Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

I would like to ask readers of this thread to have another look at the 'Old Photo and a Proposal' thread in the General Forum.

Just done the first 2 club time trials on a tt bike, they are on every thursday evening.
They were both 5 miles, and pretty much flat except 2 consecutive small lumps at the 2 mile mark, and as there is a turnaround you hit them again at around 3 miles.
My first attempt was 12:40 and the course record for my age group is 11:40, so overall quite successful. Then my second attempt was 12:52, it was a windy day and it slowed most peoples times by around 30-60 seconds in comparison to last week.
Should have a disc wheel rear and bladed front by next thursday, although it is a 10 mile, (which I have ridden before) hopefully I get a decent placebo effect from the new and faster wheels!

Here is my press release for the Hounslow Good Friday 25. As you will see there is something here which may be of particular interest to users of this forum. You will not be surprised to hear that quite a large number of expensive state of the art TT bikes were ridden in this event, but all their sophistication did not enable their owners to beat Nic.

As I hope you can see in the picture he did have a very good pair of wheels, but there was nothing special about the rest of the kit. The frame is badged as a Pake (there should be accents over the ‘a’ and the ‘e’ but I can’t make this keyboard show them)
It is built with Tange cromo seamed tubing and tig welded, we think in Taiwan. Nic believes these frames are not available in this country at the moment – he bought this one in the USA for about $250 retail. When I spoke to him yesterday Nic seemed almost to be having doubts about whether the new conventional TT bike he has on order is actually necessary! There is a Pake website.

Nic Stagg is an ex Clarence Wheelers rider, and so as a young beginner came under the influence of Alf Whiteway, a passionate advocate of fixed, who was for many years known, but not always loved, by every racing cyclist in West London and beyond. His most successful protégé (ah! the machine knew about those accents) was Tony Doyle, and just in case you haven’t heard of him, he was world professional pursuit champion in 1980.

I’m getting too far away from our humble 25 here, but if people are interested and prompt me, I’ll write a separate little piece about Alf.

Here’s my account of the 25:

**Hounslow and District Wheelers Good Friday 25. **

The Hounslow’s season opening club 25 mile time trial was notable for three outstanding rides.

Paul Holdsworth’s 58 minutes 43 seconds gave him second place, and on this undulating course where most riders can only dream about getting under the hour it must be an encouraging start to the season. This was a good display of short distance speed from a rider who is now more formidable at fifty miles and upwards.

Rob Gilmour took the third place with 59.04. This was an impressive performance because senior veterans are just not supposed to go that fast, especially on hilly courses. The time was good enough to give him equal first place on handicap (with Neil Ferrelly) and it should be remembered that it is rare for established riders like Rob to do well on handicaps since these awards almost always go to relative novices who have achieved a sudden improvement which has somehow escaped the eagle eye of our handicapper. Incidentally the marshals were in agreement that had Rob not been brought to a near standstill by traffic when turning onto the bottom of Hawthorn Hill he would have been inside 59 minutes.

Good as these two were, it was Nic Stagg who was the victor of the day and who took most of the spectators’ attention. Recently Nic had the great misfortune to lose his bikes in a burglary, and the machine he used on Friday was intended as a temporary stand by. It is built on a modest off the peg steel frame and apart from a good pair of wheels it uses fairly basic equipment along the lines of the ‘less is more’ theory. Nic used a single 88” fixed gear to record a time of 58.04, and, following that less is more idea, it is unnecessary to say any more about this ride.

There were another three strong rides which might have been good enough to win the event in the recent past. Stuart Stow, in fourth place with 1.01.31, looks set to repeat or improve on the excellent season he enjoyed last year, while Roger Sewell and Damian Poulter also produced efforts which would have put them comfortably under the hour on a fast course. Subsequent positions begin to show a rapid dropping away of speed which may reveal a lack of racing experience, particularly in road and track racing where time trial speed has so often been generated in the past.

The event attracted 44 entries, which included 20 Hounslow club members, and 24 private time trials (i.e. members of other clubs). This is in line with the current trend for what were once considered modest club time trials to get as many riders as the more prestigious open events. The organiser on Friday was Graham Davis, Trevor Gilbert held the watch and Martyn Roach was the handicapper: our thanks go to them and to all those who gave up their morning to act as marshals.

Result:

1. Nic Stagg 58.07
   
2. Paul Holdsworth 58.43
   
3. Rob Gilmour 59.04
   
4. Stuart Stow 1. 01.31
   
5. Roger Sewell 1. 03.10
   
6. Damian Poulter 1. 03.50
   
7. Mark Lorenzi 1. 07.03
   
8. Merill Readett 1. 08.49
   
9. Henrik Funch 1. 10.03
   
10. Bruce McMichael 1. 10.12
    
11. Andrew Caldwell 1. 10.41
    
12. Jill Bartlett 1. 11.25.
    
    

1st Handicap, Neil Ferrelly (actual time 1.13.04)
Best private TT: Chris Taylor (Berks Tri Squad) 1.00.46

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First Bexley cc Wednesday 10 confrirmed on their website for next week. Who's going along?

I'm now working that day but will ride in on the silly bike and try to escape early. Worst case scenario I get to ride home to the sound of wom so all good.

good write up clubman, and a vindication of fixed!

Reckon i'll try to make this (providing i get the bike together this weekend)

First Bexley cc Wednesday 10 confrirmed on their website for next week. Who's going along?

Just done my first 10 mile TT. Love it! Was slow (30:58) but that's an excuse for fancy bike parts right? ;)

What do people do with there puncture repair kit/tools? Hope nothing happens? Carry a bit in the jersey? Any other trick bits folk do to save time/weight/areoness?

I assume you used your road bike. If so, best place to start is to add on some clip on TT extensions. Have fun!

Just done my first 10 mile TT. Love it! Was slow (30:58) but that's an excuse for fancy bike parts right? ;)

What do people do with there puncture repair kit/tools? Hope nothing happens? Carry a bit in the jersey? Any other trick bits folk do to save time/weight/areoness?

If you flat your race is over so you may as well walk back.

Just done my first 10 mile TT. Love it! Was slow (30:58) but that's an excuse for fancy bike parts right? ;)

What do people do with there puncture repair kit/tools? Hope nothing happens? Carry a bit in the jersey? Any other trick bits folk do to save time/weight/areoness?

If you flat your race is over so you may as well walk back.

On my first race, someone got a puncture so I told someone at the finish that they were walking and he went off on a rant about people not carrying things to repair punctures.

I thought we were racing here, not going for a jolly jaunt.

I bought a pointy hat the other day, sure it made me go slower last night, although it was quite windy..

On my first race, someone got a puncture so I told someone at the finish that they were walking and he went off on a rant about people not carrying things to repair punctures.
I thought we were racing here, not going for a jolly jaunt.

I tend to ride out to races so I'd carry kit out but depending on the length and nature of the course (ie. how far back is the walk) I'd usually not carry kit during the race itself. I don't use super light or crap tyres so it's unlikely I'd p_nc_re.

They do have a point though. Puncture kit ain't really gonna slow you down.

I did the Bexley 10 last night. Punctured 300m past the finish line. 20 mile ride back to home, thankful I had a kit with me.

Just done my first 10 mile TT. Love it! Was slow (30:58) but that's an excuse for fancy bike parts right? ;)

No!

I don't say this because I'm worried that you might bankrupt yourself but because I fear you may be lost to the sport.

As I've said before in this column: it's one thing have the money to buy stuff, but quite another to be able to withstand the embarassment resulting from doing mediocre rides with top class kit.

You've made a good start - you've ridden a 10 *and enjoyed the experience. *It doesn't matter that you didn't do a brilliant time at your first attempt - this game is full of stories of champions who started just like you. But remember that bike racing is not really a branch of retail therapy, it's more about tuning up you mind and body to be ready for the demands that are going to be made upon it.

Just do some more miles and ride a few more TT's - you will find that by the end of the season you will have improved even if you haven't changed your bike at all.

Was slow (30:58) but that's an excuse for fancy bike parts right?

Following on from Clubman, how about a different approach to splashing out; instead of trying to buy speed, reward yourself for achieving it. As a matter of deliberate policy, I didn't buy crabon wheels until I'd got under the hour on cheap alloy ones.

Yes, that sort of reward is an excellent idea.

I assume you used your road bike. If so, best place to start is to add on some clip on TT extensions. Have fun!

Anyone have a cheap pair they want to sell? (31.8mm)

*subscribes to tiswas' reward scheme

Shiv or P5 for the upcoming 24hr... ?

Anyone do the Westerly 10s? Is there usually no problem turning up on the line? Thinking of having a go next week.

Anyone do the Westerly 10s? Is there usually no problem turning up on the line? Thinking of having a go next week.

I never had a problem. Not sure of numbers these days though.

I did the Bexley 10 last night. Punctured 300m past the finish line. 20 mile ride back to home, thankful I had a kit with me.

How did you get on Tom?

Might try to get along next week.

Did the club 5 mile, the record is 11:56 and I decided to go for it, I am now contemplating suicide as my time was 11:57...