I agree about the 30 mm wheels, many "regular" road wheels are 30-34 mm. Make it 40 mm, that should keep out the more expensive carbon wheels.

The SJBC does an unsanctioned 4 man TTT annually and it has proven to be very successful. It gives club riders a chance to truly work as a team, something that doesn't happen very often in lower category racing.

casey wrote:but it would be nice to have an open category for those riders who can't upgrade but want to test themselves against the best and who don't want to sandbag the lower categories.

... i hate getting beat by cat 4 women in TT's.

~m

IN time Trials there is no reason why promoters shouldn't offer an open Elite Men/Womens. The normal reason for having separate elite categories is for safety reasons. Those safety concerns tend to go away when you don't have pack riding.

There are some very strong riders who only do time trials. These riders are strong enough to be competitive with 1/2/pro riders but because they only race TTs they can't earn an upgrade. If promoters offered an open elite men/womens category then these lower category but very strong TT only riders could race against the best for a change instead of beating up on the true Cat 4/5s. Of course promoters can still offer separate Cat 3 or 4 or 5 categories for those rides who only want to race against people of the same category but it would be nice to have an open category for those riders who can't upgrade but want to test themselves against the best and who don't want to sandbag the lower categories.

You may want to check the method of category groupings at the BBCTTT (formerly Pinole TTT) if you decide to go TTT.
It's a good thing to go beyond Cat, such as by combined ages. That way friends/teammates in different categories can ride together.

Cat's can also be very deceiving in TT's, since many of the strongest TT riders in the State are Cat 5's -- TT's don't count for upgrades, and (I hate to admit it) many of them are TriGuys/Gals.

Carola wrote:Shameless plug -- if you want to train your time trial skills, you are invited to participate in the Beat the Clock and Help Beat Cancer training series:

http://www.scaledup.com/beattheclock/

I've done two and three up TTT at these events. If you want to work on your TT, this is a great way to do it. Bring all your aero gear and have some fun in a low key environment (that is still really competitive!).

-brian peterson

Shameless plug -- if you want to train your time trial skills, you are invited to participate in the Beat the Clock and Help Beat Cancer training series:

http://www.scaledup.com/beattheclock/

We've got solo, 2 person team, tandem, HPV, and Merckx (no aero equipment) categories. The proceeds go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. We have a USCF permit and insurance, but it's a training event, not a race. No license is required.

The first event is on February 17th, 2007

Register here - preregistration only

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=4151

Thanks,

Carola Berger (for the Beat the Clock team)

4 man TTT with TT bikes. Velum has some new TT bikes and we would like as many opportunities to ride them as possible.

I think 4-person aero-OK is the way to go - definitely different from anything on the calendar and gives people w/aero equipment another chance to use it.

I've taken part in an unsanctioned TTT and it was a blast (although I suffered like a dog because I was the only one of the 4 finishers on my team who didn't have a TT rig. ouch.)

And I'd say run the usual categories, giving a nice chance for teams to showcase how they can work together (vs. BAT - type stuff where it's more a case of who has the raw numbers.)

Isn't the Jewel TT being promoted as a TTT? Only 4-person TT seen on the yearly calendars are in So Cal, which was the CA/NV official TTT, I think.

A 4-person is rare, makes the viewing of the Euro 4-man TT seem more understandable in the complex training, teamwork, and beutiful vision of such an organized machine rowing, and rotating, down the road.

What "elation" it gives for a team to complete this type of event, even finishing last, you are satisfied with the companionship and effort

Anything on a Saturday sounds good. Northern California has a 2 man TT in March, a single TT in August, and TWO!! state championships-- all held on SUNDAY! To find one on Saturday, you have to go to Fresno or (farther south) Exeter in March. Why is that?

If you want unique, ban aero equipment. This way fitness determines the winner more than equipment.

My 2 cents,

George

I would love to see a three or four person team time trial.

CPhipps wrote:I think a 4 man team time trial could be a lot of fun.

I like the idea of no aero bars, but no rims deeper than 30mm would be tough to enforce and many road racers may not have an extra set of wheels that are 30mm or less.

I agree -- keep the rules simple. Road-legal bikes are a good idea. People already know how to deal with that.

For teams, I think 3 is the sweet spot. 4 gets tough to organize, while 2 is a bit unforgiving. #2 rider trips the clock. Don't use USCF categories: those don't apply to time trials, anyway. Male, female, and mixed (mixed means a male and female must both finish) are no-brainer. But independent of this you can run other categories, like age-based. Another option is an "open" category, for "bikes" not meeting the road-legal restriction.

The key on these things, I think, is to try and keep them fun. Road races and crits provide enough high-pressure opportunity. Time trials should be participation-friendly.

Dan

I think a 4 man team time trial could be a lot of fun.

I like the idea of no aero bars, but no rims deeper than 30mm would be tough to enforce and many road racers may not have an extra set of wheels that are 30mm or less.