The race of truth. The time trial is the staple diet of the UK club racing scene with many clubs putting on a mid-week ‘10’. These are often an introduction to racing and are available to riders over the age of 12 using pretty much any kind of bike.
They are egalitarian in nature – open to all because you are effectively racing against yourself. Super human/super aero riders will be trying to get under 20 mins for 10 miles whilst beginners might be aiming to initially break the 30 barrier. Training for time trials is arguably the most specific in nature and involves pushing at the threshold of your fitness whilst adapting to the best compromise position between aerodynamics and power output. This becomes increasingly important as distances and ride times lengthen through 25, 50 and towards 100 miles.
Adaption to an aero position starts early in the training process and it must be right. Some riders will want the analytics of a wind tunnel to test everything including position, helmets and skinsuits. However, an experienced eye is often a quicker, more accessible and cheaper option and can get you close to an optimal position for your chosen distance reflecting your physiology.
You’ll need to learn how to pace your effort – an even delivery of power over a flat course sounds like and easy thing to do but it rarely is in practice. And all bets are off when the course gets technical or hilly.
I’ve raced time trials in the UK and abroad since 2002 from 3 miles to 100 miles on both aero and non-aero equipment and it still forms a significant proportion of my racing today. I've raced 2-up, 3-up and 4-up team time trials and was part of the team that won Shropshire County 4-up Championship in 2019. My best season in terms of PBs, power output and times was 2019 – 17 years after I started, so it is possible to get faster as you get older, however good your training has been in the past – but it takes a specific data led approach that is tailored to your objectives and reflects your physiology and goals.
Embrace the data, embrace the technology and makes sure you're in a position to put out the maximum power you can while the clock ticks down. Click the contact form here if you'd like to know more.
They are egalitarian in nature – open to all because you are effectively racing against yourself. Super human/super aero riders will be trying to get under 20 mins for 10 miles whilst beginners might be aiming to initially break the 30 barrier. Training for time trials is arguably the most specific in nature and involves pushing at the threshold of your fitness whilst adapting to the best compromise position between aerodynamics and power output. This becomes increasingly important as distances and ride times lengthen through 25, 50 and towards 100 miles.
Adaption to an aero position starts early in the training process and it must be right. Some riders will want the analytics of a wind tunnel to test everything including position, helmets and skinsuits. However, an experienced eye is often a quicker, more accessible and cheaper option and can get you close to an optimal position for your chosen distance reflecting your physiology.
You’ll need to learn how to pace your effort – an even delivery of power over a flat course sounds like and easy thing to do but it rarely is in practice. And all bets are off when the course gets technical or hilly.
I’ve raced time trials in the UK and abroad since 2002 from 3 miles to 100 miles on both aero and non-aero equipment and it still forms a significant proportion of my racing today. I've raced 2-up, 3-up and 4-up team time trials and was part of the team that won Shropshire County 4-up Championship in 2019. My best season in terms of PBs, power output and times was 2019 – 17 years after I started, so it is possible to get faster as you get older, however good your training has been in the past – but it takes a specific data led approach that is tailored to your objectives and reflects your physiology and goals.
Embrace the data, embrace the technology and makes sure you're in a position to put out the maximum power you can while the clock ticks down. Click the contact form here if you'd like to know more.
