Author Topic: The TT Thread  (Read 408692 times)

rob

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2150 on: 10 April, 2019, 03:16:55 pm »
Signed off on the skinsuit design.   Hoping to have it by the end of April.

Mail from Nopinz today :-

"Your items are being printed today.   Your order is now in Print and Cutting."

Excited.   Not quite enough to actually want to ride a TT but nearly there.

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2151 on: 16 April, 2019, 02:34:36 pm »
I was going to ride my first TT of the year today. I did a test on a local TT course on the weekend (windy, only aero concession being a pointy hat). Sadly, my hip continues to hurt, so discretion is applying and I'm going to the physio instead. :(
How is the season going for the rest of you?

Pedal Castro

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Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2152 on: 16 April, 2019, 02:54:41 pm »
Just 2 hilly club TTs so far, done on a road bike with 15 mile ride each way to the event so all part of the training schedule. Cold evenings so didn't even bother taking off the winter jacket but 24" course PB first time and another 48" sliced off last week, so so far so good. Four of the next five weekends will be my PBP qualifiers then it'll be TTs.

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2153 on: 16 April, 2019, 03:05:56 pm »
Course PBs on the only 2 events you've done so far?  Congrats. :) Sounds like training has been going well. :)

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2154 on: 23 April, 2019, 12:04:52 pm »
Ordered this year's spangly upgrades: a 56 tooth Fibrelyte single ring and a new groupset.  Now let's hope my legs will spin at faster than touring speed when I get home.

rob

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2155 on: 23 April, 2019, 01:31:36 pm »
Ordered this year's spangly upgrades: a 56 tooth Fibrelyte single ring and a new groupset.  Now let's hope my legs will spin at faster than touring speed when I get home.

Reminds me I need a new chainring and chain.   Fresh race tyres arrived a couple of weeks ago but just need fitting.

Are you getting straight back into it when you get back into the country ?

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2156 on: 23 April, 2019, 05:56:34 pm »
I'll be doing the Kent 100 a fortnight after I get back but I'm not expecting any great shakes, it's just to get a qualifying time for the national, which will be my next event.  Then it's the Mersey, a 12 (probably the national/Breckland), a 50 somewhere or other provided the other distances add up to a decent BBAR, and I might go PB hunting with a late 100 if I can still be arsed by then.

That's the plan, now for first contact with the enemy.

rob

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2157 on: 23 April, 2019, 08:11:37 pm »
I marshalled on the Kent 100 last year.   A club mate of mine is the organiser.

It’s not particularly fast but very flat.

We may bump into each other a couple of times later in the year.

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2158 on: 08 May, 2019, 01:45:50 pm »
I did my first TT of the year last night at Weston on the Green. :)
I was hoping to go sub 28, as I've only done that a couple of times before, and I'd no idea how fast the course is. I pulled my right foot out of the pedal as I set off, so had to slow to clip back in (harder on fixed). Got 28:01. :( Moral victory, or just another excuse?
https://www.strava.com/activities/2349899013/segments/59346613154
I need to take my turbo along next time (or learn to ride the rollers) as I found warming up on the road tricky and it was cold with a 40 minute wait before the start.

Marshalling the club 10 tomorrow (wanted to ride but they don't have enough marshals). :( Gonna get rained on too.

rob

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2159 on: 09 May, 2019, 01:27:44 pm »
Encouraging start to the year anyway.   I always ride on the road to warm up as I find taking the turbo and swapping the wheel out on the fixed ring to be an unnecessary hassle.   I don't do anything structured but ride for 30-40 mins with some hard-ish efforts to lift the HR a bit.   Gives me a bit of time to hide my track top and go for a wee before the off.

I have my first TT this weekend and it will be a full kit-test.   I was supposed to have my new chainring by now but it hasn't turned up yet, so will have to race on a slightly lower gear than planned.   My expectations are limited.

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2160 on: 09 May, 2019, 03:56:08 pm »
Extra marshals have volunteered, so I'm gonna get to ride. :) My start time is 19:30 and it's pretty local, so I'll just ride out to this one (taking plenty of warm clothes for the way back). Hopefully it won't chuck it down on us.

Edit - even worse, roadworks cancelled it.

What chainring are you getting?  Good luck on the weekend, even with the old one! :)

rob

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2161 on: 09 May, 2019, 04:05:49 pm »
What chainring are you getting?  Good luck on the weekend, even with the old one! :)

I ran 50*14 last year but bought a 51.   I have a 52 in the garage but I think that will be a bit big and the 50 is already fitted.   Wind looks largely side on with maybe a bit of tail on the way back and it's flat.   Shouldn't be hugely spinny.

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2162 on: 10 May, 2019, 10:59:26 am »
Last night saw the first (of 4) round of the Border Trophy, held on Berwick Wheelers 10 mile 'Pistols' course.
This is an annual competition held between 6 local clubs - Gala CC, Hawick CC, Kelso Wheelers, Berwick Wheelers, Auchencrow Thistle and Musselburgh Roads CC.

On a cold, but pretty windless night, I set a seasons best of 26:21, two seconds slower than last year.

I'm still fine-tuning my position on a new frame, so hopefully my time will improve on a flatter course. 

Next round at Gala in 3 weeks on an even lumpier course, so i'm not expecting a PB there

@CorbieLinnRider

rob

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2163 on: 11 May, 2019, 07:04:56 pm »
What chainring are you getting?  Good luck on the weekend, even with the old one! :)

I ran 50*14 last year but bought a 51.   I have a 52 in the garage but I think that will be a bit big and the 50 is already fitted.   Wind looks largely side on with maybe a bit of tail on the way back and it's flat.   Shouldn't be hugely spinny.

Race delayed and then postponed due to a stuck level crossing.  Warmed up twice and then rode back to the in-laws the long way round.  Kit felt good but not a real test.  Should have done the ECCA 50 which was on as I drove up to Norfolk.

Karla

  • car(e) free
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Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2164 on: 13 May, 2019, 04:26:59 pm »
I've entered the Kent 100 and the national 100.  I think the last open event I completed (at any distance) was the Anfield 100 in 2017!

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2165 on: 13 May, 2019, 04:38:13 pm »
100 miles will feel like a short ride for you now, won't it?

I've got a 9-up 10 tomorrow. It's going to be interesting - the team is a mens vets one, and it's got 4 guys who are road racing (or TT'ing) competitively this season, a couple who are on sabatical from racing and 3 who are along for the ride (this is where I sit). Given we need 5 to finish, one wonders who's going to be the 5th man! It's on the WotG circuit, so no cars, and road bikes only - hopefully this will minimise the chances of crashes (though one of the other teams crashed last year).
There's no Silverstone event this year (they are resurfacing the circuit when it was supposed to be on), so this is going to be the only 9-up of the year and we haven't done any practise!

rob

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2166 on: 13 May, 2019, 05:01:41 pm »
Race delayed and then postponed due to a stuck level crossing.  Warmed up twice and then rode back to the in-laws the long way round.  Kit felt good but not a real test.  Should have done the ECCA 50 which was on as I drove up to Norfolk.

Turns out ECCA 50 was also cancelled just after the start.   Cones on the course after an earlier accident.   Crap weekend all round by the look of it.

rob

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2167 on: 13 May, 2019, 05:02:26 pm »
I've entered the Kent 100 and the national 100.  I think the last open event I completed (at any distance) was the Anfield 100 in 2017!

I *may* be around for the Kent 100 (not riding).   Drop me a line a bit closer to the time.

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2168 on: 15 May, 2019, 12:29:27 pm »
9 up was hard, and I struggled with how surgy it was. The team was mens vets - and ended up being 6 fast people, 3 slower. I was the fastest of the slower bunch, and I started in the middle - the other 2 started at the back and were scuppered when the guy in front of them had chain issues at the start. He got on, they didn't complete the first lap (2.5 miles).
I did 2 short pulls on the first lap, and spent the rest of my race hanging onto the back of the line and waving people in front of me. I'd have probably found it easier keeping my place in the line, but if I'd dropped the wheel while doing that then the whole group would have had to wait. I lasted until about 3/4 of the way through the third lap and then just fell off the back without enough power to get back on (as did the guy who had the chain issues). The remaining 5 did 24.11, which is a reasonable time on that course, especially as we didn't do any team training at all .
Obviously it's a bit disappointing to get dropped, though it wasn't entirely unexpected. On the plus side, I did really good power numbers (16.5 minutes with a normalised of 282W off an FTP of 246W). That's a power PR for 12 -17 minutes. I spent almost half of the whole 17 minutes over threshold, including a massive 37% in the anaerobic zone!

mattc

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Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2169 on: 15 May, 2019, 07:45:43 pm »
TTT shouldn't be surgy (surgey??). Sadly at our level (no offence intended) that's just how they tend to turn out, as noone knows how to ride properly !

(it probably is better to stay in line if you're struggling, but just do a few seconds on the front. If you're smooth, this actually disrupts things LESS than all that waving-folk-in-front-of-you business.)
Has never ridden RAAM
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Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2170 on: 15 May, 2019, 08:14:26 pm »
You are right, but I suspect it's just what happens when you take 9 guys from a club with differing abilities and put them in a TTT without any practise whatsoever. I'd never even ridden with at least 3 of them! Plus being on the back of 7 means that there's bound to be a bit of on/off power - I probably made things worse (for myself) rather than better by staying there, but I didn't want to get to 3rd wheel and blow up!
We agreed before the ride that if you're dropping back and there's a gap then you should fill it, and if you were struggling to just make the gap obvious. It worked after a fashion.

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2171 on: 22 May, 2019, 09:26:32 am »
Weather last night was perfect. New PB of 27:11, off 243W normalised. Previous PB was 27:28 on a geared bike with some traffic assistance (and a lumpier route), so reasonably pleased. Next stop - under 27 minutes.
The winner was Charlie Quarterman who did 19:37 and smashed the Strava KOM. Titled his ride "Not a good night for the power" as he only did 378W!!!
https://www.strava.com/activities/2386100910
I guess he was second in the nationals last year!

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2172 on: 22 May, 2019, 08:20:36 pm »
My first place in last night's Evening League has been somewhat overshadowed by a serious incident on the course.

A rider some minutes behind me was in a serious collision with the rear of a van.

The details remain unclear, but it seems the van was a support vehicle for a vintage tractor.
I don't know if that was relevant.
But the van passed the rider, and pulled in and braked sharply, out-braking the rider.
The conditions were very wet, and the rider would have been on carbon wheels, with degraded braking performance.

Latest reports are that he suffered a broken neck at "C2/3" whatever that means.
He has been in surgery tonight.

He had feeling and mobility in all limbs whist lying on the road, apparently.
I guess that's a good sign.

All a bit shit, really.

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2173 on: 22 May, 2019, 08:36:57 pm »
That's really scary. Best wishes to the rider - hope he's OK.
C2/3 means the 2nd and 3rd cervical vertebrae - C1 is the one that your head rests on and then 2 and 3 are the next ones down.

rob

Re: The TT Thread
« Reply #2174 on: 27 May, 2019, 01:06:54 pm »
I've entered the Kent 100 and the national 100.  I think the last open event I completed (at any distance) was the Anfield 100 in 2017!

I *may* be around for the Kent 100 (not riding).   Drop me a line a bit closer to the time.

I rode a few laps of the Camber circuit yesterday as a bit of TT bike training.  Went quite well.

I will be marshalling on the day but won’t know my location until the week before.