Time trials often decide competitions in cycling, requiring intense preparation. In 2023, the approach to this challenge differs significantly from that adopted a decade ago.
Giampaolo Mondini, in an interview for the Italian magazine Bici, shared his experience after participating in a wind tunnel session with cyclists Primoz Roglic and Jai Hindley, both from BORA-hansgrohe, in October.
During this session, the main focus was on refining positions and specific techniques to optimize performance in time trials. A notable statement from Mondini stood out in this context.
Roglic does home training
“One very interesting thing that Primoz told me is that he uses the time trial bike up to three times a week, but on the roller,” the Italian said in November. Bici then spoke with Marco Pinotti, a time trial specialist in Italy. He raced for BMC until 2013 and is currently a team manager at Jayco-AlUla.
Pinotti stated that Roglic is not the only one currently training time trial on the home trainer. “There are many Australians who also do this. Patrick Bevin was the first during my time at CCC. He lived in Girona, where the roads were not busy.”
“I followed him for a few years and immediately wondered: do these cyclists know the best way to take corners in a time trial? They often do the demanding work on the rollers and then switch to their road bikes.”
Intensity work on the roller
“Maybe it’s high-intensity work, not continuous,” Pinotti reveals. The classic over-under, that is, one minute above the limit and two minutes below. Or 40 seconds below and 20 seconds above. Structured workouts that are difficult to plan on the road.
“It’s hard to have a clean road without traffic or roundabouts. So, there’s certainly a safety component and a bit of a need to do the work well.
“These workouts are done on flat ground, whereas with a road bike, they are mostly done on climbs, so the speed is slower, and there’s less traffic.
“Even if you find a flat secondary road, the unexpected can always arise. Because with the time trial bike, you’re going at 60 km/h and you encounter someone at the stop sign, who underestimates the cyclist’s speed and enters anyway. Just one moment, and we have an accident…” concludes the expert.
