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10 mile TT how good/bad is this...

abr1966abr1966 Posts: 54
edited September 2009 in Training, fitness and health
Like many it seems at the moment i'm back to cycling after not doing so for 15 years. I'm 43 and carrying an extra 2 stone. My overall aerobic fitness is ok'ish and ive been back on the bike for about a month now. I did a 10 miler on a flat road last week (smooth road surface) in 27 min 14.
How far off club standard is this?
What age is vets in cycling?
Cheers for any info..

Posts

  • grahamcpgrahamcp Posts: 323
    27'14" is very respectable indeed. I assume you haven't been a 20-a-day burger munching couch potato for those 15 years, otherwise you'll be world class with a bit of training :-)

    Vets is normally 40.
  • abr1966abr1966 Posts: 54
    Ta mate,
    Got a long history in climbing/mountaineering so aerobically not too bad but like i say ive got 2 stone to lose and need a new bike as mine is one of those heavy things from Halfords that a mate has lent me!
    It was a flat road with no wind and I was totally knacked after it!
  • SBezzaSBezza Posts: 2,173
    The time is more than respectable, you would probably place midway in a club evening event. Most TT courses are not pan flat however, and are normally out and back. If the course was flat, then the weight of yourself and the bike, will make very little difference to the overall time, is makes a difference if a course is rolling or sporting.

    Vets are 40+ for TT's
  • simon_esimon_e Posts: 1,701
    abr1966 wrote:
    I did a 10 miler on a flat road last week (smooth road surface) in 27 min 14.
    How far off club standard is this?
    How long is a piece of string?

    27:14 isn't a bad time on its own but means little without context. You're supposed to be knackered by the end of it so it sounds like you got that bit right ;)

    A time trial is really about racing against yourself, club standards are handy goals but not necessarily relevant. The answer is just to do a club 10. Unfortunately most clubs will be finishing their 10 mile season now but some may run on weekends. You can work on your weight and condition over the winter.

    Bike weight is less important than some people (weight weenies and salesmen) will have you believe, but losing weight yourself should make you fitter as well as lighter. Lighter, quick rolling tyres and a good aerodynamic position will help, so you could start there, but the engine makes the biggest difference.
    Aspire not to have more, but to be more.
  • PokerfacePokerface Posts: 7,960
    Don't forget that you tend to go faster when in actual race conditions (the 'number on your back syndrome") so your time will improve over what you've measured.

    You might try and ride an actual TT course (not just a random 10 mile stretch of road) to see how you do. If you have a local club - find out where they do their TT's - and look on their website for results so you can get an idea of what time other people were riding the same course in. And check the results for a few different weeks (as course conditions change week to week - as do most people's times).
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