I’m doing my first Time Trial race this weekend. Got a few tips in another thread about the race but thought I would start a new one focused on tips for TTing for others.
don’t sprint hard out of the blocks, in turns or a turnaround.
for first few minutes you’ll likely be going harder than it seems, so back it down a notch.
and then around halfway begin the pain
then when you are close to the finish and it hurts to bad to go on
go harder!!
don’t sprint hard out of the blocks, in turns or a turnaround.
for first few minutes you’ll likely be going harder than it seems, so back it down a notch.
and then around halfway begin the pain
if you’re pacing properly (on a flat course without major wind variation) then you shouldn’t need to ramp it up much at any point. i.e.:
well-paced = you’re barely holding target watts or slightly more at finish
under-paced = you’re able to step on the gas and ramp up for last k or 2
over-paced = you crack and lose altitude anywhere from 2 minutes or more from finish
I do a few local TTs every year. Our series is a 15km course, which is an out and back. Out of 5 races last year, I only nailed the pacing once. I really wish I had a power meter so I could accurately gauge my effort. I found that my hr was not reliable from week to week to place any reliance on it.
One of the more difficult aspects to factor into your pacing for out-and-back courses is the wind. For my local course the wind was almost always behind me on the way out. This made pacing mentally difficult on the way back as your speed was significantly lower. So the numbers I would generally see if I averaged 43k/h for the 15k course would be 47km/h on the way out, and 39km/h on the way back. So, I’d see my avg speed continually diminishing all the way until the end - this drove me crazy. I think I’ll turn that display off on my garmin this year.
TTs are pacing strategy and mental toughness.
As others have said, don’t sprint out of the gates. You will pay for this effort later.
Here’s a good article I ran across probably over a year ago and saved:
http://www.racelistings.com/rzone/articles/article.asp?recid=296
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those are good tips, particularly the day before workout. going from tris to cycling, it took a bit to get used to the fact that the workouts in the day(s) prior to a tt or bike race need intensity, otherwise you’re flat on race day. you sort of need to take rest early in the week and then kick your legs back into race mode for the rest of it.
and for race day warm up, this season i switched to two warm ups: 1)really easy 30-min spin first thing in the am to loosen up and get blood flowing. 2) just before the event, hard trainer warm up including a few minutes near target race intensity.
*edit: before roady piles on this one, that’s what i’ve found works for me. on the opposite end, he gets enough warm up going from registration table to start house…
+1 for the advice to “ease” into the time trial rather than go all out from the blocks. Keep mental tabs on your effort during the first 1-2 minutes; this is when the excess of adrenaline in your body is screwing your perceived effort, making an unsustainable pace seem sustainable. So keep it turned down a notch, flush the adrenaline out, settle into your pace from the start.
Some other recommendations not related to pacing:
(1) Ride the paint as much as you can in dry conditions. It is flatter and has lower rolling resistance. However, avoid it in wet conditions, since the flatter surface tends to have a thicker water layer on it (unpainted asphalt absorbs some of it into holes). And obviously ignore the paint if it has more cracks than other areas of the road or when it lies way far from the inner radius in curves. (In other words, don’t let the painted line take you away from the shortest line to the finish.)
(2) On hilly courses power through the final (crest) phase of the climb. I always see people climb vigorously, reach the top, and sit up immediately to catch their breath. Instead, resist the psychological impulse telling you that you’re on top and can relax now, and put the pedal to the metal. There is a descent on the other side, and you can take a breather then.
(2) On hilly courses power through the final (crest) phase of the climb. I always see people climb vigorously, reach the top, and sit up immediately to catch their breath. Instead, resist the psychological impulse telling you that you’re on top and can relax now, and put the pedal to the metal. There is a descent on the other side, and you can take a breather then.
This is such good advice. Get over the hill and give it a few good licks to kick the speed up as you head down the other side. Then capitalize on that momentum to get a bit of a breather. You’ll do it a 32 mph instead of at 28 mph.