Time Trial Anyone??????

hobojojo

Alright lads/ladies,

Got my first road bike 2 months ago, bianchi via nirone compact with Campagnolo Volce groupset, and have been addicted ever since.

Aim:
basically, to measure my progress i'v laid out a 12km route at the foot of the Dublin mountains that i'm going to cycle every two weeks as a time trial. im going to compare my time and average speed to see if i'm getting faster and fitter. though i plan on buying a polar cs400 next month so ill be able to see my improvement more clearly with heart rate, cadence, etc......
iv only done this time trial once, the results are as follows:

Time: 37:26
Average Speed: 19.4 km/h

im about 5' 9 and weigh 13.5 stone and i reckon im about 1.5 stone overweight, so in to coming months i plan on improving this time dramatically as i 1) lose weight 2)become fitter 3)improve technique 4)get to know the route inside out

The Route:
Basically the route is from lamb doyles pub to the junction of johnny foxes, take a right there and then stop when you come to the next junction. its very simple. ill post a link to the route on mapmyride.com below. the great thing about the route is that there are hardly any cars on these roads, especially in the morning, so its an uninterrupted cycle. also, its pretty much all up hill, check out the elevation feature on the mapmyride map (click on 'show elevation' bar at the bottom of the map, easy enough to miss unless you go looking for it, great site though). overall, the route has a 940ft ascent, but only a 323ft descent.

Anyway, im doing this, as i said before, every two weeks as a time trial. but i thought it would be interesting if some of you guys did it and posted your times also. see who's the fittest and so on. my time is terrible, i didnt exactly break my back doing it and im only starting to build up my fitness level. plan on really going for it this thursday.

to make sure we all do the same ride though, do as follows:

1) standing start from the junction at lamb doyles.
2)follow the route shown in my map
3)at the end of the route you will see a stop sign ( it's the only sign at the edmundstown rd/ cruagh rd junction), stop the clock when you go by this sign

Reward:
Afterwards you can easily cycle over to stocking lane via viewpoint and see if you can set a new personal speed record bombing down the hill. its a 2 mile descent, you fly down.


so anyone interested?

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/ireland/rathfarnham/946449719553

hobojojo

gonna post all my times here, and ill add yours to this post also, just to keep all the times in the one place.



Hobojojo 37:26 mins 19.4km/hr

Chips Lovell

Looks like a course to favour the climbers among us

dub_skav

It's a nasty enough climb to start with but there's a nice downhill coming into Johnnie Fox's and once you pass Johnnie Fox's you can get some speed up on the pineforest rd.

I've only ever done it as part of a longer cycle, might time myself next time.

TinyExplosions

el tonto wrote: »

Looks like a course to favour the climbers among us

That's me out -I'm built for the straight and slightly downhill

hobojojo

TinyExplosions wrote: »

That's me out -I'm built for the straight and slightly downhill

theres only one really nasty climb, its the hill that leads up to the blue light pub, about 1.5km into the route. short, but steep.

forgot that wind will factor into the equation now that i think of it. but it's quite a sheltered route, except for a small section after johnny foxes.

kenmc

once i'm back on the bike I'll give it a blast sometime. done that route a couple of times

studiorat

I wonder how much of an indicator of fitness a time trial like that is? All well and good hoofing up a short steep climb like that but not if your heart is doing 200bpm.
Maybe I'm wrong here anyone know the read hear?

Morgan

On a short time-trial like this, if your heart rate isn't up near the max then you're not going hard enough! Even as you get fitter it'll still hurt just as much - you'll just be going a lot faster.

tunney

Emmmmm disagree at 12km its a hard effort but not near max HR. You're suggesting that someone with a bike MHR of 195bpm should maintain 190bpm + for 15 or 16 minutes?

I don't think its an amazing idea to do this every fortnight. Maybe once every 6 weeks or so.

blorg

I cycle similarly hilly routes daily (including much of this route, although I don't tend to go up by the Blue Light but up Burrow Road) but generally am not trying for an all-out-effort.

OP- note if you are trying to lose weight longer gentler cycles around 70-80% of max heart rate should lose the weight better.

No harm using this as a progress yard stick every two weeks though (IMHO.)

Morgan

tunney wrote: »

You're suggesting that someone with a bike MHR of 195bpm should maintain 190bpm + for 15 or 16 minutes?

Not exactly - it was more of a metaphor. It should be elevated though

hobojojo

Morgan wrote: »

On a short time-trial like this, if your heart rate isn't up near the max then you're not going hard enough! Even as you get fitter it'll still hurt just as much - you'll just be going a lot faster.

yeah thats exactly it, my aim is to push myself and see how much i can shave off my time.

im not too concerned with it being a test of fitness as much as it showing that i'm improving my cycling, in all areas.

blorg wrote: »

I cycle similarly hilly routes daily (including much of this route, although I don't tend to go up by the Blue Light but up Burrow Road) but generally am not trying for an all-out-effort.

OP- note if you are trying to lose weight longer gentler cycles around 70-80% of max heart rate should lose the weight better.

No harm using this as a progress yard stick every two weeks though (IMHO.)

to get my weight down im doing longer cycles at the weekend. between 60 and 100km.
but during week days i try to make it out for shorter 30km cycles in the glencullen and pine forest area, and as it happens i usually end up doing this route along the way so my thinking was that ill time it every two weeks to check for improvement

blorg

hobojojo wrote: »

to get my weight down im doing longer cycles at the weekend. between 60 and 100km.
but during week days i try to make it out for shorter 30km cycles in the glencullen and pine forest area, and as it happens i usually end up doing this route along the way so my thinking was that ill time it every two weeks to check for improvement

Sounds like a good approach to me. Here's that elevation chart (went that way home this evening: )

hobojojo

cheers for the elevation chart blorg, its pretty sweet. what cycle computer do you use?

just did the route again this evening, clocked in at 34:14 with an average speed of 21.3km/hr, thats a 3 min improvement, which was to be expected as last time i didnt exactly murder myself. little bit windy up there today i should note

anyone know how i can edit my previous post to add in my new time? or can you only edit the last post you made on a thread?

blorg

I have a Garmin Edge 305, great gadget and highly recommended although it can be a little finickity at times.

I think there is a time limit on editing posts.

blorg

OK, managed to get around in my lunch time today- 27:51. This on my road bike putting in a reasonable effort (average HR 168 bpm), although in my sandals rather than my stiff-soled shoes. Passed one girl on a MTB and a guy on a Discovery-livery Trek. Lovely weather. Were they fellow competitors, who knows ;-)

Elevation/Time & Map:



I think this elevation chart is a bit more accurate, the first one was too high to start and corrected itself later (this one has my workplace at around the right altitude.)

Chips Lovell

blorg wrote: »

O...although in my sandals rather than my stiff-soled shoes...

Great potential for uppping the ante on this one. "I did it in 26 mins, but I was in a high nelly and wearing wellies".

blorg

el tonto wrote: »

Great potential for uppping the ante on this one. "I did it in 26 mins, but I was in a high nelly and wearing wellies".

The challenge is on! Now where to get a carbon high nelly and SPD wellies...

Seriously though, I would have shaved 0:00:02 off that time with my other shoes.

rob1891

32:00 for me, first time on the road bike in a long long time and not been getting off road a lot recently either. Forgot how steep that little climb before the blue light is, bit punishing!

bunnygreen

Lads im a moron,help me here,i know the general area but can you just explain the direction from the Blue Gardenia,also i cant read a map,id like to give it a go,thanks

Raam

We should organise a session of it for some Saturday. Set off every couple of minutes. Winner gets bragging rights.

bunnygreen

ill be the one wearing the long pointy hat .

TinyExplosions

I'll be the one wheezing along in last place

niceonetom

Raam wrote: »

We should organise a session of it for some Saturday. Set off every couple of minutes. Winner gets bragging rights.

great idea. but there should be a handicap system of some sort, depending on our climbing ability. you, for instance, would have to use this bike.

TinyExplosions

niceonetom wrote: »

great idea. but there should be a handicap system of some sort, depending on our climbing ability. you, for instance, would have to use this bike.

Or we could remove one of his legs...

kenmc

Nooo! that'd just make him even lighter!!!! We need him to tow someone

Raam

Ah lads, you're giving me too much credit.

bunnygreen

ok,am i starting at Lamb Doyles and going up that road next to it?,dooohhhh.

kenmc

yes. up that road, past the blue light. As you pass by a stone-works fireplace you come to a sort of a tjunction, take the right had fork. you'll go up a bit of a hill and past golf courses until you come to a cross roads, with johnny foxes on your left. go right. keep going till the sign tells you to stop.

bunnygreen

Thanks kenmc,ill give that a go tomorrow.

hobojojo

right rob1981 and blorg, you've both given me something to aim at with times of 32:00 and 27:51 respectively. i reckon i should be able to get close to 32:00 in a month and hope to be near 28:00 by the end of the summer. its good motivation knowing other peoples times i think.

bunnygreen, yeah start from the road beside lamb doyes. theres a fire exit on the side of lamb doles which backs onto that road, i use it as my starting point. cant miss it, its a big green fire escape stairs.

unfortunatly i wont be able to do this route for a few weeks as i have college exams from now till 5th june. dying to get back on my bike, its been 5 days

hobojojo

raam, you had a good idea there when you suggested a few people meeting up and cycle the route. possibly do it as the start of a saturday spin. lamb doyles is only a few mins away from the dundrum bridge where the saturday spin guys meet anyway. and at the end you can easily head up to sally gap via stocking lane and glencree for a longer cycle.


or for those wanting a shorter cycle, left to enniskerry once get to glencree via stocking lane.

bunnygreen

will do,ill have the oxygen tent at the other end.

rob1891

Did you guys do this as part of your route today? I got out in the afternoon for a quick 2hr spin (on to Glencree after, then back towards Enniskerry cutting off at the Devil's Elbow to bring me back to Johnny Fox's).

30.05 this time, probably no actual improvement in fitness, just knowing where the steep kicker climbs are and pacing appropriately. Hopefully I'll keep doing this route at the weekends, lovely day for it today.

hobojojo

rob1891 wrote: »

Did you guys do this as part of your route today? I got out in the afternoon for a quick 2hr spin (on to Glencree after, then back towards Enniskerry cutting off at the Devil's Elbow to bring me back to Johnny Fox's).

30.05 this time, probably no actual improvement in fitness, just knowing where the steep kicker climbs are and pacing appropriately. Hopefully I'll keep doing this route at the weekends, lovely day for it today.

thats a nice route, not too long, not too short. that road between johnny fox's and devils elbow (didnt know it was called that) has a killer hill, about half way through.

30:05?? right, ill gonna have to get on my bike, so to speak. bulk of my college exams finish next thursday so gonna be hitting wicklow a lot in june, cant wait.

you wernt on a black cube by any chance??

triv88

I drove most of this route the other day.Thats a very long steep incilne at the start.Unless your very fit unlike me,its walking the bike up that slope:(:eek:

rob1891

hobojojo wrote: »

thats a nice route, not too long, not too short. that road between johnny fox's and devils elbow (didnt know it was called that) has a killer hill, about half way through.

30:05?? right, ill gonna have to get on my bike, so to speak. bulk of my college exams finish next thursday so gonna be hitting wicklow a lot in june, cant wait.

you wernt on a black cube by any chance??

No, I was on an old blue Specialized Allez, in a UCD jersey.

I like the devil's elblow a lot, the steepness at the bridge seems unreal, I guess I'm glad it is short though! There are a load of evil little climbs in that area around the Powerscourt waterfall. When I was fitter I'd chain them together for some masochistic pleasure.

Triv88, the TT route is certainly up hill, but the very steep out-of-the-saddle bits are short. If you've a compact or a triple you could spin up them. Give it a go!