Time-Trial Tips From 6 Cycling Experts

Competitive cycling requires preparation. But nowhere is that more true than with time-trial racing, which relies on pure speed rather than the ability to fight for space in the peloton.

But knowing how to approach time-trial training--(How long should your intervals be?; What should you focus on during your time-trial?; How do you become a faster athlete?)--can often make-or-break you race-day success.

More: A Professional Approach to Race-Day

Whether its Olympic coach Gale Bernhardt or cyling legend Mark Young, here are six cycling experts offering their insider tips on boosting your ability to master your time trials.

Cycling Time Trial Tip No.1: Start Slow
Andy Applegate

"Starting too hard: This is probably the most common mistake riders make during time trials. It can also be one that causes a significant amount of time loss.

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"Work into the effort over the first minutes of the event. Avoid building excessive fatigue early in the race that will cause a necessary decrease in speed. You may never recover to hit your goal pace if you start too hard."

More: Cycling Time-Trial Tips From Andy Applegate

Cycling Time Trial Tip No.2: Focus
Hunter Allen

"If you can stay focused on pushing your body to the edge and recruiting all your muscles in your legs--not just the hamstrings and quads--then you can produce a peak performance. However, this is incredibly tough and you have to be physically and mentally ready to push yourself at your highest level for a fairly long period of time.

"If you can produce the same feelings in all of the leg muscles as you can in your quads, then you will be focused on recruiting those muscles and turning that into speed on the bike."

More: Cycling Time-Trial Tips From Hunter Allen

Cycling Time Trial Tip No.3: Don't Be a Drag
Mark Young

"For reducing pressure drag, consider:

• Keeping a bottle in the cage, as it's more aero than without
• Shoe covers
• Shaving your legs
• Filling the front tire gap at the rim
• A snug-fitting Lycra top
• A more aero helmet
• Gloves with Lycra backs
• A deep-section front rim
• Bladed spokes on the front wheel"

More: Cycling Time-Trial Tips From Mark Young

Cycling Time Trial Tip No.4: Take the Middle Way
Stephen Cheung, Ph.D.

"How do you go about achieving flat pacing? With short hills, you have to make the decision based on your self-knowledge.

"Do you have the fitness and condition to "attack" the hill at a higher pace and then to recover and settle back down to your target pace? If not (e.g., hill is too long or too steep), you may be better off staying seated and maintaining your target power output throughout the hill. It's a gamble but that's what racing's all about!"

More: Cycling Time-Trial Tips from Stephen Cheung, Ph.D.

Cycling Time Trial Tip No.5: Pyramid Intervals
Rob Coppolillo

"Intervals aren't that bad. They challenge the human body at a variety of levels. You can do them at lower intensity and for longer duration say, four 15-minute efforts or much shorter, harder ones.

"The workout is straightforward and efficient. With a 10- to 15-minute warm-up and cool down, and one or two "pyramids," you can complete the entire workout in less than an hour. Perfect for lunch time or early-morning weekend training.

"The "endurance"-type intervals works at a slightly lower intensity and builds longer-term muscular endurance for sustained climbs or time trials."

More: Cycling Time-Trial Tips from Rob Coppolillo

Cycling Time Trial Tip No.6: Go Aerobic
Gale Bernhardt

"After a warm up, ride five miles keeping your heart rate within a narrow range. I typically use the top three beats of Zone 2 or 9 to 11 beats below lactate threshold heart rate which is Zone 3. Use a single gear and do not shift during the test. Record the gear used, time, power output, your current weight and how you felt in your training journal.

"Each time you repeat the test, try to make testing conditions the same. I prefer retesting every four to eight weeks at the end of a recovery week.

"As aerobic fitness improves, your time for the given distance should decrease. If you're using a power meter, your power to weight ratio (average power produced in watts divided by your weight in pounds or kilograms) should improve."

More: Cycling Time-Trial Tips from Gale Bernhardt

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