"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Took me 4 years to decide I'm not a TT'er

I started riding in 2005 with the goal of doing a triathlon, so I immediately gravitated to tri bikes and working on long intervals. My progression since then has been to figure out that I'm a slow triathlete and a slightly less-slow bike racer, and I've gradually shifted to pretty much pure cycling training, with an occasional swim and run.

This year I've probably ridden the TT bike about 5 times. Got on it last night to pre-ride this weekend's state TT course and hated every minute of it. The whole suffering for an hour straight thing has got to be the worst. Doesn't help that I can't seem to find a comfortable saddle for prolonged aero position efforts.

I'm much happier feeling like I'm going to puke a lung in a crit, at least there's adrenaline, changes in position and tempo, cornering. I think it's the boredom that gets to me mentally. Maybe I just need to HTFU and do more 20 minute intervals. Maybe I'm burnt out.

Anybody else feel like this?

well if you happen to be selling any powertap discs cheap then PM me :)

This is the problem of buying a TT bike, the feeling that you have to use it. I also hate TT's.

I love TT's but hate crits. All the cornering, changing of positions, adrenaline, etc wears me out. Suffering endlessly and going as fast as possible the entire race is more my style.

took me 1 TT to realize i'm not a TTer. I hate it.

the last time i did a TT my only concessions to aerodynamics was wearing lycra overshoes and not wearing gloves.

the last time i did a TT my only concessions to aerodynamics was wearing lycra overshoes and not wearing gloves.

dang it...I knew something was slowing me down! Haha

It's all about pacing...

Well, that and threshold power...

Don't forget lactate tolerance and mental capacity to block the pain...

Oh, and weight...

and your bike, and position, and time spent practicing on your bike in that position...

and shoe covers.

No, it's true - TTs suck. They wouldn't be nearly so bad if I didn't suck at them. I don't really have a problem with suffering for a long period of time - though, like the OP, I REALLY would be much happier if my saddle didn't make my junk feel like it was going to fall off ten minutes into the TT :eek: - what really bothers me is that I can ride myself into the friggin' ground, and I still get destroyed by almost everyone. It's the climber's curse. Aero equipment would help, but beyond aerobars, it seems pretty pointless for someone like me.

Prologue-length TTs, on the other hand, aren't so bad. I have very good 5 min/VO2 power, so I don't get annihilated as badly as I do on anything longer than 5k or so. The longer they get, the worse it is. Stoopid TTs.

you all need to HTFU.

Congratulations on giving up triathalons.

Congratulations on giving up triathalons.

You did that on purpose, didn't you?

And come on. There are something like 4 women in this town who can keep up with the Tuesday night ride. When I go to a tri club meeting, it's something like 50% women, and they're mostly cute. There has to be more to life than the sausagefest that is Florida road racing.

4 years?

It took me 20 minutes.

Does this mean I don't have to worry about you kicking my ass on Saturday?

Side note: What's the course like? I can't find any info on it. Out and back? Rolling or flat? Does it run long or short?

Mike,

Here's a thread (http://www.windermereroadies.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6031&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&sid=9a1d6cf96c6f71dfb5e1492a03f12cf1) on the Windermere Roadies forum; Jim Wright describes the course in detail.

Short answer: it's pretty much flat, out and back, a couple of minor dips to cross creeks. Good pavement, wide open to the wind much of the way.

Say hello when you pass me. :)

i love tt's but hate crits. All the cornering, changing of positions, adrenaline, etc wears me out. Suffering endlessly and going as fast as possible the entire race is more my style.

+1. The only reason why I don't like crits is because of the repetitiveness of it all; I never looked forward to racing in a crit, whereas I usually like TTs, even if they hurt for a little while.

It's the climber's curse.

This. Send me up hill anyday.

Hour long max efforts / nose in the wind 'grinds' aren't my bag (unless I'm OTF in a hilly RR).

I am guaranteeing a top ten finish Saturday.

No way more than 11 mixed tandem teams show up.

+1. The only reason why I don't like crits is because of the repetitiveness of it all; I never looked forward to racing in a crit, whereas I usually like TTs, even if they hurt for a little while.

since when does a cat 5 start sounding like a wily old vet?

I started riding in 2005 with the goal of doing a triathlon, so I immediately gravitated to tri bikes and working on long intervals. My progression since then has been to figure out that I'm a slow triathlete and a slightly less-slow bike racer, and I've gradually shifted to pretty much pure cycling training, with an occasional swim and run.

This year I've probably ridden the TT bike about 5 times. Got on it last night to pre-ride this weekend's state TT course and hated every minute of it. The whole suffering for an hour straight thing has got to be the worst. Doesn't help that I can't seem to find a comfortable saddle for prolonged aero position efforts.

I'm much happier feeling like I'm going to puke a lung in a crit, at least there's adrenaline, changes in position and tempo, cornering. I think it's the boredom that gets to me mentally. Maybe I just need to HTFU and do more 20 minute intervals. Maybe I'm burnt out.

Anybody else feel like this?

Racer Ex and I were just talking about this the other night. We kinda were wondering why guys like Dave Z (who is a pretty lightweight guy) weren't great climbers as well as great TT'ers and visa versa. We concluded that although the two disciplines are similar, basically power to weight and the ability to suffer, time trialing is a different type of suffering. Some people can put themselves in the box and some can't. I have to say that I've never been an exceptional TT'er, always in the bottom half of the top 10. This year for some reason I'm coming out in the top 3 or 4, even won one this year. I think a great deal of that comes from my coming to grips with with pain. I can climb pretty well and put myself into that suffer box pretty easily and now I think I've finally figured out how to wrap my mind around the TT suffer box as well.

Racer Ex and I were just talking about this the other night. We kinda were wondering why guys like Dave Z (who is a pretty lightweight guy) weren't great climbers as well as great TT'ers and visa versa. We concluded that although the two disciplines are similar, basically power to weight and the ability to suffer, time trialing is a different type of suffering. Some people can put themselves in the box and some can't. I have to say that I've never been an exceptional TT'er, always in the bottom half of the top 10. This year for some reason I'm coming out in the top 3 or 4, even won one this year. I think a great deal of that comes from my coming to grips with with pain. I can climb pretty well and put myself into that suffer box pretty easily and now I think I've finally figured out how to wrap my mind around the TT suffer box as well.

i have to move to TX so i can start winning races more often. :innocent:

Mike,

Here's a thread (http://www.windermereroadies.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6031&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&sid=9a1d6cf96c6f71dfb5e1492a03f12cf1) on the Windermere Roadies forum; Jim Wright describes the course in detail.

Thanks!


Say hello when you pass me. :)

Something tells me this won't happen.

the last time i did a TT my only concessions to aerodynamics was wearing lycra overshoes and not wearing gloves.

me too, except I did wear a skin suit. I finished 26th, but am confident I was 1st in the "no aero stuff" division :p

i have to move to TX so i can start winning races more often. :innocent:
If you come here and start beating X you have been sandbagging up to this point...if come here, beating me is a foregone conclusion.

I am guaranteeing a top ten finish Saturday.

No way more than 11 mixed tandem teams show up.

Right now you're a lock for the gold... :thumb:

If you come here and start beating X you have been sandbagging up to this point...if come here, beating me is a foregone conclusion.

not gonna happen any time soon, besides you're both imports.

You did that on purpose, didn't you?

And come on. There are something like 4 women in this town who can keep up with the Tuesday night ride. When I go to a tri club meeting, it's something like 50% women, and they're mostly cute. There has to be more to life than the sausagefest that is Florida road racing.

Good point.

+1. The only reason why I don't like crits is because of the repetitiveness of it all; I never looked forward to racing in a crit, whereas I usually like TTs, even if they hurt for a little while.

Oh, I disagree. Crits are a friggin blast. The actual racing is so dynamic and exciting that I don't give a crap about the fact that I'm no good at it. Getting dropped in hard road races is depressing, because my best hope of really getting good results is by climbing. Being outclimbed, therefore, totally sucks. And TTs suck because it doesn't matter how hard I focus or how much I suffer, everyone is going to blow by me. Crits are just way fun, and you don't need to worry too much if your fitness is a bit off, so they're a good way to get some racing in without really trashing your morale if the training hours have been hard to come by.

not gonna happen any time soon, besides you're both imports.

I'm an export.

You did that on purpose, didn't you?

And come on. There are something like 4 women in this town who can keep up with the Tuesday night ride. When I go to a tri club meeting, it's something like 50% women, and they're mostly cute. There has to be more to life than the sausagefest that is Florida road racing.

Bicycle racing is a sausagefest everywhere.

Bicycle racing is a sausagefest everywhere.

At least we have podium girls. Baseball has bat boys.

You did that on purpose, didn't you?

And come on. There are something like 4 women in this town who can keep up with the Tuesday night ride. When I go to a tri club meeting, it's something like 50% women, and they're mostly cute. There has to be more to life than the sausagefest that is Florida road racing.

did it take you '4 years' to realize that as well?

did it take you '4 years' to realize that as well?

I was always surrounded by all these pretty shaved legs in lycra..I just thought they were flat chested chicks. Who knew?

I don't like crits ... because of the repetitiveness of it all
+1


And come on. There are something like 4 women in this town who can keep up with the Tuesday night ride. When I go to a tri club meeting, it's something like 50% women, and they're mostly cute. There has to be more to life than the sausagefest that is Florida road racing.

...shhhh, don't tell. all the roadies will start moving over to the dark side!