The Time Trial Times

A Guide to UK Time Trialling

By Steve KirbyNovember 2012

Contents

Page Nr

Prologue- 3

Stage 1- Time Trial Speak 5

So what’s it all about? 10- Why TT? 14- Who should TT? 16

Lets get Started 17

Goals and True Potential 19- Setting Goals. 19- True Potential. 21- Testing Testing Testing! 24

The Cadence Conundrum 30

Stage 2- Let’s get Physical. On the Bike Training

Let’s get less physical. Off the Bike Training

Stage 3- Let’s get Aero

Are you Sitting Comfortably?

Race Pacing.

Stage 4- Season Preparation

Event Preparation

Riding Technique

Diet & Nutrition

Competition records

Wrap up

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Prologue

‘Ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike’, echoed the famous quote by the five time Giro d Italia and two time Tour de France Winner, Fausto Coppi.As quotes go this is not a bad one and quite possibly the most important piece of advice I can give any aspiring time triallist or for any other type of competing cyclist for that matter. Throughout this guide I refer to this a LOT. It needs to be etched into your mind as it is about the only advice that is actually ‘Guaranteed’ to make you faster. Time trialling is a very specific sport and harks back to the sound advice that the more you do something, the better at it you will become.

For those who don’t know, Coppi’s era was 1940’s early 50’s so of course Time Trialling has come a long way since then and found itself under the microscope in many ways. Some things have changed, but the fundamentals remain the same. Equipment, training, sports science and all manner of things may have evolved but it is still essentially about riding your bike.

The aim of this guide is to help anyone wishing to enter what many refer to as the ‘dark side’ of cycling. It is also aimed at experienced riders who may have been time trialling for many years. I hope that there is something for everyone and that you enjoy reading it.

I have broken the guide up into 4 parts. In Stage 1 we focus on ‘What a Time Trial is’ and what it is not. It will help potential newcomers into the so called ‘dark art’ and how to get started. We will also focus on setting goals and discussing our potential. We finish the stage with a discussion on ‘Cadence’ and what our optimum cadence may or may not be.

In Stage 2 we look at ‘On the Bike Training’ & ‘Off the bike training’ This is where we really see the benefits of training and focus on developing ‘Power’.

Stage 3 looks at Aerodynamics and Bike fit. This is an area where colossal gains (and losses) can be made. After all, riding a time-trial bike involves curling up into a foetal ball while pedalling a bike in anger. So we look at how to get more comfortable (or less uncomfortable) during a TT. We also put race pacing under the microscope and analyse my theory on how to pace ourselves correctly.

Stage 4 is about preparing for your season, preparing for an event and riding technique. We will end the discussion by touching on nutrition, diet and other areas where small marginal gains may be possible.

Before we go on I feel duty bound to mention that I am not a ‘Cycling Coach’. But I am a ‘Coached rider’ who knows a thing or two about TT. This guide is purely driven from my own experience over my relatively short 5 seasons of racing. What I can tell you though is this...

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Fausto was right.… Ride your bike, Ride your bike. Ride your bike!!

Fausto says, ‘Ride your Bike’

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Stage 1

Time Trial Speak. (It’s like surf speak but less cool)

The following is a glossary of terms often heard in UK time-trialling together with their true meanings. Some are more obvious than others and some are just downright baffling to the uninitiated. So please use this as a reference as I will be using abbreviations throughout the remainder of the guide. They are in no particular order.

TT – Time Trial

TTT – Team Time-Trial. Usually referred to as a 2up, 3up or 4up.

10, 25, 50,100 – A number describing the distance in miles of the TT.

12hr, 24hr TT – Ultra distance TT. Only attempted by those who wear their underwear on the outside of their skin suit.

Skin suit – Nauseating, skin tight, all in one, aerodynamic garment worn by many TT riders, Wrestlers and Superheroes.

Sporting - The term that refers to a rolling, hilly or sometimes torturous course. Usually on single carriageways with potholes, traffic, mud, and a road surface that will rattle your fillings out.

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The start – A position of no particular geographical interest, miles away from the HQ. It might be described as ‘The 8th lamp post after the cattle grid’ or the third pothole from a farm gate. It is sometimes an imaginary line on the edge of an extremely busy and dangerous Dual Carriageway, accessed only by a mud covered, flooded and potholed farm track.

HQ - A scout hut, primary school, community room, village hall, occasionally a lay-by in the middle of nowhere or if you are very lucky a pub, will be the location of the Headquarters (HQ). It is a place for gathering with fellow racers, a place to provide excuses for your piss poor performance or the place to gorge yourself with cake and be smug when you have beaten all your mates. It is occasionally the place to throw your Aero helmet across the room in anger after a DNF, a place to throw your toys out of the pram and argue with the organiser and a place to storm out of before driving off like a lunatic sobbing, after leaving your disc leaning against the boot of your car.

DNF – Did Not Finish.

DNS – Did Not Start.

DQ – Disqualified.

Aero helmet - Strange pointy helmet resembling the silhouette of the character in the classic Ridley Scott Movie ‘Alien’.

Disc – Solid Carbon Fibre rear wheel that sounds like an approaching Star Wars TIE Fighter.

Over socks – Lycra socks like ‘Super Heroes’ and ‘American Wrestlers’ like to wear. They slip over your shoes to help with aerodynamics but the jury is still out there whether they actually do anything other than make you look like a Smurf.

Tub – Sometimes referred to as ‘Tubular’ and preferred by many TT riders. A tyre without an inner tube that is glued onto the wheel rim and can withstand very high pressure.

Clincher – A traditional type of tyre found on most commercially sold bikes. It is attached to a hooked rim by a bead and has an inner tube. This is preferred for general riding and training as roadside punctures are easier to repair.

HRM – Heart rate monitor. Often a function of the bike computer and records heart rate in beats per minute. (bpm)

Turbo trainer – An instrument of torture which allows you to hurt yourself very badly before drowning in your own sweat. It clamps your bike to a resistance unit by the back wheel enabling you to train in your

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garage, shed, spare room or even the bedroom! It should be the first thing you rescue if your house is on fire and quite possibly the most important piece of your training armoury

The Hurt Locker

FTP – Functional Threshold Power. (see goals & true potential)

FTS – Functional Threshold Speed. (see goals & true potential)

Cadence – The term used for the speed of pedalling in revolutions per minute (rpm)

The turn – Another position of no particular interest, often a roundabout or motorway junction where a bored looking marshal will direct you back to where you came from.

Marshal - A person who has selflessly given up their Sunday morning to get bored watching 50 odd Time-trial riders pass them. Without these volunteers there would be no TT so please spare a thought and if you can spare a breath at the turn, perhaps a ‘thank you’ as well.

Timekeeper – The Lady or Gentleman at the finish who is there to ensure that you miss your PB by 1 second. Like the Marshal the timekeeper has also volunteered to give up half a weekend in order to make YOUR race possible. Please acknowledge these volunteers.

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PB - Personal Best. The best time you set for that particular distance or course. If you miss the PB by a single second, return to the HQ and throw aero helmet across the room.

Long xx – Where xx is the number of minutes in your resulting TT time. For example, if you record 21:55 for a ten mile TT, it could be called a long 21.

Short xx – Work it out.

00 man or woman – A seeded rider. Normally fast who gets to wear a 0 number such as 40, 30, and 20. These guys (or girls) are likely to pass you and are identifiable only by a sound not dissimilar to a Star Wars TIE Fighter.

05 man or woman – Also a seeded rider. Not as fast as a 00 but will wear numbers 45, 35, 25 etc. All the other numbers are filled by riders who have a life.

Minute man – The man or woman who sets off one minute before you. Experienced riders will ignore this person. Less experienced will tear off like a lunatic in order to catch the minute man. Then fade away and record a time slower than their PB. They might throw their aero helmet across the HQ.

2 minute man – Work it out.

Tester – A slang word for Time-trial rider.

CTT – The National Governing body for ‘Cycling Time Trials’ in England and Wales

BC – (British Cycling). The recognised governing body for cycle sport in the UK.

UCI – (Union Cycliste Internationale). The World governing body for Cycle Sport.

The Handbook – A book which can be purchased from the CTT. It Contains, Rules, Regulations, details of Open Events, Past & Current Champions etc.

Open event – Formal events which attract riders from any UK club that is registered with the CTT. There will be a closing date around a couple of weeks prior to the event.

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Club event – Less formal than open events. Typically held mid week by a cycling club and can be entered on the night. They are usually open to riders outside of the club but dominated by the clubs own members and locals.

Chequered board – The grey blurred thing at the ‘Finish’. It is a chequered flag to signify the end of your race and usually leaning against the wheel arch of the time keeper’s car. It is a beautiful sight at first but it very cruelly seems to take forever to reach.

The finish – The finish is marked by the chequered board and a grinning timekeeper. Please don’t be disappointed if there is no over the road banner saying ‘Arrivee’, or if there is no euro pop band, no champagne, no celebrity, no podium and no dancing girls. The finish is unfortunately likely to be in the middle of nowhere and miles away from the HQ which is your next destination. If you are very lucky there may be a bit of cake left and plenty of people to see you throw your aero helmet across the room.

Ridley Scott’s Alien. Wind tunnel tested.

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So what’s it all about?

It is popular belief that the French invented cycle racing and that the first ever bicycle race was held on 31st May 1868 over a 1.2km course at The Parc de Saint-Cloud, Paris. Ok the road racers among you might wish to add that it was in fact an Englishman named James Moore who was the victor of that first ever race.

James Moore at full flight taking the first ever bicycle race. (probably)

So France takes the credit for inventing cycle racing. But it is in fact the British who invented the sport we know as Time-Trialling. That’s right TT was born in the UK due to a burning desire within cyclists of the age to continue to race when mass start races were banned in the late 1800’s. It was banned because it scared the horses! Perhaps this is why bunch racing excelled in France, as the French are not particularly known for being kind to horses!

In order not to scare horses or make work for the local Bobby, a rebel organisation was formed under the influence of men such as Frederick Thomas Bidlake, to continue racing on the road without attracting police attention. These groups would organise clandestine meets and cunningly set off at one minute intervals. They would be secretly racing against the clock, whilst pretending to go about their normal business.

There is a dispute over which was the first ever TT, but the credit is usually given to Bidlake’s North Road Cycling Club of London. If that is correct, the

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first ever TT was held on 5th October 1895 and covered a distance of 50 miles. The North Road CC, continue to thrive as a club today.

Ok, so the British invented this sport so naturally like other sports we invent, we must be pretty average at it right? Wrong. So so wrong!

Some of the worlds best time trial riders have in fact come from the UK. I don’t just mean following the success of Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France, nor do I mean his Olympic glory at London 2012, but for many decades British riders have excelled throughout the world in TT. Here are just a few of those exploits: -

Ray Booty – It is historically recorded that in 1954, Roger Bannister was famed for being the first runner to break the four minute mile and an event which became one of the most iconic sporting moments in history. Two years later, there were fewer headlines when Ray Booty became the first cyclist to break four hours in a 100 mile TT with a time of 3:58:28. Although this was arguably iconic as Bannister’s four minute mile, it was never recognised as such. It didn’t really help that TT was still sporting backwater at the time and was almost an undercover sport in Britain following its earlier ban. (Remember the horses). However, word of Booty’s achievement had caused quite a stir in France and it seemed to be a world record at that time. In September of the same year, Booty also smashed the ‘straight out’ 100 mile record with a time of 3:28:40. A record which stood for 34 years.

Graeme Obree – Also known as ‘The Flying Scotsman’ was a pure ‘Tester’ who in 1993 broke the World Hour Record. He was noted for breaking such record on a homemade bike made from BMX and washing machine parts. It also had very unusual riding position. Obree pet named the bike, ‘Old Faithfull’. His hour record lasted for less than a week when Chris Boardman broke it by 674 metres. Obree returned in 1994 after a few tweaks to ‘Old Faithfull’ to break Boardman’s record and setting a new mark of 52.713km. This time using the same velodrome that Boardman had used in Bordeaux. But just 3 months later his record fell once again, this time to Miguel Indurain of Spain. The UCI grew concerned that changes to the bicycles were responsible for the sudden increase in speeds and so banned such practices and subsequently de-recognised these ‘World Hour Records’. As well as breaking records, Obree was also World 4000m Pursuit champion in 1993 & 1995.

Chris Boardman MBE – Olympic Medallist, Hour Record Breaker, Yellow Jersey holder and multi World Champion on the track. Boardman left no stone unturned in his quest for speed and his palmares are just too long to list here. With his specialism in TT and track racing, one of his major achievements include his Tour de France

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Prologue win in 1994, which at a speed of 55.152km/h remains the fastest ever stage of any Grand Tour. Boardman also broke the World Hour Record in the famous battle of the 90’s with Graeme Obree. Having those records de-recognised by the UCI, Boardman went on to break the ‘UCI Hour’ in 2000, which was basically the same thing but introduced by the UCI to ensure that the bikes used resembled the Bike used by Eddy Merckx in the 1970’s. He only beat Merckx’s record by 10 metres but it was the new mark nonetheless at 49.441km. That record stood until 2005 when it was broken by the Russian, Ondrej Sosenka with the current mark at 49.700km.

David Millar – Multiple Tour de France stage winner. Millar still holds a Tour de France Record in TT. Chris Boardman holds the record for the fastest ever TT in a Tour de France but this was over a distance of just 7.1km. In 2003, Millar won the 49km TT Stage in Nantes which is still the fastest ever Tour stage over 25km. He also won the Commonwealth Games TT in 2010. Millar was stripped of some of his achievements including his Rainbow Jersey and Gold medal in the Worlds TT following the discovery of performance enhancing drugs in his flat. He became very open about his doping and welcomed his ban and subsequent stripping of many achievements but has returned to the sport clean and even won a Tour de France stage in 2012.

Sir Bradley Wiggins – Following his victory at the Tour de France in 2012, Wiggins is arguably Britain’s most successful cyclist. He started his professional racing career on the track and won a Bronze Medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. At the 2004 Games in Athens, he took Gold in the 4km Individual Pursuit, Silver in the Team Pursuit and Bronze in the Madison. At the 2008 Summer Games he contributed heavily to the ‘Great Haul of China’, taking Gold again in the 4km Individual Pursuit and further gold in the Team event, smashing a World Record in the process. At the 2012 Games on home soil, Wiggins switched his focus to the road and won Gold in the TT. Wiggins also took numerous victories at the UCI World Track Championships spanning a period of 14 years. It was 2012 though which was Bradley’s year when he won the Tour de France including both of the TT stages. In the same year he won Paris Nice, Tour of Romandy as well as the Criterium de Dauphine winning all the TT stages in those major world stage events. Not only is Wiggins the only British rider to win the Tour de France but he is the only rider ever to win an Olympic Gold medal in the same year. Wiggins is also Britain’s most decorated Olympian alongside sprinter Chris Hoy with a tally of 7 medals. Now, how does anyone follow that?

This is how…..

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Beryl Burton OBE – I have deliberately saved the best to last. Wiggins may shine bright on the World stage but Burton was arguably not only the best TT rider that Great Britain ever produced, but quite possibly the best all round cyclist the world has ever seen. Beryl Burton was the ‘Yorkshire Flyer’ and remains even after her death in 1996, the most prolific champion winner of all time with a tally of titles that not even the great ‘Eddy Merckx’ could rival. With a career spanning over a quarter of a century she won no less than 122 British National Championships and reigned Womens British Best All Rounder for an unbroken 25 year sequence between 1959 to 1984. Burton was not only a formidable TT rider but she also took the spotlight on the World stage winning an incredible seven Rainbow Jerseys on road and track. The mark of Burtons Brilliance was also noted in 1967 when she broke the British National 12 hour TT record. On that day the British TT Champion Mike McNamara started as favourite and was on his way to breaking the 9 year old record with a distance of 276.5 miles. It was looking like a done job by McNamara, that is until Burton who started 2 minutes behind him, not only caught her two minute man but offered him liquorice as she sailed past. He accepted the sweet and subsequent defeat before she then powered on to smash the ‘mens’ record by 6 miles!

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Why TT?

Ok so we have identified that we Brits are really good at TT, but it does sometimes make me wonder why it is not as popular as some other areas of cycling. Cyclo-Sportives it seems are currently the most popular discipline in cycling and attracts UK riders in their thousands. More popular sportives such as the Dartmoor Classic and the Fred Whitton Challenge sell out very quickly and allow many thousands of riders to enter, yet TT and possibly to a lesser degree, Road Racing appear to suffer.

To be honest this is not always the case in some regions of the UK as a few events particularly on the fast courses become over subscribed. Many events allow up to 120 riders but in regions such as the South West most races manage to attract only 30-60 entries. Whilst this is clearly not bad, there is certainly room for improvement. Such improvement would be welcomed by all who are involved with TT including myself and the cycling club I represent.

Cycling is mans purest and most efficient transformation of human energy into land based forward motion. Time-trialling is the purest form of exploiting that movement into competitive cycle sport where only the strongest rider wins.

Like Road Racing, TT is a fantastic sport. This guide is not about Road Racing, but a quick and simple comparison may help to discern what TT is about. Personally I prefer TT but that is because it suits my personality, my lifestyle and my strengths more than Road Racing does. Many riders compete in both forms of racing although most place greater emphasis on one or the other. Many riders prefer to not try either and simply stick with Cyclo-Sportives, which is still good because they can be great fun. However, they are not competitive races like Road Racing & TT are.

TT is often misunderstood, perhaps because the word ‘race’ is not in the title. There are those that say TT is not a race but only a test against your-self. I could not disagree more because it most certainly is a race. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but not everyone truly grasps the essence of TT.

In a Road Race (RR) the objective is to cross the finishing line before as many riders as possible, preferably all of them, however there are various strategies of how this can be done. Collaborations may be made with other riders, teamwork from your team or club mates may come into play, getting into the right break or making an attack at the right time could also affect the outcome. There are endless ways to tackle a RR and each one is different, making it a fantastic sport to watch unfold. It is often about race ‘craft’ and judging other riders ability. It can be very tactical and rewarding yet frustrating as the strongest man is not always the winner. The fundamental difference between RR & TT is that in a RR you ride in a mass start with many other riders. In a TT you ride alone. (But you are not alone, you are never alone!)

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So in a RR you can draft other riders saving up to 40% energy staying close to the rider in front. If a gap forms, the forces of drag against you and your bike become greater and you have to begin to work harder, using up valuable energy stores in order to close that gap. If you are a novice rider and that gap opens up even MORE, you may not ever get back on to the bunch and your race is basically over. This can be a particular problem for the novice rider as they could potentially pay a lot of money to enter a race and be out the back of the bunch, heading for an early shower after just a few minutes of racing. I have witnessed this and it does not particularly sell RR well to me.

In a TT the objective is to cross the finishing line faster than as many riders as possible, preferably all of them, over a set distance. None of the other riders though are your friend and there will be no collaborations made, not even with your club mates who may be in the same race. It is a pure test of speed where you ride alone. But you are not alone. It is far worse than being alone! You are surrounded by your rivals only you cannot see them, you cannot judge their ability and you cannot tell if they are on a good day or a bad one. You are also surrounded by your demons, SCREAMING inside your head, imploring you to back off and slow down. But you must ignore these demons and invite the pain in.

So in a TT you cannot draft other riders and the force of drag against you is the same for everyone. What this does mean of course, is that if you are a novice rider, no matter how your race goes and providing you finish, you will be given a time and placing at the end. If it is your first TT, that time will be your PB. Your legs will hurt during the event and you might even for a moment wonder why on earth you are voluntarily inflicting such self harm. But once you return to the HQ you will already be thinking and you will already be planning on how to break that PB next time.

Of course you don’t have to beat lots of other riders and you could just race against yourself if you choose. It is clearly up to you how much you embrace the essence of TT. If you do choose to take it up, I am sure you will find it very rewarding. It might take up a lot of your time, it might cost a little money and it might even hurt a bit at times. Remember this in training, remember this whilst racing, that pain is only temporary and is simply a weakness leaving your body. The pain in your legs is normal; the pain must be invited but cannot be ignored. Try to ignore pain and it will punish you savagely for your lack of hospitality. Your concentration is essential and your focus must be absolute.

Don’t try to tell me it is not a race, give me a break. It is very much a race. It is a race against your invisible opponents. It is a race against your demons. It is a race against the clock.

It is the Race of TRUTH.

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Who Should TT?

Virtually anyone who enjoys riding a bicycle can TT. The only rule in the UK is that you are aged 12 years or over. At the other end of the scale, there are riders still going under the hour in a 25 mile TT who are well into their 70’s.

TT is also enjoyed by many disabled riders too, as can be seen in the Paralympic Games. I know a man with one leg who enjoys TT. His bike has been especially adapted at the bottom bracket so that his prostatic leg remains static whilst he pedals with the other. Many events also allow tandems to enter which is great as this allows the Blind or partially sighted to enjoy TT as well.

TT is very much an endurance sport and is not high impact like running, football or rugby. So it is a sport which can be enjoyed at or near to your true potential for many decades. I know of many riders in their 70’s still racing with excellent results. I am sure the same cannot be said for many other sports.

Most UK events present prizes for various categories. Such categories include, Juniors and Juveniles. Men/Women Seniors and Men/Women Veterans. Often, there will be a Veteran on ‘Standard’ category, which allows an age handicap which factors their ascending years into their performance.

So do you really want to be the next Bradley Wiggins or Beryl Burton? Do you enjoy riding your bike and wish to add a competitive edge? Or do you simply want to improve your fitness and gain the ability to ride your bike FAST?

If the answer is YES to one or more of the above and you don’t mind inflicting a little harm on yourself, read on.

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Let’s Get Started

Getting started in TT is the easy bit. The best way you can do this is to join your local cycling club. If you plan to ride a lot of TT’s, it is important to choose a club that has an active TT scene and is registered with the organising body CTT. Most cycling clubs have a website or sometimes a flyer at the local bike shop so it’s not too difficult to select a suitable club.

Virtually all clubs hold a weekly club run at the weekend so just go along and ride with them. If you enjoy it and decide to join the club you will be very warmly welcomed.

There will a Race secretary at the club who will be happy to help you with how to set about racing and will even help you with your race entry if required.

Unlike RR, you don’t need a licence to race TT. For open events you simply need to be a member of a club that is registered with the organising body CTT.

Ok so you have joined a club, you have a road worthy bike and are already pouring over the seasons schedule of TT’s passed to you by the race secretary right? Good. The next step and this for me is possibly the most important decision you make in your TT career. That step is choosing a suitable event for your first race.

I will be brutally honest here, but not all courses are suitable for beginners and I know of many people who tried TT once, hated it and never returned, simply because they chose a fast 10 on a busy Dual Carriageway. This would be enough to put anyone off TT before they even start. Not all races are on busy roads though. Many are held on quieter ‘B’ roads and are often referred to as ‘Sporting’ courses. If it is your first race, these types are perfect as there is usually very little traffic and they are often held in scenic countryside.

It is also a good idea to use one of your own clubs events for your first TT. This is not essential of course, but you might be more comfortable in your own surroundings. You will know people if it’s organised by your own club. You might even know the time keeper and all of the marshals. The marshals will probably even give a few words of encouragement as you pass them in your race. I would not recommend driving half way across the country to a fast course where you don’t know anyone or even where the start, finish and HQ are. Not for you first event anyway.

So we have found a suitable first event. The next step is to know the course. Hopefully it will be a local ‘Sporting’ course which might even be on roads you already know well. Needless to say, you need to know exactly where the start and finish are and preferably ride the course a couple times in the weeks building up to the event. If you don’t know the course and it’s within reasonable distance from where your club meets, suggest a club run out to reconnoiter the course the weekend before. Your club mates will probably be happy to do this. They may even be doing the same race.

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Ok, you have got the bike, joined a club, selected a suitable course which you have ridden before and know well. You are now almost ready to a start your first ever TT.

In stage 4 we discuss in great detail about preparing for your season and preparing for an event. But the following few passages should help you prepare for your inaugural race.

A few days before your race you obviously need to ensure your bike is in good working order. Take it to your local bike shop for a service if there is anything troubling you like sticky gear changes or worn tyres.

Lay all your kit out the day before to make sure you have not forgotten anything. It is amazing how often I see even the most experienced arrive at HQ having forgotten their helmet or shoes.

If the race is early in the morning, ensure you eat a carbohydrate rich meal the night before. A pasta dish is good. I find rice works well, as does fish and I always drink milk the night before. The meal the night before is far more important than what you eat on the morning. On the day you should eat something about 2 hours before your start. Perhaps a small bowl of cereal such as muesli or porridge. Stay hydrated throughout the day and sip an energy drink in the morning while travelling to the event.

With breakfast done, it is now time to pack the car. Obviously remember your bike, spare wheels if required, tools, and a pump. Next you need to make sure your bag has everything inside. Helmet, shoes, socks, HR strap, shorts, jersey, or skin-suit. If you plan to warm up on a turbo trainer, don’t leave it behind. The turbo is not essential but is recommended for a better warm up. Make sure you have clothing ready to wear after the event. Finally have a little spare cash. Some events ask for donations towards the refreshment funds.

Most of this stuff is common sense but it really is a good idea to keep a checklist and make sure everything is packed. I once went to a race and felt sure everything was packed. Everything was packed but I got 10 miles into my drive only to discover I was still wearing my slippers!

Once you arrive at HQ, you need to sign on. This is just a simple form with a list of all the riders which you sign by your name to confirm you are riding. Next, you need to get warmed up which is absolutely vital.

Warming up is covered in great detail in stage 2 but you really should aim to have at least half an hour warm up which should include some hard efforts. 2x2 minutes at race pace and several minutes of tempo riding should do. You need to get that engine smoking hot and have a light sweat going when you get to your start. Try to be at the start area a few minutes before your start time. You will be called at 30 seconds before the off. There will be someone to hold you and your bike up for you while you clip into your pedals. The time keeper will countdown. Five, Four, Three, Two, One, and your off. Good luck and congratulations, you are about to set a PB.

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Goals & True Potential

So you have now completed your first ever TT and you have recorded a Personal Best. As this is now the start of your new found go faster obsession, we now need to focus on how we are going to smash that PB and think about setting a new one. A good place to start, before we do any fancy training sessions or buying some go faster kit, is to sit down and set some goals.

Setting Goals

It is important to set goals as it gives you something to aim at. It can be an art form in itself but hopefully the following guidance will help you along the way with setting your TT goals.

If you have ever been coached in cycling or any other sport, or if you have ever been on some sort of corporate or business training course, you have probably heard the following Acronym SMART. This stands for: -

S – SpecificM – MeasurableA – AchievableR – RealisticT – Time-framed

This can be a useful acronym, but when setting goals in sport, we need to expand a little wider and split those goals up into ‘Racing Goals’ and ‘Training Goals’. A step further still and we can expand again into Short Term and Long term Goals. Let’s take a closer look at SMART.

Specific. These goals have a greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal so always try to be specific. A general goal would say, ‘I want to ride my bike fast’. But a specific goal would say, ‘I will train four times a week to ride a fast TT’.

Measurable. A goal must be measurable which is in fact quite easy in TT. Racing results are measurable so a measured goal would say, ‘I want to break 1hr for a 25 mile TT’. If you have a turbo trainer it is quite possible to measure your progression using the FTS test described later in this stage. So another example might say, ‘I want to average 25mph in my 20 min FTS test’.

Achievable & Realistic. I always think that these two are pretty much the same thing in terms of sport. Goals must be achievable or otherwise you will always fail. Failure unfortunately breeds failure, so ensure the goal is achievable and realistic. It’s no use having a goal to say, win the Olympic Games TT, if for example you are 40 years old and just started cycling. That is an over simplification but you get the picture. Breaking the hour for a 25 mile TT is a common goal and more likely to be achievable. Make some interim goals too such as 1:02 or 1:01 for a 25. You are more likely to succeed with your goals by breaking them down into sub goals. Remember success breeds success.

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Time-framed. Always try where possible to include a time frame for the goal, otherwise there is no sense of urgency. So instead of saying, ‘I want to lose weight’. Say, ‘I want to lose 3kg before the start of next season’. This makes the weight loss goal specific, realistic and time-framed.

So a good example of a specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed racing goal would be:-

‘To break 1 hour in a 25 mile TT by the end of next September’.

This is a great example of a long term racing goal, but you then need to set some training goals and some short term interim goals in order to achieve that main racing goal. A short term training goal could be simply a weekly mileage target. A target that pushes you slightly but is just about realistic for the time- frame you set yourself to train each week. That is a great short term training goal. We are now building a picture of how we are going to achieve that original goal of breaking the hour. You may wish to set some interim measurable goals such as a target Functional Threshold Speed. (FTS) See Testing Testing Testing for more information on FTS.

So we now have a long term and some short term goals. We also have racing and training goals all in accordance with the SMART rule.

Before we finish discussing goals I guess I should mention that it is very important not to set your goals in stone. They should be constantly reviewed and if necessary amended. You may be achieving goals more quickly than anticipated, or you might be missing the timeframes for other goals. It is a fine balancing act but can be very rewarding when you achieve your goals as a result so revisit your written goals frequently and refresh them as and when required.

It is also important to be flexible with your goals. Be creative not just in goal setting but training as well. Try different approaches and training methods and find what gives the best improvement. Remember the following saying: -

‘If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got’.

This is so true in TT and if you stick to the same goals and events from year to year, you will never truly progress. Remember, be creative, be flexible, be organised and frequently review and amend your goals in order to unleash that true potential.

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True Potential

What do I mean by true potential? Surely the only way we can reach our true potential would be to start our TT career at the age of 12 and dedicate our entire life to the sport, right? Absolutely.

Furthermore, this would require bunking off school and riding our bikes for around 20,000 miles a year, for several years spending around 30 hours in the saddle each week. We may then by our early 20’s be lucky enough to become a full time professional racing cyclist and have access to the best equipment and coaching possible.

Add to this several sessions of wind tunnel testing in order to optimise aerodynamics and we should then be very close to that true TT Potential.

As lovely as that all sounds, such dedication to the sport is rare and not realistically possible for the average amateur club cyclist whose goal might be to win some club silverware or even take victory in the occasional open event.

Perhaps therefore the title of this chapter should have been ‘Realistic Potential’. It just doesn’t have such a nice ring around it though, does it? Clearly true potential is just not possible for most of us due to a common obstacle we all stumble across. That obstacle is called ‘life’ and it has the annoying habit of getting in the way of our professional racing careers.

So if ‘life’ wins and we just can’t become full time pros, what can we achieve? Well it is quite possible to get very close to your true potential with much less time and dedication than you might think. Three time Tour de France champion and crack time-triallist Greg Lemond, once said that 10 hours a week is all the training required to ride to a very high standard in short distance TT’s.

If you plan to ride short distance TT’s of up to 50 miles this is so true and even proven by many top UK Testers including some National Champions. It would not be the case however if your ambitions were to compete in multi stage races such as the Tour of Britain or even the Tour de France, but lets face it, most of us won’t get that opportunity. So you really don’t need to spend as much time as you may think to ride a fast TT or even win a road race.

Some riders are able to dedicate more time than this, perhaps even fifteen hours per week, but there is divided opinion upon whether this would actually help the average club rider excel in short distance TT. In fact it could even be detrimental to some riders TT performance as their aerobic capacity may not be underpinned by the colossal volume of endurance training that is necessary for such training stress. Sometimes less can be more. Don’t be tempted to always train as hard as you can or otherwise you will never actually get the opportunity to train as hard as you REALLY can. Two really high quality training sessions per week will be much more beneficial than say four compromised sessions where you are tired before you start.

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Even if you are very aerobically fit and able to handle fifteen hours of TT training per week, those extra five hours may only get you a handful of seconds in a 25 mile TT. But the implications of your lifestyle, family, friends and job are likely to be significant. Such training load is also very demanding on the body and would require increased focus on recovery and nutrition.

One of the reasons for choosing to write this guide is to share with the reader some of the many mistakes I have made in my first five years of TT. One such mistake was in fact just this, doing too much and not training smartly.

I started my first full season in 2008 at the age of 36 after many years of simply riding for fitness and completing a few long distance Audax events. I also enjoyed the occasional tour including riding from John O Groats to Land End.

As my interest grew in TT I read as much literature as possible on the subject which included some poor advice. I held the popular belief that it was all about miles and the more miles you did the faster you will get. I read much advice about spending the majority of your time riding at a low intensity over long periods, increasing aerobic capacity in a progressive manner. This would have been great if I wanted to only ride Cyclo-Sportives, but in hindsight it did little for TT.

So in seasons 2 & 3 I used my work commute as the bedrock of my training. I would get up at the crack of dawn and ride twenty or thirty miles before work. Then ride another thirty on the way home clocking up to three hundred miles or more each week, all based on the poor advice that this would improve my TT performance.

I still occasionally kick myself for the mistake but possibly shouldn’t be too harsh on myself because to a certain degree it did help because I was still breaking PB’s. Furthermore I enjoyed it, even when I was battling against harsh conditions day in day out. It helped because it made me fitter and I became very efficient on the bike. The last time I checked though, TT was not an efficiency contest, but a SPEED competition. What I was in fact doing was training myself to ride slowly. In fact I became so great at riding slowly that an eighty mile club run at 17mph was like a walk in the park. The problem was that my target TT speed was more like 28mph.

TT is about specifics. What I should have been doing was riding way less miles and spending more time at or above that target speed of 28mph. Contrary to popular belief, in order to be able to ride your bike fast, you are going to have to at some point, well you know, ride your bike fast. Remember the more you do something the better at it you will become. If you want to be a sprinter, do some sprints. If you want to climb mountains, climb mountains. If you want to ride at 28mph for an hour, guess what? Clearly I fell into a trap by following some bad advice which at the time seemed logical.

It wasn’t the least bit logical.

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So anyone who is able to spend around 10 hours per week following a structured training program and riding at the correct intensity, is likely to excel in TT. Of course you don’t have to train for 10 hours per week; many riders get by with much less with excellent results.

The great thing about TT is that there are lots of levels of achievement you can aim for. Your current level of ability is likely to feature somewhere on the list below: -

Racing your first TT Not coming last in your category Smashing PB’s Hitting a target FTS Going under a certain time for a given distance Beating your close rivals Making the top ten at an Open event Reaching 05 or even 00 status Winning your category Making the top three at an open event Winning some of your clubs silver Winning a club event or series Winning an Open event Breaking a club record Breaking a course record Winning your regional BAR competition Aiming for National success International and World stage competition

The above list can be useful and used as part of the goal setting section discussed earlier. Draw a line under where you are now and where you want to be. Revisit your written goals and amend as necessary as you progress. The journey to succeeding with your goals is often more fun than the destination.

In the end, if you are going to get close to your true potential, it is going to take up a lot of your time and have some kind of impact on your life outside cycling. It is about finding balance with your work, family and friends. It is about weaving high quality training sessions between your more important work and family commitments. You need to set goals and timeframes in which to train and get the support from family. It can be about giving time back and earning the ‘Brownie Points’ to go about your new found obsession. Be organised, be creative, be flexible but most of all remember Fausto’s words.

Ride your bike, Ride your bike. Ride your bike!!

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Testing Testing Testing

There are now many methods of training and sports testing, some of which you may already be familiar with. Many TT and road racers train and race with a power meter (PM), which is the preferred method of the professional peloton. This device accurately measures your power output in watts and is currently top of the tree in the training world. Clearly power meters are beneficial but are prohibitively expensive for most of us. The cost of a PM set up can range from £1500-£3000.

This guide is not about training and racing with a power meter so I won’t bang on right now about the confusing world of FTP, TSS, AP, MAP or NP etc etc.

A branch down the tree from the PM is training with a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). Until only a few years ago this was the preferred method of the professional peloton. In fact there are still some professional riders who prefer this method in favour of the PM. Heart Rate monitors were once very expensive devices and afforded only by professional athletes and medical professionals. They are now quite cheap and can be purchased from your local bike shop for as little as the price of a couple of tyres. I will refer to the HR method of training for much of this guide.

For those old school riders who choose to use no technology at all. Yes there are still a few. There is always the ‘Rate of Perceived Exertion’ (RPE) method. There is nothing wrong with this method of course. After all the Great Eddy Merckx never had a power meter or a Heart Rate Monitor and would have probably laughed at the idea in his day.RPE is based on a scale of how hard you feel your body is working. There is a lot of guess work involved but it is based on the physical sensations a person experiences during physical activity. It is a self assessment of sensations including increased breathing rate, sweating rate and muscle fatigue. Although this is a subjective measure, a person's exertion rating may provide a fairly good estimate of the actual heart rate during physical activity.

RPE is usually based on a scale of 1-14, starting with No exertion at all or very light activity right through to extremely hard or maximum effort.

So lots of ways to train and gauge effort. However, in order to get the most out of this guide, I would recommend a good quality computer and HRM at the very least.

We have already touched on finding your true potential, but before we can find that potential we really need to find where we are now. This can be done with sports testing which can be done either at home or at a sports testing facility.

By far the most accurate way to monitor your fitness is by going to a sports testing or fitness consultant. Such consultants may be able to establish your personalised HR or power zones by way of a Ramp test. Some may even be able to identify your Vo2 max and measure blood lactate and so forth. Clearly

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all this technology has its benefits but is still prohibitively expensive for many, particularly if you are testing frequently.

There are a number of tests however that can be carried out at home with a few simple items of hardware. Such home testing can be extremely valuable as you can monitor your own fitness and determine subsequent progress. It can also be used to set HR training zones and check we are not over doing things.

In order to carry out the tests described later you will need the following items of hardware: -

A bikeA turbo TrainerA Heart Rate MonitorA bike computer **A big FanA towel

**It is important that your bike computer can record current speed, average speed, distance covered and total time elapsed. It is also very important that the computer has a rear wheel sensor so that it can be used on the turbo trainer.These are the basics required from a bike computer, but other nice have, but not essential features on the bike computer are, cadence measurement and a lap function.

Test 1: - Resting Heart Rate (RHR)

This is by far the easiest and least energetic test you are ever likely to undertake, but it is an extremely important measurement for a number of reasons. Your RHR is not an indication of fitness in itself as it varies so much from one individual to another. If rider A has a lower RHR than rider B, it does not mean that rider A is fitter. Some of us have a naturally high RHR and others may be naturally low. What it can tell us though is our progress because as you become fitter, you will notice that your personal RHR will drop. It will at some point plateau which is likely to be when you are at or close to your optimum or peak fitness.

It is a good idea to test RHR frequently and you should soon notice a pattern and be able to track your average rate. Any sudden increase in RHR may indicate pending sickness such as a cold or may identify the onset of over training. During a block of high intensity training you may notice such increase. Listen to your body and have an easy day or two if there is a sudden spike. This is your body telling you to back off. If RHR is around 5bpm higher than normal, take a rest day and retest the following day.

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Method –

It is best to conduct this test first thing in the morning when you wake up as your body will be well rested. Slip your HRM on when you wake and just lie still and relax for 5 minutes whilst your HRM records your HR. Make a note of the lowest HR and record the figure in your training diary.

Test 2: - Maximum HR. (HR max)

The purpose of this test is to identify your highest HR and is important in order to set your training zones. The training zones will be described later in Stage 2 and will be set as a percentage of your HR max. A common way of calculating your HR max is by subtracting your age in years from 220. This formula has been used for many years by gym instructors but it does not really help us in cycling as it is so often extremely inaccurate and not recommended. I know a rider who is 60 years old and this formula would make his HR max 160bpm. It isn’t any where near, in fact it’s 185. Like the resting HR your maximum is not an indication of fitness as some riders have a naturally high HR whilst others may be much lower.

Method -

The most accurate way to determine your HR max is to carry out a ramp test as described earlier with a qualified fitness consultant. My preferred method and slightly more ‘rustic’ approach is to ride your bike like you just stole it up a hill until you almost puke, then sprint as hard as you can, glance at your HRM and it will be pretty close. I should however mention that you should be reasonably well rested when you undertake this test and be at a reasonable level of fitness. You should also ensure that you are adequately warmed up before the test so a good place to do it is during a club run whilst racing your mates up a hill.

Please do not attempt the HR max test or the following FTS test if you are at all unsure of your health or have any kind of heart defect.

Test 3: - Functional Threshold Speed. (FTS)

This test is my personal spin off from the Functional Threshold Power test (FTP). FTP is an important measurement for those who train and race with a power meter and indicates the average power that the rider can sustain for a period of one hour. It is an extremely important measurement to the PM user as their training zones are set as a percentage of this power figure and a figure we strive to improve.

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For those without a power meter, the next best thing is the FTS test which is very similar to the FTP when conducted on a turbo trainer. This is because on a flat road with no wind, speed correlates very well and runs on a parallel line to power. Clearly this is not the case whilst out on the road where there are hills and headwinds, but this test is carried out on the Turbo which simulates a flat windless road very well.

For HRM users, we won’t use the FTS test to set your training zones because we are going to use the HR max result for this in Stage 2. But what the FTS test will do is set a benchmark to compare strength and fitness in the future.

Like the FTP test, there are various ways of identifying our FTS. As both are basically the speed in which we can theoretically ride for a period of one hour, the most accurate way is to ride for one hour and take a note of the average speed. However this can be mentally taxing and the preferred method is by way of a 20 minute test. Basically ride at the greatest intensity you can for 20 minutes and you will have 105% of your FTS.

Method –

In order to make this test repeatable for future reference, it is important to set up your turbo trainer the same every time as there are many variables which can alter the resistance at the flywheel. The best way to do this is to ensure that the rear tyre is inflated to the same pressure every time you test. 100psi is a popular choice for the pressure of the rear tyre on the turbo. It is never going to be truly accurate because turbo trainers can be affected by many variables including temperature, but it is accurate enough to monitor your performance. Some turbo trainers are better than others for repeatability but I would recommend a fluid type trainer with progressive resistance, a very heavy flywheel and a long coast down.

Next you need to ensure that the roller is pressed against the tyre with the same force every time as this too can affect the result of the test. Again this will be down to the quality of the unit but most reasonable units have some sort of adjuster or cam lever to ensure the resistance is the same every time. You could even perform a roll down test to ensure the resistance is correct. You can do this by riding the bike at say 25mph, stop pedalling and time how long it takes for the wheel to stop. This time should be almost the same every time you perform the test.

So with the bike set up and calibration done. The next step is to get a really good warm up. The test itself is a bit like a 10 mile TT so you really need to get the engine smoking hot and you will be dripping with sweat even before you start. Sweating is unfortunately unavoidable on the Turbo, even with a big fan in front of you as it can never truly simulate moving through the air out on the road. You should really spend about half an hour warming up which should start off with 5 minutes of very light pedalling, which is your dynamic stretch. Then raise the intensity slightly and gradually over a period of 10 minutes building up to a good tempo pace. Try to get in two or three one

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minute hard efforts at your 10 mile TT pace and then a final 5 minutes at a sustainable tempo pace.

Ok you are now warm and ready for the test itself. I want you to ride a 20 minute TT and I feel duty bound to tell you that this is going to sting a bit.

Zero your bike computer and from a standing start count your self down and begin the test. As with a TT it is important not to start too hard. Your HRM may be showing a low HR for the first few minutes and you may be tempted to go harder. Remember this is an effort that you need to keep up for 20 minutes so save the heroics for the last minute of the test when it does not matter too much about fatigue. For the first five minutes you should be at slightly below your target 10 mile speed with a progressive effort until you reach your racing heart rate. The next five minutes are about settling into a rhythm keeping an eye on that HR. it should be around 90% of your maximum now and the pain will be kicking in. Don’t ignore the pain, invite it, but stay controlled, smooth and focused. Don’t let the HR go too far into the red or you are likely to blow the test and record a slower speed than you might have done. The third block of 5 minutes is about maintenance. Keep an eye on the HR, you are well over half way now and should have settled into a rhythm and sailing along at your target speed. When the final 5 minutes come you can either maintain that speed or if you feel you can, ramp it up slightly and in the final minute completely empty the tanks, light all your matches, get it out of yourself, lay it all out and leave nothing inside you at all.

Ok well done you finished. Fart, Cry, Cough, splutter, puke all over the bars or whatever you need to do. Then perform a 10 minute roll down on the turbo in a controlled manner to bring your HR back to Planet Earth.

Take a look at the average speed you managed for the 20 minutes and this is called your Critical Speed which is 105% of your FTS.

So if you recorded an average speed of say 24mph. Divide this figure by 1.05 and your FTS = 22.8mph. This is the speed that you can theoretically maintain for a period of one hour and sometimes known as your ‘Threshold’.

As well as the critical speed, record as much information as possible including the average HR during the test and if your computer allows, the average cadence.

Keep a record of your FTS and turn to stage 2 where we will focus on improving this figure. The test only needs to be carried out every 6-8 weeks but if you follow the advice in this guide you should see improvement in the result and even more importantly see your TT times tumble.

Before we look at on the bike training and start developing FTS I would like you to read the following chapter about cadence.

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Vo2 max test at a sports testing facility

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Cadence Conundrum

My inaugural TT was towards the end of the 2007 season, which was also at the tail end of the Lance Armstrong era. Lance Armstrong shot to fame in 1999 with his first and surprising win at the Tour de France after famously defeating testicular cancer.

It was to be a fairy tale story when Lance won that Tour and a new era began. One which refreshed the Tour de France, following the disastrous and dope fuelled encounter of the previous 1998 Tour, famously named the ‘Festina Affair’.

I am not ashamed to say that I immediately became a fan of Lance Armstrong and his shiny new American ‘US Postal Squad’ which became very much accepted and nick-named ‘Le Train Bleu’ by the French. This new American team appeared to be clean from doping with a happy, go lucky style. It is such a shame however that this American Tale came crashing to a humiliating end in October 2012. Armstrong was found guilty of the doping he denied for 13 years. He never did fail a doping test but it took confessions from several of his team mates and later confession to conclude the decision. He has since been stripped of all wins since 1999.

Pushing Armstrong’s dubious nature to one side for just a moment, one of the most noticeable differences between he and his rivals at the time was his lightening quick ’Cadence’. In 1999, it was noted that Armstrong was spinning at a cadence of well over 100rpm. In the opening Prologue TT it was reported that it was closer to an unprecedented 120rpm. This high cadence seemed to turn conventional time-trialling wisdom on its head. The cadence in TT is normally lower than that of many other cycling disciplines yet Armstrong seemed to defy that wisdom.

Excuse the pun, but this sparked a revolution in terms of cadence which very soon filtered down to amateur road racers and testers alike. Everyone it seemed started to ride everywhere spinning low gears at a high cadence just like Lance. This was probably because he always seemed to get the better of the gear mashing German, Jan Ullrich.

Let’s just get one thing straight for a moment. The former Tour de France and world TT champion, Jan Ullrich had a fantastic career whilst mashing huge gears at a low cadence, so please don’t feel you need to go out and start spinning in a Lance like style.

Armstrong’s new pedalling style obviously suited him but it does not mean that it will suit everyone. Many studies have been conducted to find what the optimum cadence is. You may not be surprised to hear that all the studies had differing results with no conclusive evidence that there is a universal optimum. Probably the most comprehensive study was conducted by Russian scientists many years ago and found the optimum cadence to be 92rpm which I will touch on again later. There probably is an optimum cadence but it is likely to be very different from one individual to another.

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Getting back to my first ever TT in 2007, I was lucky enough to catch and pass my minute man. He was quite experienced in TT but I could not help notice that he must have fallen foul of this latest high cadence craze. He was spinning at a ridiculous cadence but didn’t appear to be going anywhere very fast. I seemingly glided by whilst pedalling much more slowly.

As I have said before, there probably is an optimum cadence but it differs from one rider to another and I don’t think we should lose sleep over the issue. Am I saying cadence is not important? No, it clearly is important but I am a firm believer that there is no universal optimum.

If you have been riding for many years, it is likely that you have already naturally found your optimum cadence. I have and it is a gear grinding 75rpm. I have a device on the bike computer which computes current and average cadence. These are quite common on inexpensive bike computers so get one if you lay in bed at night worrying if you have it right. Every ride I do whether it is a 4 hour endurance ride or a 10 mile TT, my average is within 2 or 3 revs of 75rpm. I have conducted some testing into my personal optimum cadence as well to back this up which involved hours of turbo training at race pace and logging heart rate data against speed at various cadence speeds. If you have access to a computer with a Heart rate and cadence function it is quite possible to discover your optimum by basically experimenting with differing cadences and finding which one gives the lowest heart rate for the same speed.

I have already mentioned that if you have been riding for many years, you have probably already found your optimum cadence without even realising it.

Interestingly, I recently attended a presentation at one of my cycling club evening meetings. The topic was ‘Bike Fitting’ and our speaker was a qualified and experienced bike fitter who uses computer software which can analyse our pedal stroke. It is a very telling bit of kit and can identify the flat spots in our pedal stroke and measures pedalling efficiency. This is a far more important measurement than cadence alone and I would strongly recommend anyone to invest in a bike fit that uses such technology.

There was one thing that the speaker said, however, which really grabbed my attention. He highlighted a fact that of all the customers he has tested, it was the ‘Veterans’ of the sport who generally had the most smooth and efficient pedal stroke. This is likely to be because the more experienced riders have been pedalling for many many years and have already found that magic cadence. It could also partly explain why veterans seem to do very well in TT.

So it really does go back to that sound advice I gave in the Prologue that the more you do something the better at it you will become. I don’t mean to keep banging on about it but remember Fausto’s words….

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Before I wrap up Stage 1, I would like to leave you with this final thought on the topic of cadence:- In 1956, Jacques Anquetil who had won 5 Tour de France and 9 Grand Prix Des Nations (basically what is now the World TT Championships) broke Fausto Coppi’s world hour record with a mark of 46.159km. His cadence was calculated at 104rpm. In 1967 he had another crack at the record but this time he raised the gearing slightly and lowered his cadence to 92rpm. He broke the record by a massive 1.33km. The Anquetil fans amongst you will be quick to point out that this record did not stand due to a declined a dope test after the attempt, so we will never really know the truth. If he was doped, the chances are he would have been doped for both attempts in any case. We will never truly know as he took this to his grave.

So the message here is that someone went FASTER by pedalling more SLOWLY.

So Anquetil rode faster at a lowered cadence of 92rpm. Could it just be coincidence that in that Russian study I mentioned earlier that 92rpm was found to be the OPTIMUM Cadence?

Could it just be coincidence that veterans have a buttery smooth and efficient pedal stroke and do well in TT? I guess it’s for you to decide but I am a firm believer that the best way to find out is to do what Fausto said.

Ride your Bike, Ride your Bike Ride your bike!!!

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