Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

Someone will be along shortly to explain the other intricacies, but you must be a member of a club affiliated to the National governing body of time trials, CTT, before you can enter. This gives you about a couple of days to find and join a club....

Oh OK, thanks for the info. Is the LFGSS club CTT affiliated?

Yes.

Is anyone allowed to enter the events on the website?

You need to be a member of a CTT affiliated club to ride CTT events, with few exceptions. You probably won't get a ride on the E2 without a pretty good qualifying time from a previous event.

Sweet. I'll look into joining the LFGSS CC then

Post that question in 'any question answered' or in the LFGSS club thread. The other thing that could stop you getting a ride would be the lack of a qualifying previous time at the distance, but this would only matter if there was a full field, i.e. if the number of riders is limited to 120 and 132 apply, even if a bunch of these are fat, old and slow (like me). This only usually applies to 'fast' courses, every other event would take anyone willing to part with a few quid.

Apart from triathlons, I've only ever entered a 10mile TT in Richmond park about a year ago. Can't remember what club organised it (or how I managed to enter it) but I completed it in 29:08

The entries so far are on the Velovelocity web site. It's 96 men and 24 women*, and I expect it will be oversubscribed for both genders so with no 25 time to your name I wouldn't hold out much hope.

*or not, as the case may be. The event secretary wanted it to be a BAR counting event (and therefore 20% reserved for women) but it didn't get listed as such.

10mile TT in Richmond park about a year ago. Can't remember what club organised it

The Richmond Park TTs are London Dynamo aren't they? They're completely atypical of normal TTs, including the entry criteria.

Aha, that must be why I could enter. How do they get away with organising events outside of CTT?

Anywho, I am keen to enter more TTs so I guess I'll have to wait for smaller events to get a few times to my name. Firstly need to join a club.

Check out your local clubs and do some club tt's to begin with. Most clubs allow come and try riders then if you like it/them join the club and go from there.

Five years ago I decided to give a tt a go so I rocked up to a local club tt paid the vast sum of £2.50 and rode 10 miles as hard as I thought I could on a road bike. I have since discovered that I can try harder and I like bikes with fixed gears to race on - I joined the club straight after my first tt

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/260919/

Generally in a TT it really isn't a good tactic to get out the saddle and sprint, firstly because going over threshold power will inhibit your ability to maintain a good average power throughout the ride and also the penalty you pay for making yourself less aerodynamic isn't worth the benefit of a faster acceleration.

The only time you should be really putting in a bit over threshold effort is the start, and then you should limit it to the first 20 or so pedal revolutions.

I cant think of a TT course that I've ridden with a corner that requires me to touch the brakes let alone getting out of the saddle to regain the lost speed I had before, and believe CTT rules dictate that courses shouldn't have traffic lights in them, so cant believe this is an issue regularly...

I cant think of a TT course that I've ridden with a corner that requires me to touch the brakes let alone getting out of the saddle to regain the lost speed I had before

hah - you should try riding some Hardriders TT's then :)

30mph sweeping bends on the aerobars FTW.

I cant think of a TT course that I've ridden with a corner that requires me to touch the brakes

I can't think of one which doesn't :-)

Not quite true, most days you get no traffic at Holybourne, so the H10/8 is brakeless, but unless you're really slow the Coxbridge (H25/8, H50/8) Thatcham (H10/1, H25/1, H50/1) and Twyford (H10/2) roundabouts all require at least a dab of brakes. Also, CTT regulations permit traffic lights, such as the PELICANs on both the H25/2 and all the Hxx/1 courses, and the heroes of the ECCA 12 both got stopped at red lights and still rode faster for 12 hours than I have for 10 miles this year

How do they get away with organising events outside of CTT?

They're not strictly outside of CTT, but they are outside "The Cycle Racing on Highways Regulations 1960" because roads within a Royal Park are not public highways within the meaning of the regulation.

It is possible to run a time trial entirely outside of CTT in this country, BC do it for their championships and I think TLI do some as well.

So then, hillclimbs. Anyone doing any? Looking at these as possibilities:

Cotswold Veldrijden (3 stage hill climb) 12/09
Kingston Wheelers CC (Leith Hill) 26/09
Newbury Road Club (Walbury Hill) 27/09
Chippenham & District Wheelers (Bowden Hill) 03/10
Bath CC (Hinton Hill – Wellow and Charterhouse) 04/10
Bristol South CC (Burrington Combe) 18/10

Very possible that I'll do very few of these once I realise that a. hillclimbs hurt lots and b. I'm currently fat.

Why not Stewski's 2-stage event on Sept 20^th?

I didn't say I'd ridden a lot of courses!

for 10/2, 10/8 and P885 at all of the roundabouts don't require braking to negotiate in their own right, its the cars which may force some people to use them ;)

Tops and RJB are also clearly very slippery as well as extremely strong and fit athletes, as my power for a 25 is higher than RJBs 100 power but I was not averaging 30mph!

Oh yeah, that one too. Despite Streatley being horrible and Flint Hill not really suited to fixed. Probably ditch the Kingston Wheelers event tbh, and not sure I'll have a wheel built for the Cotswold triple.

Do you want to do Nationals? Rich, Will, Natasha and maybe Rob will be, outside chance of a team prize if you're the third counter as Rich and Will are ridiculous

Yup - I am and I know @borek is doing some of them.

20/9 - Minehead CC on Porlock toll road - 4.5m closed road climb!
3+4/10 West DC HC weekend - doing all 4 events - including the Bath CC and Chippenham ones
10/10 UoBCC HC Belmont Hill Bristol
18/10 BSCC Burrington - EVERYONE should try and ride this awesome event!!!

You should enter the Severn RC and VC Walcot events on the 3/4th as well!

Erm. Well it depends how these go. Not really sure I'm too bothered about driving all the way up there for x minutes of riding and puking. @Borek was trying to bully me into it.

20% Women for (almost) all events now, not just BBAR.