Time trials.....gimme your best advice!

X2, one of my early time trial experiences we went off at one-minute intervals, I averaged over 24.5mph to the 5-mile turnaround and had the guy behind me catch me before I got there. Race report here.

Biggest difference from triathlons is you have to learn what pace you can go to leave it all out there.

From looking at your logs I know you ride with power, but don't have an idea of your FTP. For a 15K I'd say to treat it like a FTP test. Try to maintain the same power that you've put out during your last FTP test, or maybe a little less depending on the course. If you can, ride the course beforehand to get an idea of what it's like.

I have a TT of a similar distance in a town nearby, and I've tried to hold around 110% of FTP. I have a hard time pushing that kind of wattage on the downhills, but do your best to be consistent throughout the ride. Ideally your power profile for the race should be pretty flat, with a slight increase at the end.

If when crossing the finish line your stomach says to you, "one second more at this effort and breakfast is coming up", you rode it perfectly. 

This advice could perhaps be clarified.  I'll assume that the 'FTP test' you're talking about is a 20 minute test (where you then subtract 5%).  In that case, yes, the power that one averages over 20 minutes is reasonably close to what you should aim for over 15K.  (15K is most likely more than 20 minutes, but close enough for government work and maybe desire and motivation can get one through the rest.)

But one definitely should shoot for higher than actual FTP, as this is what one can hold for an hour, and very few people need an hour to cover 15K.

For most people, it would be somewhere between 20 minute all-out power and FTP, closer to the former than the latter.

I'll pass on some advice which was offered to me before my first TT.  "Spend as little time as possible going slow."  Duh, right?  But if you think about it this way, it is really quite eye-opening:

As you come to the top of a little hill, you're going much slower than your average pace, right?  But at the top of the hill, it's pretty flat and then downhill.  Under conditions where the uphill part of the hill wasn't there, you'd be going much faster than you currently are (since it's flat).  Your goal then is to get up to speed as quickly as possible and then recover a bit on the downhill.  Thus, you are spending as little time as possible going slow.  I hope that made some sense.

Also remember that you get much more "bang for your buck" by spending energy to increase your speed from 14 to 20 than from 26 to 30.

they are pretty simple really... Go out fast, come home faster....

In all seriousness.  At Florida state time trials, I came really close to breaking the hour in a 40k.  I don't remember the last mile at all, it was like a big black tunnel...

Go do them...practice will help you get better.

When I first started doing them, I went out to hard first 2-5' but learned after a couple how to hold back a little to start. Look at  your power file first and second half and see how they compare.

I agree warm up well....I do best if I warm up 20+ minutes with some zone 4/5 efforts with the goal to finish warm up as close to when I go off as possible.

They are fun Helen...go for it!

As a Cervelo girl, you must have seen this Helen, I think it sums it up nicely. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXVD4nbEFgg

"You must forget about the love for yourself" 

- Practice a held start a couple of times before the race so you know that you are comfortable with it.

- It pays to get up to speed quickly in the first few seconds, but as soon as you are up to speed you should settle in to your target pace/wattage.  The most common error for new racers is starting too hard and blowing up.  I'd agree that 20min power is a good target to start.  If you feel good after the halfway point, go ahead and pick it up.

- As for pacing, this is where a TT differs from a power test.  The best avg power is obtained by steady effort, but the fastest TT times are obtained through variable effort. Because air resistance increases by the square of velocity, the same wattage increase will give you bigger speed gains at points on the course where you speed is slowest. Therefore, you gain more by going harder on the uphills and a little easier on fast downhills, as long as you stay within an effort range that doesn't crack you before the end. 

- Maximize aerodynamics. Skinsuit, aero wheels, aero helmet, etc... but also monitor your position to ensure that you are minimizing drag the best you can at all times (especially during the fastest sections). 

- Maximize riding efficiency: Take fast lines through the corners so you don't have to brake. Go a little harder at the base of the short hills to carry some momentum.  Go a little harder at the top of hills or after sharp corners to get back up to speed quickly.

(edited for mispelling)

One more thing that I did not see listed is to watch your form. I have been doing some TT's this year and found early on that I was getting extremely tense on the bike.  When I relaxed, focused on keeping my body supple and steady on the bike, pedaled more efficiently and breathed more deeply, my HR at the same speed dropped.  That meant that I could push harder.   Free speed.

Using a faster pair of tires also made a big difference for me. I ended up buying the Michelin Pro 3's. They had good RR data, and also seemed to be more puncture resistance than some others. Also on sale at Price Point.

Agree with this, but I would target starting slightly below FTP and working your way up.

I love TTs, but they're painful.  This past weekend I did a 40k TT and started off too hard, which caused my power output to dip noticeably in the middle.  My final average power was slightly below FTP, but I know I left about 60-90 seconds out on the course.

Remember, it's supposed to hurt. 

Not an official TT, but every Thursday we do a TT of 8.45 miles.  Down to the corner and turn around.  No official start other than "GO".  We go off in 30 second intervals.

It is short enough that you can pretty much go all out.  But, every pedal hurts! My legs are screaming and I am breathing like a banshee. It is good practice for my breathing though and it had really helped leg strength.  I'd never get that kind of a workout on my trainer. 

I try to get a nice 20 min warmup then pull up to the starting line within minutes of starting.

enjoy,

Duane

Warm up. Then warm up some more. And then, after you've done that...maybe a warm up.

Don't miss your start :-)

Warm up! Right until go time, doing some spin ups/accels right before you get in line.

If you're all warmed up, and you don't miss your start... then go when they say so, and it's all BTTW after that :-)

I've got a 20k TT on Sunday also, did it last year. It was my first and I just went all out. We went off in 30 sec intervals, and all these riders were passing me. I couldn't wait until the turnaround so I could ride downwind. As I turned, I realized I had been riding downwind. Big demoralizer!!! Still beat my goals of breaking 38mins and not being last!! Can't wait till Sunday...

I think someone mentioned this but definitely be prepared for a held start - you'll be clipped in with an official/volunteers holding the back of your saddle. I had no idea this is how TT's started until my first one. And with nerves it can be a bit shaky, so just be awares.

Also, definitely warm up. I spend at least 30 minutes, and throw in some accelerations among easy spinning, but everyone has their own routine.

Lastly, remember that it's temporary - it'll hurt like a b!tch the entire time but embrace the pain.

Good luck!

I have a TT this weekend as well (18 mi).  One thing I just learned is that for most cycling events (USAC) your jersey/skinsuit must have sleeves.  So no trisuits. There is a lot of other good advice in this thread. 

I am recovering from the flu that I picked up from my kids earlier this week so not sure how I will do.  Could throw my pacing off a bit.  I was able to ride the course on Tue though so at least I know what to expect. 

Good Luck!