Why do I suck at TT's?

BillyBobThornton

I've being on rides where I've literally destroyed some people, yet I've asked em what there 10 mile times are and they've done 24's and 25's, my best is a crappy 25:36 last year.

If I went out on my bike, round a 10 mile loop, and kept my HR at 180-185, would that give me the sort of time I'd be doing in a TT if that's the sort of HR I'd be doing in a TT?


Thanks

BBT

jocksyboy

the easy answer is you not trying hard enough.

the difficult answer is a large number of factors influence TT'ing ability. there is a guy at our club who has been a 2nd Cat in his time and races with the A's on the track yet he can't TT to save his life.

MRadd

Simple answer... everyone is different!

I am average with both. Have posted a low 24 doing a 10mile TT, and placed mid to front with road races (yet to win, but we'll see what friday brings).

magicrhodes

Probably because you get bored, lose focus, wonder what your friends are doing TOGETHER, then fall asleep and crash... *ducks and covers*

Team Banana Spokesman

BillyBobThornton wrote:

I've being on rides where I've literally destroyed some people

on hills?

maybe they have more power than you but you can destroy them on hills because you have more power per kilo of body weight even though you could have less overall power.

they could also be more flexible and so are able to get more aero. do some lower back/hanstring/hip/glutes stretching.

Percy Vera

BillyBobThornton wrote:

I've being on rides where I've literally destroyed some people....

Or maybe they use their training for training, and use races to race people.

Back in the day (running), I often got dropped by people who's PB's were a lot slower than mine for 10k. What I found was some people like to wind up the pace (for some unknown reason) on a steady training run, whereas if I had a steady or easy 45min run to do that's what I did.

Or maybe you use too big a gear - you see some people trying to grind a big gear just cos it's a TT.

Maybe they did their times on a pancake flat course - whereas you are doing yours in the Lakes???

There are loads of reasons

Bronzie

BillyBobThornton wrote:

If I went out on my bike, round a 10 mile loop, and kept my HR at 180-185, would that give me the sort of time I'd be doing in a TT if that's the sort of HR I'd be doing in a TT?

Only if it's up and down the local dual carriageway / motorway

Pokerface

BillyBobThornton wrote:

I've being on rides where I've literally destroyed some people, yet I've asked em what there 10 mile times are and they've done 24's and 25's, my best is a crappy 25:36 last year.

Really? Did you LITERALLY destroy them? Did you use your laser gun for this? Nuclear fission? Fire?

andy_wrx

BillyBobThornton wrote:

I've being on rides where I've literally destroyed some people

Literally destroyed them ? Don't you mean 'figuratively' maybe


Being less pedantic...

What do you TT on - your standard roadbike on the drops, roadbike with clip-on aerobars, or specific TT bike ? What are they riding ?
- perhaps your bike/position on bike isn't as good as theirs

BillyBobThornton wrote:

If I went out on my bike, round a 10 mile loop, and kept my HR at 180-185, would that give me the sort of time I'd be doing in a TT if that's the sort of HR I'd be doing in a TT?

- would be useful to see a HR plot for the 10 miles, to see if you did manage to stick at 180-185, or if you kept easing off/pushing harder/easing off/pushing harder/etc

SteveR_100Milers

BillyBobThornton wrote:

I've being on rides where I've literally destroyed some people, yet I've asked em what there 10 mile times are and they've done 24's and 25's, my best is a crappy 25:36 last year.

If I went out on my bike, round a 10 mile loop, and kept my HR at 180-185, would that give me the sort of time I'd be doing in a TT if that's the sort of HR I'd be doing in a TT?


Thanks

BBT

This is pretty meaningless to the rest of us without knowing your HR max. Better off referring to %MHR values - most people that TT ride at close to the anaerobic threshold which is around 91-93% for most trained cyclists. Basically, to put it crudely to ride a 10 you should be smashing yourself on every pedal turn as if you are sprinting to save your life. It should hurt very very much

BillyBobThornton

I literally destroyed them, I was breathing so hard I blew them off the road


Anyway, my HR max is 202 but that's when I push myself so mad I'm nearly sick.

I find that between 180-185 is where the lactic starts to quickly come into my legs and I get the burning feeling proper.

Tom Butcher

I haven't done a mhr test - wore a HRM for a recent chain gang and on the long hill where I was on the limit hanging onto the front boys I was around 172. About 6 years ago on a steep hill in a club 10 time trial I did see 186 but I can't imagine being able to get another 14 beats out of it over that chain gang - so I would say my max is probably somewhere between 175 and 180 ?

Taking it conservatively as 175 I should be able to average around 158-160 for a 10. I have never been able to do that. I can do it on a 20 minute effort on the turbo but I'm absolutely mashing it round at that with no concessions to keeping good form on the bike. Yesterday I went out and did our club 12.5 mile course and whilst I was coming off a hard session the day before managed an average HR of 146 ! I know I can get it higher on a decent day with a number on my back but getting an average of 158 - not sure. Our course is pretty up and down though - keeping effort on the descents - even gradual ones that you pedal down - is something I can't seem to do.

It's got to be psychological hasn't it - on a chain gang I have no problems keeping my HR bouncing between low 150s and low 160s for half an hour.

amaferanga

How does your cadence compare for the TT and chain gang? I did a tempo ride on my turbo last night with 15 minutes blocks at different cadence, but the same power. My HR was about 8-10 bpm higher for a cadence of 95 compared to 72. The 72 block was after the 95 block as well so the real difference (accounting for cardiac drift) may be a bit more.

thiscocks

simple answer- your a censored time trialist.

SteveR_100Milers

Tom Butcher wrote:

I haven't done a mhr test - wore a HRM for a recent chain gang and on the long hill where I was on the limit hanging onto the front boys I was around 172. About 6 years ago on a steep hill in a club 10 time trial I did see 186 but I can't imagine being able to get another 14 beats out of it over that chain gang - so I would say my max is probably somewhere between 175 and 180 ?

Taking it conservatively as 175 I should be able to average around 158-160 for a 10. I have never been able to do that. I can do it on a 20 minute effort on the turbo but I'm absolutely mashing it round at that with no concessions to keeping good form on the bike. Yesterday I went out and did our club 12.5 mile course and whilst I was coming off a hard session the day before managed an average HR of 146 ! I know I can get it higher on a decent day with a number on my back but getting an average of 158 - not sure. Our course is pretty up and down though - keeping effort on the descents - even gradual ones that you pedal down - is something I can't seem to do.

It's got to be psychological hasn't it - on a chain gang I have no problems keeping my HR bouncing between low 150s and low 160s for half an hour.

Yes indeed. On the turbo, anything greater than 75% feels like a biggish effort, 85% feels like a full on TT or alpine climb. 2 minutes into a warm up at a track session, PE is medium breathing, and my HR is at 85% straight away, yet feels comfortable. On a 10TT I have no problem bouncing arond at 90-92%. This of course assumes that my MHR which i found a couple fo years ago and have never bettered, though matched a few times since during a vomit inducing track sprint session.

Airwave

Pokerface wrote:

BillyBobThornton wrote:

I've being on rides where I've literally destroyed some people, yet I've asked em what there 10 mile times are and they've done 24's and 25's, my best is a crappy 25:36 last year.

Really? Did you LITERALLY destroy them? Did you use your laser gun for this? Nuclear fission? Fire?

Would you mount twin lasers on the aero bars end,or perhaps if your like me(old fashioned)retractable spikes on the hubs in a Ben Hurr stylee.The suggestion of using nuclear fission is lunacy,what were you thinking man

Team Banana Spokesman

BillyBobThornton wrote:

my best is a crappy 25:36 last year.

you should talk to freehub. he did the same time last year too.

redddraggon

You probably "suck" at TTs, because you basically do fcuk all TTs, and you spend all your time wanting to do long hilly rides.

dennisn

I'm betting you suck at them because you take too much time to get from start to finish.
This is key in TT'ing. Simply spend less time between point A and point B. This should cure your problem.

freehub

dennisn wrote:

I'm betting you suck at them because you take too much time to get from start to finish.
This is key in TT'ing. Simply spend less time between point A and point B. This should cure your problem.

Will a teleportation machine make me full of TT awesomeness?

dennisn

freehub wrote:

dennisn wrote:

I'm betting you suck at them because you take too much time to get from start to finish.
This is key in TT'ing. Simply spend less time between point A and point B. This should cure your problem.

Will a teleportation machine make me full of TT awesomeness?

Most definately, yes. Keep us informed of your progress on that machine.