Here is my situation:
One of my goals for next season is to take part in a competition of some sort. I'm 46 now, down to about 190 pounds and just put 3,046 miles on this outdoor season, my third full season of training since total hip replacement.

I know I'm good enough to be a part of all that excitement of a race day. I could enter as a Cat 5 and hold my own now.

But the problem is that my coach does not want me entering any crits or mass start road races because he says they are too dangerous for me....that there is too great a risk of a crash. I crash bad and that hip replacement is ruined, so I have to protect myself somewhat.

He recommends a time trial because it is safer, but for those of you who have done one, does it satisfy that need for competition...and to be a part of a cycling event as a serious participant? I'd like some feedback from those of you who have actually raced some of these. Thanks.

I jsut di my first time trial and it is totally different than the few races that I have done in Cat 5. The main thing is that you are not really dropping other riders or being dropped, you are out on your own (well except team time trials...). You have to really give it your all and use every advantage that you have. That said I would try one and see how you like it...

I love time trials. As they say, it's the "race of truth". Just you, the bike and the stopwatch. No excuses. Just be prepared for the Cat 1/2 guys to come blasting by you.

g'day,

i don't think anything can replace the thrill of a 'bunch' race, be it crit or RR. As i mentioned in the 'crit thread', you'd be crazy to compromise your health & safety in 'bunch' racing, if you can't afford to take a fall (& it sounds like you can't!). ITT's are great though, TTT's are enormous fun too. As was mentioned,it's you against the
clock, no excuses, no 'sitting on'. This sounds like the ideal competition for your situation. I've done probably 50, i guess. PM me if you'd like some further TT tips or info,

cheers,

Hitchy

I've done 2. One was flat, one was a hill climb. I'm a big guy. I liked the flat, I hated the hill climb. I actually did pretty good in both. I don't think TTs are as fun as a RR or Crit, but that being said - I'm young, I'm a sprinter. I've taken a bad fall (broken collarbone, dislocated shoulder, destroyed Rolf front wheel, lost some skin on my hands, back, face, legs (now I am a believer in shaving), ass, got bruised up when 3-4 other riders hit me and went down, etc). But for me the danger that comes when a whole pack of 20-30 leading riders is rounding tight corners, trying to fight for position, and then going balls-out in the final sprint is part of the fun! Then again, I've played hockey my entire life (until now), my neck and back (fused vertebrae from a viscious cross check) have taken a beating like no other. When I fell 2 years ago as I previously mentioned I actually stood unclipped from my pedals (my bike did a somersault with me), stood the bike up and tried to ride back to the pack - then I realized only 3 spokes were intact in my taco'd front wheel (some guy next to me went down - he clipped out and his pedal went into my wheel).

I did one. I finished 16th out of 17, but 2:11 behind the winner.

They're great! In this area they have several throughout the year on the same course so you can compare your times. You should definitely give it a try.

Will be 72 next months and still time trial.
I try to get my single out once a week (the rest of the week we ride 'in tandem') and do a 1 hour flat out time trial. Set you computer on average speed so you keep the revs up.
Have also done a few tandem time trials.

Time trials are the raw core of cycling. It pits man against the clock against man against the clock. No excuses. No real *tactics*, just everything you've got. Mmmmmmmyeah!

Cole

They are no fun whatsoever. They hurt. They really hurt. Have a look at the faces of TdF ITT or TTT riders. You'll be looking at the raw core of suffering on a bike.

couldn't agree more 'Maj'......the only 'enjoyable' bit of a TT is when you've finished!....anyone who likes doing TT's is addicted to pain, (i'm trying to kick me habit officer...honest!)

Hitchy

A friend of mine is a superb time trialist, state champion for a while even. He always threw up at the end of one. The boy could take some serious pain while he was on the bike.

TTs are a wholly diffrent beast then a mass start race. That being said you walk away with a diffrent kind of satisfaction, because you know that it was all you. There was no you happened to find the right whole, make the winning break, or just get lucky, its just you and your bike, meaning that there is no one else to look at for your result than yourself. Give it a shot, you'll be happy you did.

-Matt-

Sir, thank you very much for reminding me of why I chose cycling as my "life" sport. Your post has really brightened my day. My hat is off to you, sir. You may have my wheel if ever you want it. (That goes for your tandem partner, too!)

OK...I'm in.
I don't need to kill myself on one either.

I'll train.
I'll time trial.
I'll try to enjoy as much as possible and be safe in the process to protect my hip.

....and time trialing at 72? That's awesome cool. Congrats, and keep going.

Glad you said that. I have never been in more pain in an athletic event than time trialing

i can't find a time trial to enter here. there must be time trials in the new york area. my first race ended up being a personal time trial, however, after i got dropped from the pack. i didn't want to abandon, so i just rode it as fast as i could until the end.

97-94. That was the score of a high school basketball game my senior year, and we WON. It was wide, wide open run-and-gun. A lot of running.

Did I mention there was a lot of running? I was guarding their ace shooting guard. He dropped in 49 points. Kid could shoot. I had a hand in his face the whole night and he wouldn't miss. Ran baseline to baseline, sideline to sideline, through picks, and even hit a pull-up 3 on a fast break.

At the end of that night, I couldn't walk, talk, eat, or drink. Most fun I had playing basketball anyways, but it didn't feel too good until a couple days later.

hipcycler, I don't mean to scare you but in my USCF racing years one of my scarest crashes was during a 40km TT. Half way back from the turnaround on a wet 2 lane road on the backside of a sharp S turn over a bridge, going slightly down hill I skidded out of control. Slid what seemed like forever and ended up underneath a car coming in the opposite direction. Fortunately the car had slowed because a race official was located there. It scared the driver more than me. In fact, I got up and finished the race.

By and large TT'ing is considerable safer than crits and RR'ing. Go for it and make the quads burn

Point taken...ouch

Holy Smokes!

Yeah, I won't even ride in wet most times due to the slippery effect....have to protect that hip replacement and not go crashing on it any more. Twice in three years is plenty for me. No crash this year...

what type of bike do you have for time trialing? i dont mean what you use in a time trial i mean specificaly what type of bike he has. just for clarification.

Here's what you need for success in a time trial: Leg strength, cardio-respiratory fitness, and an ability and willingness to endure pain. It's my favorite form of competition.

I competed in a team triathlon, olympic distance, what a blast. If you go that route you'll have less pressure on you as a rider because it's all done in waves, you will pass some people and you will get passed too. Nobody will know how well, or bad, you are doing except for you and your team.

I have the solution to your problem! Race all you want in RRs, crits, TTs, CX, whatever. And when you wreck, just fall on your good side!

Voila!

Cole