So after doing some DIY testing with the famous POC Tempor, I believe to have found some extra speed once again. Also went to a 25mm GP5000 TT TR in the front (slightly worse CRR but a lot better aero than the Corsa (Pro) Speed) and a 25mm Corsa Speed in the rear.
3 weeks ago, I did a double weekend with a 13.5km on Saturday and a 120km TT on Sunday on the race circuit of Zolder in Belgium.
It was already my 5th time participating in the 13.5km TT which is also nice to track progress:
2018: 41.3km/h, 24th place (first ever TT)
2019: 42.6km/h, 16th place
2022: 46.3km/h, 3rd place (race was cancelled 2 years in a row due to the 'Rona)
2023: 46.7km/h, 2nd place You can already see where this is goingā¦ I basically had to win.
2024: 48.0km/h, 1st place
Funny thing (or maybe not with all the training Iām doing) is that my power for the last 3 years has been within 5W of eachother. Itās a tricky crit course through a neighborhood, so Iām basically doing VO2Max 340-380W on the straights to average around 325W in the end. Did a bit of a fly and die this time, parked it in the last lap due to the heat but still beat 2nd place (last yearās winner who had about the same time as last year) with 21".
Then the 120km TT, never doing that again. Was doing mostly fine until the last 25 minutes where my hamstrings and left butt cheek started letting go. At the 95km mark I was still within 15" of the eventual winner who just became world champion duathlon yesterday and who for some reason manages to ride 95% of his FTP for 2h39ā. Eventually finished 1ā down but was 4ā up on 3rd place. Was hoping to average 260-270W but couldnāt hold that until the end, ended up with 257W average (just below 4W/kg) for 44.8km/h avg.
Not the best picture unfortunatelyā¦
Now itās only the King Of The Lake Attersee TT left for me in 1.5-2 weeks. First time there, hoping for a dry day and a nice result
Nice writeup and congratulations on the win in the 13.5km event.
See you in 1.5w at the KOTL, will also be my first time there as a solo TT rider this year.
Ah nice! DM me if you want to do a recon together. Iām arriving there on Wednesday afternoon/evening.
Did you do the 4 or 10 man TTT? Whatās your target/goal for this year?
Iāve been checking other peopleās Strava activities of last year like a mad man haha. Some of those guysā power outputs for an hour in the TT position are ridiculous. The nr 11 guy has a MyWindSock reported CdA that is 0.01 higher than mine and did about the same power as what I should be able to manage, so Iām hoping I can squeeze out a top 10.
But most of all I hope itās dryā¦ 85kph down hill in TT position is āexcitingā
I will sadly just arrive Saturday morning, so no recon for me
I did the 10 TTT when it was introduced, but got no real memory of the course besides fast for the first half and brutal in the second half. Would love to do the whole thing in less than 1h, but I probably wont make it.
Yes, you got quite some bumps in the elevation profile in the second half. I mainly remember suffering up those, trying to not get dropped whilst I did the 10 TTT
According to Strava, the steepest part is only 6% for 300m and 3.5% avg. for the entire āhillā. Speed should still be above 20kph so I dont think my 58-26 would be an issue? It might not be ideal thoughā¦ I might bring a 11-28 just in caseā¦
I canāt see any scenario where a narrow drop bar would be faster than using clip-ons, mostly because it will put the rider in the most aero position. You will be stretched out farther, resulting in a lower frontal area (and narrower).
Iām not sure if youāre actually lower with clip-ons, because they usually sit above the bar. Also the bar itself creates drag, especially as there is no body behind the ends.
Just wondering if anyone had some sort of experience or data.
Your overall frontal area will be lower because you are stretched out more (you may need to move the saddle forward a bit though to be comfortable).
The location of the contact points are not necessarily indicative of body height or aero. In fact, many times to get a more aero position, you need to move the reach out AND UPā¦but the net effect is to stretch out, which lowers your position overall. Look at the pic above from @JoeriNā¦his has a good reach (past 90*), which lengthens and lowers him.
Also, aerobars will bring your shoulders closer together than a narrow road bar, further reducing your frontal area.
Correct. I put Trans-X branded clip-ons onto my Orbea Avant that already has a 36cm bar. The pads sit above the bar, & despite the more outstretched arms I can definitely get lower in the drops. But pulling the arms in is more aero [than lower with wider arms] in terms of power vs speed. Iād like to get lower but the stem is slammed. Wrong bike.
Thanks, thatās exactly what I was thinking about.
And yes, thatās the problem with the aero upgrades, itās a slippery slope that always ends up in āI need a new bikeā
At least you have a very good idea of what geometry you need when you finally do buy a TT frame.
Oh yes that slope is very slippery, I definitely want a TT bike! The Avant is very much a comfort bike. Stack height is naturally much higher than on my 2003 Trek SL, but theyāre currently set up similarly because of 30mm of spacers & flipped stem on the Trek. It crossed my mind to put the aero bars on the Trek, slam it, & see how I go. Then Iād know if I can actually hold position.
I have a hilly TT (22.7km/14.1mi with 379m/1243ā elevation gain - Diamond Mountain Time Trial | Strava Ride Segment in Town of Stony Point, New York) this Sunday. Iāve opted for my road bike due to lack of experience descending on my TT bike which has rim brakes. Should I still use my TT helmet (Giro Aerohead) or just go for road helmet (Oakley ARO5)?
Here thereās a road bike TT category and youād be dqād from that but go with what ever you feel comfortable with if not. The TT lid might be too hot however but if not its potentially faster!
Brutal due to elevation changes or?
