Road Bike Racing - First Race (TT) - advice needed

So I am entering into the racing world this weekend for my first time. I am doing a .8 mile Time trial (hill climb) for fun.

https://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=5023

Is the event. My question is, how should I approach this? Being so short, should I just attempt to give it all I have starting at the beginning? Or should I monitor my heart rate and keep it within a manageable range?

Knowing how short this is, I plan to strip off my water bottle cages, spare tube, etc, so that isn't worry, but I am just looking for overall advice on how to approach the climb. Anything is appreciated

Edit - forgot to add - What about warm up? What should I look to do warm up for this? How long and what should I do for it?

Don't let the children see you cry. Hill climbs are always real tough, especially if you start off too hard.

So, DON'T start too hard.

I would start hard but not all out, i don't think i could hold max effort uphill for a mile. Steady high cadance, and just give all you have over the last 300k

I've done the Illchester climb a bunch in winter training, so I've never "max efforted" it, but IIRC, it's very steep, +15% in parts, about 3/4 of a mile. I'm betting it should take you inside of 4 minutes so you'll need to pace yourself. I'd say start in a little gear so you're spinning hard but smooth, stay seated as much as you can, and when you've gotta get out of the saddle, make it count by being in the drops (my preference - but hoods OK if better for you) and hammering. Think Contador attacking on the Peyresourde in this years TdF for a visual.

Tough to balance something short like this because you dont want to have too much left when you finish, but you also dont want to completely crack 100M from the top.

Here is the approximate route:
http://www.routeslip.com/routes/58530

I think at some points is upwards of 18%.

And will I need much of a warm up?

Here is the approximate route:
http://www.routeslip.com/routes/58530

I think at some points is upwards of 18%.

And will I need much of a warm up?

YES!!!!

A long one, I'd do at least 45' maybe an hour with several short maximal efforts at about 30' in. General rule = shorter the event, longer and harder the warm up should be.

I assume them that I would want to time the warmup to be finishing up ~5-10 minutes before my scheduled start time?

This looks like fun, too bad I'm 3,000 miles away.
I'd enter 2 races if your age allows.
For a race that short you could probably do it twice and be faster the 2nd time.

I'd warm up for a good hour with a 5 minute near max effort ending about 10 minutes before your start.

I've done lots of hill repeat workouts where the climbs get progressively faster even though the effort feels the same. You really need to be warm for an effort this short and intense.

From the profile, it looks like the steepest part is in the first 1/3, so if I were racing it I would be out of the saddle for the first 1/3, then seated for the second 1/3, then out of the saddle all out for the final 1/3. Heck, I'd probably just do the whole thing out of the saddle, but most people, including my coach would advise against it, but it works for me.

Thanks Pizza. Unfortunately, I am 24 so I can only enter the Cat 5 men's race and no others. So I have my one shot. I will definitely get that hard warm up in. I caught part of that while watching the TdF on TV during the ITT's. So that makes sense.

A little background, I do a Thursday ride usually (which I won't do this week) but it is a 31 mile ride at a 23-26 mph pace with ~20 people. So far I have not been able to hang on the whole ride, but have still managed to average 21mph across the whole ride even after cooling down (included in average). But the point of this aside, is during the time I am really pushing my Heart Rate is around 173-178, a bit lower if I am able to catch a breather on a downhill. The ride is rolling with ~1000ft or so climbing total (not a whole lot, but rolling). So I would guess my LT heartrate is in that range. So given that:

I will definitely push that first 1/3. I am comfortable out of the saddle, and will definitely stay up for that steepest part. Trying to keep my heart rate within that ~175 range with a little more in order to not give too much. The second 1/3 within that rate, and then the last third pretty much all out. Knowing my mind will quit before my body, so I can push harder than I think I can.

Thanks again for all the advice. And if anyone has more to add, I am all ears. I still have until Saturday to prepare mentally, and all the tidbits I can get, the better.

This TT course sounds disturbingly similar to the hill I ride up to my driveway daily. In which case you are totally F'd.

Get 'em tiger.

Unfortunately, I am 24 so I can only enter the Cat 5 men's race and no others.
What? I'm 17 and enter in Cat 4 races just about every weekend, I've never caught flak from the officials (now the racers are another story)

I brought up the age only because there are cat 5 and cat 4 races, along with 30+, 40+, etc...

So I can't enter Cat 4 because i have never raced, and am too young for the age brackets, so Cat 5 is the only category I can enter.

Thanks for the encouragement PCAD, I will keep that in mind when I am swearing at my legs to keep turning over halfway up that thing...I will just go for the "Little Engine that Could" (a little exaggeration on the little part 5'9" at 190lbs...)

That looks like real fun. That would definitely be an everything I've got from the get go. Depending on the gradients you could stand without shifting on the steep stretches and sit and ramp the cadence on the lower % gradients. I'd probably try to do a modified "race winning interval" style on it. Hard as hell for the first minute, drop to my goal power for the middle 2 minutesish, and hard as hell for the last minute.

So basically, it sounds like for the first 1/3 I should try to hold as much speed/power as I can in the big ring up front (52/39) and work to power up the steeper first part, and "rest" in the middle with a higher cadence, and then just push it hard for that last 1/3.

(and at the finish falling over exhausted)

If you are a big ringer at 15% congrats, but for me, it looks like that first portion is just monsterous. Not knowing the exact grade, I personally would think to be in the small ring at the start gate, build up some speed on the very short downhill portion, then stay within yourself until the grade starts becoming less painful. Then you get faster and faster. I am thinking that if you can manage to spin out a 39x12 on an uphill, then you have the thing won anyway. Being your first race though, how is your spin??

I find myself comfortable at around a 90-95 cadence. I assume that is what you mean by that question. So that is the cadence I should shoot for, if not higher in order to keep it aerobic and move faster?

shoot for that cadence. As I said, you will want to be small ring, not big.

Ok so I did the hill yesterday, and with my current gearing, I would be utterly screwed... 53/39 on front and 12-25 on back... that 39/25 combo had me grinding horribly.

Luckily a buddy of mine has a 38 ring for the front, and a 12-28 ( think he said it was a 28, may be a 26) to let me borrow for the weekend, so that should help. Because slogging up that 18% completely drained me at a 5-60 cadence...