SuperRecord.

Time trial

How should you pace a time trial with power?

Riding at constant power feels safe, but on a course with rises, corners and wind it is almost never the fastest way. The question is not how many watts the rider can push, but where they should spend them.

The problem

  • The rider goes out too hard, goes into the red in the first kilometres and pays for it at the end.
  • Or holds back so much that they cross the line with plenty left and seconds that will not come back.
  • The coach’s power target is a single number for the whole event, and the course is not the same everywhere.
  • The wind on race morning is not the one in the forecast the day before, and nobody knows how the plan changes.

Why it happens

Every watt does not buy the same time everywhere. On a climb or into a headwind you are slow and each extra watt saves many seconds; on a descent or with a tailwind, the same watt changes almost nothing.

The rider also has a limited reserve for riding above critical power. If they spend it where it does not pay, it will not be there where it does. Good pacing puts more effort where it returns the most time and less where little is lost, without emptying the reserve before the line.

How SuperRecord solves it

  1. 1

    Define the rider

    Their critical power and anaerobic reserve (CP and W′), weight and position. From a multi-effort test or, to start with, manual values.

  2. 2

    Build their bike

    In the garage: frame, wheels, tyres and drivetrain. If you have their CdA measured, the plan uses it instead of the catalogue value.

  3. 3

    Upload the course

    A .gpx or a Strava route. The platform splits it into segments and finds the corners that force braking.

  4. 4

    Set the start time

    The weather loads on its own and is applied at the time the rider will pass each segment, not at the start time.

  5. 5

    Optimise

    You get a power target per segment, with the reserve left at each point and the predicted time. You can set how much reserve to spend and power caps by duration.

  6. 6

    Take it to the race

    To the Garmin with the SuperRecord Pacer field, or exported to .FIT, Zwift, TrainerRoad, TrainingPeaks or PDF.

What you need

  • The rider’s CP and W′ (or an estimate to start with).
  • The course as a .gpx or in Strava.
  • Their bike details; better with a measured CdA.

Try it on a real time trial

The demo is a real time trial: change the power, the CdA or the wind and watch the time move. No sign-up.

See the demoStart your free trial

Frequently asked questions

Is constant power best in a time trial?

On a perfectly flat course with no wind, almost. As soon as there are rises, corners or changing wind, spreading the effort by terrain is faster for the same cost.

How much harder should you ride the climbs?

It depends on the gradient, the wind and how much reserve the rider has left at that point. That is why the plan gives a target per segment instead of a rule of thumb.

What if the rider has no critical power test?

You can start with estimated values and change them when you have a test. The plan is only as good as those numbers, so it is worth testing before an important event.

Does it work for triathlon or group races?

Yes. For triathlon the CdA for that position is stored, and for a group stage you set the group size and how much time they will spend on a wheel.

Further reading