Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Palmares
02-13-03, 08:56 AM
The time trial is not called "The Race of Truth" for nothing.
Truth is, a lot of riders don't do it very well.
If you can, you become a very dangerous opponent.
MENTAL PREP
Before you ever turn the pedals, you must have the mindset to ride a good TT.
Riding a road race and riding a TT is 2 very different things, and the approach to each much be very different as well.
You need complete focus on the task at hand.
Just you, the bike, the clock, the road.
Think about this: If, in theory to ride a TT as efficiently and as fast as possible, say you had to ride a imaginary perfect straight line. All the time, and never wavered. If you did this, at the end of the ride you would have gone as fast as you possibly could. Now imagine every time you take a drink, lift your head, lose your breathing cadence, or lose your concentration, in theory you are drifting off that line, and your efficiency begins to erode. So now maybe you have ridden 95, 93 or 85 percent of what you could have. Imagine. The effort never wavered, but you drifted off the theoretical line just a few times. You lost seconds. Every time you drift, the clock is ticking. And that ain't good.
This is why good strong riders shake their heads when riders they know that are not as strong as they are, beat them in a TT. That other guy was dialed in more than you. He did not lose those seconds here and there, and over the course of those miles, you both cranked along at 350 watts, but he beats you.
EQUIP:
If you want to really be competitive in the TT, you have to have the goodies. Double check to make sure your position is as good as possible, flat back, seat forward...power over the pedals, nose the saddle down just a smidge..Let your arms sit in the armrests, relax your upper body...no deathgrip till the last mile..:)
Those guys who prowl the parking lots before the TT, looking like a freaking bullet, helmet, shoe covers, aero bike, disc. Yikes. They just look fast. Chances are, they ARE.
WARMUP:
You will need a consistent warm-up routine that you use for all TT's. This eliminates a performance variable, helps give you confidence, and hopefully gets you thoroughly warmed up. Use whatever routine you feel works for you, experiment a bit. The goal is to be completely warmed up but not tired, which is a slippery slope to climb, admittedly. I like to encourage short high cadence efforts of not more than 2 minutes, standing(30 sec)and seated(full 2 min). Of course this is after a minimum of 30 minutes easy to moderate riding as a warm-up. Finish your warm-up 15 minutes prior to your start time. Roll up you skin suit,(you should
ride with the top rolled down, so it does not get wet during warm-up) and proceed close to the start area. Approximately 2 minutes before your start, begin slow deep breathing. This helps you bank some oxygen that will help get you thru the first mile or so. Relax.:)
ON THE BIKE:
Don't go out too hard, this is a common blunder, and you can find yourself in some serious 02 debt about a mile down the road and in deep trouble. Of course, the length of the TT will dictate how hard you start, obviously a 5 K TT you need to launch like a bullet, but form anything longer, get a strong but controlled and smooth start. Amp it up as you go, till you feel like the pedal is about to go thru the firewall, so to speak, and hold it there..
Try like hell not to use your 30 second or minute man as your inspiration for a good ride. Everyone does this and it is not good. It is not good because you can't count on it. What if your 30 second man sucks and you fly by him and think you are riding the best TT ever. Turns out he finished 96th and you used him as a guage. You finished 64th as a result and are left scratching your head. You ride as hard as you can, and let the riders ahead or behind you do whatever they are going to do. You just worry about YOU.. That said, if you have a string of riders ahead of you, and you want to pick them off, 1 by 1, feel free, but what happens when you are the first one off? You cannot rely on a rabbit to ensure a good TT. You just can't.
TIP: When you hit a hill, do not stand for too long, (obviously on a steep hill, this does not apply)just enough to get the gear turning over, as well as stretch your legs and give your arms and hands a change in position. I have passed many a rider slogging up some hill standing, while I stay smooth and in the bars.
Don't overreact to any changes in the road profile.
'The breathing technique'
It is a simple theory designed to make you as efficient, hence, as fast as possible. You count. Anything really. Some riders count pedal strokes. I will tell you what I do. Using a deep, rhythmic breathing pattern, I count on the exhale. I count to 100 then start over. If I lose track, I start over. I lose track a lot... It is hard to stay focused. But if you think about the breathing, then count and exhale HARD and visualize the number you are at, this takes an edge off the pain. I have done some experiments with this. Lets say, my HR is 185, my speed is 26 mph and I am about to crack. 30 more seconds and I am going to shut down. You shut down even slightly in a TT, and you are losing seconds. Not good. So, I restart my deep breathing, restart my counting at 1. Initially, I am so close to blowing, my lactic-haze induced foggy brain is sure this is not going do any good. But I stay at it, and low and behold, after about 2 minutes, I am now breathing easier, and my speed has risen to 27 or even 28 MPH. Imagine, I am now going faster and an easier perceived effort. How?. Because I am not focusing on how much agony I am in. I am focusing on my numbers and my breathing. I am now breathing more efficiently, (panting is the worst form of breathing), so my body gets more O2, hence I am going faster. Pretty cool trick. Hard to do, and you have to work at it all the time, but it does work.
Powered me to 3 National Championship medals.
The last KM go like complete hell.. Nothing else in it, like Phil says.
When you cross that line you are DONE< DONE< DONE!!
If you do not feel like you are going to puke after you cross the line, you didn't go hard enough.
To use a HR monitor or not?
Some riders are so tied to their monitors, they can't get out of bed without consulting the numbers first.
I train with a monitor, and race without one. Why?
Riders ask, how fast will I know how to go without my monitor?
I say, in a RR, you go fast enough to stay on the wheel in front of you.
In a TT, you go as fast as you can.
Seems simple enough...
The problem with racing with a monitor( and I have heard and seen this) is rider A rides the TT and states he rode right on his LT # all ride. Perfect!.But, he feels like he could have gone harder. huh.. What if he was having a good day and could have held a few beats higher?, And gone a few seconds faster?
The numbers can help, or hold you back...
I have also heard riders say, I looked at my monitor and backed off, because I was afraid I was going to blow up.. Sigh...You didn't , did you? So you might have been able to eek out a little more, might have stayed in the break, might have cut 20 seconds off your TT time, but those numbers, they told you what was right, eh?
The wheel in front of you, that is your real monitor.
If you get dropped, if you get beat, make sure it is by another rider, not a number display...
You go as fast as you need to go.
CADENCE: Do not get stuck slamming too big a gear in a TT, you don't have to spin 110 like Lance, but be efficient:80-90 range.
Training for the TT:
We are going to vary the training a little bit for TT prep.
If your week has 3 HI days, 2 will be for TT, 1 for group.
2 RR days
1 ED day, 1 float, for RR or Pre-Race
The workouts:
Nothing to complicated, TT'ing ain't rocket science..
We want to have 2 separate TT workouts.
1 will concentrate on start and short effort, 2 will feature longer, controlled work.
TT1
Both workouts will feature the exact same warmup routine, whatever you use(ideas? or are you set?)
This is a performance variable we want to eliminate.
After the warmup:
Stop and unclip
Count down in your head from 10, deep breath and relax.
Take off, like a controlled bullet, and settle quickly into your bars.
1 minute, max effort.
2 minute easy spin.
Repeat, only up the max seated effort by 30 seconds.
You will increase the time till you reach 3 minutes.
Then restart at 1 minute intervals.
2 sets, that is 10 intervals, would be the max allowable.
We are replicating your start and focus, over and over until it is second nature.
Get 1 set the first time out, then add as you go, 5 reps is the goal, any extra is a bonus..
Good cool down and recovery.
TT2
Warmup routine
Stop and upclip
Count down(repetition and familiarization)
Take off, the bullet again.
Now settle into the bars. We are going for 5 minutes
5 minute cooldown
Restart, now hold TT for 10 minutes
5 minute cooldown
Restart now hold for 15 minutes
Spin and recover.
TT3
You are going to replicate your actual TT exactly....2-3 times before the actual event..
So what have we done?
1. Replicated warmup routine to a T
2. Replicated start routine, also to a T
3. Replicated first 200 meter effort over and over so you are familiar with this effort and do not over-cook yourself..
4. Now you have the capacity to TT for variable lengths of time, the focus and discipline applies to all lengths and time frames.
5. By starting and stopping, you are forced to end your focus and counting, reset and start over. This is the biggest bugaboo in a TT, so many distractions, cows, snakes, cars, other riders, water buffalos(hey you might race in Thailand some day..) some guys get distracted and they never get back on track. You must do it over and over.
Then you just go and kick some ass..
Truth is, a lot of riders don't do it very well.
If you can, you become a very dangerous opponent.
MENTAL PREP
Before you ever turn the pedals, you must have the mindset to ride a good TT.
Riding a road race and riding a TT is 2 very different things, and the approach to each much be very different as well.
You need complete focus on the task at hand.
Just you, the bike, the clock, the road.
Think about this: If, in theory to ride a TT as efficiently and as fast as possible, say you had to ride a imaginary perfect straight line. All the time, and never wavered. If you did this, at the end of the ride you would have gone as fast as you possibly could. Now imagine every time you take a drink, lift your head, lose your breathing cadence, or lose your concentration, in theory you are drifting off that line, and your efficiency begins to erode. So now maybe you have ridden 95, 93 or 85 percent of what you could have. Imagine. The effort never wavered, but you drifted off the theoretical line just a few times. You lost seconds. Every time you drift, the clock is ticking. And that ain't good.
This is why good strong riders shake their heads when riders they know that are not as strong as they are, beat them in a TT. That other guy was dialed in more than you. He did not lose those seconds here and there, and over the course of those miles, you both cranked along at 350 watts, but he beats you.
EQUIP:
If you want to really be competitive in the TT, you have to have the goodies. Double check to make sure your position is as good as possible, flat back, seat forward...power over the pedals, nose the saddle down just a smidge..Let your arms sit in the armrests, relax your upper body...no deathgrip till the last mile..:)
Those guys who prowl the parking lots before the TT, looking like a freaking bullet, helmet, shoe covers, aero bike, disc. Yikes. They just look fast. Chances are, they ARE.
WARMUP:
You will need a consistent warm-up routine that you use for all TT's. This eliminates a performance variable, helps give you confidence, and hopefully gets you thoroughly warmed up. Use whatever routine you feel works for you, experiment a bit. The goal is to be completely warmed up but not tired, which is a slippery slope to climb, admittedly. I like to encourage short high cadence efforts of not more than 2 minutes, standing(30 sec)and seated(full 2 min). Of course this is after a minimum of 30 minutes easy to moderate riding as a warm-up. Finish your warm-up 15 minutes prior to your start time. Roll up you skin suit,(you should
ride with the top rolled down, so it does not get wet during warm-up) and proceed close to the start area. Approximately 2 minutes before your start, begin slow deep breathing. This helps you bank some oxygen that will help get you thru the first mile or so. Relax.:)
ON THE BIKE:
Don't go out too hard, this is a common blunder, and you can find yourself in some serious 02 debt about a mile down the road and in deep trouble. Of course, the length of the TT will dictate how hard you start, obviously a 5 K TT you need to launch like a bullet, but form anything longer, get a strong but controlled and smooth start. Amp it up as you go, till you feel like the pedal is about to go thru the firewall, so to speak, and hold it there..
Try like hell not to use your 30 second or minute man as your inspiration for a good ride. Everyone does this and it is not good. It is not good because you can't count on it. What if your 30 second man sucks and you fly by him and think you are riding the best TT ever. Turns out he finished 96th and you used him as a guage. You finished 64th as a result and are left scratching your head. You ride as hard as you can, and let the riders ahead or behind you do whatever they are going to do. You just worry about YOU.. That said, if you have a string of riders ahead of you, and you want to pick them off, 1 by 1, feel free, but what happens when you are the first one off? You cannot rely on a rabbit to ensure a good TT. You just can't.
TIP: When you hit a hill, do not stand for too long, (obviously on a steep hill, this does not apply)just enough to get the gear turning over, as well as stretch your legs and give your arms and hands a change in position. I have passed many a rider slogging up some hill standing, while I stay smooth and in the bars.
Don't overreact to any changes in the road profile.
'The breathing technique'
It is a simple theory designed to make you as efficient, hence, as fast as possible. You count. Anything really. Some riders count pedal strokes. I will tell you what I do. Using a deep, rhythmic breathing pattern, I count on the exhale. I count to 100 then start over. If I lose track, I start over. I lose track a lot... It is hard to stay focused. But if you think about the breathing, then count and exhale HARD and visualize the number you are at, this takes an edge off the pain. I have done some experiments with this. Lets say, my HR is 185, my speed is 26 mph and I am about to crack. 30 more seconds and I am going to shut down. You shut down even slightly in a TT, and you are losing seconds. Not good. So, I restart my deep breathing, restart my counting at 1. Initially, I am so close to blowing, my lactic-haze induced foggy brain is sure this is not going do any good. But I stay at it, and low and behold, after about 2 minutes, I am now breathing easier, and my speed has risen to 27 or even 28 MPH. Imagine, I am now going faster and an easier perceived effort. How?. Because I am not focusing on how much agony I am in. I am focusing on my numbers and my breathing. I am now breathing more efficiently, (panting is the worst form of breathing), so my body gets more O2, hence I am going faster. Pretty cool trick. Hard to do, and you have to work at it all the time, but it does work.
Powered me to 3 National Championship medals.
The last KM go like complete hell.. Nothing else in it, like Phil says.
When you cross that line you are DONE< DONE< DONE!!
If you do not feel like you are going to puke after you cross the line, you didn't go hard enough.
To use a HR monitor or not?
Some riders are so tied to their monitors, they can't get out of bed without consulting the numbers first.
I train with a monitor, and race without one. Why?
Riders ask, how fast will I know how to go without my monitor?
I say, in a RR, you go fast enough to stay on the wheel in front of you.
In a TT, you go as fast as you can.
Seems simple enough...
The problem with racing with a monitor( and I have heard and seen this) is rider A rides the TT and states he rode right on his LT # all ride. Perfect!.But, he feels like he could have gone harder. huh.. What if he was having a good day and could have held a few beats higher?, And gone a few seconds faster?
The numbers can help, or hold you back...
I have also heard riders say, I looked at my monitor and backed off, because I was afraid I was going to blow up.. Sigh...You didn't , did you? So you might have been able to eek out a little more, might have stayed in the break, might have cut 20 seconds off your TT time, but those numbers, they told you what was right, eh?
The wheel in front of you, that is your real monitor.
If you get dropped, if you get beat, make sure it is by another rider, not a number display...
You go as fast as you need to go.
CADENCE: Do not get stuck slamming too big a gear in a TT, you don't have to spin 110 like Lance, but be efficient:80-90 range.
Training for the TT:
We are going to vary the training a little bit for TT prep.
If your week has 3 HI days, 2 will be for TT, 1 for group.
2 RR days
1 ED day, 1 float, for RR or Pre-Race
The workouts:
Nothing to complicated, TT'ing ain't rocket science..
We want to have 2 separate TT workouts.
1 will concentrate on start and short effort, 2 will feature longer, controlled work.
TT1
Both workouts will feature the exact same warmup routine, whatever you use(ideas? or are you set?)
This is a performance variable we want to eliminate.
After the warmup:
Stop and unclip
Count down in your head from 10, deep breath and relax.
Take off, like a controlled bullet, and settle quickly into your bars.
1 minute, max effort.
2 minute easy spin.
Repeat, only up the max seated effort by 30 seconds.
You will increase the time till you reach 3 minutes.
Then restart at 1 minute intervals.
2 sets, that is 10 intervals, would be the max allowable.
We are replicating your start and focus, over and over until it is second nature.
Get 1 set the first time out, then add as you go, 5 reps is the goal, any extra is a bonus..
Good cool down and recovery.
TT2
Warmup routine
Stop and upclip
Count down(repetition and familiarization)
Take off, the bullet again.
Now settle into the bars. We are going for 5 minutes
5 minute cooldown
Restart, now hold TT for 10 minutes
5 minute cooldown
Restart now hold for 15 minutes
Spin and recover.
TT3
You are going to replicate your actual TT exactly....2-3 times before the actual event..
So what have we done?
1. Replicated warmup routine to a T
2. Replicated start routine, also to a T
3. Replicated first 200 meter effort over and over so you are familiar with this effort and do not over-cook yourself..
4. Now you have the capacity to TT for variable lengths of time, the focus and discipline applies to all lengths and time frames.
5. By starting and stopping, you are forced to end your focus and counting, reset and start over. This is the biggest bugaboo in a TT, so many distractions, cows, snakes, cars, other riders, water buffalos(hey you might race in Thailand some day..) some guys get distracted and they never get back on track. You must do it over and over.
Then you just go and kick some ass..