"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Anybody else roll your own 40k TT?

I have a goal of going under an hour for 40k this year. However, there aren't any TTs coming up that I'll be able to make, especially as I'm headed back to Spain in a couple of weeks.

So...I started thinking about optimal areas to make my own course. Ended up using mapmyride to plan the route and get a good idea for turn around points. It's a T shaped course with two turn arounds, flat, great views of trailers and dogs. :)

I rode it tonight with a little bit of wind (maybe 6 mph). I was rolling along going out, and figured either I was hella strong, or there was a tailwind. Guess which...heh. Anyway, I finished it in 1:02:15, and I think on a nice windless morning with the new geek lid a la Pcaddy, I can maybe break an hour. If I do, I'll get my daughter to make me up a nice gold medal.

I'm going to try and make this a habit every few weeks. We really need a nice local practice TT series, though. Anybody in Jax want to organize one?

Yes , I have sourt of. I have a tt course with 4 turn arounds, dead flat, minimal traffic and no traffic lights or stop signs. For my tt I see how far I can go in 1 hour. The season is kaput up here so working on the tt is not a regular thing for me.

Not many flat areas in AZ; however used to do a fult-tilt one-hour TT once a week. Sure made it a lot easier when doing a club ride!
Do have a couple gold medals from TTs + road races at Sr. Olympics.

this spring i plan on it...

yeah, we've got some pretty flat roads out here, I took the TT bike out and did a quick out and back route. 40k, I averaged 25.7 or something like that.

I also like training to TTs the merckx way. Ride as hard as you can for an hour, rest the next day then do it again the next. This ends up being ~ 40K.

I also like training to TTs the merckx way. Ride as hard as you can for an hour, rest the next day then do it again the next. This ends up being ~ 40K.

Man..if I did this every other day, I'd be a toasted mess. But if I recall correctly, you were hauling ass earlier this year at the speedway; maybe I should try it. Of course, I'm a 41 year old engineer racer wanna-be, not a young stud. :)

Kendall,
IIRC the North Florida Bicycle Club does a TT once a month up around Amelia. Not sure how long it is. I think its the first sunday of the month.

I'm afraid I wouldn't have the mental discipline to do my own TT.

Kendall, you ought to make the short drive over to the State 40k course out of Olustee. I think is has one turnaround and of course is measured for you already. Ask Jim Wright the exact start and finish.

Kendall,
IIRC the North Florida Bicycle Club does a TT once a month up around Amelia. Not sure how long it is. I think its the first sunday of the month.

I'm afraid I wouldn't have the mental discipline to do my own TT.

Jonathan Tomasetti was putting that on; he's stopped now. I went up there for it most months. It was 30k, down Big and Little Talbot Islands with the bridge on each end twice. Fun course, but almost always windy and the bridge on the finish SUCKED! :)


Kendall, you ought to make the short drive over to the State 40k course out of Olustee. I think is has one turnaround and of course is measured for you already. Ask Jim Wright the exact start and finish.

That's a great idea; I have been thinking about doing that already. I did the state TT so I remember the course. I need to get Jim and Kent to drive over there with me one weekend. It's demoralizing to get passed before the turn around, though.

I got the two of them to come up to Amelia last year and they set the top speed on the course and passed me just after the half way point, with 2 and 3 minutes made up respectively. Unreal.

I use our flat former District TT course on the Eastern Shore for fitness tests. When i say flat, my Polar registers 0 feet elevation gain for 40K. Its a loop course so winds and crappy road surfaces on one part of the course are the limiters.

The top guys in the district crank out 52 and change on it.

58 and change is the best i could do here. That was 7 years ago.

Next year....

Man..if I did this every other day, I'd be a toasted mess. But if I recall correctly, you were hauling ass earlier this year at the speedway; maybe I should try it. Of course, I'm a 41 year old engineer racer wanna-be, not a young stud. :)

Well, you dont do it every other day, maybe 6 times a month or more. Ive talked to some guys who will go out and kill it for 3+ hours by themselves. They can also average 24-25 for 3 hours on a road bike by themselves.

I use our flat former District TT course on the Eastern Shore for fitness tests. When i say flat, my Polar registers 0 feet elevation gain for 40K. Its a loop course so winds and crappy road surfaces on one part of the course are the limiters.

Where might that be? I have yet to find a 40k stretch around here that I can run which doesn't involve traffic, lights or stop signs.

Where might that be? I have yet to find a 40k stretch around here that I can run which doesn't involve traffic, lights or stop signs.

Church Creek. Off Rt-50 east, hang a right turn onto Rt-16 at the Cambridge Walmart and head south about 7 miles. There's a park & ride across from the fire hall on the right on at the intersection with Rt-355. The start line is 200 yards up the shoulder of Rt-355. Start by heading east on Rt-355 to a r/t on Hip Roof Rd. Follow to end to a r/t on Smithville Rd. Follow Smithville Rd to end to a r/t on Rt-16 heading north. The finish line is before the Rt-16/Rt-355 Intersection. Traffic is minimal, and the turns are all right handers and there are no traffic signals. The stop and start lines are painted on the road as are the 10k, 20k, 30k & 1K to go markers and the turn arrows at the three intersections where you make right turns. Parts fo the course go thru the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. Watch for turtles and snakes crossing the road.

I live near Annapolis. Getting here is about 1hr drive.

I'm late to this, but why on earth would you want to do a 40k just to beat an hour? Wait until the next TT to do it. It's not worth the suffering just to do it.

I'm late to this, but why on earth would you want to do a 40k just to beat an hour? Wait until the next TT to do it. It's not worth the suffering just to do it.

Just to know that you can do it. And more importantly to know that you can do it. Imagine the confidence booster you'd have on the start line of a real TT competition knowing that you can do the hour or go even better than a practice time. Practice!

The MABRA clubs dont hold very many TT's. Of the 3 that I recall from this season, 2 were promoted my our club and the other was the District championship on a hilly course.

I'm late to this, but why on earth would you want to do a 40k just to beat an hour? Wait until the next TT to do it. It's not worth the suffering just to do it.

Somebody else already hit it...we have limited "official" TTs available to me, so if I want to check off my goal for the year, I need to do my own. I'm not sure it's worth the suffering either. :)

Church Creek. Off Rt-50 east, hang a right turn onto Rt-16 at the Cambridge Walmart and head south about 7 miles. There's a park & ride across from the fire hall on the right on at the intersection with Rt-355. The start line is 200 yards up the shoulder of Rt-355. Start by heading east on Rt-355 to a r/t on Hip Roof Rd. Follow to end to a r/t on Smithville Rd. Follow Smithville Rd to end to a r/t on Rt-16 heading north. The finish line is before the Rt-16/Rt-355 Intersection. Traffic is minimal, and the turns are all right handers and there are no traffic signals. The stop and start lines are painted on the road as are the 10k, 20k, 30k & 1K to go markers and the turn arrows at the three intersections where you make right turns. Parts fo the course go thru the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. Watch for turtles and snakes crossing the road.

I live near Annapolis. Getting here is about 1hr drive.

Sounds like fun and it's less than 30 miles away. I'll have to go check it out some time. Thanks for the info.