Information about Individual Time Trial
An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally "against the watch"). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ITT's are also referred to as "the race of truth", as winning depends only on each rider's strength, endurance and determination against the clock.
Starting times are at equal intervals, usually one or two minutes apart. The starting sequence is usually based on the finishing times in preceding races (or preceding stages in the case of a multi-stage race) with the highest ranked cyclist starting last. Starting later gives the racer the advantage of knowing what time they need to beat (and also makes the event more interesting to spectators). Competitors are not permitted to draft (ride in the slipstream) behind each other. Any help between riders is forbidden. The rider with the fastest time is declared the winner.
At the professional level, time trials (TTs) are frequently accompanied by motorcycles, some carrying video equipment or race officials, and riders may be followed by a team car carrying coaches and spare parts, but the cyclists are not permitted to draft behind the vehicles. Race regulations typically dictate a minimum distance behind the cyclist which the car must maintain and a minimum gap that must exist between two cyclists before the car may enter that gap.
Individual time trials are often used as stages in stage races such as the Grand Tours; these vary from short prologue time trials over just a few kilometres, to longer distance events over flat or rolling courses, to timed climbs up mountain roads. In the 1989 edition of the Tour de France eventual winner Greg LeMond made up a 50-second deficit to runner-up Laurent Fignon in the final stage individual time trial to win the race by 8 seconds, the smallest margin ever. The Vuelta a España often features a final individual time trial in Madrid in which the winner is often decided, providing much drama and excitement at the end of the stage race. In recent years, Óscar Sevilla and Roberto Heras have seen their lead evaporate in the time trial in Madrid.
The Grand Prix des Nations was a semi-Classic event; professionals may also compete in the annual World time trial championship. The individual time trial is also an Olympic event in which professionals are allowed to participate.
Many of the top stage racers are also top performers in the individual time trial, such as Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Jan Ullrich, and Lance Armstrong. Almost all recent winners of the Tour de France have been good time-trialists, with the notable exception of Marco Pantani, winner of the 1998 Tour de France, who specialized only in climbing.
To do well in an ITT, a cyclist must
Specialized light-weight and aerodynamic time trial bicycles, clothing, helmets, aerobars and other equipment are often used in ITT events.
The first UK individual time trial on public roads is reputed to have been held on 5 October 1895 over a 50-miles course just north of London, organised by Frederick Thomas Bidlake. For many years in the UK, time trials were the main road-based cycling competitions ('massed start' road racing only gained grudging approval after the Second World War), and remain popular today. Organised by Cycling Time Trials (formerly the Road Time Trials Council), the main season is from March to September.
ITTs are usually held over a specified course of fixed distance, 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles being common. ITTs can also be held over a fixed time (12 and 24 hours being most common). Many events are held on courses comprised of fast flat roads to assist riders in achieving personal bests; events are normally timed to avoid periods when roads will be busy with cars and lorries, etc - so most take place early in the morning on Saturdays or Sundays.
Most time trials are run over 'straight-out' courses or circuits. In both cases, the locations of start and finish points are required to be within a short distance of each other to reduce the impact of gradients and weather. An exception is obviously made for hill-climb events.
In UK time trials, the starting sequences are calculated to minimise the chances of riders taking pace from each other. For example, the fastest riders are 'seeded' and would normally start at 10-minute intervals (in a 120-person event, say, they will be numbered 10, 20, 30, etc, with the event's fastest rider being the final rider to start, number 120); the next fastest riders will start with numbers 5, 15, etc. In some championship events, however, the ten fastest riders are the last to start, setting off at two-minute intervals (previous racers having started at one-minute intervals).
National and regional 'Best All-rounder' (BAR) competitions are also held. The British Best All-Rounder (BBAR) competition, organised by Cycling Time Trials, involves senior male riders recording their best times over 50 and 100 miles, plus their best distance in 12 hours (senior women BAR competitions are based on 25, 50 and 100 miles performances; there are also similar competitions for juniors and veterans). The winner is the rider with the highest average speed over all three events.
In addition to the set distances (10, 25, etc), riders can also compete in 'sporting' events held over more challenging courses of more variable lengths, often with significant climbs, along more twisting routes. These are popular as early season events, as are team time trials. Towards the end of the main season, hill climb events are also held.
Time trials may also include competitions for riders on tandem bicycles, tricycles and tandem tricycles. The aggregate fastest times by three riders from the same cycling club may also win the team competition.
Leading male British exponents at the shorter distances include Alf Engers, Chris Boardman, Graeme Obree, Stuart Dangerfield and Michael Hutchinson. For many years, women's time trialling was dominated by Beryl Burton.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
)
Dave Zabriskie riding a time-trial bicycle with aerodynamic wheels and aero bars.
Starting times are at equal intervals, usually one or two minutes apart. The starting sequence is usually based on the finishing times in preceding races (or preceding stages in the case of a multi-stage race) with the highest ranked cyclist starting last. Starting later gives the racer the advantage of knowing what time they need to beat (and also makes the event more interesting to spectators). Competitors are not permitted to draft (ride in the slipstream) behind each other. Any help between riders is forbidden. The rider with the fastest time is declared the winner.
Events by terrain
An ITT event is typically held on a fairly flat course. The World Cycling Championship ITT event is always held in this type of course. However, there are also Uphill or Mountain ITT events, such as a stage of the 2004 Tour de France featuring the Alpe d'Huez climb.Professional time trialling
)
At the professional level, time trials (TTs) are frequently accompanied by motorcycles, some carrying video equipment or race officials, and riders may be followed by a team car carrying coaches and spare parts, but the cyclists are not permitted to draft behind the vehicles. Race regulations typically dictate a minimum distance behind the cyclist which the car must maintain and a minimum gap that must exist between two cyclists before the car may enter that gap.
Individual time trials are often used as stages in stage races such as the Grand Tours; these vary from short prologue time trials over just a few kilometres, to longer distance events over flat or rolling courses, to timed climbs up mountain roads. In the 1989 edition of the Tour de France eventual winner Greg LeMond made up a 50-second deficit to runner-up Laurent Fignon in the final stage individual time trial to win the race by 8 seconds, the smallest margin ever. The Vuelta a España often features a final individual time trial in Madrid in which the winner is often decided, providing much drama and excitement at the end of the stage race. In recent years, Óscar Sevilla and Roberto Heras have seen their lead evaporate in the time trial in Madrid.
The Grand Prix des Nations was a semi-Classic event; professionals may also compete in the annual World time trial championship. The individual time trial is also an Olympic event in which professionals are allowed to participate.
Many of the top stage racers are also top performers in the individual time trial, such as Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Jan Ullrich, and Lance Armstrong. Almost all recent winners of the Tour de France have been good time-trialists, with the notable exception of Marco Pantani, winner of the 1998 Tour de France, who specialized only in climbing.
Performance and tactics
If a racer catches up to a competitor, the overtaken rider is required to fall back to a specified distance (about 50 metres) behind the other or maintain wide horizontal separation so that he receives no aerodynamic shelter or help from the other.To do well in an ITT, a cyclist must
- maintain a steady power output for long periods
- maintain a controlled heart rate for long periods
- have a smooth, regular pedalling technique
- position himself to be extremely aerodynamic
- discipline himself to operate just below the anaerobic threshold until near the end of the course
Specialized light-weight and aerodynamic time trial bicycles, clothing, helmets, aerobars and other equipment are often used in ITT events.
UK time trial competition
)
The first UK individual time trial on public roads is reputed to have been held on 5 October 1895 over a 50-miles course just north of London, organised by Frederick Thomas Bidlake. For many years in the UK, time trials were the main road-based cycling competitions ('massed start' road racing only gained grudging approval after the Second World War), and remain popular today. Organised by Cycling Time Trials (formerly the Road Time Trials Council), the main season is from March to September.
ITTs are usually held over a specified course of fixed distance, 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles being common. ITTs can also be held over a fixed time (12 and 24 hours being most common). Many events are held on courses comprised of fast flat roads to assist riders in achieving personal bests; events are normally timed to avoid periods when roads will be busy with cars and lorries, etc - so most take place early in the morning on Saturdays or Sundays.
Most time trials are run over 'straight-out' courses or circuits. In both cases, the locations of start and finish points are required to be within a short distance of each other to reduce the impact of gradients and weather. An exception is obviously made for hill-climb events.
In UK time trials, the starting sequences are calculated to minimise the chances of riders taking pace from each other. For example, the fastest riders are 'seeded' and would normally start at 10-minute intervals (in a 120-person event, say, they will be numbered 10, 20, 30, etc, with the event's fastest rider being the final rider to start, number 120); the next fastest riders will start with numbers 5, 15, etc. In some championship events, however, the ten fastest riders are the last to start, setting off at two-minute intervals (previous racers having started at one-minute intervals).
National and regional 'Best All-rounder' (BAR) competitions are also held. The British Best All-Rounder (BBAR) competition, organised by Cycling Time Trials, involves senior male riders recording their best times over 50 and 100 miles, plus their best distance in 12 hours (senior women BAR competitions are based on 25, 50 and 100 miles performances; there are also similar competitions for juniors and veterans). The winner is the rider with the highest average speed over all three events.
In addition to the set distances (10, 25, etc), riders can also compete in 'sporting' events held over more challenging courses of more variable lengths, often with significant climbs, along more twisting routes. These are popular as early season events, as are team time trials. Towards the end of the main season, hill climb events are also held.
Time trials may also include competitions for riders on tandem bicycles, tricycles and tandem tricycles. The aggregate fastest times by three riders from the same cycling club may also win the team competition.
Leading male British exponents at the shorter distances include Alf Engers, Chris Boardman, Graeme Obree, Stuart Dangerfield and Michael Hutchinson. For many years, women's time trialling was dominated by Beryl Burton.
See also
External links
- Cycling Time Trials
- Southern California Cycling Time Trial Series
- Australian Time Trials Association
| ||||||||||||
Road bicycle racing is a popular bicycle racing sport held on roads (following the geography of the area), using racing bicycles. The term 'road racing' is usually applied to massed-start events where competing riders start simultaneously (unless riding a handicap event) with the
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Cycling is a means of transport, a form of recreation, and a sport. The bicycle carries riders across land, through tunnels, over bridges, snow, or, less frequently, over ice (icebiking).
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
In the track time trial, a track cycling event, cyclists compete individually against the clock to record the fastest time over the specified distance from a standing start.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
A velodrome is a sporting arena purpose-built for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement curve.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
A team time trial (TTT) is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events).
Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart.
..... Click the link for more information.
Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart.
..... Click the link for more information.
Drafting or slipstreaming is a technique in sports racing where competitors align in a close group in order to reduce the overall effect of drag or fluid resistance of the group in a slipstream.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
slipstream is a region of reduced pressure produced behind an object as it moves through a fluid medium (usually air) or as that medium moves around an object. It is caused because the progress of the object forces the particles of the medium (air molecules, etc) apart and
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) organises World Championships to determine world champion cyclists. These take place annually and are organised around nations rather than trade teams.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Local name Le Tour de France
Region France and nearby countries
Date July 7 to 29 (2007)
Type Stage Race (Grand Tour)
General Director Christian Prudhomme
History
First race 1903
Number of races 94 (2007)
..... Click the link for more information.
Region France and nearby countries
Date July 7 to 29 (2007)
Type Stage Race (Grand Tour)
General Director Christian Prudhomme
History
First race 1903
Number of races 94 (2007)
..... Click the link for more information.
Alpe d'Huez is a famous ski resort 1850 metres / 3330 metres (6,069 ft / 10,924 ft) high. Alpe d'Huez was and still is a mountain pasture in the Central French Alps, located on the territory of the commune of Huez, in the Isère département.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
MotorCycle
(1993) BibleLand
(1994)
MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. The album was dedicated to the memory of songwriter Mark Heard.
..... Click the link for more information.
(1993) BibleLand
(1994)
MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. The album was dedicated to the memory of songwriter Mark Heard.
..... Click the link for more information.
In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour refers to one of the three major European professional cycling stage races:
..... Click the link for more information.
- Tour de France - Tour of France (est. 1903)
- Giro d'Italia - Tour of Italy (est. 1909)
- Vuelta a España - Tour of Spain (est.
..... Click the link for more information.
Local name Le Tour de France
Region France and nearby countries
Date July 7 to 29 (2007)
Type Stage Race (Grand Tour)
General Director Christian Prudhomme
History
First race 1903
Number of races 94 (2007)
..... Click the link for more information.
Region France and nearby countries
Date July 7 to 29 (2007)
Type Stage Race (Grand Tour)
General Director Christian Prudhomme
History
First race 1903
Number of races 94 (2007)
..... Click the link for more information.
Greg LeMond
LeMond at the start of the last stage in the 1990 Tour de France.
Personal information
Full name Gregory James LeMond
Date of birth May 26 1961
..... Click the link for more information.
LeMond at the start of the last stage in the 1990 Tour de France.
Personal information
Full name Gregory James LeMond
Date of birth May 26 1961
..... Click the link for more information.
Laurent Fignon (born August 12, 1960 in Paris, France) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984, and missed winning it a third time, in 1989, by the closest margin ever to decide the tour, 8 seconds [1] .
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe.
..... Click the link for more information.
History
First held in 1935 and annually since 1955, the Vuelta runs for three weeks in a changing route across Spain. The inaugural event (1935) saw 50 entrants face a 3,411 km (2,119 mi...... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Roberto Heras
Personal information
Full name Roberto Heras Hernández
Nickname King of the Spanish Mountains
Date of birth January 1 1974
..... Click the link for more information.
Personal information
Full name Roberto Heras Hernández
Nickname King of the Spanish Mountains
Date of birth January 1 1974
..... Click the link for more information.
Grand Prix des Nations was an individual time trial (a race against the clock or contre la montre) for Europe's leading professional racing cyclists. Held annually in France, it was instituted in 1932 and was often regarded as both the unofficial time trial championship of
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
- For other meanings, see Classics (disambiguation).
..... Click the link for more information.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) organises World Championships to determine world champion cyclists. These take place annually and are organised around nations rather than trade teams.
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Olympic Games (often referred to simply as The Olympics or The Games[1]) is an international multi-sport event subdivided into summer and winter sporting events. The summer and winter games are each held every four years (an Olympiad[2]).
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Jacques Anquetil
Personal information
Full name Jacques Anquetil
Nickname Monsieur Chrono
Date of birth January 8 1934
..... Click the link for more information.
Personal information
Full name Jacques Anquetil
Nickname Monsieur Chrono
Date of birth January 8 1934
..... Click the link for more information.
Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault (right) at the 2005 Tour de France.
Personal information
Full name Bernard Hinault
Nickname Le Patron, Le Blaireau
Date of birth November 14 1954
..... Click the link for more information.
Bernard Hinault (right) at the 2005 Tour de France.
Personal information
Full name Bernard Hinault
Nickname Le Patron, Le Blaireau
Date of birth November 14 1954
..... Click the link for more information.
Laurent Fignon (born August 12, 1960 in Paris, France) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984, and missed winning it a third time, in 1989, by the closest margin ever to decide the tour, 8 seconds [1] .
..... Click the link for more information.
..... Click the link for more information.
Greg LeMond
LeMond at the start of the last stage in the 1990 Tour de France.
Personal information
Full name Gregory James LeMond
Date of birth May 26 1961
..... Click the link for more information.
LeMond at the start of the last stage in the 1990 Tour de France.
Personal information
Full name Gregory James LeMond
Date of birth May 26 1961
..... Click the link for more information.
Miguel Indurain
Personal information
Full name Miguel Ãngel Indurain Larraya
Nickname Miguelón, Big Mig (English)
Date of birth July 16 1964
..... Click the link for more information.
Personal information
Full name Miguel Ãngel Indurain Larraya
Nickname Miguelón, Big Mig (English)
Date of birth July 16 1964
..... Click the link for more information.
Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich at Giro d'Italia in 2006
Personal information
Full name Jan Ullrich
Nickname Ulle, Der Kaiser
Date of birth November 2 1973
..... Click the link for more information.
Jan Ullrich at Giro d'Italia in 2006
Personal information
Full name Jan Ullrich
Nickname Ulle, Der Kaiser
Date of birth November 2 1973
..... Click the link for more information.
Lance Armstrong
Armstrong speaking at the NIH
Personal information
Full name Lance Edward Armstrong
Nickname Mellow Johnny
(from Maillot Jaune, French for Yellow jersey) [1]
..... Click the link for more information.
Personal information
Full name Lance Edward Armstrong
Nickname Mellow Johnny
(from Maillot Jaune, French for Yellow jersey) [1]
..... Click the link for more information.
Local name Le Tour de France
Region France and nearby countries
Date July 7 to 29 (2007)
Type Stage Race (Grand Tour)
General Director Christian Prudhomme
History
First race 1903
Number of races 94 (2007)
..... Click the link for more information.
Region France and nearby countries
Date July 7 to 29 (2007)
Type Stage Race (Grand Tour)
General Director Christian Prudhomme
History
First race 1903
Number of races 94 (2007)
..... Click the link for more information.
This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus
