From tongcoec@u.washington.edu Wed Apr 10 11:58:11 1996 Return-Path: Received: from saul7.u.washington.edu by lists.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW96.03/UW-NDC Revision: 2.33 ) id AA09434; Wed, 10 Apr 96 11:58:10 -0700 Received: by saul7.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW96.04/UW-NDC Revision: 2.33 ) id AA05289; Wed, 10 Apr 96 11:58:09 -0700 From: E. Tongco Message-Id: <9604101858.AA05289@saul7.u.washington.edu> X-Sender: tongcoec@saul7.u.washington.edu Subject: 2nd Call for OSU / TTT story To: uwracing@u.washington.edu Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 11:58:09 -0700 (PDT) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL25] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 4565 Hi everyone, This is the 2nd call for OSU. Let me know your intentions if you are planning on going (for those who haven't replied yet). We need to get a good count for housing purposes. On another note, since OSU and WSU will have the TTT event, I'm attaching a TTT primer courtesy of one of Scott's buddies from Cal. It's pretty good reading. Later, -Emerson ------------------------------------------- The Team Time Trial The TTT (Team Time Trial) is a great event, and we collegiate cyclists are fortunate that we have so many opportunities to do one. To take advantage of our good fortune, though, we need to start practicing. 'Practicing' is not quite the same as 'training'. We (many of us, anyway) are already doing plenty of the latter, and I expect that it will pay off and we'll all be monstrously strong come February. However, with the TTT 'strong' and 'fast' are not necessarily the same. Practice is what makes strong into fast. The object of the TTT is deceptively simple. You and some number (say, three) of your best pals constitute a team, and some nominally flat and straight road is the course. Your goal is to minimize the time it takes for the first three members of your team to ride the course. Drafting off your pals is permitted. Drafting off anything else is not. Simple, right? Good strategy is as follows. Your team rides in a single file such that the file points into the apparent wind. This tactic was thought up by some rocket scientist, no doubt. The implementation is pretty obvious unless there's a good cross wind, in which case the file isn't parallel to the road. This diagonal file, called an 'echelon', requires that the first person (Dopey) rides far enough to the proper side that the last isn't in the gutter or in the path of oncoming traffic (depending on which side the wind is coming from). Getting this refinement down pat can be tough, but if those in the back yell loud enough Dopey usually figures it out. After fifteen seconds at the front the Dopey should be about done. At this time he or she edges off to the upwind side (ideally) while wiggling an elbow or nodding their head, which signals the number two person to 'pull through'. Numbers two, three and four (Happy, Doc, Grumpy) will slide by Dopey on the leeward side, getting as much benefit from Dopey's draft as possible. Dopey will drift backwards and jump on the end of the file, while Happy begins to pull. It is important that Dopey not slow down until Happy has begun to come around, else Happy may feel inclined to 'surge', making it hard for Dopey to get back on. Likewise, it is important that Happy exercise restraint until Dopey is securely inside Grumpy's draft. Happies have an unfortunate tendency to go ballistic upon reaching the front; this is dopey behavior and it ends up making Dopey grumpy, or in the worst case, getting rid of Dopey altogether. These considerations can be boiled down to two words: be smooth. If you want to pick up the pace when it's your turn at the front, do it gradually. (I should mention that if you want to slow down when you get to the front, there is something wrong with you. See me if you have a question about this.) In the best of all possible worlds Dopey, Happy, Doc and Grumpy ride together, at their AT, each taking 15-second silky-smooth pulls, until they can see the finish. At this point the one at the front will 'suicide', and the other three will scream across the finish line at their average speed, roll off to the side of the road, collapse and mutter 'please shoot me' through their drool-covered lips. Such success is rare, however, which brings us to our final topic. Dopey, Happy, Doc and Grumpy are never equally matched. There is always a stronger and a weaker in the bunch. Being good at the TTT is NOT about being Flathammermonsters , but about being good at dealing with this discrepancy. For the stronger, this means taking longer pulls. For the weaker, it means shorter pulls or sitting on. For both it means being smooth, being able to suffer, and being able to communicate with your teammates. Your strength relative to your teammates will change from ride to ride and even during the course of a ride. Recognize this, learn to deal with it, and you will go fast. This blurb is only meant as an introduction. There are many tricks and techniques that I have not described, but I hope that I have conveyed something of the flavor of this glorious event. Come on out and see the rest for yourself. (by Chris Regan, Cal Cycling) .