Time trial training

graememacd

I did my first 10 mile TT recently on a fairly hilly course, my aim was to come in under half an hour which I did with a 29.09. Now I obviously want to do better by at first getting into the 28's.
Does anyone have any decent training plans I could look at? I presume they would be based round intervals using heart rate?

markos1963

graememacd wrote:

I did my first 10 mile TT recently on a fairly hilly course, my aim was to come in under half an hour which I did with a 29.09. Now I obviously want to do better by at first getting into the 28's.
Does anyone have any decent training plans I could look at? I presume they would be based round intervals using heart rate?

Well done on your first TT. Getting into the 28's shouldn't be too difficult, just riding the course more regularly and getting used to pacing it better could knock a lot of time off, also your position on the bike would help in that, just riding on the drops the whole way around could save you a minute.
I do 90 minute tempo rides to build up my stamina and strength and I do intervals based on target speed. This year I want to achieve 24mph av on a 10TT so I do 6 x 4 minute intervals at 24mph with a 4 min rest between. If I can't manage the target speed then I finish the session and come back to it another day, at this time of year I get to interval 4 and have to finish.

graememacd

Yeah there are a couple of things i could do better to get into the 28's like warming up for longer with more intensity and not seeting off as quick as i did last time as its straight into a hill which left me lacking a bit on the flat afterwards. I'll give the interval training a go and see if it brings any results

willhub

My times are not too brilliant, but I used to be doing 25:30 min tens and down to 23:31 for a PB at the moment.

The way I've done it is cutting out club runs mostly, on days of club runs if I don't race I do a 50 mile ride at tempo then throw in some 5 min intervals and just push as hard as I can maintain for 5 minutes. I might do a 10 mile on computrainer or 12 mile as hard as I can maintain.

I think the only way to get faster is to ride faster than the body can cope with, so if I want to average 28mph for a 10 mile TT, then I need to do shorter intervals where I am pushing that or faster. When I ride to where I use the computrainer, I go through Manchester, and there is sections of road around 0.7 miles long, some are shorter, and I set off and just push as hard as I can between the traffic lights and use it as a really short interval, and I try to push as hard as I possibly can for that time.

I've given up with looking into training and just doing what I've said above based on what a lot of people seem to say, I'm close to breaking the hour for a 25 mile TT so am improving this year just doing that. So I guess the main thing is to just push your current boundaries to their limits to increase those boundaries.

simon_e

I'd suggest combining intervals, as willhub has outlined, with longer steady paced rides at a reasonably quick cadence. For the long rides get into the habit of keeping a smooth pedalling technique and relaxed upper body, let your legs do the work. Don't make the long rides too easy - either do a very light 1 hour recovery ride after a hard day or make it a proper training ride, dithering about in between is just a ride and not training.

Intervals I'd do are 2x20 (that's 20mins at or just below the pace you can sustain for an hour) with 5-10mins rest in between. Also try 4x4 - 4 'race pace' intervals of 4mins with 4mins rest between. These should feel OK to begin with but you'll feel ragged towards the end. Do your intervals either on a known loop or familiar stretch of road where you can focus on your effort and not keep slowing for traffic, roundabouts etc. Heart rate can be useful to monitor your sessions but perceived exertion levels is probably better as you learn to ride on 'feel'.

For the race itself make sure you warm up beforehand so you can get up to speed soon after the start; try not to go off too hard but settle into your pace as soon as you can. It's much better to start a bit easy and wick it up. Don't push too hard on the hills so you can still change up and put effort in over the top and on the downs. Keep a steady effort during the race, building in the second half. Good luck and enjoy yourself.

RoadMeridaBen

I did my first club 10 about 2 years ago and did a 28, its a fairly slow course though, last week i did a 22:22 on a windy day, I suppose there must be lots of gains to have because I've never bothered with intervals I just ride the bike at a decent intensity for an hour or so.

Some tips if you want to get faster :-

Ride some more TT's as said above learning to pace makes a huge difference, as will learning the course
Get a TT bike, failing that get some clip on bars
Skinsuit
Aero helmet
Decent wheels (love my corima disk!)
pay some attention to your position on the bike as alot of time can be saved there, your never going to go fast if you look like a brick on edge on the bike :P