Time Trial Time

[violette]

I'm thinking of entering in a Time Trial Race. I've been biking for about 2 years, and don't have a clue if I'm fast or slow.

How fast is fast? (in KMs)

What's the fastest time to do, let's say, 5km in a TT.

[SheFly]

Violette - congrats on giving a TT a go! Hopefully, you will become as addicted as myself and a couple of others on this site.

The thing to keep in mind at a TT, is that this is a race against yourself. In racing, it is often called the "race of truth". You are out, doing the best that you can, racing against yourself and the clock. In part, this is why I enjoy TT'ing so much - I go out, give it my all, and see if I have improved from week to week (my club runs a weekly TT all season).

We have women in my club who come out to the TT, and race at all levels. Our loop is 9.75 miles (closer to 15km), and we have women who have done this anywhere from 23 minutes to 32 minutes... All are out to improve THEIR OWN time - not to compare themselves against others.

That said, go out to your TT and have a GREAT TIME! And of course, we want a report afterwards.

SheFly

p.s
RoadRaven started a great thread on TTs here: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=12489

[downhilldiva]

Violette,
Good for you. I will be doing my first TT race at the end of June. I am excited to just get out there and give it all I've got. Check out the tricks and tips thread, Raven has some really good training tips for TT.

[CR400]

It's all about what your best time is. Sure there is a competition to some point but you are your biggest competition. In any given race there will almost always be somebody faster then you and people who are slower. As for a good speed can't help you all I know is mph.

[RoadRaven]

Like CR and SheFly say, its about YOUR personal best...

Other people are good reference to have as to how your imrovements are going
Sometimes other's time can be a good motivator.

I think the fastest TT time was in a Tour de France prologue - it was less than 10kms from memory and the guy (not Lance) averaged about 57kph!!! I'll post his name if I can remember it.

As for me - my first club TT about a year ago was 18km long and I averaged 27.7kph... my 25kTT a couple of weeks ago I fell just short of a 32kph average.
In terms of a TT thats a significant difference, though I still have a way to go before I am fast as some of the other women my age (42 in August).

One of the ways you can test your speed is to set yourself a TT on your own. Remember though, you time in a race under similar conditions will usually be faster than a time you have set on your own.

Enjoy your first TT... but be warned... if you like it, you'll be addicted :p