The TT Thread

[токамак]

...Yesterday, I had entered a 100 in Norfolk but decided to do the Severn Across instead.

I rode that 100 - North Norfolk Wheelers, a new event in the calendar. I think I'll go back next year, it was really well organised and marshalled. I liked the course too and it helped that we had a sunny dry day for it.

Quite a result for my club, Chelmer CC - 1st, 2nd, team and 2nd lady! Results on Cycling Time Trials

[Frank9755]

Glad you enjoyed it!  The problem of not being able to do two things on the same day!

It was a cracking evening yesterday.  We had 22 for our evening TT at Hillingdon Circuit and probably the majority of us got PBs.   I got 24:59, which was almost half a minute better than mine and at 24:9 mph, my fastest on any course. 

[Lady Cavendish]

I had a great one Tuesday, really hoping tonight is great and the wind stays down again as I'm hoping for a 22.xx this evening. This is perrrrfect TT weather, loving it!!! Got an operation tomorrow so its my last one for a few weeks

[Ian H]

How not to do a ten: Choose the old road bike with nearly touring tyres and ride 17 miles to the start. On the way chase down a cyclist who turns out to be a fast TT winner out training. Ride pathetically slowly (27.43, though to be fair, no one got under 23 - horrible course). Then continue to the usual Wednesday pub, and home again after a few pints to total just over 50 miles.
photo

[Karla]

The club's evening series started tonight.  I followed a couple of Ian's tips: set out too late and go rather fast to the start.  I couldn't find any zip ties at home so my Legend HCX did service as a computer, which probably cost me all of a second 

24.25 over 10 miles which is a course PB for me, but I was hoping to get under 24.  Maybe next time. 

[Dinamo]

Front wheel puncture on Wednesday night, only a mile into my clubs Evening 10 

[Karla]

I turns out my 1.02.49 was enough to get me 39/82 in the (windy) BUCS 25, it's nice to be in the better half.  I also came 10/33 in the club 10 last night, so I'm moving up in the world

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Hounslow Wheelers 100 tomorrow.  First leg of a hopeful BBAR tilt this year.  Don't know whether I want it to go badly so I don't have to do the other rides or go well and keep me in contention.

[Karla]

I've seen CET's result but I'll let him give the good news himself.  How did you find it, CET?

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

b...awful

have a new tactic this year for TTs which is to set off hard - and reached 25 in 1-02-16.  Was still going well up to 40 miles when the wind picked up.  On the run down past the Bull to the Coxbridge O it was hard to reach 40kph when speeds are usually closer to 50.  After that the heat started to get to me.  I was OK with 2-07-57 for the '50' but the last 40 miles were pure suffering, there was nothing in the legs.  A 4-36-56 time means my BBAR is under water at the moment - but will go all-out for the '50' on the A4 in mid-July.  If I can get 2-02 on that then will be back in contention (just). 

I learnt later that air temperatures were in the 26 - 27C range by the time we finished and were already 21 - 23C at the time we started.

Conclusion - wasn't fully over the Bryan Chapman the previous weekend, had worked a 65+ hour week and so wasn't mentally rested, the late start time (9-27) meant I got the worst of the weather.

At least I now have a monkey off my back.  My last 100 was on a perfect day in 2009 when the legs kept going strong all the way to the checkerboard and I finished in 4-10.  I've been dreading doing another ride  since then because it will be v. difficult to go faster.  Next time - my last '100' will be a slightly easier to improve on  4-36 

And - next week - my wife decided to book a villa in Mallorca - about 3km from Pollenca - at the start of the famous mountain road that all the professionals train on - so will have a cool time on the Airnimal   

[Karla]

Racing in that heat can't have been comfortable.  What sort of 12 hour distance will you be aiming for, something around 250?  I've not done anything between 25 miles and 12 hours before so I think I'll schedule for 4.15 in the Anfield on Monday and see what happens.  There's then the YCF 100 in July so I can count this as practice for that, as well as practice for the Mersey Roads next year - as long as I can get up in time: I'm off at 6.15.  Ugh I hate early mornings! 

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

I did 226 in the first half of the Sussex '24' last year.  I know I lose 3mph in the dark - so that would make 240 a par score and 250 the stretch target - provided I can find someone to hand me up bottles pork pies and Twix on the A11 on 5 August. 

[Dinamo]

Good conditions for my first ride on the Clevedon & Dist. Evening 10 course last night.
A relatively flat course with only two motorway bridges to cross.
Fairly pleased with my time and a 6th place 

[Fixedwheelnut]

Previous efforts

02/05/12 Q10/26  10mls/25:18 muggy drizzle Planet X TT bike
23/05/12 Q10/26 10mls/25:30 Very hot   Raleigh Team Professional 86" fixed
29/05/12 Q10/24  10mls/24:03 cool breeze  Planet X TT bike

 Last nights effort was only five seconds away from my personal best, seem to have stopped the seat pin slipping on the Planet X with some of the wife's hairspray

[mattc]

I did 226 in the first half of the Sussex '24' last year.  I know I lose 3mph in the dark - so that would make 240 a par score and 250 the stretch target - provided I can find someone to hand me up bottles pork pies and Twix on the A11 on 5 August. 

Good luck on the A11 - I nearly died of boredom on that one! But I expect the 100 course was not dissimilar.

I had a look at 12h/24h distances for various riders last year, and found that a "60%" rule seemed to work pretty well. [If noone posts a counter example I shall eat all the hats I am currently wearing.]

[Karla]

29.59 on my first proper go at the local hilly 10.5 mile circuit tonight.  I couldn't quite get my head into it the whole way round; I couldn't find quite enough concentration to really dig in.   Still, 7/29 wasn't a bad placing

Matt, is that a 12 hour distance as 60% of a 24 hour distance?  That's interesting; it suggests I underperformed for my 12 last year, which makes sense as I didn't feel nearly as good as I did on the 24 - possibly due to my hilly 400k the week before!  To save you eating your hats, a prime counter-example is Mr Wilkinson himself: just over 300 for the 12 and 541 for the 24.  That's a whole 41 miles over-distance!  It makes you wonder what sort of a 12 he could do.

[mattc]

Matt, is that a 12 hour distance as 60% of a 24 hour distance?  That's interesting; it suggests I underperformed for my 12 last year, which makes sense as I didn't feel nearly as good as I did on the 24 - possibly due to my hilly 400k the week before!  To save you eating your hats, a prime counter-example is Mr Wilkinson himself: just over 300 for the 12 and 541 for the 24.  That's a whole 41 miles over-distance!  It makes you wonder what sort of a 12 he could do.

Yes exactly. Of course Mr W has done a number of 24s and 12s, and - surprise! - he didn't ride the same distance each time. So my "rule" is - again, surprise! - not going to predict every performance.

The correlation between 12 &24h PBs won't be as close as (say) between 10&25, because peeps don't ride as many of them. Therefore they're less likely to make their theoretically-possible-maximal performance. (And of course the courses make a difference).

60% just seems to be roughly what people actually ride (in the year I looked at); quite useful to give yourself a benchmark, rather than something to base a massive spread betting strategy on!

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

I did 226 in the first half of the Sussex '24' last year.  I know I lose 3mph in the dark - so that would make 240 a par score and 250 the stretch target - provided I can find someone to hand me up bottles pork pies and Twix on the A11 on 5 August. 

Good luck on the A11 - I nearly died of boredom on that one! But I expect the 100 course was not dissimilar.

I had a look at 12h/24h distances for various riders last year, and found that a "60%" rule seemed to work pretty well. [If noone posts a counter example I shall eat all the hats I am currently wearing.]

I'm happy with boredom if it gives me a good time.  Of course I might think differently 6 hours in.

[Karla]

4:46:04 in the Anfield 100 for me, so CET's YACF BAR place is not in danger from me at least.  I've written a full report here.

[mattc]

H10/17r  - A420 | 31st May 2012 - 25:06

About a minute knocked off my PB - set on the same event last year. They're my only 2 rides on a quickish course, but last year was awfully windy on the way out. Last week was very good conditions indeed.

Am I happy? Of course not, I want to be 7 seconds faster ...  (And Ross wasn't there to beat  )

I don't expect to go any faster this season - no club nights on quick courses - so emphasis will shift to the long stuff (on a comfortable bike!). _{Is it time to start a 2012 M24h thread?}

[Karla]

Matt, I thought you kept going on about being slow and faffing about?  That's an excellent time! 

Tonight's ride was slow for a number of reasons: the pi$$ing rain, my having missed a night's sleep last night, and my 25 this Saturday which meant I didn't want to destroy myself tonight.  In fact, I only turned up because I thought I might have to marshal.  As it turned out I didn't, so I started pre-drenched to see what I could do.  Hey, I hadn't ridden the course before so at least it would give me a recce for next time. 

49.15 for a hilly 17 miles.  I was 5th out of the 9 drowned rats who turned up tonight - we normally get more like 30.  Still, 5th is 5th - that means lots of points for me towards the club league 

[Dinamo]

Another wet & windy Wednesday night for the Sodbury TT.
But I did manage to knock 20 seconds off my PB 

[Fixedwheelnut]

H10/17r  - A420 | 31st May 2012 - 25:06

About a minute knocked off my PB - set on the same event last year. They're my only 2 rides on a quickish course, but last year was awfully windy on the way out. Last week was very good conditions indeed.

Am I happy? Of course not, I want to be 7 seconds faster ...  (And Ross wasn't there to beat  )

I don't expect to go any faster this season - no club nights on quick courses - so emphasis will shift to the long stuff (on a comfortable bike!). _{Is it time to start a 2012 M24h thread?}

 Virtually the same as mine last Sunday, a hilly 18 miles in terrible conditions where most of my clubmates punctured before even starting.

 03/06/2012 QS30 x 2  18mls/57:50 Hilly/pouring rain & cold  Planet X TT bike

[Karla]

58.43 in the National 25 today.  I've broken the hour, WOOOOOOHOOOOO!

The course was fairly fast if not completely flat.  From talking to a guy on the start, I thought the way back would be harder than it was, so I held a bit back for a big hill that never came.  I had current speed and average speed on my computer and at about 3/4 of the way in, I had an average speed of ~41.6kph that hadn't shifted in a while, so I knew I was going to do it. Since my target had explicitly been the hour, it was interesting that I then just plugged away at the same speed rather than raising my game and risking blowing up - and in the end I still had something to give when I crossed the line.  With hindsight, I should have switched to distance at that point, to help me manage my efforts over the last part of the course (You may have guessed that I didn't know this course at all, it was the first time I'd clapped eyes on it.) 

Hutch won the day with 47.01, beating Alex Dowsett by all of 7 seconds and Matt Bottrill by a good minute and a half.  My efforts got me 111th place out of 126 finishers in the guys event - 117 of us came in under the hour.  That was a fast race, much as you'd expect!  Ryan Mullen won the juniors in a stonking 48.48 and Julia Shaw beat Ciara Horne and Rebecca Slack to win the women in 54.57.

Well, that's one of my 2012 resolutions ticked off already

[David Martin]

Wasn't one of the ladies hit by a car?