Fly on the wall: Team Ireland's Worlds TT journey
Time trial days at grand tours are long and tiring days for staff and riders alike. The clock is the enemy both on and off the bike; team staff can’t find enough hours in the day, yet the clock drags for the riders waiting seemingly an eternity for their start. Once the final buzzer goes and the racing starts riders are racing a clock that seems out of control as they push to reach the line before the clock turns red, hoping against hope the clock might slow down while they speed up.
If grand tour time trials are long days, the World Championships time trial is akin to Milan-San Remo. In a grand tour, the time trial chaos is crammed into one day, at the Worlds, that chaos gets stretched over two, three or four seemingly never-ending days. Those days before the race are long and boring at times, like the first 200km of MSR. Training and course recon rides, much like the Tre Capi (Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta) in the early finale of La Primavera, ensure anticipation and nerves are always building. Dare I say it, “building to a crescendo”.
Finally, race day hits. That crescendo doesn’t arrive on the Via Roma but perhaps instead on a TT start ramp. The clock beeps, an official counts their fingers, riders prepare to sprint up to speed off, while trying to maintain composure and “stick to the plan”, and then it’s time. Years of training, months of dreaming, days of waiting (mainly in a hotel room) all playing on the nerves and screaming “full power”, but wait, you’re only on the Cipressa yet. “Breath, get aero, settle in, start easy, don’t overcook it, stick to the pacing plan, one kilometre at a time”; the DS pushes all the cliches down the radio. Still, the crescendo builds!
While certainly an analogy stretch, the anticipation built over the days prior to the time trial worlds is like Milan-San Remo, at least right up until the top of the Poggio. When La Primavera swings left to start the descent, and we all slide right to the edge of our seats, eagerly anticipating the finish; will the break stick, who crested the Poggio in the lead pack, will everyone get down the descent? The time trial doesn’t take that left, it keeps climbing a Poggio with no summit. There’s no exciting descent or nail-biting sprint for the time triallists, just a seemingly never-ending solo climbing agony, finally culminating in an anticlimatic death by a few thousand pedal revolutions collapse across the line. Some crescendo that is, who would be a time triallist?
To sample all the anticipation and hope, I joined Team Ireland on a time trial recon the day ahead of this years UCI Elite Time Trial World Championships. The Irish team isn’t the biggest at these championships, but what it lacks in number, it makes up for in potential. Ireland has medal potential in both the U23 and elite men’s time trial with Ryan Mullan and Ben Healy. Joining these time trialling stars are former junior national champion Kevin McCambridge and time trialling specialist Marcus Christie.
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Race day or not, team staff are always on the go. -
At the start riders are eager to see the course. Don’t be fooled by the winter like clothing, it was nice in Belgium today. -
The team have new radios on test today. The radios are two way, but the communication in a time trial is generally only one way with the director delivering route notes and encouragement to the rider. -
Suited and booted, Ryan Mullan is former Irish time trial champion and Worlds medalist. -
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That helmet flows perfectly onto the back, hopefully its the same on the bike. -
Time trial bikes; time trial bottles. -
Spirits are high, but there is also a certain tension in the air. The boisterous mood within the group is not quite the same as at home. -
A quick calibration -
And the riders are off. I’m guessing the radio message here was “turn right before the yellow blue stuff” -
Recon day is a chance for riders to test the course and test the legs. Excitement, tension, and nerves are all high so often the difficulty is in holding back and saving the legs for the main event. -
Once on course the riders take a couple of runs through the technical opening kilometres -
Checking out the line for each corner and sussing out if they can “take it in the skis” -
Yes, is the answer -
Regroup, compare notes, and away again. -
The Irish aren’t the only ones on course. -
Take two on this corner, “full send”. -
The Flanders 2021 time trial course has more corners than you can imagine in the opening kilometres, while endless straights characterise the mid section of the course. -
Nothing beats a chat. Despite the radios, riders drop back for a chat in the window. Corners, racing lines, surfaces, and braking are all on the agenda for this meeting. -
The U23s have a shorter course, while the elites head off on a lap to add some kilometres to their course. -
Perfect chance for me to switch cars. -
Out of the U23 car and into the Elite car. The focus remains the same. Both directors are inspecting the course and taking notes throughout. -
While the riders pepper the spin with some harder efforts to “open the legs” ahead of race day. Again the anticipation is almost visible. -
A mug of espresso please -
Efforts complete, the elite riders regroup for the final few kilometres. Only one thing up for discussion here; the course. -
GPX maps on Ipads and handwritten notes form the basis for the directors race day radio script. -
After the ride it’s debrief time. -
And while it all seems quit serious, -
There is plenty of time for some banter -
Before getting back to the task at hand. Mullan wanted some extra time on the bike, so hopped on the rollers to hit his two hour target. -
While the real work just begins for the mechanics. -
Full bike check, tip to tail for each bike. -
And some final adjustments and components changes. Out come the waxed chains.
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Then its back to the room for some more waiting. -
Until feeding time, where, yes, the course is up for discussion, but relaxing and trying new gloves seems to take precedence. -
Remind me again, what happened when Anna removed Elsa’s glove? -
Its dance time, except it’s not. Dinner on the eve of race day is just the top of the Capo Berta. The Cipressa and Poggio await the riders tomorrow.
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Race day and the team staff are already prepping hours before the riders arrive. Ask any team staff, they will all say time trial days are the longest. -
Some nations have Worl Tour team buses for the week. Ireland does not, but with a specifically kitted van and a camper from Trinity racing, the team has far from the smallest setup in the pits. -
Buses, trucks, and digital displays are nice but vans, campers, and good old fashioned white boards are more than many nations can hope for. -
The camper gives the riders space to relax and change before the action begins. -
Perhaps too much space and too much time, the wait for warm up time is a long one with plenty of time for nerves to build. -
The riders “Enjoy” their pre race meal in the camper. -
Then its changing time…”anyone got a spare pair of socks?” -
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Then its warm up time -
A few final words of advice go time -
A quick sip -
And then its onto the Cipressa -
“Ok Marcus, settle in, head down, steady steady steady. 90° right into a sweeping right” -
Huge crowds on course cheer every rider. “hup hup CHRISSSSS-TIE, hup hup hup” -
They have travelled from Ireland to cheer on the boys in green. -
The bunch has headed down the descent off the Poggio, Marcus keeps climbing. Climbing, suffering, battling every one of the perfectly flat final ten kilometres to the finish in Brugge. -
No sprint finish on the Via Roma, no no hands in the air all, years of dedication, months of focus, days of waiting then the race goes by in the blink of an eye. All the anticipation, excitement, and hope are sucked from the riders as the finish line clock goes red. The promised crescendo stolen by a select few on the podium. For the rest the Poggio was just a climb too far. -
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