Short TT tips
#1
Short TT tips
In less than 3 hours..... Going to start in a short (10 mile) time trial through the rolling hills of rural North Carolina. Just looking for general/basic tips and advice. This is my first TT.
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#2
ɹǝʇsɯıʇ
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With less than 3 hours until the event, the only worthwhile advice left is "don't crash".
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+1. I like negative splits and the final 2-3 miles, go like there is no tomorrow. GL
Last edited by kleinboogie; 04-21-11 at 03:37 PM. Reason: no
#8
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Don't go out too hard.
10 miles is not that short, so pacing will be important. If you listen to the meathead "go as hard as you can, then go harder" mentality, you will not be alive for the second half of the race.
Go out easier than you think you should, but still strong. Ramp up the effort for he second half of the race, especially the last 2 miles or so...
although I see i've missed the 3 hour cutoff.... so I'm ready for the report beginning with "I started strong but..."
10 miles is not that short, so pacing will be important. If you listen to the meathead "go as hard as you can, then go harder" mentality, you will not be alive for the second half of the race.
Go out easier than you think you should, but still strong. Ramp up the effort for he second half of the race, especially the last 2 miles or so...
although I see i've missed the 3 hour cutoff.... so I'm ready for the report beginning with "I started strong but..."
#12
VeloSIRraptor
I'm hardly a meathead (sub #150), and those are the things I was telling myself going through the last TT I did, last weekend at a SR.
I'd always kept bits of myself in reserve, ended with stuff still left in the tank, and hated myself for it.
Last weekend I started hot, and kept going harder with every distance-remaining-sign I passed.
I ended up top 10, while last year I was 3.5' down, so I can vouch that it worked for me.
that said, perhaps my issue was that I like myself too much, and hadn't ever really suffered fully before - medicine for one may be poison for another - I'll admit to that.
certainly could be, eh?
#13
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i had a 4 corner 16 miler this weekend with the big headwind on the last leg and the crosswind and rollers on the first leg.
i made a big mental deal of not going too hard on the first leg and in retrospect i think i erred too much in the other direction. looking at HR and thinking back, i was just a lttie too conservative.
otherwise it was a pretty decent effort, but ive been kicking myself since then. i was 25 seconds off the next guy so it probably didnt matter.
i made a big mental deal of not going too hard on the first leg and in retrospect i think i erred too much in the other direction. looking at HR and thinking back, i was just a lttie too conservative.
otherwise it was a pretty decent effort, but ive been kicking myself since then. i was 25 seconds off the next guy so it probably didnt matter.
#14
Resident Alien
My new coach was looking at one TT file I sent him.
"Your pacing sucked".
"I set the course record".
"Nevermind"
The TT was into a headwind the first leg.
#15
VeloSIRraptor
Talking about it with my coach afterwards, I asked if I should have gone out harder on the early head-windy hill.
Yes, I certainly should have, and then done the run-in on fumes for the last couple miles.
I'm still learning how to go hard and long, and that's a fact.
#16
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Hahaha Racer, that's hilarious!
I suck at TT's and your point about knowing when to do negative or positive splits is a good one...I have no clue or more on point guess I never gave it much thought. I'm assuming by a positive split you mean going above target power in the first half or third and so on? I guess I just always tried (without much success) not to fill my legs with lactic acid early on so as not to have to finish with blown out legs.
I suck at TT's and your point about knowing when to do negative or positive splits is a good one...I have no clue or more on point guess I never gave it much thought. I'm assuming by a positive split you mean going above target power in the first half or third and so on? I guess I just always tried (without much success) not to fill my legs with lactic acid early on so as not to have to finish with blown out legs.
#17
Resident Alien
Hahaha Racer, that's hilarious!
I suck at TT's and your point about knowing when to do negative or positive splits is a good one...I have no clue or more on point guess I never gave it much thought. I'm assuming by a positive split you mean going above target power in the first half or third and so on? I guess I just always tried (without much success) not to fill my legs with lactic acid early on so as not to have to finish with blown out legs.
I suck at TT's and your point about knowing when to do negative or positive splits is a good one...I have no clue or more on point guess I never gave it much thought. I'm assuming by a positive split you mean going above target power in the first half or third and so on? I guess I just always tried (without much success) not to fill my legs with lactic acid early on so as not to have to finish with blown out legs.
How you split the course depends on, in a nutshell, where you stand to lose/gain the most time. Uphill into a headwind, you'd aim for a positive split. If it was the opposite, you'd want a negative. Obviously it get's more nuanced.
As far as lactic goes I pretty much flirt with the stuff; I ride into the tinge but not the full blown load. Lactic is actually consumed as fuel and in and of itself not a bad thing. The bad part is it always shows up as a warning sign that the wheels are coming off if you keep down the path your going effort-wise. It's a moving target according to your fitness level, and requires that you train hard enough to hurt for extended periods to gauge how far you can push before the meltdown.
#18
Well! I started by forgetting my speedometer, so that was a bummer, but I think I did well avering 23 mph on rolling terrain, beating some folks who had actual TT bars and wheels, etc (I don't).
I wanna thanks everyone for their advice, and especially the "crest the hill as fast as you can" bit, that helped. There is another next month, and I look forward to improving my time.
I wanna thanks everyone for their advice, and especially the "crest the hill as fast as you can" bit, that helped. There is another next month, and I look forward to improving my time.
#19
Raising the bar
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Since this is pretty close, how do you guys ride in a TT during a stage race? I have an 11 mile ITT before a crit at Bennington this weekend. Never raced in a crit, or a time trial, so this will be breaking new ground. Do you pace yourself any different than you would if you didn't have a race afterwards?
#20
Chado, I'm doing that race too (just asked a question about it in the Twitter feed). I think it depends on what kind of rider you are, and what your goals are for the race, but in most cases I can't see there being much of an advantage to holding anything back in the TT. The fun thing about stage races is that everyone else is just as raced-out and tired as you are.
#21
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Chado, I'm doing that race too (just asked a question about it in the Twitter feed). I think it depends on what kind of rider you are, and what your goals are for the race, but in most cases I can't see there being much of an advantage to holding anything back in the TT. The fun thing about stage races is that everyone else is just as raced-out and tired as you are.
#22
Stage races are a whole lot of fun. Don't sweat the results of any one stage and go into each race like it's a whole new day. My name is Kate and I'm in a blue/white/gold kit and have lots of tattoos--if you see me say hi. And good luck!
#23
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Just think of it as a good warm-up for the crit. In between races make sure you get plenty to eat and drink, and keep your legs loose with some easy spinning. Once your start time for the crit gets close do a few jumps.
Stage races are a whole lot of fun. Don't sweat the results of any one stage and go into each race like it's a whole new day. My name is Kate and I'm in a blue/white/gold kit and have lots of tattoos--if you see me say hi. And good luck!
Stage races are a whole lot of fun. Don't sweat the results of any one stage and go into each race like it's a whole new day. My name is Kate and I'm in a blue/white/gold kit and have lots of tattoos--if you see me say hi. And good luck!
#25
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Chado, based on your question I'm guessing you're Cat5. I'd say, go out and HAMMER the TT if you have any hopes of doing well in the GC. It's unlikely that there will be any time gap in the crit to make up time as it'll likely be a pack finish. Then do as GA says, recovery drink, fluids, and stay loose. GL to you and GA