Century, Time Trial??

[violette]

I'm new to cycling. What are these exactly? I read a lot about it, but don't know what they are.

[Eden]

A century is 100 miles or possibly 100 km (usually refered to as a metric century by US folks)

A time trial (or TT, but be careful of the context because tt can be short for "top tube" as well. Also can be ITT - individual time trial or TTT - team time trial) is a race where each rider or team goes off one at a time on a set course and tries to ride the fastest time. Individual Time Trials are often called the race of truth, because unlike in a pack you don't have any help, there is no hiding from the wind and no team mates to pull you. Very short ITT's held at the beginning of a race are often called Prologues. Local level times trials usually run around 10-12 miles in length, our state level ITT was a 40K.

[RoadRaven]

Oh Violette... thats easy... a century is something I have yet to ride (in this country centurys are metric - 100kilometres as Eden points out) and the centuries in the States all seem to be 100 miles (160kilometres)

And a Time Trial? Only the best thing you can do on a bike. You push yourself to the limit of your speed and endurance, and try and beat the time you did during your last Time trial. If you do it right, you can barely walk afterwards - you use everything you have.

Its awesome - but they are not everyones cuppa, because as Eden says, you have to do it all on your own. A significant part of completing a successful TT is getting your head right. Because you do it on your own, it is easy to tell yourself you are going to slow, that some one will catch you (competitors set off one minute apart), that your legs feel like mud, that because someone catches and passes you you have to up your speed and thereby wreck your rythym...

A TT involves endurance and power

A century involves endurance and strength

Both involve getting your head into the right mindset to complete them...

[hellosunshine]

in britain we do 100mile timetrialls