jamesvb

I'm looking for suggestions for good practice routes. Minimum traffic lights and stop signs etc.

I have two flat routes on mapmyride.

40km using the SART. I'm realize this can be heavily traveled during peak hours.
https://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...25979149415003

20km near San Onofre
https://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...25989068024181

Please post up any suggestions.

Does anyone have the TT race route for Santiago Canyon?

esammuli

The Santiago TT is one way starting on the bike path at the corner of El Toro and Santa Margarita Pkwy heading NE. It transitions onto Santiago Cyn. Rd. at Live Oak then finishes just south of Irvine Lake Park.

https://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/mission-viejo/658313304817

boniek1982

Pick and choose:

https://www.cityofirvine.org/depts/pw...e_bikeways.asp

swimmer88

SART and the Irvine Bike Trails are terrible places to time trial. Take esammuli's avdice and go out to Santiago Canyon. It's ~12 miles of great roads with no intersections. If you want to do a 40k, halfway through Santiago Canyon you can turn onto Silverado Canyon. That goes for an additional 8 miles (also with no intersections).

boniek1982

You must be kidding me, right? They are absolutely perfect - you just gotta know when to go.

Garfield Cat

That Silverado Canyon really doesn't have a dedicated bike path. As you get closer towards the trailhead of Maple Springs, it gets a bit narrower and homeowners tend to drive out of their driveways into the road.

Lots of motorcycle dirt bikes like to go that way, into Maple Springs then down to Holy Jim Trail.

The SART is not like a real road ride. Its really used more like a MUP. Sometimes on those underpasses there's broken glass. Where's there homeless, there's broken glass.

jamesvb

I believe the Como Street ride uses the same route as the TT. I'll try it out tomorrow.

deitman

If you're up for a drive...temescal canyon is used for the Tom's Farms TT...theres a stretch that's about 25k out and back without stopping or lights.

Otherwise the best bet is Santiago Canyon between top of Dump Hill and Cook's Corner. I believe the Counter-clockwise route is easier since the majority of the route from the top of Cook's climb to Irvine lake has a slight downgrade and the canyon usually funnels with a tailwind during the day. Or at least that's my excuse why my clockwise times are always slower.

jamesvb

I rode with the come Street Group. It was special event (The annual Rogers Cup) so they did not ride the usual route.
I'll try next time.

swimmer88

Como Street does the "long" route during winter. It wasn't just for the Rogers Cup.

rooftest

+1. This is the best you'll see in OC. SART would be a distant #2.

jamesvb

So.... I know I went about this the wrong way....

Just our of curiosity I decided to see how long I could hold 25 mph on my Road Bike while on the drops. My goal is one hour.

Today on my SART route I managed to ride only 4 miles before I popped. I was going up river into a slight head wind. (it was 80 degrees today, nice Summer in December)

I know I need to get some real training.

Does anyone have an tips for TT specific training or should I do the normal Interval, Climbs, etc....

swimmer88

It's pretty tough for most of us to hold 25 mph for that long on a road bike. I'm Cat 3, and am a decent time trialist, and typically I will average 26mph on my TT bike with an aero helmet. Aerodynamics play a huge part in time trialing.

If you want to get good at time trialing, you need to start doing long intervals. 2x20 minutes and 2x10 minutes are good intervals for improving time trial performance. Don't worry about your speed, worry about your heart rate and power (if you have a power meter).

jamesvb

I will have a new TT bike after Christmas and I'm shopping for a Power Meter. I need a local coach to get me started.

Any suggestions for a Coach in Orange County?