The Time Trial
The simplest and cheapest form of cycle sport. 90% of TT riders are not riding to win, they're riding to beat their best time. If you set a new best time, it was all you. You da man! Of course if you fail, it was all your fault.

TT equipment
All the fancy stuff you see the pros using isn't necessary. I've seen TT's ridden on mountain bikes, complete with knobbly tires. I've been beaten by a club mate riding a standard road bike. Any sort of road legal machine is acceptable.

If you're serious about maximising your TT performance, buy some aero bars. These are the single greatest speed enhancing thing you can buy, provided you learn to use them. Riding around a car park, or during your warmup, doesn't count. Aerobars change the handling of the bike somewhat, because you steer with your elbows. They also move the centre of gravity further forward.

Aero wheels like discs, trispokes, and deep section rims, are a great source of speed, but represent a huge outlay. My front trispoke cost �350. That's a large wad of cash for a wheel which has to be thrown away if you damage it. Deep section wheels like the Hed Alps, of Campag Bora, can be trued like regular wheels, and could also serve a dual role as road race wheels.

Special TT bikes, like the Stealth, or one of the many Giant TCR TT bikes in the club are only for the serious, or those with too much money. The advantage of a TT bike is that the gear shifters can be moved onto the aerobars, to keep you aero for longer. This can be done cheaply by using a mountain bike thumb shifter, or by using expensive bar end shifters.

Clothing for TT's is a skinsuit for the serious, or regular ride clothes for the less serious. Special TT helmets that the pros use are illegal in Scotland, since they offer no crash protection. There is one model of TT helmet available which offers crash protection, but it has to be ordered from the US, so is only for the really serious.

For hill climb events lose all the excess weight. If you don't need it, take it off. For mountain TT's, like the Trossachs, it's best to stick to a standard road bike with short clip on's (Cinelli Spinachi, for example). This way you get the handling of a road bike for the climbs and descents, with an aero position for the flatter sections between.

Because you are alone in a TT, you are going to need some feedback to keep you posted on your current situation. At the very least you will need a cycle computer. This will let you know how fast you're going, and far you have left to go. But, more important is a HRM (heart rate monitor). These are somewhat expensive, but they will monitor your pace so you know just how hard you're trying. A HRM will let you know whether or not you're running right up at redline or not. Although I have a HRM I don't use it when racing, just for training. This is because I've been riding TT's for so long, I can feel how hard I'm trying.

Race day:
Don't eat a huge meal before your TT, unless you want to eat it again during the TT. Do have something so you're not running on "Empty". The key to TTing is setup. You want to be totally warmed up ready to ride when you roll up to the holder--like you want to be on the verge of breaking a sweat. So, ideally you want to be on your trainer warming up (on your beater rear wheel) at least 30min before your start time. Be sure you know what official race time is, you don't want to screw yourself over by missing your start. The clock starts with or without you. Warm up for 5 min, then crank for 7-10min at 75% of your race effort. Recover for 2 or 3 min. Then crank for another 7-10min at 80-90% of your race effort. Be sure to drink while you are warming up. You should have consumed a small water bottle. This way you are well hydrated and don't have to interrupt your pace by drinking. For anything less than an hour's racing, you shouldn't need to drink. By now you should be close to your start time so maintain an aerobic effort to stay hot and ready to go. Switch the rear wheel when you roll out a few minutes before your start time.

When you get to the line, the holder will (obviously) hold you. Zero out your computer. 1 minute before you start time, start your clock--this way you can keep track of your time without fumbling with your computer at the start. Make sure your HRM is on line. When it's 30sec to your start time you will have both feet clipped in. Turn your cranks so your dominant leg is at the start of the power phase of your stroke (for me, my left crank at the 2 o'clock position). Relax, do not be nervous. It just wastes energy. Put your hands into the drops. When the timer counts down to 10sec, shift your weight back slightly so when you finally get to zero you can push forward for a bit of "oomph". It should take 10 pedal strokes to get you rolling up to speed, stiff arm your bars a bit so the power is going into your pedals, not moving your body back and forth. This feels a bit weird the first time you try it, so practice before hand. A good way to practice this is to go the velodrome. When riding out of the saddle you cannot swing the bike beneath you. If you do you'll ground the pedal on the banking.

You want a fluid delivery of power for smooth acceleration. Once you've picked up some speed, settle into your tuck. Relax, remember to breathe and spool up to speed. Check to make sure you're on target with your speed and HR....and hold it. Pacing is a major factor in TTing. Make sure you�re not using too large a gear. This is mostly instinctive, but I ripped the tendons on my left leg by riding too big a gear, uphill - to compound the problem, and was off the bike for over three months. During the first half of the race you want to be riding at 98% of your LT (Lactate Threshold). For the second half you want to be at 102% of your LT. I don't know my lactate threshold, and I'm sure there's a proportion of cyclists in the same boat. Ride on feeling. If you think you can't sustain the pace for the race distance, slow down. There is nothing worse than going out too fast, running on adrenaline and then blowing up a few miles later. We've all done it. The technique of riding hills in a TT is different to that of a road race or club run. Do not attack the lower sections of a hill, instead try to accelerate up and over the top. The trick is to ride a constant effort, and let the speed drop.

"When a hill starts to rise up, you instinctively push against it so it takes a lot of self discipline not to do that, to save it, because you may save 15 seconds going up the hill using the traditional approach, but for the person who is doing it correctly, they will gain back that plus another half a minute on the other side. By being more efficient, they will do less muscle damage as well which tells further into the race." - Chris Boardman

Most hills should be tackled in the saddle, on the aerobars if possible. The way most aerobars are constructed, you can 'choke up' by moving your hands towards you, and sliding back in the saddle at the same time.. This gives extra leverage when climbing.

When you are nearing the finish, you will have a sense of how much you have left...use it all up. Don't finish a TT thinking, "I could have done more..." After the race, it is important to cool down and recover. Make the cool down longer than you think you need and be sure to eat and drink.