Team time trial

Starting sequences will usually be based on individuals' times in previous events, but in TTTs conducted as part of a multi-stage road race (such as the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia) the highest ranked teams will normally start later.

Later starters have the advantage of knowing what times they need to beat (and this also makes the event more interesting to spectators).

With increased desired speed, the riders take harder but shorter pulls at the front so as not to burn themselves up.

Often, a double paceline is desirable since each rider takes shorter pulls, and therefore a higher pace is able to be maintained.

This is why double pacelines are more often seen at the end of a TTT event when the teams are nearing the finish line.

Therefore, a team may choose to have a few of its riders take a death pull towards the end of the TTT event, in which the riders take as hard a pull at the front as possible in order to resist the pace at the cost of exhausting themselves with no hope of being able to latch onto the back of the formation for drafting.

In a large stage race, the TTT will involve all remaining members of the team, with the time taken when, say, the fifth rider has crossed the line.

With the team time trial returning for the 2009 Tour de France, this rule change was not retained.

Orica–GreenEDGE had an average speed of 57.84 km/h (35.94 mph) and won the stage, with Simon Gerrans taking the yellow jersey.

[2] From 1970 to 1999, UK amateur cycling club teams, each comprising four riders, competed in an annual national championship run over courses of 100 kilometres (the championship record time of 2:00:07 was achieved in 1993 by a team from North Wirral Velo which included Chris Boardman).

This is a challenging event and often has the older rider making every effort to hold the pace line to save energy and ensure he can contribute for the final pull.