I am hoping to start taking part in some time trials this year with my bro in law locally. 5 and 10 mile.
I am just wondering what folk would suggest training wise.
I have a fair what appraoch im likely to take myself but since it’s advice and input i’m looking for from your good selfs… I’ll not list that all out.
I have just moved house and having not done anything for a few weeks have been on the trainre for a week or so doing mix of endurance, tempo, sweetspot and threshold. FTP currently set at 268 and everything feels pretty managable so i may need to retest to update. On feel if i had to guess i’d say im in and around 275 right now.
yeah that’s what i’ve in the plan. i guess the answer might be as simple as that!
ive decent base there and the TTs will probably start in april so gives me time to get 8 weeks in before then and then maybe swtich to a specality phase.
i’ve only ever done a base block on TR. So am interested to see what the first four weeks of sustained build will do to FTP and then the second 4 weeks.
a mate has given me a old TT frame which i’m hoping to build up for very little… exciting!
Remember to re-do ramp test totally in TT position once you’ve done that. You can always keep changing FTP if you don’t want to do every session in the TT rig…
Base, Sustained Power Build and Speciality is that you might want to look at. Its exactly what I have used for 40kTT. Then determine if you want Low Mid or High volume. Plan Builder is your friend.
That is correct most people lose power. If you spend a lot of time in the TT position, training in the TT position it is a learned position after all you can certainly hold the same power. Time trialling is a speciality.
These are a couple of suggestions that we have for shorter format time trials if you are looking to cater your performance to these short and intense efforts:
Short Duration
For prologues or short hill climb time trials that are ten minutes or less in duration, your training focus will be wholly set on improving your power at VO2 Max.
To tag onto this, what pace would you go for on a 5 mile TT? Later this year, there’s an omnium with a 4.8mile TT in the morning with a crit later that afternoon and a road race the next day. I’ve never done a TT and curious what power target people would use for something that short. It’s on a road bike, also, if that changes anything.
Is it uphill, completely flat? A out and back course? Have you looked at wind?
What is your best 10 minute power? it should take around 10-13 minutes. I would go around 95% in the first half and 105% in the second half and last 2km, 120%. So you finish around 1.05IF
Also look at immediate replenishment of carbs and sugars for the crit.
For that distance just go as hard as you can, no point in trying for negative splits or ramping up. Give yourself a decent warm up then just go as hard as you can, maybe have a couple of practice attempts before the event. I stopped looking/riding at power last season for 10mile events, just Rode them on feel, got a PB for the distance, sometimes focusing on staying at a power target for such a short distance can hold you back.
It’s a double out and back, basically a big “Y” with 101 feet of elevation according to ridewithgps, basically one hill you hit twice. Going out it’s about .25mi at 3.4% and coming back about .5mi at 2.9%. As of now my best 10 minute power is 301W at 268FTP, nothing too special, but then again, I’ve never done TTs.
If you have the course laid out on Strava you can use Best Bike Split to help with pacing.
With two bergs I would climb above threshold 105% drive the flat at 95%. Works out to be 100%. You can afford to ride at 105% when your dropping back to 95%.
I think for a 5 mile TT he’s gonna be well above ftp / threshold. I’d think somewhere around 110% for the whole thing, if the training is right. Less than that for a ten mile but still above 100%
Yeh, i’m not really sure what these other guys are talking about doing under and over Threshold for a 5 mile TT.
I live in the UK and do quite a few 10 Mile TT’s (12 last season) these take me 20-22 mins and Aim for around 105% Threhsold (Maybe slightly more).
If I was doing a 5 Mile TT I would do the First mile at around 105% FTP just to settle into it, then stop looking at power and go as hard as possible for the remaining 4 miles.
You will almost definetly go slightly harder up the hills and slightly easier down them just because thats what happens so that will take care of it’s self.
Don’t limit yourself to 300w if that 10 min peak wasn’t an all out 10 min effort in a race.
Disappointing thread, I fear you are giving this person too much good advice and they won’t experience what most testers do when they start time trialling:
Stage 1: 3,2,1… BANG! Set off at way over target power
Stage 2: This power feels great I can hold this
Stage 3: oooh this is hurting a bit, look down at Wahoo, “WTF do you mean I’ve got 9 miles to go”
Stage 4: Oh god, I’m dying as mile 2 approaches.
Stage 5: “The grovelling has begun”
Stage 6: OK, back to sweetspot pace…
Stage 7: Sweetspot hurts so bad, why can’t I breathe???
Stage 8: (still 6 miles to go) - Ah Tempo, this will do nicely
Stage 9: 2 miles to go. Basically calling yourself a moron and begin thinking of excuses to fellow racers
Stage 10: Finished, despite the errors telling yourself you’ll be back next week.
With two climbs and presumably also two descents, plus three turnaaround points (if I understand the Y course correctly?) in less than 5 miles, you either need to be very good at pacing, or just go as hard as you can.