What's the best way of training for 10 mile TTs?

wilwil
wilwil Posts: 374
edited September 2008 in Training, fitness and health
I was wondering what the most effective way of training for 10 mile TTs is using a Tacx Flow turbo trainer. At the moment I'm trying to simulatie the gradients of the next course and just riding for 10 miles as fast as I can. Is there a better way? If I can do a 25 minute (don't laugh) on the trainer should the real thing be similar?

Comments

  • Mog Uk
    Mog Uk Posts: 964
    You need to be doing intervals. Do a search on here for '2x20' and it will bring up loads of threads for you to read....
    Manchester Wheelers' Club
  • stevewj
    stevewj Posts: 227
    wilwil wrote:
    I was wondering what the most effective way of training for 10 mile TTs is using a Tacx Flow turbo trainer. At the moment I'm trying to simulatie the gradients of the next course and just riding for 10 miles as fast as I can. Is there a better way? If I can do a 25 minute (don't laugh) on the trainer should the real thing be similar?
    depends on the resistance you have on the turbo, also wind resistance on the road plays a massive part, so short answer is (IMO) no - actual time will be slower.
  • Cougar
    Cougar Posts: 100
    I'm not a coach but I have won many open 10 mile TT's although that was a long time ago. My approach was to prepare winter and early spring with a combination of endurance rides in low gears @ +100 rpm and once a week do interval training on the rollers.

    10 minute warm up followed by 30 second sprints in top gear @ 120 rpm, 30 seconds rest x 5 with 90 seconds break between sets for as many as I could manage until the effort became too difficult to maintain.

    Then 3 to 4 weeks before racing include longer intervals on the road, twice a week 7/8 minutes with 2/3 minute rests x 2, then increase to x 3 and then to x 4 @ 100 rpm. Your body needs to adjust to a high level of effort that you can only sustain for 25 minutes .

    I found the best way for me to train was to focus on the speed first and then to stretch the time I could sustain it for longer and longer periods. Before your race day then taper off your training by just easy pedalling for 2/3 days to so as to be at peak form.

    In the race itself focus on smooth riding, keep the cadence high and maintain good form and technique right to the end. I'm sure that there are many who will totally disagree with this method so I'm not advocating you should do this yourself.

    2 x 20 minutes @ whatever % of whatever threshold seems to be the fashion and no doubt others will be along very soon to enlighten you on this.
  • nolf
    nolf Posts: 1,287
    My plan for the coming year is to either do 2 intervals on a shorter version of the local TT course, or 1 lap of the 10 mile tt course. It's about 15 miles away so a ride there and back for a warmup, then dump some stuff and the intervals. Then cool down ride back.

    In fact I'm hoping to use circuits a lot more this coming year, warmup rides out then hilly circuits at tempo/hard for hill training, then flatter circuits for intervals.
    "I hold it true, what'er befall;
    I feel it, when I sorrow most;
    'Tis better to have loved and lost;
    Than never to have loved at all."

    Alfred Tennyson
  • hothead
    hothead Posts: 123
    wilwil wrote:
    I was wondering what the most effective way of training for 10 mile TTs is using a Tacx Flow turbo trainer. At the moment I'm trying to simulatie the gradients of the next course and just riding for 10 miles as fast as I can. Is there a better way? If I can do a 25 minute (don't laugh) on the trainer should the real thing be similar?

    I dont think anyone would laugh if you did 25 mins for your first TT's, infact for someone new to TT's thats a very good time. Club evening events is a good way of training for Open events and if your not a member of a club you can just turn up for some Club night TT's and try it (Depends on the club). I am in my first year of TT's and only just got to 25 mins but have to be honest it is a whole lot different than the turbo and wind is something the turbo cant create!

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