So why are time trials important?
durhamvam
Posts: 246
in General Chat
Ok so this might be a stupid question but I'm all new to this bike training thing and so far my training consists of intervals, distance, spinning and brick sessions. Conehead said that we all knew what he thought about TTs but I must have missed that bit!
Is it just a question of training fast and long to race fast? and giving yourself a bench mark?
Is it just a question of training fast and long to race fast? and giving yourself a bench mark?
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I think what Mr.C possibly meant about TT is that it is like a secret society, almost impossible to get into unless you know someone that can introduce you into the covern
2) A hypothesis that I have not yet tested, but VAM, you probably have a dusty old copy of SPSS lurking somewhere...
The cycling leg swamps the other legs: i.e. if you were to correlate swim finish pos against overall pos, cycle pos against overall pos, run pos against overall pos, there would be a good correlation between cycling and overall, and less so between the others.
In otherwords - the swim in a sprint might take 8 mins, the run 25, and the cycle 45... with a greater spread variance on the cycle leg.
So age-groups tris are won and lost on the cycle leg, age group PBs are made or lost on the cycle leg.
It doesn't take much skill to be able to "race" when running.. compare the difference between walking and running for example.
Swimming is all skill - but again, its relatively easy to grasp the concept of going hard!
Cycling, on the other hand is a bit more subtle. A what point are you making the transition from "touring" to "racing". There are so many points (change in head wind, downhill, round a corner, giving way at a junction) when you have to ease off and freewheel etc. that is very easy to ease up and lapse back into touring mode - but without realising.
So going hard on the bike requires mental skills as well as physical fitness and adaptation, in a way that running (and arguably swimming) doesn't.
So it is good to practice!
Dusty copy? Not that I know of, should I have?
Might not get done me thinks - sadly that means I'll be in the bad books with the hubby who is a co author
I am working hard honest! I have four screens on and three computers although one is working as a glorified radio with the cricket on!
Having just said all that, I have never done one because I am shit on the bike and my bike is shit, too. I don't want to be embarrased. Maybe I'll wait until Conehead brings his triathlete time trials down Swindon way....