Am I quick enough for Time Trials.
jollygiant
Posts: 117
I've got myself into position that I've been getting quicker over the last year or so and today I averaged 22.2MPH for 30miles on my Jamis Xenith Pro with normal bars with some Tri bars bolted on and 50mm carbon clinchers.
I'm 46 years old and 100kg
Would this be quick enough for a half decent attempt at time trailing before I start spending money on proper TT bike?
Or am I just kidding myself into a mid-life crisis and end up last by 25 minutes on a 10 mile course?!
I'm 46 years old and 100kg
Would this be quick enough for a half decent attempt at time trailing before I start spending money on proper TT bike?
Or am I just kidding myself into a mid-life crisis and end up last by 25 minutes on a 10 mile course?!
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How do you mean? The point of the race of truth is to judge yourself more than anything else. Just ride and enjoy it. You can only put in your best effort and if you do then any time you get is unimportant.0
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Op you miss the whlle point of a time trail. Ot os is a race againsg yourself no one else unlessyou are really good.http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.0
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Dude
You're never going to be Martin or Cancellara. You're not going to come first (or even second).
Get the bike, ride it, enjoy it.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
It's a race against the clock. doesn't matter how fast you are or what bike you're on,0
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22mph over 30 miles is a good pace - you'll be fine on most club TTs - you may not be the fastest but you'd not disgrace yourself.
Try it with your bike first - when you enjoy beating seven bells out of yourself, then get a TT bike so you can beat yourself harder
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To echo the above - do it do it do it.
It's never too late to start either. Personally I'm targeting this record:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-385104390 -
Do it. You won't be first, you won't be last. You'll go faster with a number on your back.0
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Yeah just join a local club that runs 10s and go for it.0
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You dont even need to be a club member to turn up at a Club 10 on a Tuesday/ Wednesday evening.
They will be more than happy to take your 4 quid for your pains.
Turn up, pay up, pin number, go find start off, get there in time for your start time, pedal like stink.
It is about as simple as bike racing gets.
(Take your number back.)
If it is a switched on Club, then a pub/bar is usually not very far away....0 -
I just discovered that my local club (15miles) away have now posted their TT routes on their website, so I may go and find them and Strava them before committing.0
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jollygiant wrote:I just discovered that my local club (15miles) away have now posted their TT routes on their website, so I may go and find them and Strava them before committing.
I don't get this - just go and do it.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
Quite a number of clubs allow a few taster rides before requiring club membership as they recognise that requiring club membership first will put many off trying it to start with.
It's worth rocking up and chatting with them - if it's a club TT rather than an open you'll probably get a ride and time.
You will go faster with a number on your back ...
You may get a few "serious" riders who are a bit primadonna - but don't bother about them - you're there primarily to test yourself and enjoy (the satisfaction afterwards - if you're enjoying it during you're probably not pushing hard enough)0 -
jollygiant wrote:I just discovered that my local club (15miles) away have now posted their TT routes on their website, so I may go and find them and Strava them before committing.
Why? That sounds utterly pointless.0 -
Imposter wrote:jollygiant wrote:I just discovered that my local club (15miles) away have now posted their TT routes on their website, so I may go and find them and Strava them before committing.
Why? That sounds utterly pointless.
Depends how well the OP knows the area - 15 miles away could easily be a TT route where he doesn't know the roads - you can ride a TT without knowing the route - just follow the signs, they're usually simple enough anyway - but I think there's an advantage in knowing the route as not only do you not need to concentrate on/worry about navigation, you'll have an idea where there are any rises/falls and can work out what effort you should put in to keep a reasonable pace but not blow up.
That said, there's a local TT route I'd not be trying by myself as it goes up/down a very busy dual carriageway!0 -
Just ignore the troll folks.
OP, if you want to TT then you are good enough. As others have said, you're not going to embarrass yourself and most cubs are very welcoming of new riders and glad to see people out on rides. I've ridden with a few clubs around the country and several in Glasgow and always found them to be very friendly. There's always a bit of competition and ego between the guys at the pointy end of things and as with all sports cycling can attract some pundies but they're easily avoided.
Definitely ride on your current bike before investing in a TT bike, just to make sure you're going to get the use out of a new bike. I'm also guessing that at 100kg you've a fair bit of weight that you would lose if you got into riding properly? This will affect your fit on a bike and could result in you having to buy twice if you invested now.0 -
'Are you fast enough' is a vague question. As people have posted above - if you can ride your bike 10 miles, then, by definition you are 'fast enough'. If you want to go and ride a local TT route at your leisure, then there's nothing stopping you doing that - but since there's usually nothing stopping you from doing it as part of a club 10 (most clubs will let you ride a few of their 10s without being a member, or without being affiliated to CTT) why would you bother? Doesn't sound like you're using them as training for anything, and nobody will laugh at you for turning up and not being 'fast'. Our club 10 last year used to regularly see a bloke turn up and do it in shorts and a t-shirt on a gravel bike in around 27 minutes, as well as local TT monsters on full rigs and everything in between.
Sounds like you might be a bit intimidated - best advice for that is 'don't be'. TTs are probably the friendliest 'organised' cycling you'll do and you'll definitely be faster with the numbers on your back Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.0 -
Agreed - a local club evening 10 is probably the most accessible form of competitive cycle sport out there.0
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The issue I was trying to highlight is that the CTT state:-
"Entering Events
Whatever type of time trial you are entering, club or open, you must be a member of a club that is affiliated to Cycling Time Trials. Being a BCF or CTC member does not generally qualify you to ride time trials unless your BCF Division or CTC District Association is affiliated to CTT."
Therefore if you go along and are not a member of an affiliated club then presumably neither you or the club are covered by liability insurances etc. and any club allowing you to do this is taking a big risk. That said, the CTT have some ambiguity as they have 'come and try it' events that don't require you to be a member of an affiliated club. What I haven't been able to work out is whether there is anything that needs to be put in place to designate a TT as one of these events or if the organising club can just deem it as one.
The point still stands on who would organise events if everyone took the anti-club attitude. I'm all for allowing a one off or limited taster rides on club runs or TTs but why should others go to the trouble of organising things for people who claim not to like organised clubs?
As for road racing, from personal experience I can say I'm glad that organisers have to follow stringent rules. When things go very wrong it certainly helps that you can demonstrate you did everything that was required by these regulations and more.0 -
I think the CTT rules are mainly about competition scoring and records Pross, but I might be wrong. I've always thought that you could ride (as long as appropriate insurance is in place) but you couldn't compete for rankings, prizes etc.
The point about the anti-club attitude is a very good one, selfish people exist in all walks of life.0 -
jollygiant wrote:I just discovered that my local club (15miles) away have now posted their TT routes on their website, so I may go and find them and Strava them before committing.
...against the flow here, yes i think its a good idea, you sound (understandably) slightly nervous about the whole competing thing, so a quick blast around the course will get your confidence levels up, so you ll be ready to smash it come race night 8)0 -
definitely download and pre-scope it ..... I am joining a club ride in the next month that goes out 7am before work ..... I am downloading one of the routes this weekend and giving it a blast to make sure I can keep up and do the same times ... even though I know I can, It just settles my nerves .. and that's just a club ride ... I would be crapping myself at the thought of Competition
oh the joys of being Neurotic and overly sensitive to stimulus 0 -
Many clubs designate all their events as "come and try it" where anyone can ride. To the OP, I would go get stuck in, if you're not sure if the even is "come and try it" then just message the club and I'm sure they will be happy to clarify. Most clubs are keen to get as many riders as possible (and ability does not matter!) so they will be pleased that you want to ride.
I would always ride the course beforehand mainly so that you can get an idea of where you're actually going - if they're new roads (or even familiar ones) then it's all to easy to miss a turn when you're in race mode. Also make a note of potentially dangerous corners,parked cars, or potholes which need to be avoided etc. And of course you will get some ideas about how to pace, where to push, where you can recover a bit.
But honestly most club TTs are just a social evening with a bit of spirited bike riding in the middle. In fact all TTs are like that really, only difference at opens is there's lots of tea, cake and sausage rolls afterwards.
Just remember don't go out too hard in the first few minutes, you will be buzzing off the adrenaline and nerves and what feels like 90% will actually be more like 190%. Not that it really matters because the first time you're only setting a mark for yourself to beat next time round anyway.0 -
jrich wrote:Many clubs designate all their events as "come and try it" where anyone can ride. To the OP, I would go get stuck in, if you're not sure if the even is "come and try it" then just message the club and I'm sure they will be happy to clarify. Most clubs are keen to get as many riders as possible (and ability does not matter!) so they will be pleased that you want to ride.
I would always ride the course beforehand mainly so that you can get an idea of where you're actually going - if they're new roads (or even familiar ones) then it's all to easy to miss a turn when you're in race mode. Also make a note of potentially dangerous corners,parked cars, or potholes which need to be avoided etc. And of course you will get some ideas about how to pace, where to push, where you can recover a bit.
But honestly most club TTs are just a social evening with a bit of spirited bike riding in the middle. In fact all TTs are like that really, only difference at opens is there's lots of tea, cake and sausage rolls afterwards.
Just remember don't go out too hard in the first few minutes, you will be buzzing off the adrenaline and nerves and what feels like 90% will actually be more like 190%. Not that it really matters because the first time you're only setting a mark for yourself to beat next time round anyway.
This ^
I would recommend doing a reckie of the course beforehand. If you want to ride it in advance, all the better. Unlike at an open event, you are not always guaranteed to get marshals at every junction on a club TT and as above, you don't want to miss a turn and go off-course.
I ended up checking out the course for my first club TT on Google street view. It looks a lot different in real life when your are breathing through your ar*e
I have always found the club TT scene very welcoming0 -
Thanks for all the advice.
After I've tried a couple of their routes and seen where my times are at I'll go and have chat with them at a race and see whats what.0 -
jollygiant wrote:Thanks for all the advice.
After I've tried a couple of their routes and seen where my times are at I'll go and have chat with them at a race and see whats what.
I think what everybody is trying to tell you is that it doesn't matter where your times are at. A TT is a race against yourself.0 -
Our club TTs are "come and try". Non members pay more for the privilege, but they get coffee and cake out of that.
No one cares how fast or slow people are so give it a go. If you do try the course at pace before you pin a number on your back don't worry too much about your time as that number is probably the most effective item of equipment you can invest in to get your speed up.0 -
Imposter wrote:jollygiant wrote:Thanks for all the advice.
After I've tried a couple of their routes and seen where my times are at I'll go and have chat with them at a race and see whats what.
I think what everybody is trying to tell you is that it doesn't matter where your times are at. A TT is a race against yourself.
yup ... that ...
check out the course then, if you want a bit more info on signing on - email the club - then rock up at the TT.
Anything else and you're just stalling ...0 -
Just do it, you won't regret it. Mid week club TT's are a great start and friendly. I am a similar weight and speed and you won't be last.0
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JFDI, FFS!
I started TTing at age 50 and got quickly hooked. Our club has Scottish National Champions and guys in their 70s and everything in between. Nobody gives a sh1t how fast or slow others are. Everyone gets kudos for being there.
My own target before I did a real TT was to do over 20mph solo on an undulating 20 mile ride. Once started I aimed for sub 25. The next season sub 24. This season I'm aiming for sub 23 and a long 59 for our rather lumpy 25. I don't have a TT bike yet.
Everything's relative. You're a very fit 46 year old. I'm not going to win a club TT but I'm a fkn awesome 53 year old compared to most! Positive thinking, young man, go for it, you'll love it!0 -
You guys are lucky. Closest one to me is 3 hours drive away. Looks like it will be a local long and flat road and Strava for me.0
