So tried my local 10 mile TT route at the weekend.

NITR8s

Decieded I want to get into TTs and found the local clubs TT route on the net and gave it a shot on Saturday. First go took me a rather pityful 32.38, 2nd go I shaved 17 secs off and came in at 32.21. I know this is only like 18.5mph but everyone has to start some where. Plus I keep telling my self it is a rather hilly 10 mile TT as over the 10 miles there is 197 foot gain.

Is this an ok starting point or will I get laughed at turning up to a tt and putting out this time.

snoopsmydogg

Has no-one else done the route on strava or other generic recording app?

Have done my local 10 mile TT before and it has been done many times on strava by others so could give you an idea of run times but tbh i wouldn't worry about your time and just go for it

napoleond

It's different when you have a number pinned to your back. Seriously.

Grill

My club's local TT route is quite hilly and gains 443 feet. The first time I did it I started too quick and finished in 30:03. The second time I paced myself better and hit 29:27. The third time (Friday) I went out with zero warm-up, water, computer, and I hadn't eaten that day and hit 28:29. It hasn't gotten any easier, but knowing the route and when you should conserve energy is absolutely invaluable.

You can see it here:
http://app.strava.com/rides/18832594#340832713

Bobbinogs

I am not sure that 197 feet of gain counts as a hilly TT route but, look at your time this way...you have the best improvements in performance all ahead of you. With some hardwork, good technique and self awareness (of the suffering/sustainability that you can manage) you can easily start taking large chunks off that time and a proper TT is a great way to track that.

Some old hands at TT have to work half the season to get 30 seconds off their PB whereas you will be able to manage that with a new carbon bottle cage

Oh, which route is it by the way? I didn't think there were any flattish roads down your neck of the wood.

petemadoc

TT's are a very accessible way to start racing. You get a good range of abilities, ages, bikes etc. You can't get dropped. You can set a time and try to beat it next time.

No one will laugh.. get the number on your back and have a go!

danowat

NITR8s wrote:

will I get laughed at turning up to a tt and putting out this time.

No, you won't.

JFDI

nbuuifx

I'm in a similar position to you, partially worried about the thoughts of others when I shouldn't be really. I wanted to get my time below 30 mins before I go and pay my £3 for a proper run!

Ours is classed as slightly hilly - there are certainly easier ones about. Ours is 5 miles out to a roundabout, then back.

Strava shows it as 314ft Elev Gain, it's mostly downhill on the way out with a short sharp hill in the middle, then round the roundabout where the wind then hits you every time as you set off for the slog back to the start.

My first go was on my mountain bike, I got 33 minutes. My second go was one of my first rides on my MTB I got 30:40. I think I should be able to do it in under 30 as my legs was kanckered on the 2nd go. On Strava only 30 people have done it and I'm currently sitting 25th. Top 10 is 25 mins and less. Top place is 22:16.

My target is now to do it in about 27mins. I'll keep having a go every few weeks and see if I get anywhere near. I reckon I could lose a couple of mins if I get a day with no wind.

vorsprung

I've never done a time trial before but for some reason I've entered the local 25 mile one in a couple of weeks.

This has 1000 feet of ascent and I was thinking of it as kind of flat. But then I do live in Devon. I haven't been out to look at the route yet but before I entered I tried going at a maximum effort on another local A road which is similar. I managed 1h19m to do 25 miles, having previously decided that I needed to be able to do under 1h20m if I was going to enter.

Looking at last years results sheet on the ctt web site it seems that my vague hope that I won't come in last seems a bit optimistic

NITR8s

Bobbinogs wrote:

Oh, which route is it by the way? I didn't think there were any flattish roads down your neck of the wood.

Its the wellington wheelers one, here is the route https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=215181235387354287223.0004a1b00a7e4dbc99a64 I think the main issue is the hill at about 5 miles when you turn round at the roundabout at taunton and head back towards wellington. Although I am about 14th on Strava for that hill. However, I set that record when I was really attacking that hill just to get higher on strava.

NITR8s

Just looking at the results and it would appear the mens course record is 21.24, looks like I can knock a lot of my time. Although I suspect that was on a TT bike.

nickel

NITR8s wrote:

Bobbinogs wrote:

Oh, which route is it by the way? I didn't think there were any flattish roads down your neck of the wood.

Its the wellington wheelers one, here is the route https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=215181235387354287223.0004a1b00a7e4dbc99a64 I think the main issue is the hill at about 5 miles when you turn round at the roundabout at taunton and head back towards wellington. Although I am about 14th on Strava for that hill. However, that I was really attacking that hill just to get higher on strava.

I live in Wellington and can tell you you'd be hard pressed to pick a much tougher 10 course, there's over 500 feet of climbing in the 10 miles. I did this TT a couple of weeks back and you're right, wellington new road from the roundabout is a real b1tch. By comparison I go to uni in Leicester and am a member of club there. The course there is out and back along a stretch of dual carriage way and has barely 200 feet of ascent with no actual hills, the welly course is easily 2 mins slower.

Somerset Road Club have an absolute pan flat course out on the levels that I'm sure would be real quick!

As NapD mentioned, you really will be amazed how much harder you can push yourself when you've got a number pinned to your back, so 32 mins is pretty good going!

NITR8s

Thanks I am gonna give it another go tomorrow morning before work, see if I can go a bit faster. I was thinking of joining the SRC but recently found out about the wellington wheelers and as they are closer to my house I was gonna go for a ride with them this sunday and see what they are like.

I will update this post tomorrow with my time I get tomorrow morning.

Gizmodo

Here is the segment on Strava http://app.strava.com/segments/1936809

nickel

Gizmodo wrote:

Here is the segment on Strava http://app.strava.com/segments/1936809

Well thats strange, as much as I'd love to say I did 24:12 I seem to remember it was 26:36, weird!

nickellis

This is my local 10TT.

I've only had one crack at it (not in the TT day and managed 30:57. Was well chuffed as its rolling up hill until the turn, and it don't do up hills so well as downs

I'm going to give it another go now that I've got my summer legs and once I fit some TT bars.

http://app.strava.com/segments/661196

NITR8s

That route is 100m short, but i doubt it took you two mins to cover 100 meters.

Wrath Rob

nbuuifx wrote:

My first go was on my mountain bike, I got 33 minutes. My second go was one of my first rides on my MTB I got 30:40. I think I should be able to do it in under 30 as my legs was kanckered on the 2nd go.

Well, there's your problem. Try it on a proper bike and you'll bring that time down by a couple of minutes easily, especially if its a hilly course. Be careful though, its a slipery road. Next up you'll add aero-bars. Then a skin suit and aero helmet. Then a full TT bike. After that you'll start running out of excuses and have to work on your fitness

vorsprung

NITR8s wrote:

Bobbinogs wrote:

Oh, which route is it by the way? I didn't think there were any flattish roads down your neck of the wood.

Its the wellington wheelers one, here is the route https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=215181235387354287223.0004a1b00a7e4dbc99a64 I think the main issue is the hill at about 5 miles when you turn round at the roundabout at taunton and head back towards wellington. Although I am about 14th on Strava for that hill. However, I set that record when I was really attacking that hill just to get higher on strava.

haha last year I was third on Strava on that segment. I'd set the time on my commuter bike. Now that time earns me the dizzy heights of 107th

nbuuifx

oops meant to say my second go was my first on my road bike.

Not the same course as the strava one above though - not a slippery road

NITR8s

http://app.strava.com/activities/9983139#176973874

Heres the tough bit of the TT, i really need to start using strava again but my current phone isnt even an andriod.

Nickel just noticed you are only 5 secs quicker than me on this part, I will need to set a new time on my new bike when I get a strava enabled device.

slowbike

NITR8s wrote:

when I get a strava enabled device.

Just a cheap GPS would work!

NITR8s

So I managed to have another go last night and caned my previous best time by just under a minute, done it in 31.23 this time. However, at 9.9 miles I got the worst cramp (I think it was cramp) I have ever had in my right calf. It felt like it had snapped and my bone was sticking out or somit. It literally stopped me from peddling with my right foot as I had to unclip and and just continue the last 100 meters with my left foot pedaling. I recon I would have been under 31 mins if this didnt happen.

Anyway my calf is still sore, despite stretching it out after I managed to cycle home.

Bobbinogs

By my reckoning, if you keep making progress like that then in about 2 months' time you should be able to finish the course before you even start it. How good would that be?

Grill

NITR8s wrote:

So I managed to have another go last night and caned my previous best time by just under a minute, done it in 31.23 this time. However, at 9.9 miles I got the worst cramp (I think it was cramp) I have ever had in my right calf. It felt like it had snapped and my bone was sticking out or somit. It literally stopped me from peddling with my right foot as I had to unclip and and just continue the last 100 meters with my left foot pedaling. I recon I would have been under 31 mins if this didnt happen.

Anyway my calf is still sore, despite stretching it out after I managed to cycle home.

I've had it happen a few times. Combination of dehydration and lack of electrolytes (salts) is typically the culprit.

Guanajuato

I did the same yesterday evening on a local TT course. Whilst I'm the slowest on Strava, I'm relatively pleased. My excuses are that I'd already done 10 miles to get to the start, there was a headwind on the outward leg and gusting sidewinds.
I'm sure the fastest person on that segment must have had assistance from a car or pacemakers giving a slipstream. Particularly when you consider that the official recordis over a minute slower

NITR8s

Bobbinogs wrote:

By my reckoning, if you keep making progress like that then in about 2 months' time you should be able to finish the course before you even start it. How good would that be?

If only it worked like that, I am fairly sure the difference in effort to go from my current 31.23 to 30.23 is like 50 times less than to from 28.00 to 27.00. Any how, my aim to get it down to like 25mins(if possible) without any added aero addons (wheels/bars etc).

I am wondering what the cars were thinking when they passed me cycling with my left leg only and grabbing onto my right leg in agony. I would have stopped but I could smell PB and it was so close.

Although I do feel amazed that i tavelled 10 miles at 19.1 mph, i would have never even dreamed of doing that a couple of months ago. I tell you what when I finially go sub 30mins, i fear I might be celebrating like I won a Tour or somit.

NITR8s

Grill wrote:

I've had it happen a few times. Combination of dehydration and lack of electrolytes (salts) is typically the culprit.

I had drunk 500ml of water before I started the TT, i think it was proberbly due to exerting more force than I am used to over that distance. I was really pushing my self up the hills.

Grill

NITR8s wrote:

Grill wrote:

I've had it happen a few times. Combination of dehydration and lack of electrolytes (salts) is typically the culprit.

I had drunk 500ml of water before I started the TT, i think it was proberbly due to exerting more force than I am used to over that distance. I was really pushing my self up the hills.

30 minutes anaerobic will do that!

disgruntledgoat

Grill wrote:

NITR8s wrote:

So I managed to have another go last night and caned my previous best time by just under a minute, done it in 31.23 this time. However, at 9.9 miles I got the worst cramp (I think it was cramp) I have ever had in my right calf. It felt like it had snapped and my bone was sticking out or somit. It literally stopped me from peddling with my right foot as I had to unclip and and just continue the last 100 meters with my left foot pedaling. I recon I would have been under 31 mins if this didnt happen.

Anyway my calf is still sore, despite stretching it out after I managed to cycle home.

I've had it happen a few times. Combination of dehydration and lack of electrolytes (salts) is typically the culprit.

I'm amazed that you've mastered the art of TT excuses before taking part in one. You're a natural!

nickel

disgruntledgoat wrote:

Grill wrote:

NITR8s wrote:

So I managed to have another go last night and caned my previous best time by just under a minute, done it in 31.23 this time. However, at 9.9 miles I got the worst cramp (I think it was cramp) I have ever had in my right calf. It felt like it had snapped and my bone was sticking out or somit. It literally stopped me from peddling with my right foot as I had to unclip and and just continue the last 100 meters with my left foot pedaling. I recon I would have been under 31 mins if this didnt happen.

Anyway my calf is still sore, despite stretching it out after I managed to cycle home.

I've had it happen a few times. Combination of dehydration and lack of electrolytes (salts) is typically the culprit.

I'm amazed that you've mastered the art of TT excuses before taking part in one. You're a natural!

Its a slippery slope, before long you'll be trying to justify buying a cervelo p5