Farnborough & Camberley Cycling Club

We now have the confirmed dates for the club's TTs in 2012. They are now in the calendar - let me know if you see any 'funnies'. Note that £3.00 is the cost for non-members. Members are subsidised by £1.00 so the cost is £2.00.

If you are able to help, let Alan know and he'll add you to the list!

The time trial, or ‘TT’, is often a first step into competitive road cycling. Competitors, individuals or teams, set off at intervals and are timed over a fixed distance course. A time trial can be test of a rider’s ability to beat earlier personal bests, or effectively a race in which riders compare their performances to others. There are few tactics; in a time trial you ride against the watch – with no one to slipstream or set the pace.

Individual Time Trial

Courses vary in length with the standard distances being 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles. The winner is the rider who records the shortest time to cover the course. The ideal time trial course has no hills, is fairly straight and has smoothly surfaced roads. Many courses are on dual carriageways where the road surface is generally better and traffic can overtake the competitors more easily.

Traffic flow is often heavier and faster on main trunk roads however, so a rider has to have confidence in riding on these roads before venturing onto them in competition.

Some ‘non-standard’ distance events are held, often around one or more laps of a circuit. These so-called ‘sporting’ courses – present more of a challenge in the way of hills and bends. Non-standard circuit based courses are also a popular choice for team time trials.

A few 12 hour events are held each year. In this specialised endurance event the distance each competitor can ride in the fixed time period decides the finishing order.

The skill in doing well at individual time trialling lies in a rider’s ability to know the limit of his or her physical fitness and ride to that limit - but not beyond it. Good judgement is required in pacing oneself over the distance whilst taking factors such as the nature of the course and weather conditions into account.

Individual time trial championships are held at club, division and national level. These cater for all the different categories of competitor - e.g. juvenile, junior, senior, men, women and veterans etc. There are championships for all the standard distances of 10, 25, 50, 100 miles and the 12-hour event.

Team Time Trial

Teams of two, three or four competitors set off at intervals, usually of two, three or four minutes depending on team size. This is more of a specialist discipline. Riders in a team of two or more riders take turns at setting the pace in front, providing shelter to the other team member/s in their slipstream. This system of riding produces a faster average speed than a competitor riding solo.

The Time Trial Bike

You don’t need a special bike to take part in time trials. Your bike must simply be roadworthy and stripped of any accessories such as mudguards, carrier racks etc.

However, time trialling, in common with every cycling discipline, has seen the evolution over many years of specialised machines which can cost many thousands of pounds. The ideal time trial bike is aerodynamically efficient to reduce drag and is as light as possible whilst retaining sufficient structural strength. Lightness and strength comes from the use of materials such as aluminium alloy, titanium and carbon fibre. The use of disc wheels, compact geometry frames, triathlon handlebars and so on increases the aerodynamic ‘wind cutting’ qualities of the bike.

I Would Like To Try Time Trialling – How Fit Do I Need To Be?

If you can ride comfortably without stopping over ten miles – then you are probably capable of competing in a 10 mile time trial. This holds true for the longer distances as well. No one expects beginners to be particularly fast and once you have established a time for a particular distance the challenge comes in trying to better your personal best, or ‘PB’. You need not pit yourself against other riders until you feel ready. There will be plenty of opportunity for that once you’ve gained more fitness and experience.

It is always a good idea to employ the services of a coach when planning any training schedule. Many clubs have one or more qualified coaches in their ranks. There are also a growing number of self-employed and commercial coaches who offer clients a one-to-one service. Each of the national governing bodies maintains a register of qualified coaches.

How Do I Get Started in Time Trialling?

As it is primarily an individual discipline, time trialling can be practised at any time. All you need is a suitable stretch of road that has been measured with reasonable accuracy and a watch! Once you feel ready to measure your performance against your peers you can enter an organised time trial event. Entry fees are rarely expensive.

FCCC time trials over various distances, 8.5 miles and upwards, are held throughout the summer; see the 2011 TT list for details

TTs can really provide that extra bit of 'intensity' to boost your training and riding the same course over a season gives a very good way of judging fitness.

 This Q&A apples to club events, not Open TTs. Club events can be entered on the line, whilst Open events are by prior entry only - no entry on the line. For people wanting to enter Open events, we suggest that you buy a copy of the CTT Handbook. Donald may have some available for members, so please check before buying from the CTT site here.

Open events have an 'offical' status and times are recognised for record purposes by CTT and others. They have pre-entry (start sequences are carefully controlled), marshals, a race HQ and various regulations (see the CTT handbook), for example on bike design.

Club events are semi-official and run by the club mainly for its members. They are sanctioned by CTT for insurance purposes, but times cannot be official records. Non-members may ride club events.

How long before the start of the event do I need to be there?

It's best to be at the start in plenty of time. A good warm up is important to peak performance and you need time to register, check all your equipment and warm up - it's also a good time to talk to other competitors. A reasonable time for a club event would be 30 mins before the start time if you are not warmed up, or 15 minutes before if you arrive on a working bike.

What happens at the start, do we queue up and go off at 1 minute intervals?

You pay and 'sign on' then are given a start number which you fix to the back of your jersey (safety pins are supplied!). You queue and go off at 1 minute intervals, in number order

At the start, does someone hold the bike and release at the time signal?

Yes - it takes a few times to get confident, but FCCC helpers are very good! It means no fiddling with cleats etc and gears can be pre-selected.

Is the course marked by direction signs?

On club events there are not normally direction signs. There may be a helper on a dangerous corner who can signal if it's safe not to stop. Riders should make themselves aware of the course before arriving to minimise the risk of missed turns.

Many of the courses go round roundabouts. Do normal rules of the road apply - i.e.  we have to "give way" to other traffic where required?

Riders are not exempt from any rules of the road and have to exercise caution and judgement on safety. No PB is worth ending up in hospital for!

Are there any course marshals?

On FCCC Open events there are usually marshals to guide you on junctions, but on club events there are usually just timekeepers at the start and finish.

What happens if someone overtakes me or I catch and overtake another rider?

The rules are as follows, and are strictly enforced.

"Competitors must ride entirely alone and unassisted and not ride in company or take shelter (commonly known as drafting) from other riders or vehicles. A competitor overtaking another must pass without receiving or giving shelter. The onus of avoiding company riding shall be upon the rider overtaken.

If you should catch up another rider you should try to pass as quickly as possible and must not in any other circumstances ride close behind so that you take shelter from the wind. You must set your own pace and not use another rider as a pace maker. The onus on avoiding company riding shall be on the rider overtaken.

Nor is it in order to ride alongside and even to ride a few metres behind for any appreciable distance. In the spirit of the sport, caught riders should not disturb the performance of the rider catching them by repassing and/or riding closely behind them, except when they can sustain that move. This is generally considered to mean that the caught rider should allow a reasonable gap to develop of some 30 to 50 yards/metres."

Is there a marked finishing line?

Usually, there is a small mark on the side of the road, but the timekeepers are usually visible.

What happens after the finishing line? Do I stop there or ride back to the start line? Or just ride to where my car is parked and go home?

On club events, usually, it's best to carry on a short distance after the finish to 'warm down' and find somewhere safe to turn around and come back. It's important to come back a) to give your start number back and b) at club events to see what time you achieved.

Is there anyone I can contact for coaching advice on TTs?

See the coaching page on the website

Is there anyone I can contact for advice on specific TTs?

Please contact Donald, who is the TT secretary.

What are the entry costs?

Club events are £1.00 for members, £2.00 for others

Are any refreshments provided?

Not on club events