Time trailist death

[cyfa2809]

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/driver-arrested-after-woman-time-triallist-dies-on-a46-27294

i have never seen nor experienced any of this time trial business and only recently discovered it on here
whats the interest with it?
i dont see the point :roll: :? :?

 

[fingers]

A TT is just that - see how fast you can go over a certain distance, usually 10 miles, or 25 miles. Good standard is 'evens', 1h for 25 miles.

Because its just straight line speed, events favour straight, flat (ish) roads, so main road/dual carriageway between a couple roundabouts is ideal.

Sadly drivers dont seem to expect cyclists to be on these roads, and these awful accidents seem too common these days.

 

[cyfa2809]

yes i thought it strange that they dont go say across a city or similar and instead use dual carriage ways :shock:
crazy!

 

[REKIBorter]

There was another TT death recently in Dorset. A guy rode into the back of a broken down car.

Don't agree with TT on dual carriageways and busy A roads. Our local club now uses quiet B roads for races of 10 & 25 miles.

Road TT's have recognised the danger in using busy roads and introduced the SPOCO (Sporting Courses) race format to move races away from the traffic.

 

[xerxes]

yes i thought it strange that they dont go say across a city or similar and instead use dual carriage ways :shock:
crazy!

I used to ride TT's back in the 80's. You need a route that has no traffic lights and as few junctions as possible, prefereably none or only left turns, so that you're not held up. It's also preferable to go out and back along the same road, so that you get an "average flat", where up hills will be down on the way back. You set off at one minute intervals and it's supposed to be just you, flat out, against the clock, if you catch the guy in front, you are forbidden to tailgate so as to take advantage of the slipstream.

You wouldn't be able to have a TT through a city, because of all the stoppages due to traffic lights and busy junctions. The hold ups would be random and different for each rider and make the results meaningless.

 

[Pickle]

I used to ride TT's for quite a few years in the 90's.

My favourite course was a 25 mile on the A14 near Bury St Edmunds; 12.5 miles out to a roundabout and straight back. It was a quick course, and regulalry you'd get 'sucked' along by passing articulated lorries.

However, just after I quit road riding and TT's, a couple of riders I knew were killed on that course.

Back then, as a teenager I thought nothing of it, but now as an adult and car driver I cant say as I agree with TT's on dual carriageways.

 

[Steve Kish]

I used to do this in the 1980s with a lot of dual carriageway courses on the A127, A12, A34 and A3.

My favorite was the A127 Southend Arterial Rd (E31) where I rode the 1985 National Championships for 25 miles - they closed it shortly after that, because of inceasing traffic!

Nowadays, it does look bloody dangerous!

 

[weeman_mtb]

I used to do TT with the college as a teenager, but I didn't get much out of it.

Only 10 miles but it was up and down a dual carriageway between two islands. You wouldn't catch me on there now but I thought nothing of it twenty years ago just like Pickle.