Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

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It's meant to look like that. Why do you think they call them 'course codes'?

No point if it was decipherable by anybody now is it?

Spent an hour on the turbo this evening, turning over my legs & pretending I was doing real exercise, but really just getting used to spending an extended time in an aero tuck (without falling off).
Will I just need to HTFU and get used to weight-bearing on my shoulders?

I'm pretty sure I 'bear more weight' than you and I rode 24hr on aerobars actually pretty comfortably. It wasn't as aggressive as my 25/50/100mi setup but still aero.
You'll get used to it after a couple of rides. If this is new to you, you'll probably change your position anyway.

Now this is a thing I can't get my head around about the arcane mysteries of bike fit. I feel like if I move my saddle forward/backwards, then I end up riding in the same position just on a different part of the saddle. It feels to me like I would need to move the saddle back and the bars closer (or higher?) to actually effect a change of position.

He meant tip the saddle, as in, angle the nose up a smidge, not move the fore/aft position.

Spent an hour on the turbo this evening, turning over my legs & pretending I was doing real exercise, but really just getting used to spending an extended time in an aero tuck (without falling off).

Will I just need to HTFU and get used to weight-bearing on my shoulders?

Lift your arms in the air in the aero bar position, notice the higher you lift them the more strain there is? I think the weight bearing comes from your arms being too extended, try being more over the bars when you ride.

Quite right too, HR is a poor proxy for all sorts of reasons. It can help inexperienced riders with pacing, but eventually you have to learn to ride on "perceived exertion" to get the last few percent on any given day. I doubt whether any top tester looks at the computer for anything other than reassurance during a race.

Riding a 24, watching the numbers gives you something else to put your mind to.

I hate angry birds.

#angryhippy

Actually, I really wanted to have music for the ride but the CTT don't let you use headphones. :(

I'm gonna get my team a megaphone and have them play some tunes at me from the car...

try being more over the bars when you ride.

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Obree hardly took comfort into consideration with his machines...

Obree hardly took comfort into consideration with his machines...

Neither should anybody else. The right position is the one that lets you cover the course in the shortest time.

Neither should anybody else. The right position is the one that lets you cover the course in the shortest time.

To a certain extent yes, but an uncomfortable position for an extended period will slow you down more than a less aero comfortable position, being too stretched out is a lot of strain on your arms, thats hardly gunna make you faster...

My point stands; even though some people will not be able to complete the course in their "optimal" position, the compromise they make towards comfort should only be predicated on the test of how fast they eventually go, not on enjoying the ride.

Position = as aero as possible without sacrificing power. Whether you're comfortable in it, is as tester says, irrelevant (though on a 24hr being able to finish the distance is important). TTs are not comfortable if you're doing them right.

Position = as aero as possible without sacrificing power.

Well, properly it should be the position in which the result of aero gains is greater than the loss of power. If you can make 300W on your road bike, but only 250W on your TT bike, it doesn't matter as long as the aero gain is >50W at the relevant speed.

Good point - sacrifice some power if the aero gains are larger.

Quite right too, HR is a poor proxy for all sorts of reasons. It can help inexperienced riders with pacing, but eventually you have to learn to ride on "perceived exertion" to get the last few percent on any given day. I doubt whether any top tester looks at the computer for anything other than reassurance during a race.

Didn't Wiggins do last world champs effort entirely by monitoring power output?

Didn't Wiggins lose last world champs by 1¼ minutes entirely by monitoring power output?

Yes.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/09/news/wiggins-power-meters-his-way-to-silver_193105

So he set a target power for the first half; was the fastest in the field in the second half, and didn't win overall, which kind of suggests to me it wasn't such a hot-shot tactic..??

Oh, was only rider who was faster in the second half. Maybe if he was the-same-fast in both halves...

So he set a target power for the first half; was the fastest in the field in the second half, and didn't win overall, which kind of suggests to me it wasn't such a hot-shot tactic..??

His target power would have been based on what he thought he could do though.
You can't just magically beat someone who is faster no matter what strategy you use.

Well, exactly. (I think..)

Nah I suppose what I meant was the article pointing out he went faster in the second half just sort of didn't really mean anything, and certainly wasn't a vindication of any kind of his strategy. (my point) Would've made more sense if he was the fastest rather than only person to go faster in the second half

The article says that he used a power meter to gauge effort, as he has gone too hard early in tts in the past. I.e. going on feel alone led to a reduced level of overall performance. To the extent that he didnt go to hard and won a world champs medal I'd say he was vindicated.