars use sensors to maintain the optimum effective stochiometric ratio of fuel / air ( Lambda ). The body is similar. Ideally in an athletically demanding scenario, you want to 'lean the mixture' up as much as possible ( to use an automotive analogy) the body works most efficiently that way, when under load. If you reduce the proportion of fat cells, you reduce demand, and push the equilibrium back towards feeding muscle function / more Oxygen is available for the muscles, so your muscle endurance increases. That's a massive oversimplification of the processes, but if you want to read into it, and get the full S.P. There are a lot of resources available.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I'll have a read. I'm somewhat unmoved by your biochemistry and your automotive analogy. But I don't want to drag yet another thread off topic with irrelevant arguments, when the OP wants advice on TT-ing. I'll leave it at that, and maybe discuss it elsewhere once I've had a read.

 

[fossyant]

As has been said being big isn't a great advantage for cycling. TTs are all aerobic. Give it a go.

If you haven't been training aerobically you will suffer. It's not all about strength.

Cycling is quite specific in muscle groups and is heavily CV demanding.

Even fit club level runners would struggle against a cyclist and visa versa.