Training: First 10 mile TT of the season

I’ve done a few 10 mile TTs and although they’re painful and awful, I quite like them. Haven’t done one for about 10 years (I think) but they seem like a good way to incorporate some intense speed work into my LEL training.

The local 10 is held in Honiton on the old A30. With 85m of climbing it’s pretty flat, but the small rises really hurt. I’ve never ridden this course before, all my 10s were done on the old Budlake course, which has much more climbing and a surface rougher than Katie Price without her warpaint.

I’ve been working hard this year, riding lots and thinking about how to improve as a rider. Despite that, 10s are a real test of form and I was nervous. So how was it?

It was good:

Managed to keep my heart rate up without having an oxygen-deprived panic attack. That’s pleasing. On a recent ride I gave it some beans up a hill, got to 140ish and had to back off. Today I was at 150+ for a lot of the 10 and didn’t freak out. It is a bit weird though – if this had been a hillclimb the equivalent effort would have had me stopping for a cry after the first hundred yards.

It was bad:

I was slow. So very, very slow. All my previous 10s had been PBs, but with a 10yr gap I was resigned to going backwards on this one. My PB is 24:57 (I think) and set on the Budlake course. On this new course I managed 27:50. That’s shocking. And on my ‘new’ fast bike as well! My LEL teammate and ride buddy Andy managed 27:47, but without aerobars, which would probably have shaved off a minute.

Why so slow? Well, learning a new course takes a few attempts, but mainly I suspect it’s age creeping up. I’ve lost 10bpm since I last rode a 10 and that will have taken the edge off. Tens are a sprint, so although I’m still reasonably fast over (say) a 400km audax, going full beans for 10 miles is a different Carradice full of badgers. I’m still optimistic for the 2026 Mersey Roads 24hr TT though – that’s a much more measured effort

It was ugly:

One of the signs I’m riding too hard is that my nose starts to run and I sniff a lot. Usually on an audax, at around 130bpm, when I’m starting to struggle. Riding a 10 at 150bpm it was like a tap. From both nostrils. It’s disgusting. If you’ve watched time trials in the Tour you’ve probably seen the guys who are really going for it finishing with a face covered in drool and goo. Now I understand, although I’d rather lose a second or so for the sake of a wipe. Standards must be maintained.

Fast blasts like this are still good training for LEL, despite the vast discrepancy in distance, so I’ll persevere. In fact I now have a new goal, of reaching my previous PB.