Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

Sheila?

Yes mayb hips. But he's got to come down a little more.
But yes, I do seem a little high, in reflection.

punches air

A little?

Incredulous Ed.

A little interview with the Forum's own National Champion...

http://wp.me/p3EEKP-5R

Last one of the season done. 24:11 which is a course PB by some margin on a reasonably slow course (winner was 21:37), and not far off some of my times on much faster courses. it certainly felt like an "effort pb", I had possibly overcooked it slightly and was hanging on for dear life in the last km.

Now to think about building a fixed TT bike for next season.

A little interview with the Forum's own National Champion...

http://wp.me/p3EEKP-5R

Big Time Hippy got a doping question. Now you know you've made it.

This report is a bit out of date now, but I'm posting it because there are some general comments which I hope will be of interest. They are only points which have been made many times in the past, but the evidence is that it is necessary to make them again.

**Interclub 25 **(Hounslow, Twickenham and Westerley)
12th may 2013.

This event cannot be reported in the normal way because, for the first time ever in my experience, the fastest rider ticked the ‘no publicity’ box and must therefore be referred to as ‘Mr. X’.

Since the best ride is always the keystone of any race report I must confine myself to as much of the result as I can reveal, and some general comments.

First, although the organisation was generally good I did find the layout of the field somewhat confusing. The convention (which did not seem to have been followed here) that the fastest riders should be put on the ‘0’ numbers with the next best on the ‘5’s not only reduces the risk of good rides being invalidated by suspicions of pacing, but also makes the race more intelligible to spectators at the roadside. If this practice has been used it is possible to put a stop watch on the fast men and see how they compare during the event. Although time trial spectators are a rare breed they should not be dismissed as unimportant because they can include press reporters, and it is, I suggest, these individuals who may achieve the difficult task of bringing interest and life to time trialling. Anyone who doubts this should look at ancient copies of ‘Cycling’, where they will find the reason why British time trialling exists as it still does today.

On a completely different point, watching from the roadside it was striking that there was a great variability between the riders in their knowledge of how to time trial, far more than one would expect to see in a normal open event. Quite a number of riders were using road bikes without ‘clip on’ bars, and while I applaud anyone who does not see cycling as a retail experience where the main competition is to spend as much money as possible, I do hope that these riders realise how much time they are losing (between the tough course and their sub optimal riding position) and that they are not put off time trialling because they compare their times with the fast results done elsewhere on specialist machines. Conversely I saw some riders grimly hanging onto their tribar position while grinding up climbs at very low speed; surely it should be understood that the modern time trial position is only beneficial when the rider is travelling at a reasonable speed.

Finally, although it was disappointing that only five Hounslow riders started, I for one was pleased to see that 60% of them were wearing the traditional and official racing kit.

Result:

1. Mr. X. 58.58.
   
2. Ian McNally (Westerley) 1. 01.35.
   
3. Martin Winter (Twickenham) 1. 02.49.
   
4. Malcolm Woolsey (Westerley) 1. 02.52.
   
5. L Wieziak (Twickenham) 1. 03.39.
   
6. D. Newman (Westerley) 1. 04.36.
   7= T. Childs (Westerley) 1. 05.37.
   7= D. Woodhouse (Twickenham) 1. 05.37.
   
7. J. McCarthy (Twickenham) 1. 06.30.
   
8. G. Martin (Westerley) 1.08.04.
   
9. A. Caldwell (Hounslow) 1.08.58.
   
10. C. Pagden (Twickenham) 1.09.01.
    
11. J. Findley (Twickenham) 1.09.28.
    
12. J. Marshall (Hounslow) 1.09.44.
    
13. T. Marsden 1.10.28
    .
    
    

I saw some riders grimly hanging onto their tribar position while grinding up climbs at very low speed; surely it should be understood that the modern time trial position is only beneficial when the rider is travelling at a reasonable speed.

Do you know for sure what that speed is? Many is the time I've seen somebody ahead doing much the same speed as me up a slope, and when they get off the tribars they suddenly come back towards me.

Don't know if this has been asked before, but whereabouts in South London would be the flattest place for practicing a TT effort, like with the least amount of traffic, lights, roundabouts etc. The olympic TT route around molesey is pretty good but the surface can be dodgy and there's a few pedestrian lights and roundabouts which can slow you down quite a lot.

or maybe i should enter a race

i should enter a race

↑This

If there isn't a race on, using TT courses at the times of day when races do happen means you'll be on roads which have been risk assessed as suitable for riding at TT speeds.

I don't think there are any courses in South London though. Maybe South of London.

http://www.southdc.org.uk/courses/index.htm

whereabouts in South London would be the flattest place for practicing a TT effort

Richmond Park? Otherwise I think the course that Bexley use is close ish- Q10/26

Richmond park is fine, I'm always in there but it's not very flat compared to the molesey loop from the Olympic tt route which is only down the road.

cheers hippy i'll have a look

it's not very flat

TT courses are not very flat. There's always Herne Hill if you want to avoid any kind of slope.

to be honest I have no experience of TT courses what so ever but kind of assumed they'd all be pretty pan flat

Get rollers. There is nowhere decent. Strip between Reigate and dorking is wide and fast. Or the duel carriageway under box hill and just loop the roundabouts.
Or featherbed lane onto Croydon road south, takes 15-20min.
Or Richmond park when it's quiet and go anti-clock.

I've got rollers, didn't think about that, how does roller speed compare to speed on the road, it never feels 100% natural...

I'm about 5 mins from featherbed lane so that's a good shout, cheers

One of te best places to do intervals. The sharp hump by the lorry yard is annoying, but ten pretty constant + gradient to the titsey hill roundabout.
If it's quiet you can use the road before featherbed, between the M&S petrol station and east, it's 2mins between roundabouts so annoying if it's busy but if quiet just double around them.

Depends on what rollers?

What I've always wondered is how you get enough resistance from rollers to do intervals.

Furious pedalling.

Loads of ways.
Magnetic.
Wind.
Flywheel.

Or the classic. Bathroom towel!

Furious pedalling.

↑This.

Depending on which interval I'm doing, it can go up to 150rpm, compared with warm up pace of about 70rpm. For the longer intervals, about 100rpm, which is pretty realistic as I'm averaging 90rpm in races on a good day.

sometimes i ride rollers with low pressure in my tyres - more stable and more resistance.