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Evening Club TT Handicap competition - a few pointers
We're a couple of TTs into the new season and you may by now be thinking about having a crack at one of the season-long competitions.
One of the most keenly contested is the Handicap. This levels the playing field somewhat so that anyone - Juniors, Vets, anyone can compete to win, so long as they are consistent, ride regularly and - if possible - consistently keep pushing their personal best (PB) times down. So if you do a 27 minute ride and are only 10 seconds off your PB, in the Handicap game, you will score better than someone doing 25 minutes but who is 30 seconds off their best.
Once you've set a PB, you're stuck with it. So if you're looking at the Big Picture, smashing your PB almost beyond touching distance one night might win you maximum Handicap points that night but you may score poorly against this new mark for the rest of the season.
So how do you dose your efforts? The purpose of this "blog" is to throw out a few ideas that may help you plot a successful Handicap campaign in 2019 and beyond. And it's not all about pointy hats and disc wheels (although those help :-)
Most folks will get fitter over a season and lose a little weight, and the weather should improve, so we can expect PBs to come down over a season. But here are some affordable basic "marginal gains" to feed into the season as and when you see fit (I'm assuming you've got all the mechanical basics sorted, e.g. all friction reduced as far as possible such as bearings all running smoothly, tyres up to pressure etc. and perhaps a bike-fit). I do hope some other experienced Testers will post here too? :-)
One of the most keenly contested is the Handicap. This levels the playing field somewhat so that anyone - Juniors, Vets, anyone can compete to win, so long as they are consistent, ride regularly and - if possible - consistently keep pushing their personal best (PB) times down. So if you do a 27 minute ride and are only 10 seconds off your PB, in the Handicap game, you will score better than someone doing 25 minutes but who is 30 seconds off their best.
Once you've set a PB, you're stuck with it. So if you're looking at the Big Picture, smashing your PB almost beyond touching distance one night might win you maximum Handicap points that night but you may score poorly against this new mark for the rest of the season.
So how do you dose your efforts? The purpose of this "blog" is to throw out a few ideas that may help you plot a successful Handicap campaign in 2019 and beyond. And it's not all about pointy hats and disc wheels (although those help :-)
Most folks will get fitter over a season and lose a little weight, and the weather should improve, so we can expect PBs to come down over a season. But here are some affordable basic "marginal gains" to feed into the season as and when you see fit (I'm assuming you've got all the mechanical basics sorted, e.g. all friction reduced as far as possible such as bearings all running smoothly, tyres up to pressure etc. and perhaps a bike-fit). I do hope some other experienced Testers will post here too? :-)
1. If I could recommend only one thing it would be your Garmin Virtual Partner (or equivalent). There are clever ways to set them up, but if you plug your PB average speed over the course into the device, you can look down and know when you're up and when you're down. You'll probably find you're up by the turn, but you've then got to get up the rise at Tadlow with that advantage intact :-) And if you're into the finishing straight and a minute up, you can dial it back a little to avoid getting too far ahead of yourself.That's enough for now. Enjoy!
2. If you're riding a road bike, consider clip on aero bars. But do practice before giving them a go in anger. They're surprisingly stable once you get into them, but you do need to practice getting into and out of them and changing gear on your brake hoods while tucked. Do you need to hold this position going up hill? You decide.
3. Skin suit. Mr. Hall, our Kit Man, will sell you a luverly CCA TT skin suit at reasonable outlay and it'll buy you some time.
4. Do you need that saddle bag? You'd be unlucky to puncture and the most you'll have to walk is 5 miles! :-) If you take a mobile and a number to call we'll come and get you or will probably spot you as we're packing up.
5. If you have a good swig beforehand, do you really need that bottle and cage over 10 miles? A bit less weight and a bit more aero.
6. Aero overshoes. A good cost/benefit is those rubbery rain booties called "Velotoze". They can get a bit sweaty in a TT, but it's only 10 miles and if you put talc in them, they're easier to slip on and off.
7. Aero helmets can be expensive but if you can pick one up in a sale etc., expect a big gain, particularly in combination with the aero bars.
8. One for the guys, and not for everyone, shave/wax your legs! Worth a few seconds! :-)
9. I'll leave all the other more expensive kit things to you to decide how far you want to go, e.g. deep section wheels, full-on TT bike, etc. but if you are going to get low, just make sure you're comfortable and check out some saddles that can help, e.g. ISM.
Comments
One other thing! What I've written may seem all too cold and calculating. But sometime towards the end of the season, whatever you do, if you're on that special night, when you feel no fatigue, the legs don't seem to hurt however hard you push, don't forget to let it all go and SMASH IT, just because you can! :-)
I asked Cam once how he managed to do 2 laps of the 10 in succession both coming in under 20 minutes once. He said that he rode it like a crit... smash out of the corners (safely) and smash the hills. Also being a very strong rider and having no concept of pain helps...