10 mile time trial

mousetown

I am intending to take part in my first 10 mile time trial in 2 weeks has anyone got any training tips which doesnt involve a cadence counter and hrm..


keep her lit

Mousetown

jibi

Fartlek

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartlek

And before the time trial make sure you have "warmed up" enough.

george

mossycp

Tomorrow ride 10 miles as fast as you possibly can.
Gentle rides over the next 6 days, maybe a longer one (somewhere over 30 miles depending what you are used to) in there somewhere and put some hard hills in on some of the other ones and have at least one days rest.
Ride another 10 miles as fast as you possibly can.
Same gentle rides etc for the next 6 days. Make sure you have an easy day prior to the 10 mile TT and on the day of the TT.
On the day of the TT, warm up for at least 20 minutes prior to the start. Arrive at the start as close to the finish of your warm up as you dare but don't miss your start obviously! Then, ride flat out for the first mile, ride as fast as you can for the next 8 miles, then for the final mile ride as fast you possibly can. Go dizzy and fall off just after you've finished.
Above all else, enjoy the ride

mossycp

Oh, and always warm up before the "fast as you can" rides.

Jeff Jones

Ride lots!

More specifically a) get plenty of pratice riding on your TT bike or in your TT position. Go over the course, if you have a chance.

I tend to avoid doing efforts at TT pace until the event itself. Maybe a few short ones. I do find riding at sub-TT pace (eg 80% of maximum heart rate) for extended periods to be quite beneficial.

Make sure you're well rested before the event. I find doing easy rides on a Monday and Tuesday before a Wednesday evening 10 (ok, so I've only done two of these) is enough to freshen up after a weekend of big miles. Your mileage may vary, of course.

On the day, make sure you're warmed up but don't overdo it. This will also vary from person to person, but I find if I've done about 10km with a few minutes of riding at 80%, I'm right to go from the gun. Other people benefit from doing a fairly hard warmup. This is something you just have to experiment with.

When you set off, don't go flat out, otherwise you'll find yourself in an oxygen depleted hole after a couple of kilometres.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

notanotherhill

Wheres the event on (club or open event)? Let us know how it goes for you as im going to ride a few TTs next season

SteveR_100Milers

In 2 weeks all you can really do is some speed work, so I'm afraid its intervals and more intervals. Maybe try this:
day 1 ride a 10 mile (or as close to this distance and not less than 7 m iles) flat out as if you are racing - a quite road with no junctions etc is obviously best. Time yourself, there's your marker.
Day 2 do some intervals, find a hill that takes about a minute or so to sprint up or is steep enough that you're pooped at the top, do 5 reps then go home and collapse.
day 3 do an easy 1 hour ride, dont push so hard you get "burning" legs, treat it as a gentle ride.
Day 4 repeat through to day 6, note your time again on your "TT" loop, then reapeat the cycle again to Day 9.
Then do day 10 as day 1, but day 11 and 12 should be easy rides, and also 13.

Don't eat within 2 hours of starting trhe actual race, and most people stop drinking 30 mins before (otherwise it tends to come back up ). As an incentive as you are riding, If you have a computer, set it to average speed and keep trying to keep it as high as possible. Aim for 0.5 mph higher than what you have been achieveing in your "training" TT's

proto

I strongly advise you to think very carefully before you attempt a 10 mile TT. It can be very dangerous territory and you will be getting yourself into something that can only lead to misery.

You'll ride the first one and be disappointed. So you'll ride another and be disappointed. You'll blame it on the lack of tribars. So you'll buy some. Ride another and even though your times are improving you'll be disappointed, you know you can go faster. You need a better bike. So you buy one. Before long you'll have disc wheels, a new all carbon TT bike. Heart rate monitors, power meters. You'll spend every weekend in a lay by just off the A1. Your friends will desert you. Your marriage will become strained, your children will drift away wondering who that man is who keeps a bike at their house.

So be careful. And good luck.

drenkrom

In one of my books at home, there's a nice sample training plan for a 10-miler. The book is "The Cyclist's Training Manual" and it's from Falcon Guides. That plan can be adapted to your own needs. 2 weeks might be cutting it a little short, but it'll serve if you want to do that again next year. It covers many other race types as well. Not the authoritative book on cycling training but a good read.