I got this idea on Friday night to do a TT on Sunday. It was short–just 15K. I had not ridden, or cared about life, since IMAZ. So time to get back up on the horse. I did my first TT. Had no idea what to expect. Except I knew the wind would be in your face just beyond the tree line. (The guy on the right is has already finished and is staying warm). Here is the track:
Here is the guy whos is about to start right behind me. I think this was not his first, and he did know what to expect. I won’t mention how quickly he caught me, but it did not take long. He averaged about 27MPH.
This is me just after the finish. I ride lower, of course–here I have started to come up, as you can see one hand is still on the aeros and the other is preparing to brake. I use the Jan Ulrich gasping for breath style. I quickly got up to and held a HR of 177 for the 9.3 miles. Coming back with the wind I averaged over 28MPH-weeeee! Next month is 40K. It was fun to go flat out and not try to “save something for the run” or “save something for the next 102.7 miles”.
I guess I need to get a Smurf helmet and wear condoms over my shoes if I am to “pose” this TT thing properly. I was “warned” at the start that the “rules” said I had to wear a jersey with sleeves. I think this is out of a sense of decency–to hide the fact that cyclists don’t have biceps or triceps, or really any muscle connecting the forearms to their shoulders.
I gotta admit, this is a bit of a buzz kill.
I’d always kinda pictured you in a brown bath robe with dinky sandles and a hint of body odor, while you tried to keep everyone you lived with from seeing you forbidin shaved legs.
I always bring my tri suit to the TTs, but they always tell me I can’t use it. Then I see at least two others without sleeves. Although if you end up on the podium they are going to press the issue I bet. Why is it a rule in TTs? I can see it in group rides, i like a little extra on me for the Jr that takes me out, but in a TT?
Isn’t it fun know that the guy taht caught you, you will not see on the run
Shoe condoms, don’t forget to color coordinate them
Short time trials are a BLAST!! Hurt like hell, but in a much different way than you are probably used to. I think you’ll find that you have a much bigger upside than you might have thought. For a TT that short, so much of it is mental - finding your red line and making sure EVERY pedal stroke keeps you there. We have a weekly TT series here (10 miler), and during the first couple I find my mind wandering a bit. When I’m “on”, every pedal stroke is sacred, and thought about. I have a hard time getting my HR over 175 for the first one, but can keep it in the mid 180’s (190 if it’s hot) by the end of the summer and take usually 2 minutes off my time. Hope you do some more!!!
get yourself a full long sleve skinsuit and a set of Nike or Assos shoe covers. I forget where I read it, but long sleeve skinsuits are supposed to be faster than bare skin.
no way, you have to go full poser or you are not an official TT geek
just today I was working the new Hypoxico altitude tent into my budget, hmmm, it’s only $6k so if I just … uh … oh, I guess that leaves no money for food
way too geeked out
now I just have to get fast, 28+mph avg 20k TT, easier said than done
you may have the handle ‘monk’, but I am living the life of one
the swimming flume at the US olympic training center (actually a real swimming ‘treadmill’, not an endless pool) is built inside a huge steel cylinder with a giant piece of reinforced glass (for viewing) so that they could do exactly that: pressurize and de-pressurize the cylinder so the swimmers being tested could swim at various real altitudes (going both higher and lower than the local altitude of the USOTC).
those tents are still highly questionable as to whether they are at all effective at what they claim …
I did a three mile time trial back in '98 against Mike Pigg, Steve Hegg (Gold Medal, '84 Olympics) and John Howard (I think he won Ironman one time in the early '80s and pedaled something like 150mph on a special bike and with the wind totally blocked
Can you guess who finished in 4th out of that group? ;-))
Well done there Monk! I am surprised they mentioned the jersy… It does say “UCI Rules apply” but did you notice the P3s with the seat post turned around? The only thing they really care about is safety-which is cool.
I saw the P2K, but didn’t know it was you other wise would have intro’d myself-or were you ducking me? lol
Yeah, there was some equipment. Guy in front of me had a Trek TTT with Zipp 909s and a SRM. But then, he must have been in the 21 minute or less range, so…
