How To Ride a 12hr Time Trial

by
Malcolm Firth
ABCC Senior Coach

Introduction

Before I started coaching in 1968 I rode in about eight 12hr time trials and since then I have looked after numerous riders of all standards in this event. I remember early in my coaching being told by a former national 12hr champion that the best way to ride the event was to use a schedule that kept the speed at a conservative level for at least the first 100 miles. But what is the best way to compile a schedule, and how do you decide what a rider is capable of doing? What I want to put forward in this article is the method I evolved and how I have adapted it further to allow the use of a heart rate monitor - if you have one.

Estimating Your 12hr Potential

Making an estimate of the distance you may achieve in a 12hr event is obviously the first thing that must be done before a schedule can be compiled. To provide you with a realistic target the estimate must be based on known facts. There are two sources of information on which the estimate of your 12hr potential may be based: you can use the data shown in Table 1 below or your own performances at the shorter distances. Let us take each of these in turn to see how they can be used to provide the information you require.

To use the data shown in Table 1 all you need to do is to look whereabouts in the table your 100 miles time is situated and you will see an estimate of your potential 12hr distance. This table works equally well for both men and women. Figure 1 below shows a comparison of the British National Competition Records at 100 miles and twelve hours as well as data I have collected over several years (together with some highlighted performance) and is the basis for the data in Table 1.

Figure 1. Graph of 100ml times versus 12hr distance.

It is also possible to use your own performances at the shorter time trial distances in a similar manner. You could plot your own performances at 10, 25, 50 and 100 miles and come up with an estimated 12hr performance. Figure 2 gives an example of such an estimate for two of my riders who rode their first 12hr event in 1991. You should be very cautious when using this method though, as you are dealing with very few data points which can lead to significant errors in the prediction. In the case of the example it overestimated the riders’ performances by about ten miles. The computer did not allow for the fact that on the day it was very hot and rather windy.

Figure 2. Typical prediction of 12hr performance.

On the subject of caution when using these estimation procedures, it is worth slightly underestimating your 12hr potential performance when devising a schedule. For example, if you have a 100 miles time of 4hr 20min on roads similar to the proposed 12hr event I would schedule for about 245 miles rather than the 250 miles indicated by the table in Figure 1. Doing so allows for you to be gradually up on schedule during the ride, and is thus good for morale. It is much more difficult to have faith in a schedule that sails a bit close to the wind unless this is essential, such as for a championship. Another important factor is that the schedule should be based on a 100 miles perrformance that was done on the same or similar roads to the intended 12hr time trial. Using a 100 mile performance done on a fast course as the basis for a 12hr to be done on a slower course has obvious potential problems. It is also worth remembering that a schedule is a guide, not a cast iron guarantee.

Devising a Schedule

Patience is a virtue in a 12hr time trial. It is about two and a half times longer than the next shortest distance, the “100″, so quite obviously you cannot ride it at the same speed. Pace judgement is therefore crucial for a good performance and in fact the first 100 miles usually sets the pattern for what happens later. But if you should set off at slower than 100 miles pace, how do you judge it?

Many riders overestimate the level of effort required and pay the penalty later. For example, a rider may set off at a pace that is, say, 10 minutes slower than his 100 miles speed. This will no doubt feel quite easy, but is in fact about five minutes too fast, and requires an ever-increasing effort to maintain into the next 100 miles. In setting off in this manner you have to dig into reserves of energy that will be needed in the last few hours on the finishing circuit. By the time the finishing circuit is reached you are no longer racing, but just surviving.

Figure 3. Devising a 12hr schedule.

What is needed, especially in the early stages of the event, is a constant effort rather that a constant speed. This allows for a gradual slowing down as the race progresses. A simple way of achieving this is shown in Figure 3. Take your estimated 12hr distance, based for example on the data in Table 1, and calculate the average 25 miles time. This is then regarded as the “middle” 25 miles of the 12hr event. To calculate the rest of the 25 miles times subtract one minute per 25 miles backwards to the start, and add one minute per 25 miles forwards to the finish. Finally, adjust a little where necessary to the nearest 30 seconds. Practical examples of schedules compared with actual performances are shown in Figure 4.

When you come to use the schedules for your 12hr event, simply write it out as target times for the 25ml, 50ml, 75ml, 100ml,125ml, 150ml, 175ml and 200ml points, using your cycle computer to tell you when you have reached these points on the course. Alternatively, you could use the basic schedule to work out how long it should take you to reach certain checkpoints on the course. The problem with that method though is that, if you do not reach each detour leg before the closing time for that section, you will not be sent down that leg of the course, and that will mess up your carefully prepared schedule.

Using a Heart Rate Monitor

It is all very well writing a schedule, even one based on known facts, but many things can affect the actual performance on the day. Weather conditions may be much worse, or better, than anticipated, mechanical or physical problems may cause unexpected delays, or you may simply be going better, or worse than expected. Trying to adhere strictly to a schedule under such circumstances can cause problems unless you and your helpers are prepared to allow for them. The use of modern heart rate monitors has now made it possible to tailor the ride even more closely to your ability on the day. But how best to use them, how do you decide the optimum heart rate for you to use during a 12hr time trial?

Well, I’ll tell you how I first used them in 1991 and how I still continue to use them for this long distance event. During the 1991 racing season I had the opportunity to measure the heart rates during training and races, of two of the riders I was coaching at that time and who were to ride their first 12hr event in September. On the basis of the information I gathered during that season, and which I have added to since, it seems that your 12hr average heart rate is about 10 beats per minute below the average you achieve during a 100ml time trial. I estimated that initially in the following manner. First of all I regularly measured the heart rates of the two riders in 10ml and 25ml time trials. On the basis of that information I made an estimate of the heart rates they would need to use in 50mls and 100mls time trials, and these were tried out in actual races then modified slightly in the light of subsequent experience. Three weeks before their 12hr debut they rode another 100mls time trial and from that and the other information we had gathered I estimated the heart rates they would need for the 12hr event. Figure 5 gives a summary of the information we gathered during the year.

Thus the estimated heart rates for the 12hr time trial, as with the written schedules we also prepared, were based on known facts. However, they were really only estimates and we needed to know how accurate they would be during the actual race. To find out I set up a test in which the two riders rode 50 miles on the finishing circuit of the 12hr course at their estimated heart rates, to see how close their 50ml times were to their respective schedules. Figure 6 summaries the data we gathered from this test. In subsequent seasons I have repeated this test, and even used a 100mls time trial to try out an estimated 12hr heart rate (the 100mls time was within 30sec of what the rider did in the first 100mls of the 12hr race).

The 50ml test proved extremely useful for the riders as well as for me. For one of them the estimated heart rate was just right, for the other we decided to lower it by 5 beats per minute. In addition to having their heart rate monitors on during the 12hr event, both riders also had schedules pasted on their handlebar stems. This was to give them information as to how they were progressing, and as insurance in case the heart rate monitors stopped working. Figure 7 shows their respective schedules and their actual times at each checkpoint.

Both riders maintained a speed profile that closely matched that of their schedules up to the 200ml point. From then on, although the schedules allowed for them to continue to lose speed, they in fact increased speed slightly on the finishing circuit and exceeded their target distances. This is in keeping with the other practical examples shown in Figure 4. A comparison of the two riders’ speed with other riders in the same event is given in Figure 8, and you can see that their speed deteriorated less markedly than those around them on the finishing list.

Fig 8. A comparison of the two riders’ speeds with others in the same event.

Other Points to Consider

Schedules and heart rate monitors are fine, and can help you optimise your efforts on the day. But they are not the only things that can affect your ride. For example, you need to be happy that your position on your bike is alright for very long rides, otherwise things like backache and knee ache can stop you (and cause longer lasting problems). If you can ride a 100 miles time trial without any back or knee problems, chances are you will be ok for a 12hr event, but beware changing such things as shoes, saddles, pedals and handlebar stems just before riding a 12hr. Make sure such changes of equipment are done well in advance to ensure you iron out any problems.

The bike itself needs a good check over at least a week before the 12hr event, just to make sure that everything is functioning properly. A spare bike (one that you know fits you properly) or at least one pair of spare wheels should be available for your helpers. This can save you unnecessary long stops in the event of mechanical problems.

Some spare riding kit should be put in your helpers’ car, together with some clothes for you to change into after the event is over. You should include water, soap and towels so that you can get cleaned up after the event (and even during if it is appropriate - this can sometimes perk you up if you are going through a slump).

By the time you come to ride the 12hr you should have a good feeding routine worked out. You should know which kind of high carbohydrate foods you can eat (tested in training and long races) and your helpers should have a good selection of these available. Although it is possible to ride a 12hr time trial using only carbohydrate drinks, many riders prefer to also have some solid foods available. Such things as bananas, sultanas, dates (be careful in long events), rice cakes, and energy bars are all worth trying. It is also worth having some savoury tasting foods available to give your palette an occasional rest from sweet tasting foods. Chicken legs, light cheese sandwiches, soup, porridge oats without sugar are also worth considering. Whatever you use should provide plenty of carbohydrate and be easy to digest under racing conditions. If the weather is hot make sure you drink plenty of water, and take lots of sponges. With both the feeding and the drinking, start early (within the first hour) and continue in small amounts at frequent intervals (at least every 20 minutes).

Summary

As I said early on in this article, a schedule is only a guide to what may be possible and not a guarantee of success. Other factors, such as weather conditions, mechanical problems, poor feeding routine, etc, can all affect the end result. However, devising and using a schedule in this manner gives you a better chance of doing your best ride under the conditions that prevail on the day. Using a heart rate monitor as described here can optimise your effort so as to ensure that you are in a condition to really race the closing stages of the event, rather than just survive the finishing circuit.

Good Luck!!

Copyright © Association of British Cycling Coaches 2001