Tundra Time Trial - Strategy??

Go hard.  Go fast.  Go all out.    It will only take you 25-30 minutes.  Just push and keep pushing

(it really is that simple)

My initial strategy is to focus on not falling off the starting ramp ...

In all seriousness, I think the ramp and the turn around are the only two variables to concern yourself with.

Given that I "forgot" to train (read: January training was a wash) I am going to try to keep the pace sustainable until the turn around and then push, push, push on the return.  I do not think that any HR zone targeting would come into play as the total distance is >10 mi.

As for the ramp, I will probably start in my big chain ring and 2 or third cog from the top on the cassette.  The thinking is that I want to spin through the momentum from the ramp and not mash gears at the on-set ... but what do I know, this is my first TT. 

Any words of wisdom from those more experienced?

Dollar - don't you have some women to pick up on the beach or something???

Falling off the ramp or falling down at the turn-around are actually my 2 biggest fears

As for the turn around on the SCT, it is very small and tight - I kind of went off the road last year but was able to keep going and not fall :-).

Other than being careful on these two parts it's balls to the wall.  As said above it is less than 10 miles and you will go all out.  Bring your trainer to warm up before you start so you'll be ready to rock!

The most important part about this Time Trial is to make sure you get there early and warm up on your trainer.  Seriously.  It is such an all out effort, that you want to be warm before you start.  Even though it sounds weird, you probably want to warm up for about 20 minutes with some pace efforts thrown in.

Once you get on the ramp, I would suggest a gear that will not force you to mash but not spin out.  Depending on your leg strength, I would recommend big ring front and towards your larger rings in the back.  I would not recommend starting in the front small ring because (from experience) it sucks to do a TT in the small ring in case you can't shift due to mechanical reasons).  You WILL NOT fall off the ramp!  It is wide and if you pedal, you'll be fine.  Start with your foot at the top of your stroke so you can get a good first pedal.

For the love of all that is holy...DO NOT GO OUT TOO HARD!!  Ramp up for the first minute or so to an uncomfortable but sustainable pace.  Be aware that there is a small lip in the concrete about 1/4 mile down the road.  Do NOT look at your speed or HR during the TT.  The two things I tell my athletes they are only allowed to monitor is cadence or wattage.  That's it.  You should be focusing too much on your effort to monitor anything else.  Did I mention to NOT GO OUT TOO HARD?

The last bit into the turn around is downhill.  When you see the turnaround, drop to a slightly lower gear.  Like 2 clicks in the rear.  But DAN...why would I want to not push to the turnaround since it's downhill?  Because you have to come to a complete stop and then go back uphill.  The last thing you want is to have to downshift going uphill from a dead stop.

When you see the underpass, know that you are close.  Hold that effort as long as you can and come out of the saddle and sprint to the finish.  DO NOT GO OUT TOO HARD

The biggest difference between this and a triathlon is that you can let your legs burn while riding.  As triathletes, we tend to back off when we feel that burn coming on because we know we have to run afterwards.  Not so in this case.  If you're not spitting on yourself and feeling like your legs are on fire when you see the line, you are not going hard enough.  (seriously). 

THEN...just to tick the roadies off, go for a run afterwards.  You will be surprised just how well you can still run after a TT.  This proves to most people that they can go harder on the bike than they think and still have a good run.

Good Luck to everyone and remember:  DO NOT GO OUT TOO HARD!!!

If read correctly I believe that I should endeavor to spittle on myself during the return leg of the TT with an all-out effort to throw up at the finish line ... and the roadies make fun of us?!

In all seriousness, excellent advice, Dan. Thanks.

Dan pretty much says it all, but there are a few more things to add:

For your warm up you really want the engine to be "white hot" by the time you get ready to go line up. My advice is 30-40 minutes before your off time get on your trainer and ride easy for 10 min or so just to get the legs moving, then a 5 min effort at 90-95% effort, recover for 5 min, then 10 min at a good tempo shifting up and down through the gears and varying your cadence, finally one more hard effort for 5 min and then spin down to flush the legs. Aim to get into line 4-5 minutes before your off time so that you aren't stressed out if something comes up at the last minute.

Another piece of advice, wear as little clothing as possible (you know what I mean get your mind out of the gutter!). Last year we got lucky and it was 50* at the start which meant that you could ride in shorts and a jersey with arm warmers (or not). Two years ago it was 25* at the start and people were wearing everything but their heavy coat to ride. The entire race is going to last somewhere between 23 minutes for the fastest and 30 ish minutes for the slower folks, you can endure discomfort for that long.

To echo Dan, don't go out to hard, but don't go out too easy either! Go ride the course if you get the chance and see the undulations and where you can push and where you need to ride within yourself. There are a couple of small inclines on the outbound portion that you don't even realize are uphill until your HR (or Power) goes through the roof. Go hard, go fast, puke at the end.

Not to change the subject but what is a good time for a relative beginner triathlete?  I did this race last year but it was my second time ever on a road/tri bike and felt like I really struggled to finish at 29:45.  I am not really sure what to expect - had a fair amount of time off this past fall from riding but have increased my fitness level in the past 6 weeks - what would be a good time given my limited experience? Thanks in advance -

Brian
aka Trail_Runner

Brain,

That is a very subjective question.  It really can't be answered quantitatively. (sp).  As with many races I do, don't really have a time goal, but rather an effort goal.  If I go to a race and give it my all that's all I care.  The time is a secondary factor.  I know I am not answering your question directly, but go after your PR (29:45).  Don't focus on anything but effort during the ride.  And you will probably surprise yourself.

It actually makes it easier for everyone ...