If you are over 40 and thinking of starting or restarting time trialling then the information in our Beginner’s Guide is relevant to you. But in the UK we also have an organisation dedicated to providing events, competitions and awards for the age groups variously classified as ‘Masters’ or ‘Veterans’. This may be of particular interest to you if you want to compete on an equal basis with other riders as the years go by. 

The Veterans Time Trials Association (VTTA) was formed in 1943 and has approximately 3000 members in its 16 regional groups. The VTTA promotes around 100 time trial events a year with preferential entry for its members, who are also eligible for the VTTA’s national championships, season-long competitions and individual performance awards. The regional groups also run their own awards and competitions. There are also national and regional records at all distances and ages.

Age adjusted competition is provided by an age handicap system (known as Standards) derived from a very large dataset of past performances. This provides a level playing field by giving an incrementally increasing time allowance for each year over 40. For example, over 10 miles a 50 year old man has a handicap of 49 seconds over a 40 year old and a 60 year old a handicap of 1 minute 55 seconds. Similarly handicaps apply to women. Thus riders from 40 to 90+ can compete fairly and directly against each other in time trials.

If you want to find out more, you can visit the VTTA website www.vtta.org.uk .There you can find the regional group that covers your area and apply online. You can also see details of the various events and competitions and other helpful information.