Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

Why not make your first target 25 mph?

Because that's the second major target :) Not everybody even gets to the first one.

According to bike calc 25mph = 56x16 @90rpm

setting my sights very low as running SS/fixed and 20mph is more doable.
Curious as to"when" drag and speed become a major problem.
i can happily sit at 18mph with current gearing which is around 108rpm 42x18
42x15 at 112rpm = 25mph but not happy spinning that fast, but 25mph is doable but i would expect more drag and energy used.
Just thinking outloud.

Not scientific, but I’m always amazed at my average speed in a TT vs a ride on the road.

I would suggest doing an actual ten mile TT as hard as you can, then taking it from there.

Been playing with bike calc.
wondering if my speedo is off.
Might try taping a sat nav to the bars...... i am very low tech :)
I roughly worked my ride out the other day to an average of 17mph, on riser bars and water bottles and junk hanging off me and the bike.
10 in 30 mins would be happy with :)

@cjr that would be the next step.

Local club do a midweek 10 round here, will see if i can find the route and times.

Curious as to"when" drag and speed become a major problem

There is no threshold, unless you choose to make an arbitrary decision about what divides minor from major. On a road bike 50% is low teens, 75% is mid 20s. For Marcin spending most of the race doing nearly 40mph, drag is absorbing about 90% of input power even though his C_dA is probably half what yours is right now.

Ha! Yeah meant last hurrah in terms of personal expenditure pre-kidaggendon! Not in terms of racing. As @mdcc_tester says, I’m a lucky boy to get a Cervelo this young so I plan to make it something I can thrash around on for the next decade or so.

setting my sights very low as running SS/fixed

Fixed is no excuse to aim low, previous competition records of 18:27 (10m) 45:57 (25m) and 1:39:01 (50m) have been done on fixed

I'm riding in the Hounslow but no expectations of any special time.

However, another rider to watch out for is 116 Rimas Grigenas. He's a quick audax rider who has done a couple of TCRs. It's only his second TT so he has no form, but his first one was the 24 a couple of years ago when he did 480. He beat Rob Bulleyment by 20 miles that day. But Rob is in top form now so will be interesting to see who is faster of the two. Rob will be on fixed.

Judging by your Dungeness thread, I guess Ashford way? Ashford Wheelers do a club 10 on Q10/1, Hamstreet, on Wednesday evenings, 7pm start. I'm guessing sign on would be at Hamstreet sports park, but there's no info on their website. Maybe drop them an email.

http://www.ashfordwheelers.org.uk/ContactUs.php

If you were going to ride it fixed there is a downhill section that you might need to think about gearing correctly for. Other than that it is basically flat.

https://www.strava.com/segments/1350858

(in reply to Frank 9755)

Good Luck on Sunday!

I notice the forecast is for reasonably low air pressure, so this may compensate for the wind to some extent. The predicted easterly wind seems to be more favourable on this course than the opposite direction.

I can see where you are on the start sheet - I'll try to get a photo, along with Mr Grigenas as you suggest.

Yes, you're right about 25 mph not being a suitable first target. (top of this page). I stand corrected!

It's all too easy, having seen the current amazing times, to forget that it's still difficult for ordinary mortals to get under the hour.

It is important to encourage beginners by suggesting achievable steps - I shall be thinking about this today.

sam, found the ashfordwheelers again.
did look a couple of years ago so was aware of them, saw the cycle event signs up on wednesday night.
Yep worked out the route from Hamstreet back to Ashford then looks like down to Johnsons corner and finish in Hamstreet.
Will go and stalk them on a weds night :)
Road is single carriage but straight and flat and most vehicles really exceed the speed limit, not a road i would choose to ride on.

My goal this year was sub-50 for 25mi. I went sub-20min for a 10 a couple of years ago.
I'd like an 18min 10mi but not racing 10s for a while yet.

Aero gainz works for all speeds so if the gains don't compromise something else go for it.

Good luck dude.

Shall go stalking on a weds night.
Might have a go later, more likely a solo run very early on a sat or sun morning.
10 in 30mins looks a good start point :)

10 in 30mins looks a good start point :)

You'll smash that with a number pinned to your bum

I am not exactly aero shaped, nor is the biek :)
Thanks for the positive vibes :)

aim low for achiveable success. came to that conclusion after blowing up on my tweeked Ashford to Dungeness run. Knocked about 25 mins out of my time over 38 miles but kinda blew up around 20 miles. fast first 20 miles though :) (fast for me)

aim low for achiveable success

Definitely - I usually give myself a main goal, and a backup goal. My last TT was an utter shambles, but I got a power PB for the distance (as a result of the back brake trying to lock up my rear disc) so wasn't so bad :)

That was my first target in a TT on a road bike, albeit one with gears. I achieved it, but I wouldn't say I smashed it. Evens is a reasonable target for your first TT I'd say.

Evens = 10 miles in 30 mins?

I'm sick of faffing with my dolan to get it ready, I think I'm gonna take my road bike to one next week

Yep. An average speed of 20mph is 'evens'.

And in other news, I've got a number ending in a zero for the first time tomorrow. Must be a slow field.

Did you enter a triathlon? ;)

I was a '5' once. It was like pulling on the yellow jersey.