iainbanks1 wrote:
This is why it is a UK TT record & probably not a "world" record.....the UK TT scene is all about these kind of routes. The local 10 & 25 mile TT scene are all based around fast dual carriageway races where you get potential tailwinds and vehicle drafts. It is why there are a completely different set of championships for the different TT's (RTTC, closed circuit, British Cycling etc)
Some of the reasoning for using the dual carriageways comes from when 60 or 70 years ago the roads were a lot quieter, and also 'proper' road racing was also prohibited in the UK.
(There's a lot of historical bad blood between what is now Cycling Time Trials and what is now British Cycling).
Other traffic rules apply to course setting too, and the quieter roads typically don't accommodate them so easily (eg road speed limit must be 40mph or higher, no right turns, and other stuff.
I hate the dual carriageway TTs exactly because you get too many whaaaankers (in predominantly German cars or white Transit vans it seems) passing WAAAY to close. Great for a free tow, but also for getting killed too.
UK roads don't often have the shoulder to ride on that you often get in the USA.
Dual carriageways are perfectly legal to cycle on here. Its only Motorways (and a few bits and pieces like some specific tunnels etc) where cycling is prohibited in roads.
But I keeping them to avoid being killed too often.