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Old 03-29-20, 01:16 PM
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Tomm Willians
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Newbie questions

The gf and I have become interested in TT bike events but don’t know much about it, we have invested in a pair of used Specialized TT bikes that we are enjoying, mine are fit with Zipp 404’s and Vittoria tubulars while she has Mavic carbons and Gatorskins.
Before we actually attempt racing in an event we wanted to know what “typical/average” times would be for say a 20 mile flat course ? I’m 59 and she’s 52 so I’m assuming there would be age brackets ? It would be great to have just a bit of an idea what times are normally seen in these events so we know what to expect and train for. We’ve both concluded we will likely be the slowest ones there (which is fine as a new rider) but it’s nice to chase goals.

Cheers !
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Old 03-29-20, 05:24 PM
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Check out Best Bike Split - it's very handy for estimating course times. It can suck you into a world of .cda testing and chasing marginal gains, but that's fun, too.

I'm not sure there is such a thing as typical or average, but I'd guess ~50 min for a reasonably fit adult with a reasonably aero set up..
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Old 03-29-20, 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Tomm Willians
I’m 59 and she’s 52 so I’m assuming there would be age brackets ?Cheers !
I don't know how it is set up, but if there is an over 60s age bracket, you should have less competition, and may not be behind too many others. You can use the time until then to improve your fitness.
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Old 03-30-20, 01:26 PM
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burnthesheep
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Most TT's are either club run or under the USAC umbrella. Both usually go by category and age category. Usually though, they're not done by age group only. That's pretty common and the only way I've seen triathlons and running stuff go, age group only and "open" classes. Bike racing is a touch different, the age groups for older athletes are also in a category (masters 4/5, masters 3/4, etc...).

Either way, times are super dependent on a wild variety of factors.

Either way the roughest I can say is if it's 50ft per mile or so..........times will be 20-35min for a 10mi and do the math from there for a 25mi TT and so on. Either way, it's going to a threshold effort. So, plan your training accordingly.

If you've got a similar route nearby, do a practice run and get an idea of your time! Zwift or online calculators don't do it justice.

Get ready for the local Ironman triathletes to show up and register as a Cat 5 or Cat 5 masters on a day-only license and wind up with fastest time of the day.
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Old 03-30-20, 08:40 PM
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Tomm -- you didn't mention how much, what kind, and how long you've been riding for. I too am 59 and have been riding since my early 20s. I've done a good amount of tris, some TT. Into my 30s I could maintain 21/22mph for 25 miles of an Oly tri. But I'm not sure I could do that today even on a flat course. So...if you ride a lot. I would say...again depending on how much you ride...look at 17-18mph for that 20 miles. Which I think is pretty close to the pace that burnthesheep outlined above. BUT... do not let that be the determining factor for whether or not you participate. Like I've always told everyone doing a sport for the first time...Tri, TT, running, swimming, etc....Don't be concerned with what place/time you'll finish in. Just do that first one to get a guage of how you might do in the future...and HAVE FUN.

Dan
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Old 03-30-20, 11:38 PM
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Hi Dan

Ive never been a “serious” cyclist. Of course I’ve ridden most my life but only in a very casual- short distance manner with zero competition experience. I’ve worked my way up to 30 miles on flats averaging around 17mph. I’m not entertaining that I’ll be competitive, I just look forward to getting involved.
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Old 04-14-20, 04:11 PM
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At any event like this, it can be pretty enlightening just to go as a spectator and see how things work. That'll tell you in a hurry whether it's a bunch of buff people, skin suits and TT bikes or fat old men or what. Also find out if they're pretty supportive or look at you funny for even being there. If you can find previous event results online, just go out to the course on your own, try it out and see how you compare. And notice the range of results they come up with, too.
Example- several years back, I went to watch some crit races in downtown Dallas. I learned that in that particular race, if you get about a half-lap back, they'll pull you out of the race. On another occasion, I was out riding my Worksman cruiser, ran across a bunch of people riding around a local park, and discovered that was Cyclocross. And they invited me to go give it a shot on the cruiser. I declined, but still, it was obviously a little different atmosphere there. Some of the long-distance time trials (12 hour, 24 hour races) have some very good people in them, but also have a lot of "regular" riders, so anyone that can tootle around the course can pretty much fit in.
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Old 04-28-20, 07:03 AM
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You need to be careful.
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Old 05-01-20, 11:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Tomm Willians
Hi Dan

Ive never been a “serious” cyclist. Of course I’ve ridden most my life but only in a very casual- short distance manner with zero competition experience. I’ve worked my way up to 30 miles on flats averaging around 17mph. I’m not entertaining that I’ll be competitive, I just look forward to getting involved.

Tomm,
"Serious" is a relative term. I think that, at 59 years old, being able to maintain a 17mph avg for 30 miles...on flats...puts you in the company of other riders our age. Go...ride...have fun. I think you'll be in company of equivalent riders. If anyone ridicules you...they're a$$holes.

Dan
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