So, I finally got to do my first TT. It was a spur of the moment thing. I stopped by my LBS to see if they had any specific date on the HEB MS 150 registration. Well I then realized it was Wed, and the owner said he was heading out to do the TTs. I raced home and got my bike and raced to the meeting point. I sort of lucked out because the route being used, while being decently hilly was a route that I had done 2 or 3 times.

I did the course in about 40 minutes, which they said probably put me in at around 20mph. I was pretty happy with my performance, however when asked if I felt like nearly puking I said no, because I felt absolutely fine. Legs, lungs, body felt fine. He promptly said that I was not going fast enough or pushing myself hard enough.

My question is, is being abld to do a 40 minute TT at that approximate speed through hills and still feeling fine normal, or is he perhaps right and I just was not really pushing myself as hard as I should/could have?

I do not know if my Castrale 8 records average cadence for a trip but I know I kept a decent cadence - relative to my experience.

Sounds like you could have pushed harder.

I'm new to time trials myself. From what I've been able to glean from all the regulars at the weekly club TT-- almost no one rides to their potential the first time around-- for a time trial performed properly is one of the most hellish experiences that one can have. It takes a lot of practice to learn to ride at that level of intensity.

I think that a TT is as much a test of will as it is a test of conditioning. In fact-- I believe it to be more so.

Keep riding them and you'll see.