Seasonal TT Improvement - What's Reasonable?

[keno]

I'm curious to know what others think can be the improvement they can reastically achieve over the course of a year. For myself, I've concluded that 5% is about it and a real happy result, and is significant, unless on a completely new endeavor in which the learning curve is necessarily steep.

Let's say that you took a maximum effort of some length as your base performance. This year you decide to go for it and devote part of your training to it. How much do you think, in percentage terms, you will shave off the time, keeping all other aspects equal, e.g. same equipment, same course and same conditions, and solo without rabbits.

keno

[Argos]

If you are a strong, consistent rider, and talking about a longer course, 5% is overly ambitious, only because you are coming from such a base.

If the hypothetical was a newer cyclist, 5% is more achieveable.

It's such a vague term though. 5%.

Over what distance? Or is it for Something else? How do you quantify? What aspect do you want to improve by 5%?

[Kevan]

dependent too on the person's level of physical condition. Someone who is soft might possibly gain a considerable improvement in comparing his performance from the start of his season to the end. That in mind, the same holds true to a lesser extent to any of us who might do better than 5% assuming the individual can drop that stubborn 15 lbs off the waist and rack up enough miles to develop better strength and speed. Course, age also drags its cinder block so that factor too screws things up. All this said, I'm inclined to agree that spring physical condition morphed into summer condition, the improvement is typically a marginal one of 5-10%, keeping in mind the human has other distractions as well.

[Fixed]

bro get a coach cheers

[Hysbrian]

I don't think that 5% is that high. That being said you could prob even see a change in the 5-10% range. The problem is that for almost everyone that change will come at the expense of something else. You're TT might get 8% faster, but you might loose 5% of your sprint (or only maintain what you had).

I would equate this to a seasoned pro, like Magnus Backstedt, trying to take on the hour record. He knows that it can only be done in "off season" because it will effect the rest of his fitness and skills. He wouldn't be trying to do it as a side project during the classics.

[Argos]

I was saying it depends on what you were doing the year before.

If a TT is about a 40 minute effort in '05, and you were working for it, 2 minutes is harder to shave this year then doing a 40 min TT in 05, but not focusing on TT or being at your own top level. If then you focus on it hard for this year, sure. 5% could even be low.

So it depends what you are coming from.

[Dr. Doofus]

over a season, you might gain 30 watts on LT. Now, how that would translate into a time improvement depends on technique, pacing, equipment, and a host of other variables.

do your LT trainig, ride your TT bike a lot, ride lots of TTs...then see what happens....

[Serotta PETE]

If you are a strong, consistent rider, and talking about a longer course, 5% is overly ambitious, only because you are coming from such a base.

If the hypothetical was a newer cyclist, 5% is more achieveable.

It's such a vague term though. 5%.

Over what distance? Or is it for Something else? How do you quantify? What aspect do you want to improve by 5%?

Keno is VERY strong, as well as being VERY competitive. He will get 5% plus. Just needs to quantify how to measure the baseline. (BUT he is already an animal, even from two years ago).

I have an extra strong rope to hang from his seat when I see him in MAY>

PETE

[keno]

My original post was a simple expression of my curiosity and based upon personal experience. I have trained for specific events and know at least a part of what goes into real improvement. I once hired a coach, and I fired him after two weeks. Not only was he personally not for me, but I also quickly learned that I had to turn too much of the focus of my life, both on and off the bike, to training and that was not acceptable to me. Interestingly, the head of the coaching group (Cycling Peaks) was supportive of my decision and said that many people get into being coached and hang on even though it isn't for them.

Additionally, I think many of us fool ourselves as to what we think that we can accomplish by way of improvement, in a way not dissimilar to what some otherwise rational people think are reasonable returns in the stock market.

Incidentally, I'm currently without any goals beyond getting through in any fashion the miles and climbs in Argentina during the week after next, and it's too late to do anything about that. Beyond that, riding, particularly with my buds, is all that's on my agenda. Maybe when the temps are up more reliably I'll feel differently.

Pete, thanks for the compliments, but you describe someone I'm not entirely familiar with. I aspire to your suaveness and generosity of spirit.

keno

[keno]

Let's say it's the 40K TT and you have a present time of 1 hour and 18 minutes for the event and you want to get to one hour. If you shave 5% off your time each year, you get there in about five years. How many among us would put in the effort required to do that facing the likely reality of no more than 5% improvement per year over five years?

keno