The Warmup
The warmup for a TT is very important. When the race begins you go from zero to riding near your threshold. Because of this you must go to the start line with the engine revving, the legs loose and open. You should be sweating from your warmup when you get to the line. And you must be aware of the time! You don't want to miss your start time! It's crucial to time your warmup perfectly with the time you're scheduled to be at the starting gate so that you waiting for 15 minutes. This will ruin your warmup.
It's a good idea to take your stationary trainer with you to the race. Warming up by riding around will not be enough. With your trainer, you are in complete control of the resistance and effort you put out and you don't have to worry about the traffic and commotion around the roads near the race.
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For a short TT (anything 20K or less), the warmup is about 30 to 40 minutes. For a TT greater than 20K, the warmup is shorter and should be 15 to 20 minutes in duration.
Focus on pedaling smooth and even circles during the warm up. Start in an easy gear, spinning at a high cadence. After you're loose, shift to the big ring and the 23- or 25-tooth cog in the rear. Slow your cadence and try to spin at 85 to 90 rpm.
I like to do what is called a "pyramid" with the gears. This refers to spending a certain length of time in each gear, shifting to the next hardest gear without recovering.
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An example of this for a long warmup for a short TT would be to start out in 53x25, spin for 2 to 3 minutes, then shift to 53x23 and spin for another 2 to 3 minutes while maintaining the same high cadence.
Shift to 53x21, 53x19 and go on down the line all the way down to the 11- or 12-tooth cog. Get your HR up to within 5 beats of your functional threshold heart rate. Complete the interval and then shift back up the cog set spending another 2 to 3 minutes on each cog until you're back up to your 53x25 gearing. It should take you 40 minutes (10-speed cog x 2 minutes on each cog both ways equals 40 minutes). Remember to hydrate too!
During the final preparations, take the bike out of the trainer, put your helmet on and go to the start line. Hopefully you've timed everything correctly so that you arrive on the line ready to go hard. Start in the big ring and around the 23-tooth cog in the back.
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