BUCS 25 mile TT, 6 Apr 2025

I’ve now got two individual time trials under my belt: the BUCS 25TT and the BUCS 10TT. The 25-miler was my first, and although I’ve raced that same distance during triathlons, I found myself surprisingly nervous.

Sure, in a triathlon there’s arguably more to think about—mounting and dismounting, fuelling, pacing across three disciplines, and saving your legs for the run. But a time trial? On the surface, it’s simple: ride from start to finish as fast as you can. Easy, right? Well, yes—but actually, no.

There’s something brutally honest about a TT. There’s nowhere to hide. No drafting, no transitions to break up the effort—just you, your bike, and the clock. Every second is earned the hard way, and every weakness is exposed. So what went well… I was given a target power and I managed to hold 5W above it the whole way, so that was a big tick. I’ve only just started working off power so this was brand new to me. I’m so used to racing off feel. Could I have pushed it more? Quite possibly, but I’d rather avoid fading before the end l, and next time I can aim a bit higher.

Despite loving hills on my road bike, I’ve still not got to grips with inclines on the TT bike. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s the bit of extra weight or maybe it’s just a mental block. I sat up going uphill which definitely is not ideal, so it’s something to work on. My aero position generally resembles a comfortable triathlon setup, but in a race where everyone looked like a bullet, I was probably a bit too relaxed and upright. I’m not quite one with the TT bike yet, but that’s ok, everything takes time!

Lilly Gibbs