As per our previous blog post (click here to view if you missed it) re what to expect during the Skills Club Champs event this coming Saturday – 17th September 2016 – the Time Trials event will also be taking place throughout the course of the day. Remember, the first 2 rounds are being held on our annual Family Fun Day (click here for more on this), so keep the full day free and spend it with your fellow members taking part in some fun competition and cheering each other on. There will be plenty going on, so keep an eye on the News Hub for Saturday’s full event schedule, which will be published shortly.
As ever, we would encourage ALL our members to take part in Club Champs, regardless of whether you are a first timer or an old hand at this! Every event gains you some points – even just for taking part – and it’s all in the interest of healthy competition and FUN. There is an FAQ page here on the Club Champs you can refer to if you have any questions, but for those of you coming along on Saturday, read on to find out a bit more about what you can expect when you compete in the Time Trials event…
Sign On & Event Schedule for Time Trials
There are two sign on opportunities to sign on for Time Trials, as follows:
Early Sign-On Session: 8am – 8.15am
- This is for Members [of ANY age group] who wish to do their Time Trial during the early morning session.
- Participation will be on a first-come-first-served process, and only the first 30 riders will get to do their TT in this window.
- If for any reason there are delays and the TT hasn’t started yet, at the sign-on team’s discretion, you may still be able to sign on for the early if you are late.
- Once the TT has started, all other riders wanting to participate will have to do so later.
- Make your way to the Clubhouse as normal to sign on – the process will be explained when you arrive!
- Regular Sign-On Session: 8.45am – 9.30am
- This is for everyone else wanting to compete during the day – come to the Clubhouse as normal to sign on.
- Anyone who arrives after 9.30am will not be able to take part so please be on time to avoid disappointment.
- Keep an eye out on the News Hub for the final age category schedule, which will be published shortly.
Note: If you miss the Club Champs TT event this coming Saturday, there is another opportunity to participate next Saturday, 24th September, during the early session – same rules as above apply.
Why a Time Trial?
Time Trials are a way to test your individual performance on a bike. You are not racing with or against other cyclists during the race – you are racing against the clock! The time trial component of Club Champs allows you to record a time that you can keep as a benchmark – and then measure your performance improvement against this time by repeating the time trial throughout the year.
How Does the Time Trial Work?
We use your time and then rank you against other riders in the club, and your ranking contributes to your overall placing in the Club Champs. Time trials are not easy, and often people say they don’t like them. But they are an essential way of testing your own ability – and looking for and measuring your development. To be good at a time trial, you need to ensure that you pace yourself just right – don’t go off to quickly or you will find it hard to finish, but aim to have used up all your energy by the time you finish. Positioning is also important – click here to view a previous post on this with a few tips that you may find useful.
The Time Trial Event Rules
With a time trial there are few places to hide! It is both illegal and unsporting to sit behind someone in a time trial taking shelter from the rider in front. This will lead to a disqualification if we see riders “drafting”. If someone overtakes you, the rules say you need to not give chase and let them pass without taking any shelter from them. Dropping back to a good 20m or so will keep you draft legal!
If you have used aero bars and/or deep section wheels before and are safe to race, you may do so. If we think that someone is not riding safely, we may pull them out of the race. Safety on the circuit for everyone is our main concern. Remember that it’s windy at Hillingdon most days, and deep sections can work like a kite pushing you up and not actually making you go faster. Also, an aero helmet covers your ears and may make hearing difficult.
Where is the Start Line?
For Club Champs, we will be starting from the judges hut at the apron. At sign-on, we will give you a number and you will line up on the start line in number order, starting with the lowest number first. You will get a held start, so you don’t have to worry about getting “clipped in”. Be sure you choose the right gear for you that allows you to accelerate away and get up to your working speed as soon as possible. We will set riders off at 30 second intervals – one at a time – and you will have to count your own laps!
Don’t Have a Time Trial Bike? Don’t Let That Stop You!
Absolutely! You have the option to ride your time trial on either a road bike or a mountain bike – whichever you choose to ride on will be the category you are given the points for based on your position. So think about which you’d be more comfortable on, and use that bike for your time trial. We’d really like to see as many of you as possible taking part in this event, so if you have never done a time trial before, don’t let the lack of a TT bike stop you – grab a road bike or a mountain bike and give it a go! Bike categorisation will, of course, be at the discretion of the Head Coaches.
Time Trial Event Distances
For those doing the Mountain Bike Time Trial:
- U6 and U8 – Two (2) full laps
- U10 and U12 – Five (5) full laps
- U14 and U16 – Ten (10) full laps
For those doing the Road Bike Time Trial:
- U6 – Two (2) full laps
- U8 and U10 – Five (5) full laps
- U12, U14 and U16 – Ten (10) full laps
After you finish your race you may take a lap to warm down, but please stay to the outside of the circuit so that you do not interfere with riders still racing.
Finally…
Parents please ensure children taking part are aware of the content in this post and what to expect for their TT event. Remember, if a member misses the TT event on Saturday, this can be made up next week on the 24th September during the early session. If neither of these dates can be attended, don’t lose heart and we’d encourage our members to take part in the other events – there is still Road, MTB and Track racing to look forward to. We would love to see you all taking part this year – so participate, give it your best, and let’s all have a good time!
As usual, keep an eye out on Twitter for the latest updates and if you have any questions, please contact the Admin Team (contacts are your newsletter).