time trial advice

kxmtrc@btinternet.com
kxmtrc@btinternet.com Posts: 2
edited March 2010 in Amateur race
I am competing in a tri club time trial next week- having never entered anything like this before,as my cycling background is mountain biking. I think i may need some advice/ ideas as to what to expect.

thanks
k.

Comments

  • Chrissz
    Chrissz Posts: 727
    What's the distance? I'm guessing it's a club 10 (i.e. ten miles)?

    Basically, get well warmed up first, start off reasonably hard and settle into a pace that feels just below your limit. It's only about 25 - 30 minutes of hard graft (less if you're fitter/faster) so go for it and have fun :)

    If you can, recce the route beforehand and try to work out where you can ease up slightly and where you need to put the hammer all the way down.

    Mostly, enjoy it :lol:
    http://coastalcommando.wordpress.com/
  • andyrr
    andyrr Posts: 1,819
    If you ease up you're losing time ! Ideally your pace / effort will be constant for the whole distance but that's a bit easier said that done.
    Where you can have a slight respite is things like roundabouts, corners etc as you are forced to ease off pedalling. Hills should be taken with the mindset that you aren't racing TO the top but you need to get OVER the top otherwise it's so easy to batter yourself up the hill then spend the rest of the race recovering. A recce, if possible, is a good idea, ideally on the bike so that you can check out specific lines to take, to avoid holes etc.
    Try to ride in as aero position as you can manage, ie tri-bars (if you have them) or on the drops if you don't : this is something you'll need to have trained at since this can be a harder position to maintain than the position you'll likely normally hold.
  • DanEvs
    DanEvs Posts: 640
    Don't go off too hard, the best advice I can offer...
  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    Always pace yourself, even in an event as short as a 10. Take it relatively easy at the start, and slowly build the speed up. As you are fresh at the start it is easy to over cook it, and then spend a few minutes recovering, and hence losing time.

    Up hills ease back ever so slightly so you don't go in the red, you want to be able to go full pace down the other side, and if you have gone into the red going up, it will take a few minutes to be able to go full bore down.

    As above only ease off for the turn, or sharp bends, other than that keep the pace and effort up.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Welcome to the forum K. Don't know the distance but I do agree with getting a good warm up regardless. Get down on the drops if you are using your road bike and make sure your tyres are up to a decent pressure, which can help over short courses, where all out speed is more of a priority than comfort. Good luck, I hope you enjoy the event.
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    About the best I can offer is
    kill any slack time on the course i.e.
    never freewheel, always pedal

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