Cycling Time Trials (CTT) release UK 2023 time trial event portfolio

February 15, 2023

Cycling Time Trials (CTT) are pleased to release their UK 2023 events calendar - including National & VTTA Championships and Classic Series.

February 2023 – UK /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ –  Cycling Time Trials (CTT) is the UK’s time trial national governing body and promotes a wide range of events across the UK, set over a variety of distances, locations and terrains.  Events span across fast and flat “drag strips”, in which riders seek to achieve their fastest ride, to punchy hill climbs, road bike and closed circuit event categories.

Time trial cycling is a solo event that puts cyclists up against the clock. Events are most commonly held over set distances and riders are traditionally set off in one-minute intervals. The sport enjoyed a somewhat eclectic inception, formed by a bunch of cycling enthusiasts in 1890 after the National Cyclists’ Union announced new legislation that forbade ’bunched’ racing on open roads. These cyclists sought innovative ways to still enjoy the social and competitive side of their sport, and so time trialling began – with events held at dawn, on ‘secret’ courses, and with staggered starts.

To this day, time trial events often start early in the morning, and the sport has seen participation by some of the world’s most talented riders through the years, now seeing representation at some of the most famous cycling events in the world.

Moving forward to 2023, the team at CTT are excited to formally release their annual calendar of events, including their popular National Championships and Classic Series, which are set to be a focus for many who are setting out their season goals. Alongside these ‘blue riband’ events is a full portfolio of ‘open’ and ‘club’ events, offering something for all ages and levels, located all across the UK: https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/find-events

The National Championship event calendar begins in May with the RTTC National Team Time Trial, taking place on the K33/23 course in Coventry. Following this comes a series of National Championship events throughout the summer months, with distances ranging from 10 miles, right up to 24 hours.

The season will come to a close in October with the famous UK climb charity event, ‘The Struggle,’ hosting the National Hill Climb, with a gradient reaching extremes of 24%, over a distance of 2.67 miles.

And for those that are looking to compete over the age of 40, the Veterans Time Trial Association (VTTA) have also announced their 2023 events in the CTT calendar, with  events allowing for age-related competition on a ‘level playing field’ through their unique handicapping system of age adjusted times. Organised in sixteen regional groups, the VTTA organise National Championships, season long competitions, national age records and individual performance challenges. Each of their groups organises local time trial events, competitions and social events. More information on the VTTA can be found by visiting: https://www.vtta.org.uk

Andrea Parish, Chair of Cycling Time Trials says, ‘It’s a true honour to have been elected to serve as Chair of Cycling Time Trials. Ours is a true volunteer-led, grassroots organisation working for the benefit of all on behalf of our sport. We are very much looking forward to welcoming many new, and returning riders to our events this year, and to further building upon the sport we all love.” 

Seventeen times CTT National Champion, and Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Hayley Simmonds, says, “Time trialling was my introduction to bike racing and it’s an area of the sport that I’ve always loved. It’s incredibly friendly and welcoming, with riders often competing against themselves as well as each other, always striving for faster times on certain courses or power PBs for a given duration. Having missed out on time trials entirely last year due to injury and surgery, I’m really excited to race again this season. I know I’ll be facing some tough competition but it’s great to see how strong the female side of the sport is at the moment. I’m looking forward to a long National Hill Climb at the end of this year – it’s often quite a short climb that’s used for Nationals but The Struggle will hopefully suit my strengths like Haytor did back in 2019. I’m hoping to race quite a few of the Nationals this year and am definitely excited for the season ahead.”

For more information on how you can get involved head over to www.cyclingtimetrials.com

The Cycling Time Trials team can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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Contact

Name: Kate Allan – Compete PR

Email: Kate@competepr.com

Phone: +447754 072648

Cycling Time Trials is the National Governing Body for time trials in England, Scotland and Wales.

In the early days it resembled more like what we now know as road racing where all competitors started together and the first to cross the line won.

With the introduction of the motor car all this changed, with events being pushed off the road and held on velodromes. However there were those who still wanted to compete on the road.

One of these, FT Bidlake by name, came up with a plan. If each rider were to be dispatched separately and just timed over the course, he wouldn’t be seen to be racing, just going about his normal business “a bit quick like”! Then the person covering the course in the shortest time could be (secretly) declared the winner.

So Time Trialling came into being.

In the early days (and until relatively recently) it was a fairly simple matter of finding a convenient place to start an event, measuring half the intended distance of the event up the road, noting the place where a marshal was to be stationed to turn the riders, and fixing the finish opposite the start. Traffic conditions have all but put paid to that sort of simplicity. Now courses have to be designed with turning points at convenient flyovers or roundabouts, starts and finishes are rarely very close together, and the provision of a HQ with changing facilities is high on the priority list.

As the years have passed, various changes have been made. Time Triallists no longer have to meet in secret, wearing what was called “inconspicuous clothing”. Pre-event publicity, has been allowed for as long as most people can remember, and prize winners are allowed to receive cash prizes.

The idea of individuals riding “against the clock” and ignoring any other rider who they catch or who catches them still holds true for the majority of events today but there are also events which are for teams of two, three or four riders who ride together known as Team Time Trials – shortened to 2up/3up/4up TTTs.

Events held on flattish main roads and following a more-or-less “out and home” pattern are still in the majority but with the increasing level of traffic there has been a tendency for more events of a so called “sporting” nature to take place. These are often on hillier roads and usually follow circuit type courses so that the route can be followed by using only left turns. This means, the problems associated with the long “spear-point” intersections of dual carriageway roads can be avoided.

Many over 40s take part in Time Trials and the VTTA (Veterans Time Trials Association) devised a system of “Standards”. These are only for those 40 years old and more and consists of a table of allowable times at each age for all the standard distances competed at. To work out the result of an event each rider’s time is compared to his Standard and the difference (±) is credited. The winner is the rider with the most plus.

All open events are advertised in the annual ‘CTT handbook’ and via the website. To ride in any of them you need to be a member of a club affiliated to Cycling Time Trials. There are at least that number again of “Club Events” (which are generally not advertised) and if you approach the club promoting one of them you could get a ride on a “come and try it” basis.