Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

Now, how do I improve? Lose weight, make more power, get more aero.

1 and 2 can come from training and self-control (that's a fail then) but so far aero testing has proven to be a pain in the butt and I don't know what to change or by how much that will still let me ride a bike properly for the duration. Argh.

Make more power I think is the key, already lost the weight, and I'm not spinning out. I'm stretching out to a more aero position but I've minutes to lose off my 10 time before aero/ kit wins will become significant.

I have noticed that every roadie that blasts past me is spinning much faster than me, but the testers that did so during the season often seemed to have lower spin speeds. I'm running 75" so I don't think I'm ready for a bigger gear. Ended the season on a real downer at lack of improvement which I'm not yet over.

Really need to find out how to HTFU

No it's not. If you're pedaling it for longer, you've failed to do the first two. #schickburn

No, you may have done the first two and still pedalled for longer to go further. You should know that, as a non-fixed distance tester. :)

No, you may have done the first two and still pedalled for longer to go further. You should know that, as a non-fixed distance tester. :)

The time is still fixed so there is not 'riding for longer' in either form of TT... unless you miscount the laps, of course.

Make more power I think is the key, already lost the weight, and I'm not spinning out. I'm stretching out to a more aero position but I've minutes to lose off my 10 time before aero/ kit wins will become significant.

I have noticed that every roadie that blasts past me is spinning much faster than me, but the testers that did so during the season often seemed to have lower spin speeds. I'm running 75" so I don't think I'm ready for a bigger gear. Ended the season on a real downer at lack of improvement which I'm not yet over.

Really need to find out how to HTFU

If you want to increase your TT power, there are certaing things you need to achieve:

• Increase power potential. Probably involves weights. Winter training = injury avoidance: Gym exercise to put on muscle and sessions on rollers (not turbo) to train the new bulk to move rather than weigh your down. Combine the two into the same session if you want to confuse the hell out of the 'roid monkeys.
  
• Increase efficiency such that you can sustain a higher % of max output within your body's capability to provide fuel and oxygen.
  
• Increase recovery rates so that if your course involves a hill, railway bridge etc, your increased effort doesn't dent your ability to output your target power for too long.
  
• Improve fuel and oxygen delivery. Some of this is nutrition, some is training and technique, and some is cheating.
  
  

Don't bother doing 6 hour weekend rides if all you're doing is passing the time between cafe stops.

If you want maximum return on training time without breaking rules (spirit as well as letter of the law), you'll need...

• torque-measuring kit: Cranks or hub, with logging capability
  
• HRM with logging capability
  
• A coach who understands how to use those to make your training effective.
  
  
  

If you have access to journals (or know someone who does) start with
Peak power output, the lactate threshold, and time trial performance in cyclists.
D J Bentley, L R McNaughton, D Thompson, V E Vleck, A M Batterham
Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Bath

This book could also help:
http://velopress.com/books/training-and-racing-with-a-power-meter-2nd-ed/
This page gives a brief intro: http://www.kurtkinetic.com/test-training-zones-i-50-l-en.html
A ramp test would help you identify your anaerobic threshold, then you'd do training rides at percentages of threshold.

I'm sure I've posted some version of that in here before...

tl:dr: MOAR SCIENCE

Thanks Emyr, that is interesting and helpful. I've avoided the power meter route because of the cost and again it would seem to be more for someone attempting to perfect their training rather than simply someone who needs to get the basics right. Or maybe I'm already at my peak and I need to perfect?

I suspect that a coach might well be the answer at least for a kick start. How would you recommend that I find someone?

Just so we know where you are and what sort of improvement is possible, could you tell us
Age
Weight
Height
Best 10 mile /25 mile times in 2013, and what courses they were on.

The science and expensive power measurement systems/wind tunnel testing will almost certainly make you faster, but I know at least one person who can beat 30mph at 10 and 25 who uses none of these aids.

Mirius, at your level it's probably enough to do some intervals regularly and ride frequently at or near the hardest you can cope with. You WILL need to increase your gearing, very few people could go faster on 75 than, say, 90. Oh, and learn to hurt, going fast hurts!

Spend more money on your bike, works much better than actually training

Just so we know where you are and what sort of improvement is possible, could you tell us

Age: 49
Weight: 10' 9"
Height: 5' 10"
Best 10 mile 30' 29" on HCC083 (fastest man that day did 22' 52")
25 mile times - not entered, didn't think I'd meet any of the entry qualifications. I did the 18.2 on HCC137 in 55' 38"

Best 10 mile 30' 29" on HCC083 (**fastest man **that day did 22' 52")

Who?

OK, you're a little bit older than me, a bit shorter and a lot lighter. You're also a lot slower.

You can probably get down to about mid 25 minutes on that course without any hardcore science, just a mix of intervals and a fairly unrefined position and bike.

If you're sticking to fixed (and there's no reason not to until you get to National Championship level), don't be afraid to experiment with gearing, that's what club events are for. For me, 75" would be about right for the times you're doing, but obviously you want to go faster. You don't know you're over-geared until you start doing slower times on the big gear. Once the new season starts, put down a marker on 75" and then start experimenting.

25 mile times - not entered, didn't think I'd meet any of the entry qualifications.

You'd get a ride in most open events, as only the fastest courses are usually full. Also, at your weight the HCC001 would suit you much more than it does me, and there are about a dozen club races on there every year, between us, Hounslow and Westerley.

Who?

Liam Maybank - Twickenham - he was a lot slower the week before, but then so was I. Maybe I need to start tracking peoples time, but HW are really slow in publishing the times so it's hard to relate times when the results are weeks old.

I'm coming to the conclusion that being a lot lighter is partly a result of a lot less muscle hence the lack of power and speed.

I wasn't any faster geared than I was fixed, so I think I'm going to stick to fixed so that at least I can lock that element of variation down.

OK so thanks. I'd almost convinced myself that I couldn't do it, so now to get stuck into some more serious training and then play with gearing.

intervals intervals intervals :-)

it's hard to relate times when the results are weeks old.

I take a note of the winning time, but the more interesting ones are the people who are there every week doing rides closer to what you're doing, and what you're hoping to do. You can have a look on the day at the timekeeper's sheet or result board; did you mate who usually takes a minute out of you do better or worse this time? When you have a few markers for comparison, it's much easier to see whether anything you've done is working, or whether the change in your time is just down to the variation in conditions. In June/July 2013, I rode the H10/2 on 15 evenings, 14 of them between 24:00 and 25:00, but with 12 different winners just looking at the winning time isn't that useful. Checking myself against known close competition from my own and other clubs told me much more about which rides were good and which were bad.

intervals intervals intervals :-)

Yes, as unpleasant as they can be, this really is the answer.

At the middle markers level, you can stave off some of the boredom by mixing them up. Fartlek means speed play, so you can mess about with the intensity during a session as long as you include a mix of short (5-40 second) anaerobic efforts and longer (1-4 minute) aerobic ones. Some people will suggest 20 minute intervals, but to me they seem so close to race pace that they are more about pacing, testing and acclimatisation than an attempt to get faster. Interval sessions are like opinions - everybody has one, and they all think theirs are right. Starting from 30 minute 10 level, almost any session should generate improvement. If you start looking to get under 20 minutes, you probably need to get scientific about measuring the effect of different blocks of different sessions.

Thanks for all of this. Sounds like some of my morning commutes are going to become unpleasant.

Probably better to reserve the unpleasantness for the evening, if you're doing intervals right you'll still be sweating an hour after you get off your bike.

All good advice here. Cheers.

+1

Just set the alarm 10 mins later so you have to pedal like fuck to get there on time, works for me

Merry Christmas all of ya :)

And so it begins...

Turned up at the Boxing Day "fun" TT, to be told that this was the last TT I would be riding without a helmet!

The local league, has decided that all riders will, from next season, have to wear a helmet (no aero shells either).

This will also apply to any "open" TT sponsored by any of the clubs in the league.

As one of a small handful of participating riders who do so without a helmet, I take this quite personally.

They can't enforce that without the approval of their CTT District Council. I'm surprised that the National Council permits any district to pass such a regulation, but they do. Check with East D.C., and resist the idiots wherever you find them.

Thanks for the pointer.

I did ask how this tied-in with the CTT and was told it was entirely up to the local sponsoring clubs to decide, so I'll definitely follow it up at district level.

That's a bit shit but won't you go faster with an aero lid anyway? :)