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So why are time trials important?

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?

Comments

  • gavinrigg06gavinrigg06 Posts: 176
    I would just take my time as a bench-mark, to show how your fitness is improving.

    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
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    1) Unless you are an ITU elite, the cycle leg is a time trial.

    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!
  • durhamvamdurhamvam Posts: 246
    SPSS????

    Dusty copy? Not that I know of, should I have?
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    No, you shouldn't have. Thought it might be a tool you use in your research work
  • durhamvamdurhamvam Posts: 246
    No I don't have that one but I do have several large dusty book door stops keeping an air flow through the office from the balcony to the corridor - stuck at the computer all day today trying to get my bit of a paper finished by this evening - hmmm.........
    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!
  • MowfMowf Posts: 272
    I would guess they are important for the same reason that doing 10k road races are important for the run. They teach you hard you can go for how long; give you a race environment in which to eake that extra bit out of your legs and are generally good fun and a great way to evaluate your level of performance.

    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....
  • LeezarLeezar Posts: 36
    time trials down Swindon way....
    I used to live near swindon at Baydon, they used to have many TT and races coming though the village as it was the highest place in wiltshire. It was about 14 years ago but im sure they must still be running in some form or another.
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