there is no "I" in "team"

On Sunday we have the Uchinada TTT. I've had lots of advice from within our team, Oono san, Umiguchi san (with a good link from Silbest ) and Kitano san, and also from Andrew and the guys at Tokyo Cycling Club.

So here goes, TTT tips:

Strong riders should pull longer as opposed to pulling faster.

強い人が長く引く
「強い人が速度を上げる」のではなく、「長く引く」のがポイントです。

One idea is to decide roughly who will pull say 400m, 200m, 100m
(If the course is rolling, maybe this should be determined by time and not distance.)

AさんとBさんは400ｍ、Cは200ｍで交代、Dさんは即交代・・・という具合に決めておくといいでしょう
鈴鹿のようにアップダウンがあるときは距離ではなく「４０秒．２０秒」というように時間で決めたほうがいいかも？ですね

Any accelerations should be gradual. Big accelerations can cause distress to the guy who pulled previously and is trying to rejoin the line.

スピードを上げるときは「じわーっと」緩やかに
一気に上げると直前まで先頭を引いていて後ろに下がったばかりのメンバーに多大なダメージを与えてしまいます

Quick rotations are counterproductive (10 rotations are equivalent to 200 m loss) so stronger riders should do longer pulls.

●先頭交代の回数は可能ならば少ないほうが得です。
先頭交代は実はロスを伴っています。「交代＝後退」とも言えます。（10回交代したら２００m以上損をします！）
強い選手が長く引きましょう。

The team should decide on a leader to make calls such as “too fast”, “pull longer” etc

リーダーを決めておきましょう。
「上げろ！」「速い！」「交代！」「長くぅ～！」など、メンバーの様子を見ながらペースをコントロールします。

Coming out of corners and at the base of slopes the first rider shouldn't overdo it. In a race, this is where a rider will put the foot down, but in a TTT, you have to think of the unit.

On the flats is when to put the foot down as the differences in individual strength are less exposed.

コーナーの立ち上がりや上り坂は先頭が頑張りすぎない。
普段のレースや練習時の「がんばり癖」がここでも出てしまう人がいます。
こうした脚力差が出やすいところは基本的におとなし目に、平坦部でがんばりましょう。

Coming out of a corner at the front of the team, you should check back to see that all other members are in place.

コーナーの立ち上がり後は後ろを確認。

When drifting back from the front, as you come parallel with the third man, it's time to speed up to ensure you can get into forth position easily.

後ろに下がるときは、３人目の選手の横あたりから加速しましょう
後ろに下がるときは、最初は休んで減速してもいいのですが、
３人目の選手の横まで下がってきたら徐々に速度差をなくしてゆき、 急加速しなくても４番手に付けるようにしましょう。

When drifting back, don't go too wide. By staying close to the 3 riders coming through, you can take advantage of their slipstream.

ここで思ったより体力を消耗してします。
さらに、隊列から横に離れないようにスレスレを下がる方が風の抵抗を削減できてお互いに有利です。

If you are struggling, make this known to the other riders, so you can rest on the back.

If you are being dropped, but the three other riders can go ahead (the time being based on the 3rd rider to cross the line) you should let this be known too.

「つきいち」で休むのも戦法です。
前半なのに限界になってきたら「３人３人！」と他メンバーに声掛けして
４番手固定で休んで回復を待つほうが良い場合が多いです。
３人になると急に気弱になってペースが落ちてしまうのが一般的です。
・・・それでも切れてしまうときも「３人３人！」と伝えましょう。

If you are down to three and suffering, it is now very important to tell the other two to slow down before ruining the race completely.

人目が切れそうで、2人になりそうだったらこれは緊急事態。
早い目に「速い～！」の声掛けを苦しい本人がしましょう。

Weaker riders should take shelter behind bigger riders.

大きな選手の後ろに弱い選手が入りましょう。
大きな選手が風よけになってくれるので、弱い選手でも比較的楽に走れます。

If you pass another team on the course, you should let them no you are coming through to make the pass smoothly.

前のチームを抜きにかかるときは早めに「抜きま～す」など、声かけをしましょう。
左右どちらから抜くのかなどの意思表示を早めにしておくとスムーズにパスできます。

If your team is being passed, you should hold back on rotations until you have been passed.

抜かれる時は交代を控えましょう。仕方なく交代するとしても左右コンパクトに。

The first half of the race should be a controlled effort to keep the four members together. The second half should be a hard effort. If one member is dropped, the three can press on regardless.

後半を上げていく感じで走りましょう。
そのためには、最初は4人まとまって走り、レース後半は１人切れてもやむなし、というぐらいの覚悟で走るとよいでしょう。

The aerodynamics of drafting are important. However, the benefits of riding at a steady speed and in a straight line are equally important.

空気抵抗を減らそう
前後間隔も重要ですが、実は「一定速度で走る」ということと、「まっすぐ走る」ことが結果的に楽に速く走れるコツです。

It's important to pay attention to the wind. The line should be formed straight or to an angle depending on the direction of the wind.

風向きを意識しよう。
強い横風では真後ろよりも斜め４５度位についた方が良いときもあります。

All remaining energy should be expelled before the finish line.

If still in a four, the strongest rider should go all out on the front with the remaining 3 riders coming round him for the finish. The 2nd and 3rd riders should ride side by side with the 4th rider slotting into the middle to cross the line together.

ゴール前は全力を使い切ること
２番手が早めに先頭に並びにいき、先頭と２番手の真ん中に３番手を入れて３人並んでゴールになるようにしましょう。
４番手の選手は、直前にに全力を使い切らせて切り離す戦法が一般的です。
この指令もリーダーがします

Moreover, for the last 500 metres, rotation should be forgotten. All members should be trying to keep up with the fastest guy at that time.

最期の５００ｍはローテ無視でその時１番速い人に食らいつく。

The most effective style of rotation is the pull over and drift back style of rotation (clockwise) rather than the anticlockwise coming up on the outside rotation. If you do the clockwise rotation the guy on the front is in control and can pull over when he has had his fill, or his time is up.

If he is feeling really strong he can keep pulling a bit longer. Of course you have to be careful on the drift back to slot in at the back without losing contact with your mates.

Look at the rider's front wheel in front of you rather than his rear wheel . If you can focus your gaze just slightly farther than 'normal' you have better depth perception and will be able to hold a closer group with less stress.

Have in mind the necessary average speed to win and keep your eye on your average speed... You need to be always a little bit faster than that goal to achieve it.

If wind is a problem, it might be worth working on peeling off on both sides, so that in the race you can use the one that offers the most protection to the person starting the next pull from the crosswinds. If the course is a loop, then obviously (as the direction of the crosswinds will change) you need to practice changing the direction of the pull-off whilst riding. Of course, this needs a clear signal that the change is about to come.

Right, time to stop drinking and get my head down to rest up for Sunday's battle.

ALL OUT じょんのび！