[Closed] First Time Trial...

Did my first one on tues a circ of bass lake in the lakes, 16 miles half flat half undulating into a light headwind. Advice ride as hard as you can and keep going. Legs will burn a lot, try and keep a good candence going rather than mash a massive gear. sure you'll be under 30

Go really fast. It's actually quite hard to concentrate on putting out maximum power for ten miles, mostly mental.
I asked the same question on here a long time ago and got some very useful advice.

here you go.

[url] http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/time-trial-any-advice [/url]

Just keep pedaling. Concentrate on getting around rather than sprinting off, especially if you don't know the course. Sprint the last few hundred meters.
Try and stay in the saddle and just concentrate on turning the pedals and avoiding the cars and nothing more. Don't be drawn in to chasing other riders, just stick tou your own pace, far to many toimes have I chased down a rider thats over taken me or started ahead of me. Only to knacker myself out.

Swallow your sick, or it'll make your legs sticky.

What BigJohn said. If your face isn't covered in snot and drivel and you can't taste blood in your throat, you're not pedalling hard enough 🙂

cheers, I'll check that other thread out. really aware of not going off to fast, but also i don't want to go off to slow, and finish wishing I pushed it more than I did

I've been told you should do the first mile not at max pace but to use this distance to get up to optimum pace. Tbh i'm into my third year of doing club 10's and still haven't got the pacing issue sorted totally.
Use the first one to put up a time only and then think how you can better it next week, over the course of a month it shouldn't be too hard to knock a minute off your original time.
Beware it becomes addictive!!

Good luck, and let us know how you got on! 😀

Sub-30 mins is an average speed of 20+mph. Keep yer average above that, and you'll do ok.

I've been told you should do the first mile not at max pace but to use this distance to get up to optimum pace. Tbh i'm into my third year of doing club 10's and still haven't got the pacing issue sorted totally.

Flat out from the start..... you should already be warmed up pre hitting the start line !

took 1 min 30 off my PB(set on a roadie with tri bars vs my new planet X stealth) for 10 last week - in sub optimal conditions - cant wait to get on a calm night- hoping to take another 1.30/2mins off it !

warm up well to tt pace and then start controlled and build back to it and hold it.
simple

Its 10 years since i did a tt and this should get me back into it.

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All you have to do is keep going and you`ll be fine. You may find the miles pass quicker than you think.... 😉

What Jedi said. Too many people go off too hard and fade - you'll lose a lot more through fade than you will by going consistently fast even if it doesn't always feel quite as fast.

i want them wheels 😉 ....

i guess it depends what your used to ...

when i say hit max - i mean hr of 190 and sit with very little deviation in speed over 10 miles - last 10 was ave 27mph - i want the magic 30

keep cadence at 100 and hr at 190 - legs burn like **** but its only 10 miles - use the same technique for 25s - gonna have to work on pacing for the mersey roads 24hr tt

If you are less tuned to interval sessions then i would stick to an easier hr.

i used to hold 30mph.
94 cadence and 188hr

Glad you got a life since? 😛

I did one last night (only my 3rd after 2 last year) and went out far too hard. Rode with a Power Tap though, so I have a target power to aim for next week! Need to sort my nice road bike out though, that's gotta be worth a minute over my winter hack!

I really want to try a proper TT bike, those Stealths don't seem to come up too often 2nd hand!

i used to love it.
i just gave all racing/competeing up 7yrs ago to build herts shore 🙂

That steerer tube's going to need a spacer or two...

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The closest I have come to a 10-mile TT was in central London on a Sunday. Lights, junctions etc meant I had to push 27mph+ to achieve a time just under 30 mins. On a fairly basic road bike. Damn near bloody killed me. I was a good bit fitter back then, and wouldn't even attempt it now. It would be nice to do the same route without all the slowing down, stopping, speeding up again malarky though.

I used to ave 27 on a standard road frame with clip ons.... This new one should improve things or maybe i`ll be too old 😉

I did a 29:21 on a cross bike with 35mm knoblies last night which was 6 secs off last years PB on a road bike. Aim for this season is to get into the 27s. Great fun trying but not during. Enjoy 🙂

ive got the lungs for it jedi - just need to get the power - more intervals and squats please !

no nick they dont - i was offered an XL stealth (mediums is mostly what came up) with less than 50miles on the rollers for a grand from a mate and just had to move hell and high water to scrape the funds together for it !

I was the opposite to you Trail rat, i have speed but don`t have massive lungs and when i once tried a HRM i found my peak was 220 😯

You are right about Stealths not coming round too often.

I ended up buying the Ridley new from the States and it was £900 cheaper than in this country, even with a hefty import tax.
Same with the wheels, £400 cheaper.

There is no contest!

thanks for all the advice.

Just got back and I loved it. course was great, not too flat, but not any major climbs, quite a few short sharp ones though. went off fairly hard, kept it pretty much up there for the whole time, it flew by!

Did 28.50, so beat 30 by quite a bit, will definitely be back for more...

This is all very techy.

I'm fairly sure when I used to TT as a teenager I'd just ride out to the start at about 70% of flat out then pedal f@@king hard for however long it took and hope not to get squashed by HGVs and then wobble home (usually getting a puncture half way). Fairly sure this is not an approved / modern competition strategy!

That Ridley's insane looking. 8)

Did 28.50, so beat 30 by quite a bit

Nice one mate! That's brilliant for your first go, I'd say. And sets you up for your next one: 28' 00"! 😀

Well done!

Well done mate and it will get easier and faster the more you do. 😆

excellent - feel like you can go harder/faster ?

cheers all. I think the middle third can be faster. Set myself a probably unrealistic target of sub 25 by the end of the summer. Theres one every two weeks on this circuit, so can get in quite a bit of practise.

Well done, that's a good first time. Did anyone talk to you? Did you meet any of the really weird people? And best of all, did you meet any of the old guys who have been doing it for 60 years who look like they're about to die but can still turn out a 25mph average?

28:50 Well done.

I did my first one the other night, 29:50, which i was fairly chuffed with considering the Caithness wind. Looking to do 27min soon. I'm off-shore again tomorrow though so that's training screwed in the A for now. I suppose i just need to beast myself when i'm at home and then try and get some miles in on the exercise bike when i'm at work.

By what you guys are saying, it sounds like every TT has pretty much exactly the same characters. The guys at my local one were almost exactly like you described. Right down to the pushing 70yo dude embarrassing half the field (me included)

I know my local club certainly has all sorts, but all of them are very friendly and welcoming. From young children to the OAPs, all out to have a good time. We're up to about 40 riders average for a weekly rural club sporting TT now. Seems to be more popular than ever 😀

[i]but all of them are very friendly and welcoming.[/i]

no they're not. You have a top five or ten of people who are decidedly odd and say very strange things and are generally unapproachable, don't you?

I was just going to pose the question as I am thinking of turning up and entering our local clubs 12-miler tomorrow night (hilly course) - just a bit doubtful about the reception I'll get turning up on a hardtail with NNs on!

Steady away I guess and see if I can catch some flies in my teeth on the downhill bits...

Interesting this thread has just popped up, I done my first one last week. My club has most those characters as well. I'm very happy with the results of my first time, but any recommendations on improving my time? Can't afford/justify a dedicated TT bike just yet.

Training will improve your time more than any bike

interval sessions.

as per cynic-al - fast set of legs on a shopping bike has beaten all of our club before - he was a professional mtb marathon world cup racer though

my legs were screaming tonight - 10 under the ben sat - 17mile TT last night and a 10 mile TT tonight - horrible headwind most of the way on a circular ... 24:40 - slow but a winning time of 22.40 by a chap who can do sub 20s on a good night means im happy

rest tomorrow and friday i think

my first hilly (611m elevation gain) 22 tonight. Usually just do the club 10s but thought I'd try a longer distance for once. Aimed to go under 1:20 and did it in 1:13:47 so happy enough. Conditions were perfect. Knobblies now replaced with slicks thanks to a spare wheelset from Ton and a cassette from Mr Terrahawk this week.

Ton getting involved with tts...well i never! 😉

Thats a quality effort though......Our 25 course is`nt flat and my best was 58...something(10 years ago)...

Well done 😛

Soory 😳

I have just realised the height gain :!:......EVEN BETTER effort mate 😛

Cheers 🙂 fastest guys were going about 55 or so. I was getting overtaken on the descents while doing 35MPH. The boys with more than 48 tooth and TT bikes/bars were able to really let it go. Fair play!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/33844301

Max speed: 94.6 mph

While I'm sure you've done very well, I'm starting to doubt the validity of your GPS measurements.

Mmmmmmmmm. a little suspect on the max speed!

52 isnt too bad though :wink:......As for bikes etc, see my post earlier in this thread!

Yeh It seems a bit buggy with regards to using an iPhone and Garmin Connect. The app tells me I did 36MPH and I saw 35MPH on the speedo so I know that's accurate enough.
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