Time Trials
The Time trial season is well under way and for one V-sprinter the start of his 2nd season.
Mike Dalton is taking part in open Time Trials & Club Time Trials throughout this year on what’s known as K courses these are 10mile &. 25mile courses throughout the Midlands.
Time trials are races against the clock where you race to try and beat your own or other contenders times, also for those of us that have reached 40+ years there is the VTTA association The VTTA or Veterans hold a series of time trials every year so you can represent your club and get a fair crack of the whip with there points system, so for those of you who would like to try time trials why not go along to the local clubs and try it out, you might like it.
Time trialling is the simplest kind of bike race and an ideal introduction to competitive cycling – and it’s easy to get involved too.It’s just you, your bike, and the stopwatch, a race against the clock, with riders starting a minute apart. It’s known as ‘The Race of Truth’ because there’s nowhere to hide, no one to draft behind; just you and the bike and the thumping of your heart. Oh, and a clock ticking.
Time Trialling is the branch of cycle racing in which Sir Bradley Wiggins won his gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and went on to become World Time Trial Champion in 2014.
Getting Started
If you’re over 12 years old, you can have a go at time trialling without first joining a cycling club, because many run ‘Come and Try It’ events. The idea is that you come and try it to see if you want to join the club and take up time trialling.
Typically, a time trial start will see a group of cyclists in a layby on a midweek evening. The course start and finish might be small marks on a kerbstone. Only a few marshals in brightly coloured vests and some signs indicate that there’s anything going on. It’s not like popping down to the leisure centre. Yet it’s not as cliquey as it may appear, and most local cycling clubs are only too happy to see new faces.