TT handicaps - which table is best?

Southgate
Southgate Posts: 246
edited January 2014 in Road general
This summer my club will be running a TT handicap for the first time. Opinions sought on which is the best standard table to use.

The CTT
http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Inf ... fault.aspx

or the VTTA
http://www.vtta.org.uk/information/standardstables.php

Up to 40 years old, no allowances are given. Then the handicap table kicks in.

The CTT gives generous allowances, e.g. one minute 54 seconds for a 50 year old man doing a 10TT, whereas the VTTA is much tighter, e.g. 46 seconds only.
Superstition begins with pinning race number 13 upside down and it ends with the brutal slaughter of Mamils at the cake stop.

Comments

  • JackPozzi
    JackPozzi Posts: 1,191
    Handicaps are normally worked out using your best time in the last 3 seasons (as shown on the entry form), or sometimes from the last season rather than the vets standards as shown in the links.
  • Southgate
    Southgate Posts: 246
    Good point. But the problem is that it's just a club 10 and many riders don't have history so unfortunately that wouldn't work. Part of the reason for introducing a handicap is to encourage more new (but older) riders to get involved for the first time by giving them a chance to be competitive and win something on a more level playing field. So it's the CTT table of the VTTA one.
    Superstition begins with pinning race number 13 upside down and it ends with the brutal slaughter of Mamils at the cake stop.
  • DiscoBoy
    DiscoBoy Posts: 905
    I thought that club 10s were supposed to give you a place to race against yourself?

    Would age/experience categories be a good idea?
    Red bikes are the fastest.
  • Southgate
    Southgate Posts: 246
    ^ Yes, I think they are a good addition and they're easy to include and calculate. The normal scratch race times stay as they are, it just gives the oldsters something to aim for too.
    Superstition begins with pinning race number 13 upside down and it ends with the brutal slaughter of Mamils at the cake stop.
  • JackPozzi
    JackPozzi Posts: 1,191
    The VTTA ones are commonly used often and have recently been updated (to many people's annoyance!), not really sure what the CTT ones are used for TBH so I'd go for the VTTA out of the 2...
  • LegendLust
    LegendLust Posts: 1,022
    Why not make the first event all 'scratch' and work out your handicaps from the fastest time on the night?
    Selling my Legend frame
    http://owningalegend.wordpress.com/2014 ... ced-price/
  • Southgate
    Southgate Posts: 246
    LegendLust wrote:
    Why not make the first event all 'scratch' and work out your handicaps from the fastest time on the night?

    I considered that, but it's a series of 8 TTs, and as not everyone turns up to the first one, it would be a bit hard to organise.

    Also I think the idea is to give everyone a benchmark time for their age category, not their current personal level of fitness. One is an objective measure, the other is more subjective.

    So a super-fit 70 year old who beat his 'age-related target time' by, say, 2 minutes, would beat an overweight 47 year old MAMIL who beat his own (very slow) personal best by the same margin. If the 47 year old wants to win, he has to lose weight / train harder / be more skilful than the 70 year old, which I think is fair. The point is make a real competition.
    Superstition begins with pinning race number 13 upside down and it ends with the brutal slaughter of Mamils at the cake stop.

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