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First Time Trial in 3 weeks

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First Time Trial in 3 weeks

Old 01-13-14, 11:26 AM
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First Time Trial in 3 weeks

I just signed up for my first time trial 3 weeks from now. The course is 6 miles (3 out and back) across a new bridge and over flat land. This is my first foray into organized racing, and my normal winter riding schedule is 10-15 miles on the trainer on weekdays and 30-50 miles on the road on the weekends. What would be the best use of my roughly hour a day time to get ready for a Time Trial in 3 weeks?

FWIW, I'm thinking of alternating between 2 minute intervals and 6 mile simulations on the trainer few times each week to get my pacing down.
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Old 01-14-14, 05:29 PM
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TT's are all about Watts/CDA, just spend a ton of time in your position and ride as hard as you can. Intervals may help. The guys at slowtwitch.com would probably help a lot more than here.
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Old 01-14-14, 05:38 PM
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Originally Posted by bbbean
I just signed up for my first time trial 3 weeks from now. The course is 6 miles (3 out and back) across a new bridge and over flat land. This is my first foray into organized racing, and my normal winter riding schedule is 10-15 miles on the trainer on weekdays and 30-50 miles on the road on the weekends. What would be the best use of my roughly hour a day time to get ready for a Time Trial in 3 weeks?

FWIW, I'm thinking of alternating between 2 minute intervals and 6 mile simulations on the trainer few times each week to get my pacing down.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ead-click-here


Originally Posted by furiousferret
TT's are all about Watts/CDA, just spend a ton of time in your position and ride as hard as you can. Intervals may help. The guys at slowtwitch.com would probably help a lot more than here.
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Old 01-14-14, 05:41 PM
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To be fair, no one even acknowledged the post in over a day. ST would have already had a 50 page argument over training methodologies!
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Old 01-14-14, 05:43 PM
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Have you checked the TT sticky?
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Old 01-14-14, 05:58 PM
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TTs suck.

Err, what I mean is that I suck at TTs!!
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Old 01-14-14, 06:07 PM
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Originally Posted by veloboy971
Have you checked the TT sticky?
I did. I was specifically looking for short term training tips, not general race strategies or long term training techniques.
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Old 01-15-14, 07:38 AM
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That TT thread is great, certainly go read it. With your focus on just this 10k TT, and with you being new to this, I'd recommend you focus on a couple high intensity intervals close to your expected 10k time. I generally cover the distance on the 13-14 minute range depending on the course. Start out at 70% effort for the first half, gradually increase that during the second half. Remember your body position, stay low. Try to finish with nothing in the tank and your HR spiked.

Good luck!
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Old 01-15-14, 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by HOWSER
That TT thread is great, certainly go read it. With your focus on just this 10k TT, and with you being new to this, I'd recommend you focus on a couple high intensity intervals close to your expected 10k time. I generally cover the distance on the 13-14 minute range depending on the course. Start out at 70% effort for the first half, gradually increase that during the second half. Remember your body position, stay low. Try to finish with nothing in the tank and your HR spiked.

Good luck!
+1, I would focus on these types of efforts esp since the race is so close. If you had a few more weeks, some less focused intervals might benefit but for now you just want to practice pacing and make sure you're not tired for the race.
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Old 01-15-14, 08:40 AM
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Originally Posted by HOWSER
. Start out at 70% effort for the first half, gradually increase that during the second half.
Uhm, ride the first half at 70% effort and you might as well quit and go home. I get that you want negative splits, and the last thing you want to do is blow up in the first half, but 70% way overstates it.

More like try to hold 90-95% in the ifrst half of what you think you can do, then build from there.

As for training, I'd be doing intervals aimed at raising my FTP, so 10 minutes or longer at FTP.
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Old 01-15-14, 08:49 AM
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You know, after I typed that I thought I might need to increase that a bit. Hopefully one can tell for themselves if more is needed that first half while interval training these next few weeks. You certainly are not wrong.
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Old 01-16-14, 01:37 PM
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Originally Posted by veloboy971
Have you checked the TT sticky?
Who the **** is this guy?!?!

Bwahahahahahahahaha
That's a long hiatus....
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Old 01-16-14, 06:25 PM
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Originally Posted by rkwaki
Who the **** is this guy?!?!

Bwahahahahahahahaha
That's a long hiatus....

haha now that I'm riding full time I gotta occupy my recovery time with something that requires a little brain power...so I'm making a come-back
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Old 01-16-14, 06:26 PM
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just a little brainpower is perfect for this place!
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Old 01-16-14, 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by veloboy971
haha now that I'm riding full time I gotta occupy my recovery time with something that requires a little brain power...so I'm making a come-back
It takes a lot of brainpower to play this part...

welcome back my young friend...
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Old 01-16-14, 08:40 PM
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Originally Posted by rkwaki
It takes a lot of brainpower to play this part...

welcome back my young friend...
thanks mate
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Old 01-16-14, 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by veloboy971
thanks mate
It's too bad I'm not racing anymore. Would have bumped into you some (figuratively not physically )
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Old 01-20-14, 07:42 PM
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First Time Trial in 3 weeks

That's probably 107% of FTP or so, so it's more like start at 95 and turn it up every couple miles and finish at maybe 110%. That would be a really hard one for me to pace without a power meter. My guess is the average HR will end up just about threshold, but would end significantly above. If you don't know either number, do a 5 min building effort at the pace you can sustain and add a bit to it every ride. If the setup is consistent, you can use speed on the trainer to ensure you are repeating the effort. Just tell yourself when you're doing 7 mins that you were able to do 6 last time, and so on. You need to know what that pace feels like on race day. And position - don't cheat on position at all.
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Old 01-22-14, 12:47 AM
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TTs are about focus and self monitoring. You don't need to ride the full distance, but enough to get a feel for what you can maintain. 2 minute intervals would have a place in a long term program, but are too short to let you dial in a steady state effort. Try 6' repeats. First one all out. Back off on the rest a little. On race equipment so you get the correct level of feedback.
You don't want to start out in the red; you won't recover if you go too far anerobic. Feel like you are holding back a little for the first mile or so.
jdott is saying similar things.
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Old 02-26-14, 08:28 AM
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Originally Posted by bbbean
I just signed up for my first time trial 3 weeks from now...
So how did you do?
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Old 02-26-14, 09:58 AM
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A litle slower than I'd hoped, but given that we were racing in 18 degree temps across the Mississippi River on a wet road with patches of salt and sand, I'll take it. Lower middle of the pack and 8 seconds behind the guy I was chasing (local rider who rides Time Trials each week, roughly my age, and has been riding about as long as I have. I spent 94% of the ride in Z4, so I'm assuming I paced it about right.

A lot of fun and has me thinking about trying another when the weather is warmer.

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Old 02-26-14, 10:58 AM
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Was this the Missisippi Bridge TT in St. Louis? Not too shabby for your first TT. Looks like you averaged almost 17mph. Keep up the good work!

St. Louis has some great clubs/teams. I have serveral old buddies who ride with various teams. If you're not with one now maybe consider joining one. You'll find no better way to increase your skills and performance then with riding with a group of seasoned racers.
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Old 02-26-14, 11:35 AM
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Originally Posted by HOWSER
Was this the Missisippi Bridge TT in St. Louis? Not too shabby for your first TT. Looks like you averaged almost 17mph. Keep up the good work!

St. Louis has some great clubs/teams. I have serveral old buddies who ride with various teams. If you're not with one now maybe consider joining one. You'll find no better way to increase your skills and performance then with riding with a group of seasoned racers.
Thanks, that's the one. I had set a goal of 20mph for myself, but even with a warmup ride on the course, I just couldn't get there under those conditions. I really wish you could still ride the bridge, because I'd like to see if I could break a 20 mph average.

I live in STL part time (my primary home is 200 miles south), but I'm planning to get more involved in the scene there this year. Next on the list is the local crit scene. I'm registered for the Carondelicious Crit and I'm going to try a few of the Tuesday night races. We'll see if my performance merits being invited to join a team.

BB
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Old 02-26-14, 11:45 AM
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Originally Posted by mattm
TTs suck.

Err, what I mean is that I suck at TTs!!
this x2
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Old 02-26-14, 11:47 AM
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Uhm, ride the first half at 70% effort and you might as well quit and go home. I get that you want negative splits, and the last thing you want to do is blow up in the first half, but 70% way overstates it.

More like try to hold 90-95% in the ifrst half of what you think you can do, then build from there.

As for training, I'd be doing intervals aimed at raising my FTP, so 10 minutes or longer at FTP.
70% of FTP, now thats my kind of time trial!

oh wait my FTP isn't that high and 70% would be even slower cakesauce.

dangit!
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