Originally Posted by
tsappenfield
Practicing is only good if your practicing the correct technique(s). Coming into a turn around, any time trialer has a lot to think about such as how much speed to carry into the turn, the line to take, when to brake, how to brake, what gear to down shift into, when or if to get out of the aero bars, etc. Out on the aero bars and with your finger on the bar end shifter on the drive side aerobar, you're about a foot from the brake lever. Since the front brake lever is on the non-drive side aerobar, it seems reasonable to me that after all has been said here, to brake with the front brake only unless I realize that I can't get the bike down to a perfect speed to execute the turn and get back up to speed without going off course. I'm really looking for the best technique(s) to shave off some seconds in this critical part of a time trial race.
Tsapp
It's possible to overthink things, or to lose significant time by making a mistake chasing hat last fractional second.
The total turn around time is only seconds, and basic good technique can get it down to only a very few. After that another shaved second is unlikely to be serious. It might be advantageous to focus in finding the maximum speed you can carry in to the turn. That means less time lost to scrubbing it off, less time in the turn and less time and effort accelerating back to speed after.
Depending on the space available, the fastest total time might be achieved by finding the widest loop that fits and carrying maximum speed through.
So, back to practice. Mark off a box representing the space available at the turn around, get a stopwatch, and practice using the braking techniques discussed here, find the maximum speed you can carry, then drill it like crazy until it's completely automatic.