Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

Oh and since you have experience, what's the course like for hills? I'll be fixed so I need to work out my ratio. Did 75GI on semi-hilly 10 before and was significantly under-geared...

I've ridden the route on fixed during training rides and as part of the Hainault Hilly 50k. Gear as you would for a flat course - you'll not grind to a standstill at any point.

Cool, cheers for that. You reckon around 85"?

Can't wait for my local 10 to start again. Can't afford BC membership so I'll just do it on the side like last year. 87" this time. See if I can beat the 25min I did on 81"

25 is a pretty nice time. I only managed a 27:32 or something last year, didn't really make a proper go at it though.

Oh and since you have experience, what's the course like for hills? I'll be fixed so I need to work out my ratio. Did 75GI on semi-hilly 10 before and was significantly under-geared...

Navestock is almost completely flat.

Cool, cheers for that. You reckon around 85"?

Depends on your style, but yeah, somewhere in the 80s is bound to be good.

I never expected to say that*.

*schoolchild of the 80s

25 is a pretty nice time. I only managed a 27:32 or something last year, didn't really make a proper go at it though.

PB on the course is 23.04 on gears, when I was 18 just before I gave up racing.

Club events aren't really the venue for long distance exploits.

I'm struggling to find events to use as training rides before the 24hr in June. There's the Hounslow & District 100 and that's about it. All the 12hrs and most of the 100s happen after June. Audax on a TT bike is looking like an option but navigation will likely be a massive pain.

Can anyone suggest a good flattish, A road near London?

MDCC tester is right, you have to look at open events to find the longer distances. I suggest you consider the North Hants RC 50 on the Farnham-Alton course on 8th May, which seems an obvious warm up for the Hounslow 100.

I'm sure Hippy knows this already, but for the benefit of others, don't forget open events generally have a closing date 13 days before the race (check the handbook and allow for poor postal service), and they require an entry form (download from the CTT website).
If you are a newcomer to opens don't be put off by all those spaces on the form for distances you have never ridden - just leave them blank, but remember to sign the form at the bottom and send the entry fee.
It's those two things which will be of most interest to the organiser. The reason all the other information is requested is mainly to do with laying out the field, handicapping and what to do if the event is oversubscribed. To deal with these in reverse order:

1. Oversubscription. (i.e. too many entries) This has been rare in recent years, particularly at the longer distances. Apart from the BDCA 100 you can more or less forget this problem at 50 miles and upwards.
   
2. Handicaps. Nothing like as important an issue as it once was. The current open form doesn't give the handicapper enough information so they generally have to rely on guesswork anyway. Handicaps really work best in club events where the riders are known to the handicapper. Again don't worry if your form looks a bit empty.
   3.Laying out the field. This is about seeding - who gets the honour of an '0' or '5' number. If you are a novice the organiser will know where to put you, so again, don't fret about it.
   
   

I've gone to the trouble of explaining this at length because I believe there is currently a problem in that too many potential TTers seem to fail to make the step up from club events to opens. There are a number of possible reasons for this, but the least good one is that it's too difficult to fill in an entry form.

I'll mention just one club event, slightly longer and harder than the norm, the Hounslow fixed gear 27 this Saturday (see above).

I rode the first Naverstock club friday night 10 last week. Oliver is correct it is pan flat the course apart from a couple of minor drags, which can be hard if there's a headwind but nothing to make you change out of the big ring.

The roads are pretty awful right now, with alot of potholes, especially on the first left hand turn

i came 4th, did a 26.42, think the winner did a 25 something and the cake and tea is ever present...

I'm sure this has been covered but I can't seem to find it...

Any advice for cyclists in central London without access to a car? I've got a couple of friends keen to get into TTing and they are struggling to find accessible courses. I'm in London West which extends out past Oxford, and London North gets up beyond Cambridge so many of the courses won't work for them. Any suggestions appreciated!

Whatever happened to the pilot London Dynamo Richmond Park TTs? I thought the intention was to develop into an annual series of races?

Whatever happened to the pilot London Dynamo Richmond Park TTs?

There are 3 listed in the LWDC schedule
http://freespace.virgin.net/mick.fountain/lwdc/club-tts.htm

Getting to other club TTs without a car just needs some commitment and a set of lights*, which you can usually leave with the timekeeper if you don't want them on your bike while racing.

*says the man who drives the 6 miles to his local course.

**The Sporting Fixed Gear 27
**.

The answer is: Yes -the event should go ahead as planned, and I hope to see some of you there.
.

Sadly a decision has been taken to cancel the Hounslow Sporting 27 scheduled for this Saturday (9th April)

With only two entries in advance the club feels it is unreasonable to ask the necessary helpers to turn out for such a small show. If any of you were intending to come and enter on the line, I can only offer my apologies.

I believe April may be the wrong time of year for this event, which was reasonably successful last October. Others felt it would fit in as an early season 'hard riders' event, but this just has not worked in practice. I will ask around later in the Summer and see if there would be support to try again in the Autumn - if the result is positive I will post again.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=47499seems a good deal?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=47499seems a good deal?

Yes, but note the review comments; Vision base bars are smaller in diameter than anybody else's and only accept Vision's own brake levers. Also, they don't look UCI legal (3:1 rule) so while they are fine for domestic time trials you won't be able to use them on the track or the BTTC etc. Even with those caveats, £80 for an integrated set up from a top brand is a steal. They also have the comfiest elbow pads.

Good luck tomorrow morning, FWN. Nice weather for it!

Good luck tomorrow morning, FWN. Nice weather for it!

Cheers Sam it was good a bit nippy but hardly any wind :)

Catford CC Open 10 mile TT on the Q10/19 a personal best on my first Time Trial of the year 24:38 on 85" fixed, Peter Tadros won it again with 19:38 ish

Catford CC Open 10 mile TT on the Q10/19 a personal best on my first Time Trial of the year 24:38

Ha! I won, 24:37 on the H10/2 this morning.

Ha! I won, 24:37 on the H10/2 this morning.

Ha, ha I'll have to dig even deeper to catch you then.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/78033020

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I did 23m32 on the H10/181 today on 88" fixed. Probably didn't even make it into the top half of the field.

My team-mate Nick broke the course record with a 19m30, but then Stu Dodd did 19m27, and Chris Ball finished off with 19m26.

I think if I'd gone for 47x13 rather than 47x14, I'd have been able to make the most of the fast outward leg and done a 22. Oh well. Pretty happy, as I've been ill for weeks, and off the bike for the most part.

Nice day for it :)

Probably didn't even make it into the top half of the field

With only 4 riders out for the South Bucks RC club event, I know I was definitely in the top 25% :-)

Cheers Sam it was good a bit nippy but hardly any wind :)

Catford CC Open 10 mile TT on the Q10/19 a personal best on my first Time Trial of the year 24:38 on 85" fixed, Peter Tadros won it again with 19:38 ish

My brother spotted you, only fixed rider apparently. He had a blue Omega low pro (not the funny bike kind), GS Avanti kit. Clocked a PB although I can't remember it off hand.

My brother spotted you, only fixed rider apparently. He had a blue Omega low pro (not the funny bike kind), GS Avanti kit. Clocked a PB although I can't remember it off hand.

Cheers Sam
I'm guessing he is Tony ? 25:19, I know the other older GS Avanti rider Robert as he rides the Bexley CC Wednesday evening 10s at West Kingsdown, which start again 20th of April by the way
http://www.cycleclub-bexley.org.uk/evening_10s.html

That's him. He needs to stop pretending to be Lance and trying to TT at 120+rpm!! Not bad for a 40 year old though I suppose.

Will try to get along to one or two of the Bexley CC 10s this year, but on holiday first half of May.

What gearing do you use on that route? I practised on it this time last year using 88GI, didn't find the first third to the turn too bad.

That's him. He needs to stop pretending to be Lance and trying to TT at 120+rpm!! Not bad for a 40 year old though I suppose.

Will try to get along to one or two of the Bexley CC 10s this year, but on holiday first half of May.

What gearing do you use on that route? I practised on it this time last year using 88GI, didn't find the first third to the turn too bad.

Ha, ha, I'm 47 :)

I use 85", 88" or 90.5" on there PB was last year 24:53 on 90.5"