When racing in a Team Time Trial (e.g. WTRL events), each team is given a delay time, and it’s up to the teams to ensure that they start the appropriate number of minutes after the event timer reaches zero. During the delay, the riders either need to stop pedalling or go into the pairing screen to avoid crossing the start line too soon. Depending on the responsiveness of each rider’s turbo trainer, some riders get out of the pen much quicker than other members of their own team.
In some Individual Time Trials, there is a conveyor belt which launches riders from the start pen periodically, ensuring everyone starts at the same pace and at precise time intervals.
It would be awesome if this conveyor belt launcher could be implemented for TTTs. Each team would take up a row on the belt, so all riders from one team would be side by side. The belt would then launch each team after the appropriate delay time (i.e. one team every minute).
Benefits:
- all riders from a team cross the start line at exactly the same time, regardless of their turbo’s responsiveness
- all riders launch at the same speed, allowing every team to group up and get into team formation quickly with no surges or sprints needed
- riders could continue to pedal after the event timer hits zero, without the need to go into the pairing screen
- no stress of having to time our own delays
- no-one would accidentally cross the start line too soon