Other than PLF for 10 miles.

warm up
avoid kicking up dust – contrary to popular belief it’ll slow you down

big skid at the finish !

Pull over and stop at the first opportunity rather than risk holding up an impatient driver for a few seconds.

Best to start off flat out ,take a few deep breaths , then flat out to the finish.

If you feel slightly faint at the end (and there is some sick in your mouth) then you are doing it about right.
😆

Within reasonable safety….

Focus on a distant point and pedal the shortest straightest line.

do not as i nearly did last week go through the window of a car thats overtaken you and decided to turn right and thus just moves in and brakes – nearly didnt finish my race for want to hunt her down and smash her head through the window see if she liked it.

Sit high in the road on declines and when you have a tailwind so you build up a good queue of cars behind you. Then let them through when the road rises or turns into the wind. They’ll all slow down to swear at you and cut you up real tight, but it’s worth it for the slipstream they create.

(and yes, I’m serious) ;o)

Warm up loads!.. to the point that you’re sweating

I do a gradual 30mnis then 4 x 90secs at race pace (my level 4 HR which is 172)

I have learnt from experience. My 1st one i did I didn’t warm up, went out too fast and paid for it the whole way.

I find building gradually helps and i’m stronger on the latter half of the course. The last mile is all out!

Don’t swing wide round the final corner and collide with a car.

recce the course

20 min turbo warm up

be at start 2 mins before time

don’t start too hard, HR lags effort so too easy to go too hard at the start, control the start effort/ wind up

2 mins in you should be at target HR/ effort, focus on maintaining rythm and speed

be aware of cars

small red rear light advisable

don’t be upset when the pensioner starting 5 mins later than you passes you before the turn

shout your number when you pass the timekeeper

Swallow your sick, don’t let it splash on your hands because they’ll be all sticky.

I got my first 10TT tonight… some good tips here so far… any others

train at race pace on the TT bike at least once a week

I was going to say don’t take it too seriously but suspect that ship has sailed.

What course you doing is the ERC Kirky one ? Thought you had to join the club for that or have they lowered their standards…

I believe vomming on the bars is the done thing George ! Don’t worry about swallowing it back unless it’s early in the race takes 20 mins to absorb the calories so you won’t need them.

hels – thats the one. I have joined ERC. PLF it is then.

position yourself on the road where the nearside tyres of cars would be, its the smoothest

warm-up for at least 45 mins

when your legs hurt ride faster and the pain will go away.

EPO and lots of it

Ha ha ha ,if it’s the Kirky one.
‘You think those hills will help ya punk’ ,well do ya ?
🙂

fasthaggis – it’s certainly not all that flat, but I know those roads pretty well as I often ride back from Linglithgow to Edinburgh.

Nice one, it’s a good course with some inclines. Watch the dead turn tho ! Good luck. I want to see a picture of your bars with some chunky bits tomorrow.

any tips for a 1 mile sprint …. i have one of them tonight !

So what would be a fairly good time on a relatively flat, relatively wind free course?

22 mins

buy lots of expensive kit.

warm up well, keep something for the last mile, I’ve blown up a mile out before, and it adds a lot of time, much more than that extra 1mph for the first mile

So what would be a fairly good time on a relatively flat, relatively wind free course?

22 mins

I think thats bit harsh! if its your first time aim to do sub 30 (you should do If you have pretty much any fitness) and build from there. My first one was last year. I did a 28.40 odd.

last week I did a 25.07, hoping to get sub 24 this year…

it’s certainly not all that flat, but I know those roads pretty well

Me to ,I grew up round there .
Winchburgh is always a good reason to pedal fast 😉

Have a good one 🙂

“I think thats bit harsh! if its your first time aim to do sub 30 (you should do If you have pretty much any fitness) and build from there. My first one was last year. I did a 28.40 odd.”

No it isnt.

He asked what’s ‘a good time’. And got a good answer.

For a beginner I suggest beating 24 minutes or if over 40 beating your std time is a good effort.

That’s if you try hard enough – ie actually ride at your true threshhold for the first half, then 90% on the second half and balls (or equiv) out for the last mile.

My tip – get someone who is doing decent times eg less than 23 minutes to ride you at race pace on a course you can practice on. My guess is you will be surprised how harder the effort is than you thought, rather than how much power they put out…

that means holding my wheel smeee !

Beating 24 minutes for a beginner is wholly over the top IMHO. If you can get under 30mins, averaging 20mph for the course then you’re doing pretty well. It takes a fair chunk of fitness just to do that, especially in general mtb riding terms as it’s a very different load/riding style.

The real incentive for going faster is because it shortens the time you have to keep repeating this mantra “Oh my God, why do these roadies put themselves through this hell? Bike riding is supposed to be FUN!”.

Im hoping to give some of these a go this year. I think the warm up part will be key, it usually takes me about 45 minutes with a long or steep climb to feel any good.

someone please take pics 🙂

steveh – Member

Beating 24 minutes for a beginner is wholly over the top IMHO.

If he’s a beginner to road biking, perhaps, but a cyclist with a bit of experience and skill, on a flat course, cool night and no wind, I’d say 24 is a realistic target.

A fairly experienced roadie will have the skills/knowledge/roadcraft* to chop a minute off the time of a similarly fit mountain biker.

(*When to draft, when to put up a sail, how to stay out of the wind, where to save energy etc)

(*When to draft,

When to draft?? in a TT

are you a cheat?

When to draft?? in a TT

are you a cheat?

No, passing traffic is there for everyone. It’s a fact of timetrialling. What are you going to do, back off every time a lorry overtakes???

When to draft?? in a TT

are you a cheat?

I saw a rider in a TT drafting a (fast) tractor once. He admitted it straight away, in fact was very open about it and asked that his time not be recorded. When asked why he cheated he replied that it wasn’t cheating cos he’d owned up to it straight away and besides, he’d been having such fun averaging 35mph that he was quite prepared to DQ himself from the event!

I thought you meant sneakily drafting another rider

the other tip i’ve had is

For every moment of the race, constantly ask yourself these three questions:

1- Am I pressing on the pedals?
2- Am I pressing on the pedals?
3- Am I pressing on the pedals?

Well that was quite possibly the most painful 29 minutes and 30 seconds I’ve spent on a bike. Warmed up pretty well yet still managed to go lactic in the first mile. Winning time was 24 minutes odd and I wasnt last so I am fairly pleased with my efforts. I can see a new addiction coming on right enough.