Nate552

I'm just curious as to how many of you have broken the 1 hour mark for a 40K TT and what your watts were (if you know it). I know courses make a difference, so this isn't scientific, I'm just curious. Anyone broke 1 hour with less than 250 watts avg?

Grumpy McTrumpy

I have broken the half-hour on a 20km TT with 244 watts average. My position is pretty good but there are still a few improvements I could make.

procrit

One of my TTT teammate's did 59:22 with just under 240 watts on a closed course at Texas Motor Speedway.

esammuli

I did 50:58 @282 watts on a ~37km loop. Based on that it would have been ~54:50 minutes for a full 40km.

reef58

This made me feel a little better about my output.

The cycling blogger Alex Simmons has a great article on the current Masters Men (35-39) Hour Record holder Jayson Austin and his power output over his attempt at the Master’s record in 2009. Jayson’s average power output was 302 Watts over the hour he rode.

I know I suck, but not as badly as I thought before I saw this.

Richard

Grumpy McTrumpy

he must have had amazing aerodynamics

esammuli

0.185m^2 according to the article.

https://alex-cycle.blogspot.com/2009/...-of-power.html

spinwax

This thread got me thinking. Don't these numbers look really low?

Bradley Wiggins - Tour de France, stage 1
Time 1:42
Dist 30.95
Average power 213 watts. Boy, that sounds really low????

esammuli

Looks like that includes warmup and cool down.

spinwax

Yeah, I probably should have looked at the profile...

I wish they would break it down more. I wonder what his actual race numbers were?

grolby

!! There is hope for me, yet.

Ryon

I've broken the hour on the 40K. It's not all that difficult with the proper training. And by proper training, I mean going out and practicing time trialing. Not intervals, not going hard for a minute or two, but practicing holding your threshold for 30+ minutes. Work on seeing how low you can get in your position. I've found sort of a sweet spot in mine, where breathing wasn't affected too much.

As a general rule of thumb (and which I can confirm personally) the aerodynamic advantage almost always outweighs the power loss by a more aero posistion. I use the term "power" looseley. I'm a poor grad student that can't afford power meters. But I do have flat roads, a trainer, a HR, and a stopwatch. It's really all you need.

Adjust your position SLOWLY. Give your body time to adapt to new positions. You'll get faster by just spending more time in the TT position.

Another thing to practice is pacing. There was a very good article I read recently about the time advantage of holding back the first 3 miles or so. Also, be sure to practice your start. Practice coming into rhythm.

I personally find it hard to believe the determinism of Power. There are so many more factors than just a number to describe how fast you go.

ridethecliche

Likewise. Though I guess your cda is a lot lower than mine seeing that I've put on like 15 pounds since last spring...

king-tony

I've done it a few times on rolling-hilly courses, but never under 300 watts. I think a flat course with no wind I could probably do it around 280-290 and I am 6-4. Someone that is really slick could do it under 250. I'm sure I would hate them, but they could do it.

jrennie

I can go low 52s on under 300w. Closest I got to an hour in a 40k was 57 minutes on 260w.

YMCA

This thread is fascinating. It is amazing how much better a TT'ist can be through better position and aero equipment. Not a fan of aero trumping ability, but it's the way the sport has gone.

I have a teammate that does 53' on 330w and is sometimes neck and neck with another guy that put out ~ 410w for similar times. My teammate is obviously much more aero.

El Diablo Rojo

My new bike with some advice from Racer Ex has dropped my wattage and lowered my times. I'm using the same wheels but the 3T Ventus aero bar has me lower and my arms closer together than the Reynolds Attack bars. My elbows are closer to knees now as well. In few weeks Ex and I going to set me up with the same set up he has and I think this will see a further reduction in time at the same wattage.

currand

You might try one of the cycling power calculators (such as this one). Since many TTs are on out and back courses you can (in theory) use little to no wind and an average slope of 0%. I don't believe these calculators take other things into consideration such as disc wheels, aero helmets, etc.

Regardless, given the above inputs you can ride a 40k TT in under an hour assuming you weigh less than 170lbs (at 250W). Using 0% grade and no wind, I came within a few % of my actual time, given my weight and power output, from my last 20k TT.

Racer Ex 

I'd say that's off the mark. The more aero positions tend to drop wattage from what you might produce in your "road bike" position. Some considerably, so you need to start from a position of strength.

It's a balancing act to find the right blend of power/aero, and it takes a lot of time and effort to be able to adapt to a really efficient position.

And a good aero position does nothing towards pacing, and the discipline to ride on the rivet without going over, or losing focus. TT's aren't won strictly on aerodynamics, just as road races aren't won strictly on wattage.

jrennie

330w avg was my goal for districts but got sick right before. I figured if I hit that mark the result would have been 50:55-51:15. Little details add up to a lot on the TT bike.

ElJamoquio

My aero position gives me ~10% less power than my climbing position. It works for me.

I did ~56:30, I think, on a 40K. (Actual 57:xx on a 41k). 280 watts.

Nate552

Interesting stuff. I have only done 1 40K TT, and that was such a hilly course ( 10% climbs) that I don't think I can use it as an indicator as to how I'll do on the Flat State TT course next weekend. But, I have done a couple 20K TT's (Horse Country TT) and managed 24.3 mph at a measly 203 watts avg. I'm hoping I can bump that up to 25+ mph to break the hour mark. I was curious what the lowest wattage someone broke the hour mark at.

ElJamoquio

What category did you race?

AlexTaylor

Damn! I did a 26.12 minute club 10 miler a couple of weeks ago and average was 290w.

I need to get my ass down the wind tunnel!

KendallF

I did 1:01 on 250 watts average a couple of months ago, and I'm built like a tank. My power sucked but I guess the position's not bad.