in message <[email hidden]>, Lou
D'Amelio (') said:Here's something to divert you guys away from the endless doping
scandals. I need a little advice about time trial start technique -
specifically balancing the bike while clipped in with both feet and
being held. More often than not, I wobble, clip out my left
(nondominant) foot, and then skulk off with an embarrassing start and
ten seconds (and ten places) down the tubes. I've never had
particularly good balance.
I used to have good balance but that's years ago. I recently discovered to
my extreme embarrassment that I can no longer trackstand at all - not even
for a second. As a young man I used routinely to track stand at traffic
lights, because it saved the hassle of releasing the strap, and tightening
it again afterwards...
Quoted message said:Are there any tricks ?
Firstly, if you really can't do it, you may start faster if you keep one
foot on the ground until the starter says 'go'. It's better to be prepared
than to wobble off, as you say. Secondly, if your club has a regular
holder - my club has a man who was a very strong cyclist but has arthritis
in his knees, so now regularly does the holds - practice with him.
Holder-uppers who give you a little push - intending to help you - can
actually cause worse wobbles. Ask them not to (but quietly, because they
shouldn't anyway and may be offended at the suggestion).
It's quite important to know and trust the holder-upper - the fear that
makes you wobble is the fear that he won't be able to hold you up, and
that you'll fall. But also, you need to know how very little strength it
actually takes to hold someone up, so perhaps you should volunteer for
holder-up duty at a time trial. It really isn't nearly as hard as you'd
think.
Finally, don't place yourself too close to the curb for your start. If
you're not perfectly upright when the starter says go, you will need to
steer a bit immediately to correct this, and you need some room to steer
into.
Quoted message said:From what I've
ascertained with the help of my wife patiently helping me, I do better
with the back brake applied, looking ahead and not at my feet, and
standing slightly. Am I on the right track and are there any other
tricks ?
I use the front brake, holding it on quite firmly until the starter says
go. I already have quite a lot of weight on the lead pedal, but I stay in
the saddle until after 'go'. Mind you, I am not at all fast - this week
all the under-fifteen year olds in the club did 30s and I did a 36.
--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Good grief, I can remember when England won the Ashes.
