Unlike group cycling rides and races where you’ll see one or two people leading the pack with all other cyclists following “in the draft” to save energy, each racer in a time trial rides alone competing only against the clock and his/her burning leg muscles.
That’s why time trials are often referred to as “The Race of Truth” — you can’t cruise along in the slipstream of other cyclists to save energy.
Instead, you ride at maximum effort for the entire duration of the time trial race, pushing your body so hard that if your efforts are metered out correctly you’ll use every bit of available energy by the time you cross the finish line.
The only exception to one person racing alone during TT events occurs during a team time trial race.
In the team format, groups of cyclists ranging in size from two to seven will race over a time trial course competing against other teams of the same size, with team members alternating being “on the front” to set the pace and break the wind for the team’s other riders.
Time trials are conducted both on the road and on mountain bikes. In a typical TT, riders will start at 30- or 60-second intervals. Multiple riders will be on the course at the same time as other racers but are racing individually against the clock.
Each racer’s finishing time is adjusted based on start delay; for example, if the start interval is one minute between riders and you are the second racer to start, your adjusted finishing time is the clock time (based on when the first racer started) minus one minute.
Racers will focus on going as hard as possible, pushing their bodies to the point that they’re riding at almost maximum effort but can maintain the pace for the duration of the TT event.
The traditional time trial distance for championship events is 40 kilometers (24.8 miles), but you’ll see distances ranging from very short 3-5 mile “Prolog TTs” to longer 30- and 40-mile events.
Some time trials use an out-and-back course, others are a loop or point-to-point, and you’ll occasionally see an uphill TT (“cyclist against mountain against the clock”).
In the upcoming Tour de France stage race, the professional racers will race three time trials during the 21 days of racing. They’ll do a 25-kilometer team TT during Stage 4, a 33-individual TT in Stage 11, and a 32-kilometer individual TT in Stage 17.
Although many local time trial competitors will ride their normal road bikes for TT races, the top racers use special aerodynamic bikes and equipment such as elongated aero helmets, shoe covers and tightfitting skin suits to decrease wind resistance. Their high-tech time trial bikes have low-drag aerodynamic frames, aero bar extensions and deep-section or disc wheels that decrease wind drag.
Cycling time trials are also conducted off-road using mountain bikes on rough trails and dirt roads.
Although the level of effort is as intense as on the road, mountain bike TTs place more emphasis on technical skills — being able to ride extremely fast over rough and rocky surfaces.
Locally, the San Angelo Bicycle Association (SABA) holds both road and mountain bike TT events during the summer months.
The road TTs are held on the first Thursday evening of each month at 6:30 on a 12-mile course that starts near the intersection of U.S. 87 and Susan Peak Road just east of San Angelo.
Mountain bike time trials take place over a 6-mile trail course on the third Thursday evening of each month at 6:30 p.m., starting and finishing at the playground near the south gate of San Angelo State Park.
The club also puts on a spring and fall road TT on the Burma Road hills and a longer 9-mile mountain bike TT in the state park.
You must be a member of the cycling club to compete in the time trial events organized by the San Angelo Bicycle Association, but you can join the club at event registration.
For more information on the local cycling time trial events, visit sanangelobicycleassociation.com and click on the “Events” tab.
On a related note, some running clubs also hold time trials. One example of this is the twice-monthly “Towers” group run organized by the Fort Collins Trail Runners in Fort Collins, Colo. (meetup.com/running-207/events/111433412).
This time trial takes place on a 3.4-mile ascent that climbs 1,650 feet up trails and 4WD roads to near the top of Horsetooth Mountain just west of Fort Collins. Slower runners go off first, trying to improve on their past times while attempting to stay ahead of faster runners who start behind them.
Cycling or running, time trials are the Race of Truth.
Upcoming Events
- July 4: Christoval VFD 5K, roadlizards.org
- July 11: Road bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
- July 14: Lake Nasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org
- July 18: Mountain bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
- July 27: Goodfellow Triathlon, roadlizards.org
- Aug. 1: Road bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
- Aug. 15: Mountain bike time trial, sanangelobicycleassociation.com
- Sept. 14: Run to Remember 10K, angelo.edu/asufit
