Coach's Corner:
Improve Time Trialing Technique and Speed

By Chris Kostman

Originally published in The California Events Schedule, April 1993

Purpose

Improve time trialing technique and speed. Useful for TT and triathlon racing and any solo cycling effort.

Method

Interval training, event-specific training, postural awareness, and endurance mindset.

TT's are known as "the race of truth," for they require sheer power, endurance, and mental tenacity in their purest and most explicit forms. It's just you and your bike against the terrain and weather conditions. For this reason, interval training, as outlined in last month's column, is paramount to success. Do intervals once a week now and twice a week mid-season or your TT times will suffer.

Focus on your most common TT distance in a once a week hi-intensity training effort. 40k, or 25 miles, is most common in USCF and Tri-Fed racing, for example. Use the same traffic and stop sign/light-free course(s) regularly so you can compare your time as the season progresses. Begin with a 10 mile warm-up spinning in easy gears, then jump right into a TT simulation ride. Go at race pace so that you are 100% spent after the effort. Then spin 10 miles home in an easy cool down ride.

When racing a TT, devote 100% of your attention to the task at hand. Concentrate on maintaining the most aerodynamic, efficient, and comfortable position. Breathe comfortably and mindfully. Keep up your cadence by shifting often. Use landmarks like road signs or the cyclist ahead as short-term goals rather than focussing only on the finish line. Ride the smoothest part of the road, often the paint strip. Ride like a bat out of hell.