Time Trial / Time Trialling / TT

So I may have stupidly signed up for a 100 mile tt, my previous longest race is a 10 mile tt or the 40km of an Olympic tri, I've been riding regularly with my club runs on a Saturday as we'll as 1 or 2 hour long tempo session on a turbo per week, my aim is to get round and not embarrass myself so hopefully be around the 5 hour mark, the problem is my club runs are about 65 miles and I haven't ridden further than this for a couple of years!

Other than spending more time on the front of the club runs is there any other advice, I find at the end of a club run I can't really push myself to maintain any decent pace so extending the ride probably wouldn't be that effective, race is in May!

The other slight problem is that I'm running an ultramarathon 2 weeks later and I'm also training for an ironman so adding extra training hours isn't exactly easy!

LOL!! Just get you money back, if you want to run the ultramarathon. Unless you plan on just riding it easy.

Two weeks should be enough to recover, I currently train c14 hours per week across 3 sports, so I'm pretty confident I have the base fitness there, and if I'm honest I was planning in testing ironman pacing in this event so for the whopping £10 entry fee and 20 minute drive to the start line I'm not overly concerned I suppose if I'm going too slowly and at risk coming dead last then I can always hand my race number back in and avoid pissing anyone off!

Thanks for the advice, I noticed many of the good (adjustable) aero bar setups are £££, meh. I ordered the Zipp Vuka top clips and 50mm extensions from Evans, should be a winner.

Never really paid much attention to my aerobars other than I got them cheap and they were carbon (yeah, we've all been there), but they are underslung and there is no real stack height on the pads so it's not wonder I'm struggling my balls off!

Zipp Vuka Aluminas are reasonably cheap. These look very good for the money too.

You might be able to recover, but you won't be able to be in top shape for the ultramarathon as you will have had a few days off the bike, a few days easy and then a few days getting going again. It's not going to leave you with good legs.

If you just want to test IM pacing then, that's about the same as 100mi pace right? As an ironman leg is similar distance?

My point wasn't don't do it you'll be crap. It was, prioritise. If you want to do well in the ultramarathon, then don't do the 100. If you want to do mediocre in both, then do both. Racing 100mi is about fuelling. You're going near full gas for ~4h. You need to keep the energy coming.

I noticed many of the good (adjustable) aero bar setups are £££

But getting your position right is probably the single most important thing on a TT bike, the gains from that swamp any other equipment, so it's worth spending the money there if needs be.

What ultra is it? How long?

Totally agree. Like I said I am planning on getting a bike fit specifically on the TT bike this year, but as a stop gap I didn't want to spend a small fortune on a £££ setup without knowing for sure. Once I know for sure what setup I need I'll happily spend the cash.

Sub £100 to raise my aerobars with minimal disruption seems like a good short-term solution. I can leave my basebars and brakes as-is and just change out the aerobars and possibly gear cabling as it won't be long enough going from the current setup.

I'll be back for pricey recommendations post bike fit ;-)

But getting your position right is probably the single most important thing on a TT bike, the gains from that swamp any other equipment, so it's worth spending the money there if needs be.

Ultra is the classic quarter it's 44 miles so relatively short but it has 1500m of climbing.

@ skinny if I can do 5 hours for 100 I'll be delighted, the ultra is more to tick it off the list as I've wanted to run it for a few years, my IM plan is 5.5 hours for 112miles, but honestly I have no idea if that is feasible and so this is an experiment in finding if I can do that speed at all and secondly if I would then have anything left in the tank for a marathon, cycling is my biggest gap in knowledge about how I can do as I regularly swim I'm distance swims, I've done a fair few marathons but I've only ever done a 100 mile ride at a social pace, so this is fact finding rather than an attempt to get on the leaderboard!

Either way the races are in May/June so hopefully I've got enough time to build my bike and run legs up to have a crack at both.

Either was I'll come away from both with a PB!

So I may have stupidly signed up for a 100 mile tt

That's not stupid. Forgetting your cycling shoes and doing it anyway stupid.

Which is a higher priority the mara or the 100mi? That's how you should work out how much time to spend on training for either. I would be on the TT bike doing 100 mile rides and speed work but if your priority is the run than just ride your TT bike as much as possible and try and eliminate any position issues before you hit the start line (speaking from experience here).

Two weeks should be enough to recover, I currently train c14 hours per week across 3 sports, so I'm pretty confident I have the base fitness there, and if I'm honest I was planning in testing ironman pacing in this event so for the whopping £10 entry fee and 20 minute drive to the start line I'm not overly concerned I suppose if I'm going too slowly and at risk coming dead last then I can always hand my race number back in and avoid pissing anyone off!

Someone has to come last and I doubt it would be you. There's always DNS and DNFs anyway so you won't be at the bottom even if you are DFL :)

Hippy has forgotten more about distance TTs than I ever intend to learn, listen to him, particularly about position. It might help, though, that if you can ride 65 miles at appx 15mph with your mates and your target is 20mph for the 100, you'll only be on the bike for a bit over half an hour longer. A fair bit of the speed increase will come from aeros and a bit more from concentration and not sitting up to wait for others. You won't be last!

I already have a bike fit booked for next weekend on the tt bike...

Club pace is a bit north of that and hopefully the rides will get longer through the season - if not then I'll just have to extend my route to the start to get closer to regularly riding that distance.

Now the only question is how much of a tit will I look if I buy and race in a pointy helmet and come DFL...?

Wear all your aero kit - the stuff you would normally wear in your Ironman anyway.
Forget about coming last - it's not about that.

Now the only question is how much of a tit will I look if I buy and race in a pointy helmet and come DFL...?

You're going to look a tit anyway, and no-one knows who's DFL until after the event.

If it's any consolation, you'll look more of a tit when you do a triathlon.

Now the only question is how much of a tit will I look if I buy and race in a pointy helmet and come DFL...?

There will be people there with all the kit who are targeting sub-6h. Because it's an iconic distance, the 100 does attract enough people for whom just finishing is an acheivement that anybody getting even close to 20mph is unlikely to be responsible for the timekeeper being kept up late.

You're going to look a tit anyway, and no-one knows who's DFL until after the event.

If it's any consolation, you'll look more of a tit when you do a triathlon.

Thanks, at least in a tri there are a large number of others people who look like tits so I blend in a bit...

Just think of all those unfit, deluded losers wrapped in cars on their way to spend their day 'shopping', yeah shopping as an actual pastime.. that should cheer you up.

Could I ask who with if that's OK? Looking at getting a specific fit myself and could do with a few options, although I know Sherritt is good.

I already have a bike fit booked for next weekend on the tt bike...

Or those yuppies drowning their salaries in the pub. Commiserating their desk jobs.

Or those yuppies drowning their salaries in the pub. Commiserating their desk jobs.

drowning or downing? I'm an alcohol connoisseur, I'll have you know!

Having a job is one thing, driving around shopping as a form of recreation is another.

From paris to milan. It's international! Don't limit yourself to driving, fly.

Bluewater has everything the young Brit could want...

Hippy, can you post your weekly alcohol consumption in this thread and remind them that you're a national champion.

Haha.. I'm not getting involved in that thread.