First Time Trial

JackTar

My first TT is on Tuesday and I am riding it on my road bike. It is 5 miles and has some very short hills can anyone give me some advice?

Gizmodo

I wanted to do my first TT on New Year's Day as well, unfortunately a PET scan on Tuesday means I can't. May I ask where abouts in the country you are?

danowat

5 miles? pedal like f**k

Just get a decent warmup and try to get to the line a few mins before your start time, and hit it, it will hurt, but it will be over quickly

Pigtail

The advice I've seen given on here before is PLF. Where the first two are Pedal Like .... and I'm sure you can fill in the blank.

Perhaps more constructively don't kill yourself at the beginning. There's something about having a number pinned to your back which makes you go harder, sometimes too hard. We have a 10 mile course we use for our confined TTs with a pretty steep hill about 1.5 miles in. Every time I've done one I've said to myself 'Don't kill yourself on the hill, don't kill yourself on the hill, Don't..... Every time I do it I go into the red on the hill and then find it hard to get back. If its out and back try to do the second half faster than the first.

If your experience is anything like mine; it will be over in a flash, you'll be annoyed at the mistakes you've made and you wont be able to wait until the next time.

Enjoy and good luck.

markos1963

The shorter the TT the longer the warm up. Minimum of ten miles I reckon

ForumNewbie

I didn't realise you could get TTs of only 5 miles, but I am guessing the most important thing on such a short TT is to do a good few miles warming up beforehand.

markos1963

ForumNewbie wrote:

I didn't realise you could get TTs of only 5 miles, but I am guessing the most important thing on such a short TT is to do a good few miles warming up beforehand.

They aren't unusual and are often either hilly events or a 'come and try' type event.

danowat

ForumNewbie wrote:

I didn't realise you could get TTs of only 5 miles, but I am guessing the most important thing on such a short TT is to do a good few miles warming up beforehand.

Not many of them, but they are generally at the beginning or end of the TT season, or off season, I hate em!

JackTar

Gizmodo wrote:

I wanted to do my first TT on New Year's Day as well, unfortunately a PET scan on Tuesday means I can't. May I ask where abouts in the country you are?

I live in West Sussex. It is a Brighton Excelsior event.

giropaul

New Year's time trials are usually fun and social events , where no-one bothers too much about times (equally, the time won't normally count on a future entry as it's only a 5). Many feature fancy dress. Just turn up and have fun; there's plenty of time for more serious time trailling come the Spring.