I’m looking to do my first time trial ever this weekend. It’s only a 15K, so I’m curious what suggestions you have on how to approach it. All out for the whole 9.3 miles or what? Obviously some of that depends on the weather conditions, but those aside, what are your suggestions?
Warm up for a good amount of time. 15k, I would warm up for 1-1.5 hours.
Make sure you warm up, but other than that,
Redline it the whole way. You didn’t swim before hand, and you won’t be running afterward, so blast it.
When you hit the eight mile mark, you should have serious questions about whether or not you can finish the last mile. That’s the pace to ride.
Have fun.
You have a power meter?
Heh, not a common piece of equipment, but it helps me tremendously for pacing for short high-intensity (e.g. hills) durations.
If you have a HRM, it won’t do you much good for that short of a distance. At least I find that to be true. I have a 10 mi time trial that my club does once a month. Racing constant power on my power tap, I find the first 5 min or so to be super easy. By the first third, I am suffering pretty badly. Then I race it like the finish is the second third. When I hit that, I am pretty dead, but pull I the last few minutes to finish it off out of somewhere. When I graph the watts, it’s still climbing towards the finish, so I have the legs somewhere. I don’t bother with a water bottle even in hot summer as I’d choke if I tried to drink. It ends up feeling about like an all out 5k run if you’re a runner.
I would say go easy for at least the first minute or likely several or you risk blowing it. It’s much easier to crank it up at the end.
First off, congratulations. You will discover THE BEST training for your triathlon performance from doing these TT’s on a regular basis.
Agree with another poster that a good warm-up is important. Be sure to get in a few hard jumps to get ready for the big push at the beginning.
Check out the course and know as much about it as you can - Where are the hills? What are the turns like? Is it out and back or a loop? Where can I maintain momentum? Where do I need to gear up/down? It’s not all about straight line hammering. Although some TT’s are like that.
It will seem very hard and an all out sprint if you are used to racing in longer triathlons, but think about applying max power to the pedals and being as smooth and as efficient as you can be. Don’t just mash away.
Best wishes.
Fleck
Go straight, really, really fast. If something gets in your way, turn.
Better off Dead w/ John Cusak?
All tips so far are spot on. Warm up and pacing are the critical aspects.
Redlining all the way is an art. You want to go hard at first 1/3 (as hard as you can without blowing up, again, a very fine line to thread), then just over that edge for the following 1/3, harder to a point where you CAN’T handle it more than a few minutes, and then get over that for the last 1/3 of the course. Expect throwing up, passing out, severe dizziness afterwards, though a short event might not get you there.
Don’t expect to get it right on your first TT - this comes with lots of practice and lots of races - and please, leave the throwing up/passing out for the races that REALLY matter.
If you’re going to be doing this often and there is no real incentive to go all-or-nothing at this first event, you might consider to err on the conservative side and as you learn how much “left” you had on the tank at the end, and from there, plan on upping your tempo next weekend. If it’s part of a stage race, it might be that you’ve got a guaranteed top X spot if you just don’t blow up, but on the other hand, first place may be only a handful of seconds away, which you could get back by going all-out, but risk blowing up and losing the podium entirely should you run out of gas with 4-5K to go. It’s all in the strategy…
Anyway - enjoy the ride, the atmosphere, the pain. Share the results and post a picture for us to thread on your position, equipment choice, etc.
Good luck!
Hydration shouldn’t be a problem on this distance. You can probably leave the water bottle off the bike.
Know on the course when the last 1/2 mile is, then give it everything you’ve got so you’ll be spent at the finish. I like to finish strong even if my times aren’t fast.
Something like that. I’m a little shaky on the specifics. What I remember most about that movie is the guy that owns the ski shop being all bandaged up and saying that it looked so easy on the Olympics, how hard could it be? I think of that when I buy the same (or nearly the same) equipment that pros use (for whatever outdoor sport) and then go do something risky with them.
Racing your First Time Trial
Time Trialling is a sport that is enjoyed by young and old alike. Of all the branches of cycle sport, it is probably the easiest to get into as no specialist equipment is needed. Its popularity lies in the fact that every rider can set his or her own standards and, unlike other forms of racing, nobody gets the feeling that they are being left behind. In a time trial, you may finish many minutes behind the event winner, yet have the satisfaction of recording a personal best time. Thus, time trials are unique, in that it is possible for everyone to be a winner.
Let’s get the important bits out of the way first: you have to be 12 years of age or over , you can ride on any sort of bike (except, of course, a motorbike - let’s not be daft!) so long as it’s roadworthy, including a mointain bike, you don’t have to be a member of a cycling club, you don’t need any special clothing, but baggy trousers might get caught in your chain (and will certainly slow you down!), if you’re under 18, your parents will have to sign a consent form, allowing you to compete.
Your first race will probably be 10 to 12.2 miles. It’s not really that far and should take you less than 45 minutes to complete. Riders are set off at 1 minute intervals and timed to see how long it takes them to complete the course. It doesn’t matter who crosses the finish line first, the winner is the rider who records the shortest time.
When you ride another event over the same distance, you should aim to beat the time you did in your first race.
Find out about your local cycling club. You can find more information in the Clubs section.
Start easy, get harder, go too hard, make mistakes and try different things. Having the ability to tolerate suffering is key. A long progressive warm up was the greates performance enhancer I have ever used…
Practice your turn-around to get the right gearing.