Doing Your First Time Trial

Time Trials are a timed set-distance events. They can be hilly or flat. Most riders will use all aerodynamic advantages in order to reduce their effort and hopefully decrease their overall time. It is called the “race of truth” as you are racing yourself against the clock. There is no drafting (using someone else to break the wind for you) allowed on a time trial. The bike portion of a triathlon is a Time Trial. The key to doing a successful time trial is pacing. You must pace yourself properly so you aren’t too tired too soon, or not go hard enough and “leave time on the course.” Meaning, if you don’t go as hard as you can go, you will go slower and end up finishing feeling like you could have gone longer or faster. Proper pacing comes from practice, knowing yourself and the course and knowing/trusting that your training has left you adequately prepared for your energy expenditure levels. Time trials are a great way to start into racing as they are not mass start races but certainly have the feel of a race and put you in the midst of many racers that can help you know what to do at a mass start race.

If you haven't done a time trial before, the time trial start may surprise you. Most times you are held by a "holder" so you can have both feet in the pedals at the same time. This can be a little unnerving if you haven't been held before. Just know that they don't drop people and if you feel like you are leaning to one side for instance your right side and you want them to correct that, tell them to the left a little. They will adjust you. I always ask them, you got me? So you can talk to the holder and make sure you are comfortable.

And there is a right way to start as well. Here are a few tips:

1. Don't back pedal to get your feet appropriately lined up at the start. If you back pedal, your chain has this knack of coming off which is flustering right at a timed start. Rather select your gear so you are in your right or desired gear at that conclusion of your warm-up so you roll to the line ready to go. Then to get your feet in the right position, clip in with your dominant foot, stand on your other foot, lean a little to that side, pick your back wheel off the ground and pedal forward with your dominant foot until that foot is at 2 o'clock.
2. Pick a gear that is a little hard to accelerate from a stop but not one that you have to grind out The gearing that is commonly recommended is the big ring in front and somewhere in the middle or bottom (easier) in the back.
3. You want your dominant foot at 2 o'clock, for most people this is your right foot.
4. Be to the start line 5 minutes ahead of your scheduled start time. If you are late for your start, that time will be added to your finish time.
5. Practice this start sequence on a spin bike or trainer, until you are smooth:
   1. Select your correct or desired starting gear (resistance on the spin bike) at the conclusion of your warm up so you are in the right gear gear when you roll up to the start line. (Do this outside as much as you can so you know what gear you want to be in from a stopped, standing start - even though you won't be held when you are practicing unless you can get a friend to do it for you, you will know what it feels like to start from a stopped position but you can look down to your back cassette and immediately know what gear you are in.)
   2. Roll forward until right foot is at 2 o'clock (prime pushing position). Remember you are on the trainer, spin bike or being held for this to work.
   3. With 10 seconds to go before your start, stand out of the saddle.
   4. Lock your arms straight, flatten back, head up, and look down the road. Stay standing.
   5. At 5 seconds to go before start, inhale slowly and deeply and hold your breath.
   6. At 0 seconds to go (not 1 second to go or you will roll too early), exhale, accelerate aggressively forward, keeping your bike in a straight line and pedal back into the saddle. That means as you accelerate, you will sense/know when your pedal cadence becomes inefficient to stand anymore, as you sit down, change gears to a harder gear to keep accelerating.
   7. Then maintain a pace as high as you can for the duration of the ride.
   8. Do not draft. Stay 2-3 bike lengths back and 2 bike lengths away as you pass and complete the pass in 15 seconds.

And finally, I attached a picture of what I am talking about - it was my start from the Sandy Hook Time Trial start last year.