Cycling time trial. Help!

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SoxyKitten
SoxyKitten Posts: 80 Member
edited January 2017 in Fitness and Exercise
My dad was a competitive cyclist in his 20's. He's now in his mid 70's & took up cycling again as a hobby last year. He's decided on a whim to enter us both in a 20km time trial at the end of April. I've never done anything like this before. In fact at the moment all I have is a mountain bike so I need to get myself sorted with a road bike asap! How do I go about training for such an event? It's been so long since my dad has done anything like it that he really hasn't much idea either. He's just planning to go out on his bike cycling 20km & try & go faster each time. How should we be doing this & does anyone know what kind of time a 40yr old female & 77yr old man should be aiming for over 20km on closed roads? Thank you!!!

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  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    Most people do time trials on TT/tri bikes, not what you think of when you say road bike. Since the point of a time trial is to go as fast as possible in a straight line, the bikes are ideal for that purpose: streamlined and aerodynamic, not especially good at comfort (since these are short events) or handling. They have, let's say, "a unique look:"

    $_32.JPG

    That said, if this is for fun and not to qualify for le tour, a road bike will be more versatile.

    If you're going to get a bike for the event, the most important thing is that it fits you properly.
  • Texas_Toast_27
    Texas_Toast_27 Posts: 14 Member
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    You definitely want to get out and ride before the TT. If you pace a TT correctly, it is actually a ton of fun. If you go out too hard, it will be filled with pain, lots of pain.

    For that distance, don't measure your training rides by distance but focus instead on time. There are lots of free resources online that will help you go from 0.0 miles to an appropriate number before your race. My suggestion is to focus on hour rides, use a free app like Strava on your phone to track your time/distance, and have fun.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Most people do time trials on TT/tri bikes, not what you think of when you say road bike. Since the point of a time trial is to go as fast as possible in a straight line, the bikes are ideal for that purpose: streamlined and aerodynamic, not especially good at comfort (since these are short events) or handling. They have, let's say, "a unique look:"

    $_32.JPG

    That said, if this is for fun and not to qualify for le tour, a road bike will be more versatile.

    If you're going to get a bike for the event, the most important thing is that it fits you properly.

    pretty bike...wipes up drool :)
  • SoxyKitten
    SoxyKitten Posts: 80 Member
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    Thanks guys. I have strava for running so I'll utilise it for rides as well. I intend going to a cycle specialist to buy a bike so I'll make sure it's exactly right & fitted to me. I guess time in the saddle is what I need the most?
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    pretty much!

    if you have some extra money - I'd recommend an indoor trainer because you can do focused workouts, without having to worry about riding outside (I use trainerroad which provides workouts)
  • ajwcyclist2016
    ajwcyclist2016 Posts: 161 Member
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    For your first event getting a bling bike really isn't nessarry. A road bike and clip on aero bars is more than good enough. The most part is body position to reduce drag etc. Not sure of your fitness level a good speeds to average is around 20mph / 32kmh. Don't set off too hard. After the the first mile start to increase the effort to what you can hold. At the half way point on the way back smash it on the return leg, when you cross the line you should be ready to fall in a heap and have nothing left. If still feel fresh then didn't go hard enough. Basically it's about 40 minutes of turning yourself inside out
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    Time in the saddle is what you need most. If you have a lot of spare money, a power meter is the next more important thing after that. If not, use a heart rate monitor.

    A TT is about riding at the fastest pace you can maintain for the length of the event. Which in this case is 20 km. You need fitness and endurance, but you also need to not push too hard early on and then run out of gas before you cross the finish line. To pace yourself, in other words.
  • columbus2015
    columbus2015 Posts: 51 Member
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    Also - Do you know the route? Is it flat? hilly? etc. That will have a huge bearing on things. But time in the saddle is still the first step no matter what.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
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    If cycling not going to be a life focus you can get pretty much any bike you want. No need to drop thousands of dollars off the bat. (unless you want to). You will ride your bike much more if it is comfortable. (Drop bars are definitely faster, but many people don't find them comfortable.)

    I advocate against aero bars: they add significant risk for a small improvement in speed, but no improvement in the quality of the workout. You can add them if you decide you want them later.

    While you're making up your mind on the bike, you can join a spinning class. That will ratchet up your abilities fast. Also, you can decide if you like it.

    Best of luck! Sounds fun!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    SoxyKitten wrote: »
    My dad was a competitive cyclist in his 20's. He's now in his mid 70's & took up cycling again as a hobby last year. He's decided on a whim to enter us both in a 20km time trial at the end of April. I've never done anything like this before. In fact at the moment all I have is a mountain bike so I need to get myself sorted with a road bike asap! How do I go about training for such an event? It's been so long since my dad has done anything like it that he really hasn't much idea either. He's just planning to go out on his bike cycling 20km & try & go faster each time. How should we be doing this & does anyone know what kind of time a 40yr old female & 77yr old man should be aiming for over 20km on closed roads? Thank you!!!

    I did a time trial series this past summer and personally I wasn't all that concerned with my time other than improving on my time every time...I don't have a time trial bike and aero suit...there's no way I was actually going to be competitive with those that did. Personally, I wouldn't concern myself with a particular time you should be aiming for...just have fun.

    If you're not going to be a full time time trial racer, I wouldn't invest thousands of $$$ into an aero time trial bike...a good road bike will do, but as I stated above, you won't be competitive in that kind of event with people who look like this...

    000_Par6348653.jpg

    Having done time trials as well as endurance rides now, I can say that I definitely prefer endurance rides to "the race of truth"...but it seems to be a love 'em or hate 'em kind of race. That said, there is something about your lungs burning, your legs being on fire, and the feeling that your heart is going to explode that is exhilarating...

    Google beginner time trial training and pick one that sounds like it'll work for you.

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    I'm not suggesting that @SoxyKitten get a TT bike, either. Definitely won't be competitive without one, though, and if she's going to buy a bike for this event, that's important to know going into it.
  • kcjchang
    kcjchang Posts: 709 Member
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    SoxyKitten wrote: »
    How do I go about training for such an event?
    With only three months to get used to the aero tuck and to learning how to handle the bike, I wouldn't bother getting clip-ons or a TT bike. Find a bike that fits and learn to stay low on the bike. Buy a couple of cycling shorts and jersey. Make sure they fit and are snug. Ride the course if possible and just ride. Get a bike computer, speed and cadence sensor, and use them to track your progress. Progressively increase the ride intensity (average speed) and distance (say up to 40k). Test once a month (matching race course if possible) to track your progress and use that week for recovery by reducing the intensity and don't increase the volume. After the rest week, ramp backup. The week of the race tapper. Reduce the volume but not the intensity. Be rested and avoid going into the race with heavy legs. Ride and have fun.
    SoxyKitten wrote: »
    ...does anyone know what kind of time a 40yr old female & 77yr old man should be aiming for over 20km on closed roads? Thank you!!!
    Look up the race stats from previous year. Might be tough for your father but just doing it would be an accomplishment.
  • SoxyKitten
    SoxyKitten Posts: 80 Member
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    deannalfisher wrote: »
    pretty much!

    if you have some extra money - I'd recommend an indoor trainer because you can do focused workouts, without having to worry about riding outside (I use trainerroad which provides workouts)

    I have access to an indoor trainer so will definitely use this, especially with the roads being icy just now.
    columbus2015 wrote: »
    Also - Do you know the route? Is it flat? hilly? etc. That will have a huge bearing on things. But time in the saddle is still the first step no matter what.

    No, the route hasn't been made available yet tho I do know it'll be a mixture of flat & hilly. Not sure if it's out & back or circular either. Hoping to get that info soon. I can't practice on the route either when I do find out what it is as the TT is a 3hr drive away in a different part of Scotland so I'll just have to practice locally.
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I'm not suggesting that @SoxyKitten get a TT bike, either. Definitely won't be competitive without one, though, and if she's going to buy a bike for this event, that's important to know going into it.

    I realise I'm not going to be competitive. I really just want to enjoy the experience & do the best I can do without looking terrible. I've done endurance races in the past which I love & intend to do more of this year so getting some kind of hybrid or road bike will definitely take priority over a TT bike. I'll probably only do this one in support of my Dad :)

    Also, there are no race stats from the previous year. It's the first time it's been held in Scotland!

    Thanks for all the responses guys. Much appreciated!
  • _mr_b
    _mr_b Posts: 302 Member
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    Ok, you're going from zero to 20 in three months - totally do-able, in fact if you tried right now you'd likely be able to cycle 20k so really we're talking about time in the saddle and building strength to get that time down.

    For training do a mix of endurance (be sure to go past that 20k mark) and speed work, a 20k TT is going to be all about power so you need to make sure you have the lungs and the legs for it. Endurance work will build your fitness and speed/cadence will help reduce your time.
  • CM_73
    CM_73 Posts: 554 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Interval training, definitely the way to go, you'll find plenty of plans by googling.
    Ideally done on the stationary bike, it's hugely tedious, hot and painful but you can really structure your training that way.
    And, just get out and ride, get your endurance up, and get used to riding the bike!

    Personally, I found that a heart rate monitor really helped me. I knew what my sustainable limit was, and pretty much just rode by the numbers.
    Only TT I did (25 miles) was when I was new to cycling and part of a 3 man team so I trained hard as I really didn't want to let my team mates down.
    We very much considered ourselves almost as a pub team, set out to enjoy it and just did our best. We were constantly overtaken by groups on many thousands of pounds worth of carbon exotica accompanied by the rumbling of carbon wheels costing more than our entire teams bikes put together! ( I did it on my old commuter bike)
    But, it was great fun and we didn't come last which was our one and only target :)

    Enjoy!

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