About the author:

Tejvan organises short-distance running and cycling races for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in his home city of Oxford. He is also a very good cyclist, having won the National hill climb championships in 2013 and finished 3rd in the National 100 Mile Time Trials in 2014.

Time Trialling for Beginners

 

In the UK there are many time trials over fixed distances such as 10,25,50 and 100 miles. A 10 mile time trial is a good introduction and should take a reasonably fit cyclist less than 30 minutes.

Warm Up.

You will be riding the time trial at close to anaerobic threshold, perhaps 10 beats less than your maximum, therefore it is very important to warm up before hand. Many professionals will warm up for a minimum of 40 minutes. Towards the end of your warm up you should be getting close to race pace. This is more important the shorter the race it is.

Technique

Many UK courses are out and back this means that often you ride 5 miles to a roundabout and then return 5 miles. On these courses there is very little bike handling skills required allowing you to concentrate on racing. However on hilly circuits (sometimes called sporting courses) cornering technique becomes very important. Cornering safely at speed is something you need to work on. It is a skill which will improve gradually with more experience you will get to know safe speeds to corner. It is very helpful to be able to ride the course beforehand.

It is also important to learn how to brake effectively. If you jam on the breaks the bike wheel can lock up. It is also helpful to use the body as a natural windbreak; sitting up right on the bike will help you to slow down.

 

Mental Approach.

The challenging aspect of time trials is that you are all on your own. There are no tactics but you need to be able to motivate yourself to ride close to your limit for the whole race. During the race it is very important to concentrate on what you are doing. If you allow the mind to wander it is hard to maintain the same intensity of the effort. When racing I try to keep the mind quiet and not think about whether I’m winning or not. As I practice meditation I usually meditate for 5 minutes before a race, this is to try and focus the mind and get the most out of my body.

Pacing

A crucial element of time trialling is the ability to correctly pace your effort. If you sprint off at the start you will create lactic acid which will take a long time to get rid of. The effort of a time trial should be evenly spread, if anything it is better to go really hard in the last half rather than the first half. However if you can sprint for the line you haven’t tried hard enough in the race. As you race longer distances 50,100 miles, 12 hours pacing becomes more important. To some extent this can only be gained through experience.

 

Time Trial Equipment

In time trials aerodynamics plays a very large role. On flat courses the weight of the bike is much less important. (The World Hour record was recently broken with an extra heavy wheel 3.5Kg to create a flywheel effect) In the UK there was one time triallist weighing over 16stone 224 pounds who used to do some great times.
 The most significant effect on aerodynamics is the body. Lowering the position of the body will greatly improver your times. This is why serious time trials will get a special frame with a low position. Ideally the back should be flat, however this position may require a bit of getting used to. Different people have different backs. (Lance Armstrong has never been able to get a flat back, his position is not particularly aerodynamic, but it didn’t stop him…)

Its useful to compare me and Roger. This was Rogers 2nd time trial


Richard Pettinger

Roger Chamberlain.

After lowering the position of the bike. Tribars are very useful for bringing the arms closer into the body and reducing the aero drag effect. Other useful equipment include an aero hat and a disc wheel. Both of these will have a significant effect in improving aerodynamics. However don’t feel you have to spend lots of money to be able to time trial. Sometimes I do time trials on an ordinary road bike. The official World hour record requires an athlete to use an ordinary road bike.


Extra Tips for Time Trialling

 

1. Safety is a priority. Keep your head up. Be prepared to slow down for cars doing unexpected things. Always remind yourself 10 seconds in a race isn’t worth risking your life.
2. Train hard. Generally you get what you put into racing.
3. Don’t be discouraged if your times don’t always improve, this happens to every one.
4. Enjoy it!


Article by: Richard Pettinger

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Photo Credits: Dennis Sackett