Author Topic: The TT Thread (Read 418993 times)

citoyen · « **Reply #1875 on:** 21 June, 2017, 08:52:47 pm »

Finally managed to be organised enough to go and try out the club 10 this evening. Pretty pleased with how it went - 25:48 seems like a respectable time for a first effort, on a road bike with clip-on tri bars. (It is a fairly fast course though - pretty flat, and on a track, so no junctions or traffic to deal with.)

I was #16, and #17 caught and passed me at the start of the final lap, which spurred me on to put in a good last bit of effort - and I almost caught her back just before the finish line.

Overall, it was hard work but I don't think I pushed myself to my absolute limit, so there's definitely room for improvement.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1047665368

rob · « **Reply #1876 on:** 22 June, 2017, 04:40:28 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 21 June, 2017, 08:52:47 pm

Finally managed to be organised enough to go and try out the club 10 this evening. Pretty pleased with how it went - 25:48 seems like a respectable time for a first effort, on a road bike with clip-on tri bars. (It is a fairly fast course though - pretty flat, and on a track, so no junctions or traffic to deal with.)

I was #16, and #17 caught and passed me at the start of the final lap, which spurred me on to put in a good last bit of effort - and I almost caught her back just before the finish line.

Overall, it was hard work but I don't think I pushed myself to my absolute limit, so there's definitely room for improvement.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1047665368

Looks pretty 'technical'. I'd imagine on an out and back dual carriageway course you'd be way under 25 mins, probably sub 24.

citoyen · « **Reply #1877 on:** 22 June, 2017, 05:59:21 pm »

Quote from: rob on 22 June, 2017, 04:40:28 pm

Looks pretty 'technical'.

Do you think so? My feeling was that the track is nice and wide, and the bends fairly sweeping, so they don't really slow you down at all.

I guess it might be a different story if you're averaging upwards of 25mph though.

Quote

I'd imagine on an out and back dual carriageway course you'd be way under 25 mins, probably sub 24.

I might have a go at the Thanet Way course when they next hold it there in a few weeks but the idea of riding along that stretch of road and negotiating the St Nicholas and Monkton roundabouts does not appeal hugely, I have to confess. Mind you, the thought that I could possibly go sub-24 is kind of interesting...

Chris Fennell did 19.49 last night. Must have been taking it easy.

ETA: just checked and it seems the Thanet Way course has been changed since I last looked, so no right turns at major roundabouts. Maybe I will give it a go then.

rob · « **Reply #1878 on:** 23 June, 2017, 09:13:51 am »

I think it's easier to go fast if all you have to think about is following a straight line and hammering yourself into the ground.

I've not ridden any of them but there's a decent 10 course on Sheppey which is used a bit. PMR used to run some evening 10s on a course down on the Marsh as well.

Karla · « **Reply #1879 on:** 25 June, 2017, 10:09:11 am »

That's a good ride Citoyen, congrats! I'll echo everything Rob says, you should easily be able to knock a minute off that on a decent course, or two on a fast one.

As for me I've just posted my second DNF in two week, with the aggravating factor that this time I have broken forks to replace. Arsebiscuits.

citoyen · « **Reply #1880 on:** 27 June, 2017, 08:15:05 am »

Cheers! Going to give it another go this week - same course for the next two Wednesdays, then it's a 4-up (might see if I can blag a place on a team for that), then it's onto the Thanet Way course (Q10/31) for a couple of weeks, so something to aim at.

Karla · « **Reply #1881 on:** 27 June, 2017, 08:30:27 am »

Wow, you really are getting into it.

I DNF'd last week - or rather I got about 50 cm off the start of the national 50 mile champs, as my steerer tube decided to break when I pulled up to start. This, my other DNF last week, the two or three target events that got cancelled before that, plus a couple of near misses in the early season mean that I've got basically no good results this year and I'm getting rather narked off! Time to give it all up and be a tourist methinks.

In other news, I think we should run a yacf sweepstake: When will 35 catch 29?

rob · « **Reply #1882 on:** 27 June, 2017, 08:33:05 am »

Start sheet for the National 100 is out. Off fairly early near the front which isn't much of a surprise given the quality at the back end of the field, but there'll be less in the way of traffic assistance until later on. Oddly, I'm more concerned about this one than the 24.

rob · « **Reply #1883 on:** 27 June, 2017, 08:34:27 am »

Quote from: Karla on 27 June, 2017, 08:30:27 am

In other news, I think we should run a yacf sweepstake: When will 35 catch 29?

Got there before me. Stop it.

cygnet · « **Reply #1884 on:** 27 June, 2017, 10:25:54 pm »

I'll bid 8:35am (or am I barred from this?)

rob · « **Reply #1885 on:** 28 June, 2017, 08:45:02 am »

Quote from: cygnet on 27 June, 2017, 10:25:54 pm

I'll bid 8:35am (or am I barred from this?)

I think that's optimistic.

citoyen · « **Reply #1886 on:** 05 July, 2017, 11:29:02 pm »

Skipped the club 10 last week as I was feeling a bit under the weather, but had another go tonight. Mixed feelings about my performance...

I set off pretty fast, and got to about the halfway point in just over 12 minutes, so was well on track to smash my previous time. After that, I started to flag a bit. Perhaps unsurprisingly. By the final lap, I was getting noticeably slower, and ultimately came in at 25:18.

So, that's a PB by 30 seconds, which of course I'm happy with, but I can't help feeling rather frustrated that I didn't sneak in under the 25 minute barrier.

Must learn to pace myself better and not go out so hard at the start.

rob · « **Reply #1887 on:** 10 July, 2017, 10:01:52 am »

4:00:27 in the National 100 yesterday a PB by 6 minutes. Despite the early week forecasts of cooler temps and light winds the day ended up a bit different.

Started with 1.5ltrs of water on the bike and 6 gels. I hid another 600ml bottle on the course to pick up if required. For the first couple of hours I was on a schedule that would get me a 3:55/56 passing 50 miles sub 1:58. I didn't collapse with a bang but I was just watching my average speed drop steadily. I could tell I was getting hot and picked up the extra bottle but I had to average 24mph for the 9miles back from the last turn and I really though I had it only to just go outside in the last quarter mile.

I was pretty dizzy for the last couple of miles and ended up on all fours on the grass verge just after the finish trying to keep hold of my breakfast.

It wasn't just me, pretty much everyone said it was hot and there were a lot of DNFs. I'm entered for another 100 this weekend which is a fallback event. I think I'll need to watch the weather a bit before deciding if I have another go. Of all the distances I find the 100 the hardest.

citoyen · « **Reply #1888 on:** 10 July, 2017, 10:11:40 am »

Quote from: rob on 10 July, 2017, 10:01:52 am

It wasn't just me, pretty much everyone said it was hot and there were a lot of DNFs.

It was stupidly hot yesterday. Impressive to get a PB in those conditions.

Frank9755 · « **Reply #1889 on:** 10 July, 2017, 11:24:43 am »

Quote from: rob on 10 July, 2017, 10:01:52 am

Started with 1.5ltrs of water on the bike and 6 gels. I hid another 600ml bottle on the course to pick up if required.

Great ride!
1.5 or even 2.1 litres is not much liquid for a 100 on a hot day. If I'd been riding yesterday I would have carried either 3 or possbily 4 litres. It costs less time to carry it than to stop and pick it up!

rob · « **Reply #1890 on:** 10 July, 2017, 12:35:06 pm »

Quote from: Frank9755 on 10 July, 2017, 11:24:43 am

Quote from: rob on 10 July, 2017, 10:01:52 am
Started with 1.5ltrs of water on the bike and 6 gels. I hid another 600ml bottle on the course to pick up if required.

Great ride!
1.5 or even 2.1 litres is not much liquid for a 100 on a hot day. If I'd been riding yesterday I would have carried either 3 or possbily 4 litres. It costs less time to carry it than to stop and pick it up!

Thanks

I need to rig up extra bottle carrying capabilities in the future. The race bike has 2 sets of bottle bosses and can fit 2 * 750ml bottles. I need to look at between the arms I think. I may re-design the cock-pit for next year anyway.

Still feel pretty ropey today, to be honest.

Frank9755 · « **Reply #1891 on:** 10 July, 2017, 01:31:11 pm »

Bound to take a few days to recover. When I've done a 100 I've usually needed a nap in the afternoon and felt a bit tired for a couple of days.

I have one between arms, one on the down tube and two behind my saddle. All of mine can be up to 1 litre (so I've done the Newbury 12-hour with only one stop). I think its an advantage if they can all be the same size as it's easier to swap around and less to think about!

I don't mind the heat too much so would love to have ridden yesterday, but 5-week old baby and not having touched my TT bike for a year were always going to make it unlikely! One of my clubmates who is much faster than me was riding and he got his pacing wrong and blew up, so it would have been my one chance to beat him in a race.

cygnet · « **Reply #1892 on:** 11 July, 2017, 08:09:19 pm »

You were right!

Thankfully you're off ahead of me on the MR, it will take you longer to catch me.

rob · « **Reply #1893 on:** 12 July, 2017, 08:43:31 am »

Quote from: cygnet on 11 July, 2017, 08:09:19 pm

You were right!

Thankfully you're off ahead of me on the MR, it will take you longer to catch me.

By optimistic I thought you were overstating my abilities. I was very surprised to see you within an hour and I was definitely pacing the first couple of hours cautiously.

I feel slightly better today, but will skip this weekend's 100. I need to be sensible with the 24 the following weekend.

Overall I can be nothing but happy with the way this year has gone and, whatever happens, I'm done after the 24hr until next year.

citoyen · « **Reply #1894 on:** 20 July, 2017, 06:26:17 pm »

Did the Thanet Way 10 course last night (Q10/31) for the first time. Went out stupidly fast - averaged about 30mph for the first two miles, largely thanks to it being downhill with a tailwind, but paid for it at the end and completely blew up in the last two miles. Had been on track to go well under 25 minutes but ended up nearer 27 minutes. Very disappointing. (11:52 for the first 5 miles, 26:49 for the 10)

https://www.strava.com/activities/1091728781

It's definitely a fast course, and large parts of it have recently been resurfaced with fresh tarmac, so I can see that I really ought to be faster than on the Fowlmead circuit. As well as going out too fast, I suspect I might also have burnt up too much energy test-riding part of the course as a warm-up, and on the ride over to the start.

citoyen · « **Reply #1895 on:** 20 July, 2017, 06:37:59 pm »

Also... last week was a 4-up TT at Fowlmead. I was part of a makeshift team with riders of somewhat varying abillities - and one of our four dropped out less than halfway through the first lap, just couldn't hack the pace.

Of the remaining three, two of us were quite evenly matched but the other guy was a monster. Every time he came to the front, he upped the pace noticeably, which made it hard for me to stay on his wheel and I was really struggling to hold on by the last two laps (of seven). His strength ended up being counter-productive. Anyway, it was fun and I quite fancy trying something like that again - as long as it's with people who are more my level of ability.

Ian H · « **Reply #1896 on:** 20 July, 2017, 09:01:21 pm »

Riding as one of a team is a skill.

I rode the national team TT 3-up with our club coach and another. The coach was an absolute master at matching our pace on the front. We won the senior citizen's trophy.

sg37409 · « **Reply #1897 on:** 21 July, 2017, 03:46:51 pm »

Our club has a 2-up and a TTT, and sadly I couldn't make either of them. I really fancy it.
Is it easier to be the stronger rider and not go flat out, or a weaker rider and basically go flat out ?

On a very sad note
Cyclist, 91, died doing time trial on Aylesbury road

DuncanM · « **Reply #1898 on:** 21 July, 2017, 04:25:32 pm »

There's a 9 man TTT at Silverstone in June (regular road bikes, no aero bars or helmets). I tried out with the club for our vets team, but I just wasn't fast enough. It was really good in a masochistic way - you try to keep out of the wind as best you can until your turn on the front - 20 -30 seconds on there maintaining the pace and then you can cruise back down the outside trying to recover, until you get to the back and have to sprint like crazy to get the last wheel.

Mess it up and you don't get back on and then you're toast. Top tip - pick a place behind one of the bigger riders in the team - if you end up behind a little TT type who gets really low then you won't get much draft and you'll suffer the whole way around!

If there's a strength imbalance, then it's probably most efficient for the stronger rider to try to ride at the same speed as the weaker rider manages, but for much longer durations. That might not be much fun if the strength disparity is such that the stronger rider is on the front for the whole time.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #1899 on:** 21 July, 2017, 05:09:05 pm »

I've been at both ends of a team TT - weakest and strongest. 'Strong pulls long' with the speed set by the weakest (not necessarily the speed they'd ride at the front). They may end up suffering on the back the whole way if there is a big difference in fitness. Definitely pick the team's riding order with size and strength in mind.

It can be very helpful knowing what is the minimum number of riders for an official finish. That way you can burn out your weakest rider/s partway round but you are gambling on no flat tyres or blown riders in the final stages.

With a 9-up TTT (why more than 4-up?), I'd run a rotating double line, about 15 seconds in front if the riders are fairly evenly matched. Otherwise it takes too long to get to the back of the line and the speed differentials are too great.