Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

Is there a TT I could have a crack at this week in west london, if I don't have a club?

Definitely ours on Thursday, others on this list which are not in bold are club events but you'll need to check with the individual clubs whether they accept a: guests and b: CTI

Cheers. Thursday sounds perfect; is it a decent course to ride fixed? Could come on the road bike, or find a brake for my track bike.

Course is fine, do it fixed for more cool points.

Course is fine, do it fixed for more excuses.

Natch. 48/15 ok?

It's what I used the first time I rode it. Might be a bit spinny out to the roundabout and on the 9th mile but should be fine. You can always gear up next time.

The only bigger ratio I could rustle up would be 53/15, which might be a bit stern. Better to be spinning than mashing I suppose.

I've ridden it on fixed gears from 72" to 100" and most things in between, just keep experimenting until you find the one which gets you to the finish line in the least time.

Riding to my race down in Ashford I drove through a TT. Nice to see one on the road, mixed bag of riders including a few tandems. Really fun to see.
Guess it was a 25/50? As I was passing riders for a while.

This just appeared in my saved searches email.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pinarello-Montello-Carbon-TT-bike-51cm-frame-/221228790776

This is a first draft, and might be altered. I hope it will get coverage elsewhere, but I'm posting it here this afternoon in case any of you have not made plans for next Sunday and might want to go out to watch.

So far as time is concerned, you don't need to be there for the start. It is the closing stages that are interesting - so I'd suggest 11 o'clock onwards.

The course is the ten miles of road that lie between the Farnham and the Chawton roundabouts, so it is very compact. The HQ is Lower Froyle hall. Although the A 31 itself is not attractive for non competitive riding there are plenty of pretty roads and countryside around and about.

The Ron Brown Memorial 100 Preview (Sunday 26th May 2013)

Last year’s preview noted that the Hounslow 100 had been won in the past by the winners of thirty British Best All Rounder competitions. This year we can increase the count to thirty one, since the 2012 victor also became the BBAR champion, with the Hounslow victory as his counting ride in the BBAR.

Mr. Topham returns this year as the man to beat. There are six other entrants with sub-four hour qualifying times and, for the benefit of spectators, this list includes their race numbers.

1. Adam Topham (High Wycombe CC) 3.37.51.
   
2. Steve Irwin (Kingston Wheelers) 3.48.30.
   
3. Tejvan Pettinger (Sri Chinmoy CT) 3.52.18.
   
4. Paul Holdsworth (Hounslow) 3.54.20.
   
5. Paul Dring (Echelon Rotor) 3.55.51.
   
6. David Shepherd (G.S. Stella) 3.57.25.
   
7. Simon Wix (Evesham) 3.57.54.
   
   

In addition there are three more riders whose 50 times suggest they are quite capable of a 25+ m.p.h. ride on Sunday. They are: number 72, Robert Scott (Plymouth Corinthians) 1.48.38, no. 82, Grigor Wallace (Team Midland), 1.46.02, and no. 87 Andrew Halliday (Westerley RC), 1.51.34.

The best lady is the current End to End record holder Lynne Taylor (Born to Bike) with a qualifying time of 4.0.24; she will not require a huge amount of luck to beat four hours this Sunday.

The Hounslow always prides itself on strong team performances and this year’s event could go their way. Apart from their ever reliable Paul Holdsworth they have Loz Wintergold, who produced some sparkling long distance rides at the close of the 2012 season, Nic Stagg, a frequent winner in shorter events who may well be ready to graduate to this distance, and Rob Gilmour, always a solid time trial performer. The main opposition appears to come from David Shepherd’s GS Stella, where he is supported by Stuart Jago and Andy Paige.

In his excellent new book, ‘Time, Speed and Truth’, Peter Whitfield refers to the excitement generated by the creation of the BBAR competition for the 1930 season based on the 50, 100 and 12 hour events, and he comments: “It is interesting to note the 25 did not at that time possess the glamour of sheer speed it later acquired; it was seen more as a beginner’s or early season event.” From the spectator’s point of view it may be said that the 100 is the *shortest *eventthat is really worth going out to watch, so let us hope that there will be some inspired by what they see next Sunday to want to return to the situation where the 100 is the standard time trial distance.

This 2013 edition has attracted 89 entrants, with the first man off at 8.02. The course is Farnham-Alton (A31), and the organiser is Trevor Gilbert.

Gravesend CC evening 10TT on the Q10/24 tonight a bit blustery but more from the side, 24:43 fastest so far this year on 97" fixed Raleigh Professional.
http://app.strava.com/activities/55552631

Gravesend CC evening 10TT on the Q10/24 tonight a bit blustery but more from the side, 24:43 fastest so far this year on 97" fixed Raleigh Professional.
http://app.strava.com/activities/55552631

Good effort. I've only ridden that course once and it was on 53/16. I decided that day it was a course for gears! It was a block headwind up the hill so the gear and the wind combined for a world of pain and then the gear was too short to make the most of the tailwind descent. Nice course though.

I've ridden it on fixed gears from 72" to 100" and most things in between, just keep experimenting until you find the one which gets you to the finish line in the least time.

This is exactly right. You can't really have too wide a choice of sprockets and chain rings.

Does my brake need to be accessible from the drops? I normally just run a crosstop, but I could put a proper lever on if necessary.

You have to be able to operate it while holding the bars at their widest point. On drop bars, that means either a conventional drop bar lever or a TT lever stuffed into the end, the latter being more convenient for quick changes from track to TT set ups.

I've done an illegal TT with an illegal brake with MDCC, you'll probably be fine

Hm, I think I'll chance it. I'll chuck some tape and a road lever in my bag just in case. I just remembered I have some outstandingly horrible extensions in my parts corner (given up on the term 'parts bin', it's hopelessly optimistic). Goodbye dignity.

wut?

Just do it.

Its a fair point, but as eating energy gels has instantaneous disasterous effects on me I have to eat when exercising so practicing it is worthwile.

I definitely recommend testing fuelling strategies in training.

What gels have you tried? Why do you not get on with them?

This 2013 edition has attracted 89 entrants

I'm entrant #89.

Still trying to get a sub-4hr in this cursed distance. At the very least I hope to turn the tables on Andy who pipped me to 2nd in the Norfolk 100 by 1 second the other week.

No bottle cage on my track bike. I assume that's not a problem for a ten?

It's not even a problem for a 25

I'm entrant #89.

Still trying to get a sub-4hr in this cursed distance. At the very least I hope to turn the tables on Andy who pipped me to 2nd in the Norfolk 100 by 1 second the other week.

Good luck on Sunday.

By the way, sorry you didn't get a mention in the preview - you deserved one in view of you performance in Norfolk. My information came from Trevor, and he didn't say you'd entered.

Don't worry, I generate enough of my own hype. :)

The 100 is my worst distance anyway. I just hope I can chop a chunk more time off this distance. My pacing was off big time in Norfolk so if I can get that right and generate near the same power I had in Wales last year then I should knock a substantial amount off. Of course, this relies on nothing going wrong, which so far hasn't happened in any 100 I've entered.