200km 12 man TTT

short_legs

Greetings peeps,

Just looking for your input on tactics for doing a 200km 12 man time trial.

The course if flat to rolling with two medium climbs within the first 40km. Feed zones are at 60km, 100km and 160km and the time is taken on the 6th rider.

Normal road bikes without TT bars are the only mechanical constraint so I'd like some advice on kit and tactics for instance how the paceline should form over the whole distance? (e.g. single to start or finish, double initially changing to single later on as the riders fatigue).

Thanks,
SL

short_legs

tough question for a country full of TTers..... :roll:

andyp

Go and ask on a South African forum then! :roll:

I think expecting an answer in a little over half an hour is somewhat optimistic, especially on something as obscure as a 200 km 12 man TTT.

nick hanson

Just ride it like a road race break,I'd have thought.
ie through & off/echelon,etc,depending on wind direction

short_legs

Single or double paceline for the whole 200km or split it?

TDF TTT run single pacelines but their distance is shorter hence my request for advice.

GiantMike

While I can't offer any advice, that sounds like a great deal of fun. Be sure to let us know how it went and any advice for future events.

Bronzie

Short Legs wrote:

tough question for a country full of TTers..... :roll:

You may have more success at:
http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/

But I've never seen advertised in the UK anything more than a 4-up TTT so unlikely anyone will have direct experience of riding in such a large group.

jibberjim

Also expect the biggest problem would be finding 12 guys of similar enough ability that the strong can still do some work, whilst others are not overstretched simply hanging on.

I fear a paceline will get like a lot of handicap races here, where the strong ones end up either doing well under what they're capable of, whilst others are pulling through nicely. Or the strong ones do what they should whilst others are raggedy all over the place making the whole thing a mess.

I'd probably plan to deliberately blow up 4 weakest guys doing all the work for the first 50km or so, and then have the 8 left to work a paceline once those guys are dead. Just having the weakest hanging on at the end, or slowing the overal line will be a mistake.

short_legs

thanks jibberjim for your pointers. The team will be on similar levels fitness wise, with only 3 ringers who ride semi-pro here.

Your advice on ditching the 4 weakest riders is sound but 2 things come to mine: the time of the team is taken on the 6th rider across the line and there's a big cash prize for the fastest finishing 12 man team.

So I guess this conundrum will only really be sorted on the day, depending on if the expected time warrants us to ride for the fastest possible time or to finish as a unit.

I'm keen to hear advice on how we should run the pacelines and the merits of saving fresh legs till later in the race.

I'll have a nose on the timetrialling forum, but they can be a odd bunch