Tour of New Braunfels Time Trial Information

From the race website:

Question: What bike should I ride in the TT? A TT bike? Or a road bike?

Answer: That is your call obviously. I can tell you about the elevation of the course:
First 0.5 miles: Flat
Next 0.3: 10% climb
Next 0.4: 2% false flat
Next 0.3: 2% descent
Next 0.5: 2% false flat
Next 0.5: 1% descent
Next 0.5: 2% false flat
Next 0.5: Flat


From me:

That 10% thing for .3 miles is what makes people ask if a road bike is better than a TT bike. Yes, that is a decent pitch, but it is only .3 miles...something like 500 yards.

At about 15mph, aerodynamics starts to matter. So, if most of the gig is going to be over 15 mph (which it will here), then the TT bike, the aerobards, the aero wheels...it matters. Use what you have.


Warm up...
There is a good warm up in your workout handbook. But, really, the essential is to ride aerobically for 20 min or so, then do a few minutes in Z2, back off, then a few in Z3, back off a few, and then a minute or two in Z4. Yummy.

Finish with plenty of time to wipe down and get ready before staging. Avoid the comical pitfall of trying to warm up to the last possibile second before you are scheduled to go off. Physiologocally, if you are finished with your warm up 15-20 minutes before you roll, then you are still good to go. Get in line with 5-6 minutes to go before your start time. A little more time is better than risking missing your start. You'll see people rolling around, nervously, for 5-6 minutes waiting to be called to the line.

Don't do that. One, you risk getting a flat. Two, it doesn't keep you loose. In fact, pedaling slowly like that is counter-productive. You are better off stretching ot just sitting. Do that.



What effort should you ride?
Hard. It is a time trial. Leave nothing on the table. BUT. But, but, butbutbut...you'll see people start the TT like the finish is 1/4 mile away. Don't do that. No sense blowing up in the first 30 seconds and then spending the next two miles of a 3.5 mile TT trying to get control of your effort.

Start out like you were attacking from the field. Get up to race pace quickly, but don't fly up to 32 mph (unless you can hold 32 mph for the TT, of course) only to crawl in at 17mph because you were the champ to the 1/4 mile mark.

Get up to 25 mph or so (for most of you) and take that to the hill. This will give you some oomph to get over the hill. Avoid "attacking" the hill, because we do not want to have to recover after it. You want to be able to maintain the same EFFORT you made up the hill, over the top, and on to the rest of the course. People will blow up at the start and on the hill. We won't. We will blow up 20 yards passed the finish line.


As for HR zones, you'll likely be best paced to ride in upper Z3/ lower Z4 until the 3-3.25 mile mark, at which point you will GRADUALLY step on the gas so that you are at your absolute maximum at the finish line.

If you want a "feel" guide, you should be riding this time trial at a pace that you'd be riding if you were off the front of a criterium, solo, with 3-4 laps to go. At that point, you aren't saving it for the sprint anymore, but you also can't sprint yourself since there is so far to go.

All those false flat spots on the course will likely make you feel like you are going slow, because the road will look flat...just keep pounding away, looking for speed without going so hard that you can't carry the effort all the way to the line.

Have fun!


Be sure, be sure, be sure to cool down throughly. Ride until you can control how high or how low your heart rate is. Ride until getting out of the saddle and jumping for a little sprint feels good again. You'll be glad you did this when it comes time to race again later in the day. It is more important to cool down thoroughly from this TT than it is to warm up for the RR.

Ask questions in the comment box so we can all benefit.

--Christian