Road Cycling - Where do you rank on the Chris Carmichael test?

Standing start, 3 mile (4.827km) time trial, preferably on a velodrome, or a flat road with no wind.

(mens rankings)
Under 8 mins.................intermediate to advanced
Between 8 & 10 mins....intermediate
Over 10 mins.................beginner

EDITED** :D

You sure its not a 5k time trial? No way anyone is doing 8km in under 8 minutes

The current world record for the kilomter TT is :58.875

You would have to average 37.3mph to come in at 8:00 on the dot.

This is Rik Verbrugghe, he rode the fastest prolouge in professional cycling history, he rode 7.6km at 58.874kph, which is 36.3mph, this would place his squarely in the intermediate category.

g'day,

i think he's right 531, if i could go 8 km in 8 minutes i'd be pretty darn happy with my form! (i'd also be hoping for Olympic gold in the T/T!)

cheers,

Hitchy

:o :D :( D'oh.....edited

on a flat windless road, i can ride 23mph for 3 miles with no problem. that'll beat 8 minutes.

The only trick is the standing start

and i'm a great trackstander :)

g'day,

that works a bit better! AVe 36.2 kph for 8 minutes on a flat road, no wind?.....quite 'do able'....anyone attempting this, please ensure you do a 15minute warm up & warm down to avoid injury...c'mon folks, lets hear your results,


cheers,

Hitchy

I'm thinking I can do this a tick under 7 minutes.........

I would need to average 25.7, which I can do, but I wonder how much time the standing start will eat up.

No wind or hills.....hahaha.....no wind or hills. Where is this magical place of which you speak? :P

I've never done a TT in my life, but If I couldn't average over 40km/h for 5kms on the flat with no wind, I'd cry. Yes, I am a fat hack. Hitchy will probably average that for the Melb-Warnambool.

Standing start, 3 mile (4.827km) time trial, preferably on a velodrome, or a flat road with no wind.

(mens rankings)
Under 8 mins.................intermediate to advanced
Between 8 & 10 mins....intermediate
Over 10 mins.................beginner

EDITED** :D


I did the 6.1 mile loop in Central Park today, hills and breeze and all and out of the 5 laps I did my best lap was in 19 minutes.

So that's approx. 9.5 minutes for 3 miles. factor in the hills, car and pedestrian traffic etc. etc. so does that make me Advanced? I'm happy :D

The only sort of I trial I know I've done is a regular hill I go up. Its about 3 miles long, a fair steady climb and takes me about 11 min. So I'd imagine I could do it in about 8-10 if it was flat. Although this is Scotland, I dont know of any flatland other than my hallway.

in my prime ( age 20 )I could have ran those 3 miles in about 19 mins
how do I know cause I did it ( military pt test :) )
now I'd be lucky to ride it in 15 mins lol
and where I live ya can go that far with out a biga~~ hill lol

Standing start, 3 mile (4.827km) time trial, preferably on a velodrome, or a flat road with no wind.

(mens rankings)
Under 8 mins.................intermediate to advanced
Between 8 & 10 mins....intermediate
Over 10 mins.................beginner

EDITED** :D

8:28. That down from a 9:50 a month ago!

Cole

The only trick is the standing start

and i'm a great trackstander
Oh! I thought "standing start" meant I had to stand beside my bike then hop on. Whew. I THOUGHT my times were a bit slow ;) :D

You guys are slow. At 15 I did my first race ever and did a 3 mile tt in 7:15 in the tour de louisiane(sp) pretty sure that with a couple of days of training and a good warmup I could do it in 6:25

This morning I did 8.59 mi in 21.45 average speed 21.5mph. Big head wind going out, cross/tail coming back all rollers. I think I could do a sub 8min 3mi TT on this magical flat windless road!

42 year old weekend warrior!

No wind or hills.....hahaha.....no wind or hills. Where is this magical place of which you speak? :P

I've never done a TT in my life, but If I couldn't average over 40km/h for 5kms on the flat with no wind, I'd cry. Yes, I am a fat hack. Hitchy will probably average that for the Melb-Warnambool.

That would be the lovely state of Illinois.


You guys are slow. At 15 I did my first race ever and did a 3 mile tt in 7:15 in the tour de louisiane(sp) pretty sure that with a couple of days of training and a good warmup I could do it in 6:25

Nobody likes cocky bastard. There are much better ways to go about saying things.

Nobody likes cocky bastard. There are much better ways to go about saying things.

Im not being cocky, I did not run that fast, most of the guys ran in the 6-7 minute range. Only a few guys couldn't do it in 8 minutes. Just surprised that you guys don't think you can do it. Its only three miles. Run it like a death run and you will surprise yourself



ps. anywho, I am still a cocky bastard

Im not being cocky, I did not run that fast, most of the guys ran in the 6-7 minute range. Only a few guys couldn't do it in 8 minutes. Just surprised that you guys don't think you can do it. Its only three miles. Run it like a death run and you will surprise yourself



ps. anywho, I am still a cocky bastard

Wow, it would take me close to 17 minutes to run that far. You are fast.

I could do it in 6:25
28mph over 3 miles? Not too bad. Looking at the course, I assume you had a tail wind. I can only assume you still race. Given that your TT was ?6? years ago, I doubt you could even come close to 6:25 if you've stopped. Heck, 7:15 is probably out of your league if you're not still racing. You might tone the cockiness down a bit. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. There were a good numbers of riders in that race could say you were slow. Losing a TT in the TdL is not exactly a huge accomplishment...

Well, I tried it today. It took me 8:54 on a flat country road. I am still getting into cycling, so I am sure that will improve with time. I have really only been riding seriously for a couple of months.

28mph over 3 miles? Not too bad. I can only assume you race (the Tour de Louisianne suggests so)? Your post suggests it. If not, you might tone the cockiness down a bit. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. There are plenty of people who could say you are slow as well and tell you just to go on a "death run" and you could pull off a 5:45 3mile TT or better. Humility will always serve you better in the long run. OTOH, I'm not all that impressed that you might be able to do 3 miles in 6:25. What else have you done with your life that actually means something? Losing a TT in the TdL is not exactly a huge accomplishment.

I haven't raced in years, nothing wrong with not being fast. I was just surprised that NO ONE that has posted yet had really done this before. I am not saying I am fast (I think that I mentioned this before). You said everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, well there should be more people with this as a strength. I did not think that a 6:25 was bragging, I was merely stating that I probably could with a little prep work. I did not ask you to be impressed. I gave up racing because I am in college in wyoming and can't race. I was merely referring to the huge difference between 6:25 and 8:00 and to the fact that I don't ride hardly ever and can do it. I believe that chris says that makes me intermediate. wooohooo! Why did this become a lets focus on the other stuff hes done thread, because I am 20 and I feel like my life has been pretty good so far.

Fair enough. Your initial post was just awfully cocky. And I think you need to actually get out and DO a 6:25 3-mile (since that's a competitive time for a race) before you nonchalantly state how easy it would be...

PS You'll notice I edited my initial post because I thought the "other stuff in your life" went a bit far myself. I often click "post" before I reread a few times :p

Fair enough. Your initial post was just awfully cocky. And I think you need to actually get out and DO a 6:25 3-mile (since that's a competitive time for a race) before you nonchalantly state how easy it would be...

PS You'll notice I edited my initial post because I thought the "other stuff in your life" went a bit far myself. I often click "post" before I reread a few times :p
I agree, it does sound cocky as hell, but I could do it in under 6:30. I have practiced a few times before but don't have any roads in wyoming that are flat and windless. My body likes these kinds of efforts but gives up on any time trial over 6 miles. I didn't say that 6:25 was easy, but 8 min should be for a seasoned road cyclist under 60.

seasoned= any non touring cyclist (strong but hate going fast) or distance rider. Some mileage guys are really fast though.

test=BS

this also depends on the bike though, my 7:15 was on a 12 y/o road bike with $20 aero bars on it. I would probably cut off about 15 seconds just with the current bike. I wish the wind would go away, then I would try it for y'all

Hitchy will probably average that for the Melb-Warnambool.

G'day,

I wish!!!....& anyway, Warney will be sitting in a bunch, rather than by myself!. I'm planning an armchair ride all the way to warney!,

cheers,

Hitchy

Are there any numbers for women? I'd like to see how my wife rates...on a bike that is :p

I don't think I would have any problem since I average 20mph over 22 miles with hills and no warmup.

OTOH, I should be considered "advanced" since I've got 50k miles and did RAGBRAI 23 years ago.

(sorry for the bragging)

-murray

You guys are slow. At 15 I did my first race ever and did a 3 mile tt in 7:15 in the tour de louisiane(sp) pretty sure that with a couple of days of training and a good warmup I could do it in 6:25
what you lack in spelling ability you make up for in arrogance. :roflmao:

... a 6:25 3-mile (since that's a competitive time for a race) before you nonchalantly state how easy it would be...

OK, a sub 7 minute, 3 miler may equate to a competitive speed for a race, but this isn't race length or duration; it's only 3 miles. I decided I'd give it a try today on my way to work -- there's a long enough stretch of flat I figured would suffice for a test.

Anyway, since I'm commuting to work, this also means I'd be carrying panniers, and of course the weather decided that rain was in order, but there was no appreciable wind, so what the heck...

Here's the setup used (pic taken earlier this year):
http://www.gacnw.com/images/LeMondProfileWeb.jpg

The result: After riding for 25 minutes to the point I would engage in this test, I stopped, noted my time and distance to that point, and set off. Unfortunately, I hit the one light (which I normally don't) that stands between my start and end point. I held speed for as long as possible (I have autostop on my computer) before stopping, then set off again. So, with two standing starts, and panniers, in the rain, I netted 6:40 for 3 miles.

I don't race, but I do ride every weekday throughout the year. I admit that I often train for speed and hills during my commutes (for no reason other than masochism, I guess). Overall, I would say that a sub 8 minute time trial over 3 miles isn't exceedingly hard for someone that rides often; though it requires a fairly intense effort, it's a very short time so I imagine one could go for all they're worth -- heck, I beat 8 minutes, and I didn't even grit my teeth or loll my tongue this morning :)

So, with two standing starts, and panniers, in the rain, I netted 6:40 for 3 miles.

I know it's only 3 miles, but that's damned impressive (27 mph I calculate)! I'm wondering if there is any elevation change or tail wind. You could try it in reverse just to discount the elevation.

I may give it a go this afternoon to satisfy my curiosity.

-murray

what you lack in spelling ability you make up for in arrogance. :roflmao:
.......been through this already

Anyway, since I'm commuting to work, this also means I'd be carrying panniers, and of course the weather decided that rain was in order, but there was no appreciable wind, so what the heck...

Here's the setup used (pic taken earlier this year):
:)

Man, that is an expensive looking commuter bike :)

Does it double as your weekend bike, or do you have another?

I know it's only 3 miles, but that's damned impressive (27 mph I calculate)! I'm wondering if there is any elevation change or tail wind. You could try it in reverse just to discount the elevation.

While there was no wind, I suspect that it may not be exactly level, but it's the closest I could find. So yeah, I'm gonna try it in reverse this evening.

As for whether I have another bike, no. But with two kids, I don't find much time to ride on weekends. I get up really early on Sunday and go for a 10-12 mile run (feet, no wheels) though...

OT : Murry go back and check the bike maintainance thread I left out some zero's! It will make much more sense now!

OT : Murry go back and check the bike maintainance thread I left out some zero's! It will make much more sense now!

Yeah, I saw that. That's definately more reasonable.

Thing is, I've heard of people changing their chains every month/1000 miles :eek: Talk about a waste of money :rolleyes: To each their own, I guess.

-murray

I dunno. Changing the chain every 1,000 miles is not abad idea (if you're not using super-high quality chains). Costs alot more to have a rear casette replaced than to slap on a new chain...

I dunno. Changing the chain every 1,000 miles is not abad idea (if you're not using super-high quality chains). Costs alot more to have a rear casette replaced than to slap on a new chain...

You're right, you dunno :D

As I said in the other thread, I have a chain checker that didn't indicate replacement until 8-10k miles. I got a new chain and my bike still shifts fine. If you change your chain every 1k miles, you'll go through 16-20 chains to my (at worst) two and I doubt I'll have to change my cassette after the second chain.

Certainly, one chain is cheaper than a cassette, but I doubt your cassette costs less than 14-18 chains :p

-murray

I can hear the difference after 1000 miles on a chain. After 2000, the cassette, derailure cogs, and probably a chainring or two are shot. 1500 miles for a hard-ridden chain seems like a nice number. Those derailure cogs are expensive.

Yeah. I tend to buy cheaper chains and often notice stretch after 1k. Even when I buy nicer chains (say $20) they wear out after 2k (i.e. I can put a toothpick between the chain and the cog). I'm also pretty good about keeping them cleaned and oiled. I guess some of us just ride harder than others, eh? (Probably doesn't help that I weigh 240 and ride in the big ring a good deal...) If you get 8-10k out of a chain, wonderful. OTOH, suggesting that replacing a chain every 1k is unreasonable may be kind of unreasonable in and of itself, especially when many people notice stretch that fast :) . Of course, I don't replace it until it needs it. So you won't see me replace a perfectly good chain at 1k just because it's got 1k on it :)

Yeah. I tend to buy cheaper chains and often notice stretch after 1k. Even when I buy nicer chains (say $20) they wear out after 2k (i.e. I can put a toothpick between the chain and the cog). I'm also pretty good about keeping them cleaned and oiled. I guess some of us just ride harder than others, eh? (Probably doesn't help that I weigh 240 and ride in the big ring a good deal...) If you get 8-10k out of a chain, wonderful. OTOH, suggesting that replacing a chain every 1k is unreasonable may be kind of unreasonable in and of itself, especially when many people notice stretch that fast :) . Of course, I don't replace it until it needs it. So you won't see me replace a perfectly good chain at 1k just because it's got 1k on it :)

You're right, if it's stretched, replace it. I do spin and only weight 135 so I'm sure that makes a difference :)

Do you have one of the Park chain checkers? I would be interested in what kind of stretch you're seeing.

-murray

You sure its not a 5k time trial? No way anyone is doing 8km in under 8 minutes

The current world record for the kilomter TT is :58.875

You would have to average 37.3mph to come in at 8:00 on the dot.

This is Rik Verbrugghe, he rode the fastest prolouge in professional cycling history, he rode 7.6km at 58.874kph, which is 36.3mph, this would place his squarely in the intermediate category.


I am a CTS remember. The 3 mile CTS field test is a "Time Trial" sort of. You ride it like a time trial but you have to max yourself out completely to get max HR and wattage if available. They need this to get your average HR and wattage to calculate the values for the FM / EM ranges as well as tempo values and climbing repeat values and so on.

On Jan 30, 2004 I did the test on the trainer, Cyclops fluid 2. from my training log, here are the results:

5km in 00:08:06 avg speed was 37.26km/h = 23.26mph
using the same average speed 00:07:44 tyhat was 2000 km ago I should be able to beat that today.
My HR only maxed out to 197bpm with an avg of 195bpm Sitting on the trainer I was able to stare at the numbers.

Murray,
I don't have a Park Chain Checker, so I just use a ruler. I usually see 1/4" stretch when I notice the need to replace the chain (typically, I notice space between the chain and cog before I hink to measure). I spin the best I can, but my average cadence isn't much better than 80 (unless I have a truly flat course where I can average high 80's if the wind cooperates). I think this combined with my added weight results in significantly more chain stress than for many cyclists. Anytime I drop to lower RPMs, I'm putting a lot more stress on the chain which I'm sure wears it out. For the most part, I tend to buy cheaper chains too, since they wear out so fast. Of course, that could have everything to do with it, but buying a $40-50 chain to test my theory just isn't something I want to do :D . Furthermore, I have a 2000 Trek 2000 with just a standard 7-speed rear cassette. Finding quality chains for this set up is starting to take some effort :)