Alf Engers – set a competition record of 49 minutes 24 seconds for the 25 mile TT in Sept 1978. (before tribars)
There was a time when breaking the hour for 25 miles / 40km was a very prestigious target for time triallists. A 25mph barrier for 1 hour was a benchmark which required considerable effort to break.
Modern technology – tri bars, aero frames, discwheels aero helmets have all helped bring the goal of a sub 1 hour 25 mile TT within the reach of more club cyclists. Also, riding on courses with passing traffic helps because there is a positive drag effect from passing cars. In fact you could argue that a sub 50 minute 25 mile TT is the new hour challenge.
But, nevertheless, the one hour barrier remains an important goal for many and breaking the hour for the first time is definitely a good feeling.
There is some dispute about the first person to actually cycle under an hour for 25 miles. Some suggest the first person to break the hour for 25 miles was Alo Donegan in 1934. However, because of uncertainty over course distances e.t.c. it doesn’t have the lustre of say Ray Booty’s sub four hour 100 mile TT. Since 1934, the 25 mile record has steadily fallen. Just this weekend, Movistar Pro Alex Dowsett broke the 3/4 of hour barrier setting a new course record of 44:29 – 33.72 mph on fast course of the E2/25. That’s an average speed of close to 34 mph.
It has been a stop start season so after doing a good race, it was in keeping to get a virus which knocked me low. Even when the virus seemed to be over, it still left quite a feeling of fatigue and tiredness. It’s taken quite a while to get back in the swing of it. It knocks your confidence to get a virus like this. After the last race, I was inspired to make last minute entry for national 50, but two hours later – suffering from temperature, the long drive to Devon didn’t seem so appealing any more and the deadline passed.
Still the past two days have been quite good. I went north to Banbury yesterday for a 90 mile ride. There are a lot of quiet, quintessentially English villages to cycle through. Plenty of interesting place names, Hook Norton, Duns Tew Wroxton, Tadmarton if that is your thing. I think I ended up on part of the course for Banbury Star CC hardriders, though I avoided Sunrising hill.
The highlight of the ride was getting overtaken by a guy on an electric bike going uphill. As he came past, he said “Well, this is embarrassing”. I’m not sure whether he meant – it was embarrassing for me or embarassing for him.
In the UK, the local 10 mile time trial is a popular way of measuring your fitness and speed. It is an easy discipline to enter and appeals to anyone from the really keen time trialist to the more everyday cyclist interested in trying something different. The great thing with a 10 mile time trial is that you can just turn up on a decent road worthy bike and see how you get on.
An aero position
But, as soon as you’ve done your first 10, you will want to try and beat your previous time. This is the great attraction of time-trialling, even if you come last, there is always the incentive to try and beat your previous pb. There are quite a few ways to improve your times in a 10 mile time trial – from spending money on some aero equipment to good old fashioned training. The best thing is to maximise in every possible area. How far you go depends on how much you get addicted to the speed and trying to beat your previous best.
Main ways of going faster in a 10
Training. In particular, specific training to improve power and speed for the 10 mile distance.
More aerodynamic position. Most riders can shave off seconds (even minutes) by making their position more aerodynamic. (Some methods are more expensive than others)
Faster course. Fortunately or unfortunately, some courses produce quicker times than others. The best is not to get hung up on the course you do, but try to beat your pb for local courses.
Faster tubulars. Ride track tubs and you can go faster, but risk a puncture.
What is a good time for a 10 mile TT?
A ten mile time trial can taken anything between 17.20 (over 34 mph) and 40 minutes.
A good target for a fit club cyclist is to break 24 minutes on a standard quiet course. This requires an average speed of 25 mph. To win an open event, depending on the course, the most common time is something between 20.00 and 21.00. A big target is to break 20 minutes (average speed of over 30 mph).
10 mile TT Records
Bradley Wiggins winning the 2010 British Time Trial Championships
Good hydration is an important skill for cycling. It is easier to become de-hydrated and (less frequently) over-hydrated.
When I started cycling, I had very little knowledge of electrolytes and rarely took any. I rarely cramp, but feel moderate electrolyte use is a much better way of keeping well hydrated. I was partly inspired to write this after recent episode of diarrhoea where electrolyte tablets came in handy. Though it has made me look for some without sweeteners.
“It was a magnificently imaginative invention, a form of odyssey in which the lonely heroism of unpaced riders was pitted against relentless competition and elemantal nature. The Tour encompassed the territory of France, and Desgrange later claimed that it encouraged a sense of national identity, establishing La Patrie in clear geographic terms.”
– Jim McGurn on the Tour de France
The Tour de France is one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world. In terms of spectators getting to see the event live, it has no parallel – with millions lining the roads of France and Europe throughout the month of July.
Stats of the Tour de France
In 2013 – a caravan of 4,500 people including organisers – teams – media – partners – publicity caravan – providers made up the tour. This excludes many volunteers and local council workers who help to get the tour ready.
Riders
198 riders at the start (22 teams of 9 riders) 2014)
300 support staff
Route for 2014
3,664 km (21 stages)
4 countries visited (the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Spain)
33 French departments visited
36 stage towns/cities
Internet popularity
30 million unique visitors / 110 million pages viewed on letour.fr in 2013
Most popular languages for viewing letour.fr: French, German, Spanish and English (the most visited version)
Spectators by the side of the road
An estimated 12 million spectators (2013)
63% of men and 37% of women
Average time by road side – 6 and a half hours of presence on average on the road-side.
Media coverage
Broadcast in 190 countries (2013)
Almost 100 channels including 60 live broadcasters
90 hours of live programmes (broadcast internationally)
5,500 hours of broadcasting throughout the world
3.5 billion viewers worldwide (in 2013)
Le Tour de France in Yorkshire 2014
An estimated 2.5 – 4 million fans lined the roads to see the Tour de France cover two stages in Yorkshire.
“I can see the Tour in their hearts, and in their eyes. For that, I say thank you to everyone in Yorkshire who has made this Grand Depart so very, very special.”
Christian Prudhomme
How Long is the Tour?
The early editions of the Tour de France helped French gain a better sense of national unity and geographical identity.
Modern versions are roughly about 3,600 kilometres (2,200 miles) spread out over three weeks. Early Tours were longer. In 1926, riders had to cover 5,745 km over 17 stages.
The longest ever stage in the Tour de France was on 7th July 1919 – 482 km (300 miles) won by Jean Alavoine from Les Sables-d’Olonne to Bayonne.
Average speed in the Tour de France?
In 1926, the tour winner averaged 24 km/h over the whole 5,745 km. By comparison in 2010, the average speed was just under 40 km/h for the 3,642 km.
The slowest average speed was in 1919, when French roads were in a bad state after the First World War. The winner Firmin Lambot (Bel) completed the course at an average speed of 24.056 km/h
I was happy with how race went on Sat afternoon. But two hours later I was struck down with fever and diarrhoea. From flying along the A4, to grovelling up the stairs to empty the bowels – the swings and arrow of fortune, as the Bard might say.
I wasn’t quite sure what it was. Possibly I caught a chill when cycling back to HQ in skin suit on a deceptively cold day. But, I’m not sure; I didn’t really feel cold. I didn’t eat anything dodgy – just a few recovery bars. The most likely contender is either I picked up viral infection or it was bacterial infection from a water bottle I used during warm up and recovery.
I remember getting a water bottle out of cupboard and scraping some grime away with finger. In winter, it’s hard not to pick this kind of stuff up. It’s impossible to keep water bottles immaculate. In fact the dispiriting thing about cleaning water bottles is that they can still look quite manky – even after a good clean. Periodically I throw them away, and buy new water bottles.
The A4 road from Reading towards Bath has a long history of time trials. Time trials have been held on different sections for perhaps over 100 years. It goes right back to the early days of getting up at the crack of dawn and setting off surreptitious in all black pretending to be out for solo training ride.
In the days before national championships, the Bath Road Club 100 was seen as one of the premier time trials in the country.
Click to enlarge. Cycling article from 1976
It was in the Bath Road Club 100 that one of the great cycling time trial records of all time was set on this part of the A4. Back in 1956, Ray Booty rode the first sub four hour 100 on the A4 Bath road, running through Pangbourne, Shillingford and Abingdon. Booty set a time of 3hr 58min 28sec. 11 minutes ahead of the second-placed finisher, Stan Brittain
In the days when British Cycling was distinctly an amateur affair, the Daily Record covered the achievement with “Booty the incomparable, the incredible, the indomitable”
After the race, I spoke briefly to Jim Burgin, long time stalwart of London West Cycling Association who remembers in early 1960s, time trials starting on Pangbourne Lane – no roundabout, just T junctions with riders able to enter the road, that had an incomparably different level and type of traffic.
After 13 years of ownership, I am selling another bike – Ribble Alloy Dedacci 7003 road bike with carbon forks. Mostly Shimano 105.
Farwell Mr Ribble
I used this in my first hill climb season. 2004. I remember using it in Otley CC hill climb and Brighton Mitre, but I’ve lost the photo. 12 years is a long time in website history.
The Charlotteville CC 50 mile TT is held on the A31 Bentley course. Today, the weather was unseasonally warm. Good conditions for a time trial, just a light southerly wind.
I haven’t done any ‘flat’ time trials this year, though the A31 has a few long drags which take the edge off your average speed, but give a little encouragement to those who don’t mind the odd lump.
I started well hydrated because I imagined it would be quite thirsty work in the heat. I rode with a 750ml bottle between the tribars. I did toy with running a single chainring for this race. But, didn’t want to risk taking off the front dérailleur on the bumpy A31. I’m investigating a good chain catcher or, even better, a narrow/wide chainring (56 5 arm bot for Dura Ace Quark pm). Last time I did a 100 mile TT on this course, I DNF due to tribars coming loose so you have to make sure everything is well tightened. There are innumerable horizontal ridges in the road which make it quite uncomfortable and lots of clunking.
I was half joking about getting a train into a headwind in post on Tips for riding in wind. I never do it in Oxford, but when visiting Yorkshire, it’s a great way to see a few Yorkshire valleys I wouldn’t otherwise make it to. I cycled a hilly 6 miles to Bingley station and got the ‘slow pacer’ – Leeds to Morecambe train. It reminds me of what train travel was like in the 1980s; quiet, slow, a little dirty, a feeling of neglect, you’re the only passenger who gets off at the station.
However, the Bentham line is popular with cyclists – at different times, there were four different bikes on the train. One young girl took her bike from Skipton to Gargrave where she worked and was going to cycle the 3 miles home in an effort to get fit and lose weight. She said one mile on the bike left her feeling completely out of breath, but she hoped one day to be able to cycle both to and back to Gargrave. I encouraged her by saying – if you keep cycling every day, you will definitely see a big improvement quite quick. We all started with cycling for a couple of miles, and you never know where it may lead you.
