Good enough to enter TTs?

LoveMyPaddyWagon

Hi guys

New here but not to cycling. Great new site btw! Wasn't sure to put this in the other forum re competition, so mods pls move if necessary :oops:

Anyway, I have always wondered if I should enter TT races. A few friends say I should, to give you an idea of my fitness and/or performance, here's a few stats from my 'harder' ride last night. And for the record, I'm 31, weigh 165lbs and have been cycling for 15 years. I ride a standard road frame (Orbea Replica 3), on the drops when going against the clock.

Distance: 32.32 miles
Time: 1.36.26
Av. Spd: 20.1mph
Mx Spd: 27.9 mph

Conditions wise there was a stiff head wind for the southerly direction of the route (about 45 mins worth). Route is mostly flat, with a few long false flats. Road surface, well, typical British stuff!!

About two miles of the route in total was leaving my home/returning home through busy traffic, so I would think my average would have been more like 22 mph poss even 23 mph.

I know these speeds are not fast in comparison to seasoned TT specialists ala Hutchinson, but I was very pleased, especially over that distance and I haven't pushed that hard for a good 8 months. I won't enter crit races now as I'm not sure I could dedicate myself to the training for long road races, but hard efforts over 10 - 25 miles I could focus on.

So, for any TTers here, could you offer me any kind of advice please. After all, I don't know what my real world performance is and I never will until I compete.

Many thanks in advance guys.

Anyway, off to watch Tour highlights and to see which T-Mobile rider succombed to that dog! See that wheel buckle!!?? :shock:

SteveR_100Milers

Join a club and do it. If you can average 22 mph over 25 miles you'll not be last. You wouldnty be first either but its pretty respectable. You'd be surprised how much faster you can ride with a n umber on your back, and of course most TT courses are flat and marshalled, occasionally motorists will actually give way to you (as happened to me on Saturday.. )

nmcgann

My advice is just get out there, join a club and race. There is no concept of "good enough" for club TTs - anyone at any speed can ride.

Neil

LoveMyPaddyWagon

Thanks for the advice guys.

For some reason, joining a club makes me nervous, in my case it'd be Clifton CC (York).

I've just mapped out a straight 10 miler (where there are often a few local TTs going on) just to see if I can beat what I did about 2 years ago (just over 24 minutes) on the same stretch.

Yeah aint it nice Stever when cagers give way!!

Oh and sorry about the uber size font, never realised it'd be THAT big!

Elt

Bronzie

Fit a pair of clip-on tri bars and you'll go a fair bit quicker. Practice on them first before racing on them as they take a little getting used to............the first ride may find you all over the road rather than riding in a straight line. The position will take getting used to as well as you are using muscles in a slightly different way.

Be warned though, it's a slippery slope..............you'll soon be stood by the side of a dual carriageway at 6am wearing a pointy hat on a tricked out bike with deep section wheels............all in the name of chasing that PB!

J2R2

Just get in touch with your local club and turn up to one of their evening time trials, which you do not normally need to enter in advance. You sound like you have a good level of fitness already from the training rides you describe.

I have a PB of 21.46 for the Ten (TT bike on fast course and a reasonable day) and I don't think I've ever averaged 23 mph on a solo training ride in my life.

If you turn up for a time trial there wiill be people doing all kinds of speeds; some struggling to break 30 minutes, others aiming for the win and doing closer to 20 minutes. Nobody looks down on anyone else and if you have given it everything and charge up to the finish line feeling ready to vomit you have nothing to be ashamed of!

chrisw12

It's funny how everyone is very sacred of ridding their first tt and turniing up to their first club event. I remember being exactly the same, I turned up to have a look and all I could see was disc wheels and shinny bikes. I was too afraid to ride but luckily a friend encouraged me to turn up again a few weeks later, so I did, but again I dodn't have the courage to ride.I spent the whole winter practising on the course and the start of the next season, I finally plucked up the courage to have a go. A year later I won the series (mainly because I was the only one to turn up to every event.)

Give it a go. You join a club, it doesn't mean you have to go out with them initially.

ajohn9

Yeah mate, just go for it!!!

sub55

chrisw12 wrote:

It's funny how everyone is very sacred of ridding their first tt and turniing up to their first club event. I remember being exactly the same, I turned up to have a look and all I could see was disc wheels and shinny bikes. I was too afraid to ride but luckily a friend encouraged me to turn up again a few weeks later, so I did, but again I dodn't have the courage to ride.I spent the whole winter practising on the course and the start of the next season, I finally plucked up the courage to have a go. A year later I won the series (mainly because I was the only one to turn up to every event.)

Give it a go. You join a club, it doesn't mean you have to go out with them initially.

come on chris, no one in the acme can afford a disc or a shiney bike for that matter.

LoveMyPaddyWagon

Well guys, I've just come back from my first 10 mile TT for about 8 months, and boy, I have amazed myself! I am so pleased. It's still not breaking records, but I was so ecstatic when I stopped my bike and checked the 'puter stats. Here's the stats:

Distance: 10.02 miles (16.12 km)
Time: 24.47 minutes
Av. Spd: 24.3 mph (39.10 km/h)
Max Spd: 28.6 mph (46.02 km/h)

Conditions: Very clear, v light head wind (no rain - break out the champers!)
Road surface: Average, occasional blisfully smooth sections.
Pain Level: please, I just want to stop! Hehe!

Got to 6 miles and it really started to hurt; 4 miles is so far when things are hurting. The max speed I think I could only maintain for about a minute; but I think I should work on this kind of speed doing intervals.

If this is my first, then with training, I know I could put in a very good time. And after this one effort, I already have the bug and just want to beat that time!

Thank you so much guys for the encouragement; so glad I took the chance with the weather tonight, it really paid off.

Time for a nice cuppa tea now

Elt

stevesavage

LoveMyPaddyWagon

I'm a member of Clifton CC and you would be made very welcome at any of our time trials. In fact last week we ran a "come and try it" event based on the Tour de France prologue where we had 40 riders (30 of whom had never raced before) despite the poor weather. See a write up here - I'm the good looking guy in the marshalls bib!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/con ... ture.shtml

We have 2 events left of this years evening series. Next Thursday is a flat 10.
http://www.cliftoncc.org/static.php?content=club_tt

Steve

Ben_H

Good luck with the TTs

I started by thinking about it for far too long - once I'd done one I was hooked - the great thing is you can compete against others but also yourself - personal milestones etc.

Its brilliant

Mark Alexander

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Join a club and do it. If you can average 22 mph over 25 miles you'll not be last. You wouldnty be first either but its pretty respectable. You'd be surprised how much faster you can ride with a n umber on your back, and of course most TT courses are flat and marshalled, occasionally motorists will actually give way to you (as happened to me on Saturday.. )

Don't hesitate, you'll miss the season. best to get some benchmark target times. That's what i've done this year. 10's 15 25 and a 50

By the way.
Steve, where are these 'flat courses' and I'll move there R10/22's about it around our way isn't it? P.s. we ned to start a new un-oficial welsh post!!

MartinL

Mark Alexander wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Join a club and do it. If you can average 22 mph over 25 miles you'll not be last. You wouldnty be first either but its pretty respectable. You'd be surprised how much faster you can ride with a n umber on your back, and of course most TT courses are flat and marshalled, occasionally motorists will actually give way to you (as happened to me on Saturday.. )

Don't hesitate, you'll miss the season. best to get some benchmark target times. That's what i've done this year. 10's 15 25 and a 50

By the way.
Steve, where are these 'flat courses' and I'll move there R10/22's about it around our way isn't it? P.s. we ned to start a new un-oficial welsh post!!

Try the R10/17 on the A40 Abergavenny to Raglan road. Very fast, If the wind isn't blowing.

LoveMyPaddyWagon

stevesavage wrote:

LoveMyPaddyWagon

I'm a member of Clifton CC and you would be made very welcome at any of our time trials. In fact last week we ran a "come and try it" event based on the Tour de France prologue where we had 40 riders (30 of whom had never raced before) despite the poor weather. See a write up here - I'm the good looking guy in the marshalls bib!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/con ... ture.shtml

We have 2 events left of this years evening series. Next Thursday is a flat 10.
http://www.cliftoncc.org/static.php?content=club_tt

Steve

Hiya Steve

Well, you know what, I think I'll come along and do it next week, if that's ok? Shame I won't have my new wheels by then but hey
I don't drive so I'd have to ride up to the bridge from home. Is there anything I need to know before the event Steve? Entry requirements and such?

Is the start at the mini roundabout in Sutton or at the bridge next to cricket pitch? Might do a dry run tomorrow that's all. Oop, just looked at course layout, sorry :oops:

Looks like a good course, know the roads.

Great article btw!

SteveR_100Milers

MartinL wrote:

Mark Alexander wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Join a club and do it. If you can average 22 mph over 25 miles you'll not be last. You wouldnty be first either but its pretty respectable. You'd be surprised how much faster you can ride with a n umber on your back, and of course most TT courses are flat and marshalled, occasionally motorists will actually give way to you (as happened to me on Saturday.. )

Don't hesitate, you'll miss the season. best to get some benchmark target times. That's what i've done this year. 10's 15 25 and a 50

By the way.
Steve, where are these 'flat courses' and I'll move there R10/22's about it around our way isn't it? P.s. we ned to start a new un-oficial welsh post!!

Try the R10/17 on the A40 Abergavenny to Raglan road. Very fast, If the wind isn't blowing.

Its fast even when it is. Which is always. On average, most welsh riders reckon that the 10/17 is the faster of the two overall, though IMO on a calm day the 22 is better simply because there is less of a gradient, and it looks flat even when it isnt so you ride it harder. I struggle with the 2 miles before Raglan RAB on the 17. The MD7 is on the 22 on Tuesday night, forecast so far looks promising.....