Home Chat General Chat

10 mile TT

Joined the local tri club and have been invited along to do a 10 mile tt tomorrow night. This will be my first time, so has anyone got any tips? Guess its just a case of head down and pedal like mad for 10 miles?!

Comments

  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Treat it as a learning experience! i.e. don't worry too much about times etc.



    Do you have any idea of the course? It is always a good idea to have a look - think about what gears to use, where - it really helps to know when hills, bends and potentially dangerous junctions are coming up - it's a bit like working out the racing line - but more for safety's sake! Knowing when the top of the hill is coming helps as well.



    Keep the effort up and constant - it's only 30 minutes. Don't kill yourself on the hills - just keep it the same - also on the downhill bits - keep the effort constant, and high - this means you'll slow a bit going up hill, but speed up going down. Never slacken or freewheel - keep the pressure on!



    Get a feel for what the wind conditions will be like. Don't be put off by a strong headwind - it's out and back so it will only hurt in one direction (actually, you'll probably find that somehow the headwind is strong in both directions [:)]).



    Unlike a tri, there should be someone holding you when you set off. i..e you arrive at the start a minute or two ahead of your time (make sure you have synchronised your watch with the timekeepers). Then get clipped in and into the start after the rider in front has gone. Then you have the calm before the storm. You sit there - in the right position and right gear to power off from the line and get into race position. You hear the timekeeper start to count down.. then go go go!



    Have fun! (It's a long time since I've done a TT - but I doubt it's changed that much).



    P.S. It's actually "Head up!" - it's all to easy to get the head down and plough into an on coming vehicle or other hazard. Seen it before. Results aren't pretty (riding head down used to be (and probably still is) a DQ offence).
  • tomtristomtris Posts: 135
    Cheers Jack,



    Yeah I know the course as its local. Its fairly flat too. Mostly on A roads.



    I'm looking forward to it! Any idea on what time I should be looking at? I'd say I'm a fairly experienced rider

  • MowfMowf Posts: 272
    Give it hell and see what happens.
  • willieverfinishwillieverfinish Posts: 1,381
    What do you think you can do time wise ?



    Get an idea of time then take 3 min off it. Aim for that. ( what do I know - never done one in my life - I would be crap)



    Tame that beast. Best of luck

  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Any idea on what time I should be looking at?


    Does the course have a code - i.e. a ratified approved CTT course - it's a letter followed by a few digits. The letter is your region (V is for Yorkshire, U is for the southwest for example).



    if so, then you can rummage around looking for other events on that course.

    It may be that the club also has results processed.



    In the most general terms, you want to be sub 30 mins. This means > 20mph. It's the equivalent, say, of a sub 50 minute 10K road race.



    If you can do that, then you can hold your head high and say you are a "racer" rather than a "tourer".



    A lot of it is about technique and approach - being able to unlock your potential. Don't be dismayed if you don't perform how you want to though - it just means that you have something to learn.



    Sub 24 is very very very good (25 mph).



    Sub 20 and you are in the wrong sport [:)]



    I'm planning on my first (modern era) TT on 16th. Again, a club friendly. I'm really worried that I will miss the 30 min mark - even though I could do that easily when I was 14 or 15, with only really doing running training! I'm hoping that my training performances will not match the race one! But, as long as I don't keep the people waiting around to long, I will have a go - nothing like overcoming the fear of failure - even if I do!!!

  • First timerFirst timer Posts: 139
    Tried it for the first time last week, all i can suggest is HEAD DOWN ASS UP![:D]
  • tomtristomtris Posts: 135
    So somewhere between 25 and 30 mins is OK then. Cheers First Timer. How did you get on?



    I found results for the TT course in question and the fastest is around 21mins...yeash!

  • First timerFirst timer Posts: 139
    I managed 26.34 I was pleased with that and i was by no means last. Tomorrow going to try a 27mile group race around a 5 mile loop, could be interesting on the bends. Doing all this with the local cycle club to try and improve my tri cycle legs. The speeds are definatley up when with the group.
  • tomtristomtris Posts: 135
    conehead: oxygen debt?! sounds dangerous..... look forward to heaving.... ;)



    first timer: sounds like a good time! yeah I'm trying to increase bike speed and took suggestion from here

  • apana790apana790 Posts: 76
    make the first 2 miles ur slowest nd th last 2 your fastest, you dont want to go over th top in th first 2 miles. I managed a 26.05 on a relatively hilly nd slow course. Here's an article on how to TT the 10 miles http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_factsheets/constant/ttstrat.htm
  • BmanBman Posts: 442
    Good article! Not that Ive done a TT, but I guess I do that first example in tri's and go out too hard and face the consequences later on. Control!
  • apana790apana790 Posts: 76
    i was riding a la coneheads advice at the start of th yr nd only managed around th 27 minute mark
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    First timer wrote:


    Tried it for the first time last week, all i can suggest is HEAD DOWN ASS UP![:D]



    No! No! No!



    Quote from the rule book - the simplified version:



    "Head down riding is another major hazard as the rider will not see an obstacle on the road.... if the rider is found to have contravened this regulation then a suspension from competition is normal"



    That's assuming that you've not just spread yourself over 5 pages of the injury porn thread.



    Joking aside, I've seen the remains of a "head down" time trialist being scraped into an ambulance. The outcome wasn't good. It is a memory that has remained with me.



    So: HEAD UP! You can do whatever you want with your ASS, it's usage/abusage is unregulated.

  • MGMG Posts: 470
    10 mile TT = 100% effort



    If you are not physically sick when you finish you havnt tried hard enough!!



    Dont pace yourself, just hammer it!!



    I'm not being sarcastic either!!! 10 mile TTs aren't about taking it steady or regulating your pace, they are about mullering yourself for however long it takes............
  • apana790apana790 Posts: 76
    it's all about not going into the red zone in th opening miles nd thn absolutely hammering it for th rest of th course. Took 10 seconds off my pb tonight so quite pleased[:D]
  • tomtristomtris Posts: 135
    Had a great time at my first 10 mile TT last night. There was a strong breeze coming diagonally accross the course which didn't look promising.



    Turned up and got my number and had a chat to a few of the very friendly riders with their mean machines. I have never seen so many 40-60 year old men with so much Carbon!



    Got together with the other four members of the tri club who regularly do this TT for training and headed over to the start point. Went off and settled in to a good pace and managed to stay around the 23-25mph mark, stayed as tucked down and as aero as possible for thr majority of the route, apart from a couple of short climbs.



    Really pushed the last mile or so and gave it my all. According to my 'puter I got 28.10, but have just checked online and official result of 27.50, 20th out of 27.



    I didn't hang around after I finished as we were off to the pool for a 2km swim, which after the TT was quite pleasant!



    Averaged 21mph for the course which I was pleased with and this has certainly given me something to improve on. Think I will schedule this TT into my training once every fortnight.



    I would recommend local TT's to anyone if you havent tried already!

  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Good stuff!



    Any obvious areas for improvement?



    Were you able to concentrate for all 28 minutes?



    Did you feel short of power, or short of breath?



    What gearing did you use? Did you have a cadence strategy?
  • tomtristomtris Posts: 135
    I think the main area for improvement would have to be 'cycling'



    [;)]



    Only joking. I think my saddle may have slipped slightly over the last week or so as I felt a little low and lacked a bit a power so will have a look at that when I get home tonight. Gear selection and timing needs some work also I reckon and I need to try and push the harder gears for longer.



    Concentration dropped off around miles 7-8, then picked back up again when I heard the Shwoosh of a disc wheel coming past me.



    Breathing was laboured fairly quickly, but gave me a good rhythm and got into a steady breathing pace around half way.



    I've just got a standard road bike which next to the other bikes looked like a Skoda.

  • well done tomtris, Arundel sprint now tt , is that a chichester club you did it with ? I was thinking about having a go at one of the worthing ones



    And I will aim to throw up before I start, to keep the forum happy
  • tomtristomtris Posts: 135
    Hi tummymustgo, yeah I did the Arundel Tri independantly but have started training with the Chichester Wetgate Triathlon Club CWTC, though not a full fledged (paid) member yet! ;)



    The TT is just the otherside of Arundel, so not too far from yourself and is every Thursday night. Its organised by Bognor Regis Cycling Club, but I believe anyone can turn up. £3 entry!

Sign In or Register to comment.