The Cemetery TT is a fixture of the Gainesville community. The Team Florida collegiate athletes use it as a benchmark to gauge their fitness, and the strongest Gainesville cyclists use it as a low-key chance to duke it out against the clock. After all, in the “race of truth,” the clock never lies.

For full disclosure, I have never participated in this race. There has only been one instance of the Cemetery TT since I moved to Gainesville, and I had a prior commitment. I have, however, participated in more than my fair share of triathlons (of which the cycling leg bears a strong resemblance to a standalone TT) and time trials of all distances.

The distinguishing feature of the Cemetery TT is the set of unique, arbitrary and unusual equipment restrictions. To quote Team Florida Cycling coach Phil Gaimon on the equipment rules:

“Equipment rules: aerobars, TT bikes, deep clincher wheels, shoe covers, and skinsuits are okay.
Aero helmets, tubular wheels, disc wheels, and trispokes are prohibited. You will not get scored if you come out on this stuff, because aero helmets aren’t as safe in the event of crashes, and no one wants to stand around while you change a flatted tubular or try to find a tube with a 2-mile valve.”

Of course, some of this reasoning is simply illogical.  Aero helmets are no less safe than regular vented helmets in a crash, and during a TT there is no one “standing around” waiting for you to change your flatted tubular.  (In fact, a flat tubular is faster to change than a flat clincher, if you do it right!)

So I followed up with Phil on this issue, and he cited two reasons for these equipment restrictions:

1. It’s the way things have always been done.
2. Since most collegiate athletes can’t afford fancy gear, we want the technological playing field to remain level.

Of course, reason #1 is fundamentally flawed.  Not only is the fact that something has been happening for a long time NOT proof that it is correct, the UCI (International Cycling Union) has a track record of changing equipment restrictions that have been in place for a long time.  Example: the retroactive changing of the Hour Record equipment rules, invalidating Boardman’s and Obree’s hour records that they set in grotesquely awesome positions with some hideously fast equipment.

Reason #2 is, in theory, a perfectly valid reason for implementing equipment restrictions.  There are few higher priorities in the sport of cycling than encouraging new athletes to compete at a high level.  The cost of TT equipment is a legitimate hurdle that these athletes must overcome to be competitive.  Setting equipment restrictions is a simple and effective way of allowing college athletes to get competitive experience without sacrificing their student loan payments.

However, the current equipment restrictions do not adequately reduce the financial barrier to entry of these cyclists.  The use of TT bikes adds a minimum of $1500 in cost to a collegiate cyclist looking to be competitive.  The use of deep clincher wheels is also another expense, as TT wheels are often deeper, heavier and less practical than the aero wheels used in road and crit racing.

Additionally, some of the equipment banned by the current rule-set makes no sense from a financial standpoint.  Aero helmets are not particularly expensive ($100-$200, about the same as a good set of clip-on aerobars, which are LEGAL under the current rule-set).  Tri-spoke wheels are perhaps the best “bang-for-your-buck” wheelset a college athlete could get.  Tubular wheels are often cheaper than their clincher counterparts, especially when obtained secondhand.  Wheel covers for a training wheel, effectively turning the wheel into a super-aero disc wheel, cost $100, a very reasonable price.  All of these pieces of equipment are banned on the pretense of either safety or convenience, both of which are largely non-factors in time trial racing.

The current equipment restrictions for the Cemetery TT are not appropriate.  They do not keep costs down for college athletes, and include the nonsensical banning of perfectly reasonable equipment.  Additionally, they do not allow those with tons of aero gear the chance to actually use a significant portion of their equipment.

So, what *should* the equipment restrictions be?

Simple.  Ban all aero equipment, period.  Run the TTs in an “Eddy Merckx” style–no aerobars, no deep wheels, no aero helmets, nothing.  Let the college athletes show up on the same road bikes they use for their weekly training rides and duke it out.  Total extra cost: $0.  (Well, maybe clip-on aerobars would be OK.   The expense is reasonable, it’s easy to install/remove them for the TTs and they get the athlete 95% of the way to a full-on TT setup in terms of the total bike/rider aerodynamic package.)

Also, maintain a “best human effort” competitive category as a throwaway.  This would be for the athletes who want to show up with their disc wheels, aero helmets and other aero gadetry.  For many athletes, simply getting a chance to use their aero gear in a competitive setting is half of the run!  (Course records could not be set in this division.  Intra-category records could, of course, be set, but the official course record would have to come from the Eddy Merckx division, just as the current Hour Record does now.)

The collegiate cycling TT equipment rules are scheduled to change next year (for all non-A riders) or the year after (for the A riders).  Aero equipment will be severely restricted.  For college athletes, this is unquestionably a GOOD thing.  It’s time that the Cemetery TT followed suit.

November has arrived.  In most of the United States, that means the return of cold weather, indoor cycling, layered sweaters and hot cocoa.  It’s an exciting time of year if you’re into frostbite and icy mustaches.

On the other hand, here in Gainesville, November means it’s time to break out the arm warmers on a cool morning.  November is a great time of year for athletics in Gainesville, as the climate is enjoyable for all outdoor activities, including swim/bike/run.

However, if you’re a triathlete, despite the nice weather, November marks the beginning of the off-season.  Here’s what you should be doing:

1. Take some time off! This is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do during the off-season.  Without extended periods of rest, your body simply can’t recover from the extended periods of hard training you put your body through during the summer.  Recovery happens on a micro (day-to-day) scale, macro (week-to-week) scale, super-macro (month-to-month) scale, and super-duper-ultra-macro (year-to-year) scale.  So take some super duper ultra time off and enjoy the holidays. Note that taking time off doesn’t mean that you have to stop training altogether.  I recommend a 40-50% reduction in volume, and a huge reduction in intensity, from your peak training week.  So, if you hit 20 hours in your biggest week, you should be training no more than 10-12hours/week during the offseason.  This will help to maintain fitness and keep your weight in check.
2. Take stock of what you accomplished this season. Did you reach your goals?  Did you increase your fitness?  What did you learn from your training and racing experiences?  Write all of this stuff down for future reference in your training log.
3. Set some goals for next season. These goals should be specific, measurable and attainable (with hard work and dedication).  They should build off what you accomplished this season, and improve upon it.  ”Get faster” is not a good goal.  ”Finish Miami Man in under 6 hours” is a good goal.  So is “Ride the 40k TT on May 15 in under 61 minutes.”  Focus on your “limiters,” the aspects of your racing you could most improve.
4. Closely related to #3 is: choose your important races for the upcoming season. You don’t need to choose every race you’re going to do, but outline the important races, of which there should be three at most.  These are your “A” priority races, for which you’ll focus your training specifically.
5. Working backward from your “A” races, schedule your training periods. Most athletes benefit from “periodization” of workouts, or putting your body through different training stresses depending on where you are in relation to your target races.  (Specific periodization techniques are the topic of another post).

Avoid the temptation to hammer your off-season training rides, runs and swims.  I can’t stress this enough!  Best case is you’ll be in great shape for that Christmas triathlon that doesn’t exist.  Worst case is you’ll injure yourself and be out of commission completely for an extended period of time.

Lastly, the off-season is a great time to remind ourselves why we enjoy doing this endurance sport stuff.  Go for a nice easy ride and enjoy the scenery!  Go for a late afternoon run and watch the kids playing in the park!  Go for a relaxing swim to blow off steam after work!   After a long, hard season of grinding out one tough workout after another, you deserve it.

However, it is possible to get in some decent run training during the Gainesville summers. Here are some tips:

1. Run early in the morning.  Before the sun comes up, the temperature is usually below 75, and if you finish before 10am you’re likely avoiding the 90 degree temperatures for which Gainesville summers are famous.  It’s very humid, and you’ll be sweating buckets, but you can get in a pretty good workout if you get up super-early and finish up before you head to class or work in the morning.
2. Take frequent breaks.  You won’t be able to do your long runs without breaks, as you’ll simply overheat if the heat index is in the 90s.
3. Drink plenty of water.  I suggest that you find a loop course with a water fountain to do your summer runs.  That way, you can have regular opportunities to drink and not get dehydrated.  The city park at 34th st and 8th ave is where I do all my runs here in town, it’s a 1.5 mile loop with *three* different water fountains on the loop!
4. Run in the shade.  If the other side of the street has tree cover, cross and run over there.  Running early in the morning has the hidden advantage of having more shade opportunities, with the longer shadows created by the shallow angle of the sun.
5. Don’t do speed work.  Your body will probably get too stressed from the hard intervals, unless you’re thoroughly acclimatized to such intervals.  Strides and anaerobic endurance intervals are probably OK (as they incorporate long recovery periods), but muscular endurance intervals are usually a bad idea once it gets really hot.
6. Ignore your heart rate, if you use an HRM.  Your HR will be much higher than normal at a given speed.  Focus on your Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) instead.
7. Ignore your pace.  You will be much slower than you normally are at a given effort.  Again, measure your effort based on your RPE.
8. Wear as little clothing as possible.  With few exceptions (see tip #9), clothing gets in the way of your body’s cooling system.  Men, that means bare chests (YOU’RE WELCOME, LADIES) and a small pair of running shorts.  Women, that means sports bras  and *maybe* a singlet over it if modesty calls for it, but a covered midriff is especially bad for your core temperature.
9. If the sun is out and you’re going to be running for more than 45 minutes, consider wearing a long-sleeved white cooling shirt.  Several manufacturers make these (I bought a L/S cycling jersey from Performance for $35 that does this).  The long-sleeves and full coverage will protect you from the sun’s harsh rays better than sunscreen (which can wear down and get sweated off).  If you can keep the shirt wet with water, it may even keep you *cooler* than wearing no shirt!
10. Wear a hat or visor.  This keeps the sun off of your face, and helps to manage the sweat around your eyes.  On really hot days, the hat actually works better because you can pour water and ice in it and keep your head slightly cooler.
11. On long runs, supplement your salt intake a bit more than normal.  You’re sweating more, so you may need to increase the amount of salt you consume on your long runs.  Don’t worry about this if you’re running for less than 2 hours, though.
12. Don’t be afraid of the treadmill.  It’s a perfectly valid alternative to running outside in the heat, especially if you’re doing a short, intense workout with lots of short intervals that otherwise would be hard to accomplish outside.

So, when running in the heat, just remember to take it easy, drink a lot, wear the right clothes and not to concern yourself with trying to be Speedy McRacehorse.  You won’t be fast this summer, but you’ll be ready to go fast for your fall and winter races!