TIME TRIALS
2024 TT Season Details
A Cycling Time Trial is simply a test of yourself against the stopwatch, & is often called 'the race of truth'.
Riders set off on their own, at one minute intervals, counted down by a timekeeper.
Your aim is to ride the set course in the fastest time you can, trying to pace your efforts over the distance. You may find yourself overtaken, similarly you may overtake others. You mustn't shelter in a competitor's slipstream & risk disqualification.
Time trials are a great way to measure fitness improvement, throughout the Spring / Summer seasons. Anyone can participate in time trials, young / old, fast / slow, experienced or new to the sport. Any roadworthy bike is suitable, road bikes are common. You do not need a specific Time Trial bike to participate, but being aerodynamic is part of it. The requirement for a front & rear flashing light is however mandatory & important!
First & foremost, you're racing against yourself so it doesn't matter what time anyone else achieves.
RLSCC Club Time Trial (TT) events are run on Tuesday evenings from April until end of August each year, on courses located around Leamington Spa. The routes are predominantly 10 miles long but we also include a few 25 mile courses throughout the year. There are several different Championship honours to compete for each year which all club members are welcome to participate. From 2024 this includes a Road Bike TT Championship in addition to the existing overall TT Championship & the Veteran Standard TT Championship.
Calendar
The 2024 dates & courses can be found here under the Calendar tab.
Time Keeping
We rely on a volunteer system to keep our Time Trials running throughout each season.
This years volunteer sheet can also be found within the 2024 Calendar tab.
Please contact jade.anstis@gmail.com if you wish to volunteer for an evening of timekeeping.
Guidelines are captured within the volunteer sheet, any questions at all just ask - it is easier than it sounds!
Entry
This year we are using the CTT (Cycling Time Trials) website to facilitate our entry system each Tuesday.
To view a list of RLSCC club events available to enter - use the Club Events page to filter on our club name - as shown here.
Select your chosen event & progress through to the entry & payment page.
You will need to agree to the CTT T&Cs as part of your sign up, & include an ICE contact.
Events will be opened for entry on a rolling two weekly basis, unless we need to move to a week by week basis.
You are required to pay the £3 CTT fee at the time of booking online.
All RLSCC members can ride for £3 per event - this is the base CTT fee.
Non-members ride for £5 ::: £3 paid upon entry on the CTT website, plus an additional £2 guest fee paid directly via PayPal to jade.anstis@gmail.com
Please note: RLSCC have priority sign on.
On the night entries are accepted with payment via PayPal to jade.anstis@gmail.com & a CTT waiver must be signed before you ride & returned to the timekeeper (including provision of ICE contact). Please download the CTT waiver document from here - print, sign & bring along, or sign electronically & email to: jade.anstis@gmail.com.
Where possible please enter in advance to keep the timekeeper's admin low whilst also ensuring guaranteed entry. It is easy to withdraw & receive a full refund (refunds can still be processed after the event closes / anytime that evening).
Entry will close at 4pm on the day of the event, & the startsheet will then be communicated to all entrants via email.
To assess what number you are likely to ride on the night, please take note of the number of entries on the Event Details page at time of entering. Eg. 20th rider to enter plans for a ~20th minute start time +/-2min to account for withdrawals.
On the Night
Plan to arrive at least 20-30min prior to the first rider's start time if at all possible.
Locate the HQ (headquarters & hence parking if required) of the course using the CTT website course finder here.
If the course starts & finishes at the same location, at least one timekeeper will likely be found here at all times!
If this is your first RLSCC TT of the season please collect your bib number from the timekeeper at HQ or the race start if arriving later (likely from a boot of a parked vehicle or from someone holding a clipboard & stopwatch!). Be sure to collect this promptly to allow the timekeeper to move to the start 5-10mins prior to the first rider's start time.
You need to keep this number for the duration of the season & wear it (pinned to your back) each time you ride an RLSCC TT.
When warming up before your start time, do not ride in groups & avoid the start & finish areas.
Arrive ready to go at the start line 3minutes before your start time.
Be sure to know the route as the course is NOT marshalled! (Again, use the CTT website course finder here).
Ride your socks off once the timekeeper gives your count down!
Shout your name toward the timekeeper as you cross the finish line!
Please do not disturb the time keepers at the end of your ride, as they will still be recording accurate times for other riders.
A photo of the evening's results will be available immediately on the night, posted to (both of) the RLSCC Facebook group pages.
There are occasions when events will get cancelled or modified. This can be due to bad weather or roadworks on the course. Bad weather is typically high winds, heavy rain or standing water. Details will be posted as soon as is practicable on (both of) the RLSCC Facebook group pages.
Plan your evening in advance & you will be sure to have a fantastic ride!
Championship Tables & Points System
The rolling 2024 Championship tables can be found here under the 2024 tab.
Please allow time for the tables to be updated after each event.
A photo of the evening's results will be available immediately on the night, posted to the RLSCC Facebook group pages.
Keep an eye out for mid-season updates on our Facebook groups, & for our awards night (paired with our AGM).
Overall Mens & Womens TT Championship
Your best 10 scoring events (out of all 21 events) count toward your Championship points total.
20 points available to the fastest rider. 19 to the second & so on.
One time keeping volunteer evening can also be counted toward your total (within your 10 events) as 20 points.
Mens & Womens Road Bike Championship
Your best 4 scoring events (out of the 6 designated RB events) count toward your Championship points total.
20 points available to the fastest rider. 19 to the second & so on.
Riders must adhere to the CTT Road Bike rules found here under Regulation 29 in order to qualify for this Championship.
Rules include: no tri-bars or clip on bars / no closed ear or pointy helmets / no wheels deeper than 90mm / no 'puppy paws' riding position.
Points earned during a Road Bike Championship qualifying ride (ie. in accordance with CTT RB rules) also count toward your overall Championship points.
Veteran Standards Championship
Riders aged 40 years & over are scored against an age graded set of standards or 'handicap'.
These standards can be found for reference alongside the Championship scoring table.
1 point is awarded for every 1 second you have beaten your age graded score.
Your best 5 scoring 10 mile events & your best scoring 25 mile event (out of all 21 events) count toward your Championship points total.
Open Time Trials
In addition to our weekday club run TTs there are also Open TTs held throughout the country, usually run on a Saturday or Sunday where, as the name suggests, the entry is open to members of any club. These events follow the same basic format as a club TT although sign on is usually in a village hall or similar. Open events provide the opportunity to measure yourself against riders from the wider Time Trialling community. Find a list of Open events here on the CTT website. Within the Open TT event list you will also find National TTs - these events attract the country's best riders who wish to compete for a National title, & we are proud to have Men & Women from the club competing on the National stage.
Wishing you the very best of luck & safe riding for the 2024 TT season!
From all at RLSCC & Jade your RLSCC TT Rep.
For an insight into what to expect at your first ever Time Trial, please read this useful article on the CTT website here.
We also have further guidelines & details on what to expect within our additional Resources & Guidelines page here.
