Four weeks ago I did my first Swedish race on my Time Trial (TT) bike, which is designed to maximized speed and minimize wind resistance. A TT race is against the clock, where racers are sent off with approx. 1 minute spacing. It’s a mental challenge to hold your maximum cadence/speed over a period of 30-60 minutes. If you watch the Tour de France you know that racers can win or lose the entire race based on their performance in the time trial(s).
I’m a multisporter and race on a mountain bike — why do I need a TT bike? Good question, especially since I do most of my training on my road bike (which demands more constant pedal pushing than riding on MTB trails), so it seems unnecessary to also have a TT bike, right?
Answer #1: It’s fun to have more toys …
Answer #2: If I want to compete in multisport in New Zealand then I have to perform better on a TT bike. Most of the races down there involve road cycling against the wind (in addition to running, paddling, and even mountain biking).
But above all, I want to give NZ’s Coast to Coast another try in Feb 2014 and I have to be better on my time trial bike. Last year I lost too much time (see above).
Answer #3: It’s actually good training for mountain biking, especially for me because I already have the technical skills to ride well on trails, I just have to improve the power I can get out of my legs. Then, there are always gravel road sections where it’s good to get down and pump hard in ÅEC … A TT race is great for that.
MY PLAN TO BE A BETTER TT RIDER:
(1) I had a 1 hr 45 minute “bike fit” with Anders at Velo Rapide bike shop in town. He helped me get an aerodynamic position and adjusted the angle of my knees so that I could get maximum power. We filmed different positions and analyzed which was best. Here is a screen shot from the film:
(2) I’ve raced in the spring TT races in Hammerdal.
(3) I’ve signed up for the 4 TT races in August around Brunflo.
(4) I will avoid road bike races with large groups where the risk of crash is high 
Lucky for me there is a great cycling community up here in Jämtland !
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So how did it go last night ? Well, it went (slightly) better than last time. 4 weeks ago I placed 3rd in the 28.3 km race and it took 42.53 for an average speed of 39.60 kph. I was 1.54 behind the winner, Roger Claesson (who is 50 years old !).
This time I got 5th and it took 41.47 (Ave speed 40.64 kph) and I was 1.45 behind Roger. Since the wind was similar to last time, I think this was a legitimate, but small, improvement.
For comparison, Pro cyclist Bradley Wiggins averaged 52.1 kph on a 60 km time trial in the Olympics. Wow.
Here I am at the 12 km turn around point in race #1 — the only time I get to stand up and stretch my legs 
I was pretty happy with race #2 … and we had a beautiful sunny day this time, too.
Tonight I’m headed to Åre for a 3 day training camp…
THUR … Running SkutanRunt with Anton, 20 km, distance tempo.
FRI … Scout the rapids and call Mats to figure out where the new MTB course is going
SAT… Paddle full course (1.45) and run over Skutan till Huså (1.50), with 3×10 min hard intervals on the way up
SUN… ride the bike course hard (1.50)
Weather looks shitty. Oh well …
Train hard
Scott
