RST Lübeck Time Trial Cup – Round 3 (Nusse) Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

Round three of the RST Lübeck time trial cup covers a 9.3 km loop in the gently undulating country southeast of Lübeck. The start is at the sports ground in Nusse; the route runs through Panten, Hammer and Mannhagen and returns to where it began. With 51 metres of climbing the lap is essentially flat without being dead level: just under 58 percent of the distance is flat and the rest rolls softly. Two short rises stand out, at km 5 and km 6.2, each climbing for 300 to 400 metres at around three percent — nowhere does the gradient exceed four.

Racing happens on a Tuesday evening from 18:15 on open public roads, so traffic rules apply and drafting is out. Two classifications are scored: time trial bikes, and road bikes without extensions — you can race on standard equipment and still compare fairly. The round is part of a five-race series running April through September, and guest riders are welcome after a short email registration. Expect a small, friendly field and the unmistakable feel of a weeknight club time trial taken seriously.

Pacing Strategy

Over 9.3 flat kilometres the power sits high from the gun — at to just above threshold, because the window is short. The course is 58 percent flat; two brief climbs of around three percent at kilometre 5 and 6.2 are the only resistance.

Press slightly over them and hold position, then use the longer descent that follows to actively rebuild speed rather than freewheel. The trap in a time trial this short is starting too hard: ride the first two kilometres above what you can sustain and you lose more at the end than the fast opening was worth.

What decides it is even pressure between the two rises and a clean rhythm through the closing kilometres.

12-Week Preparation

Over 9.3 flat kilometres, most committed amateurs will race for roughly 13 to 17 minutes — much shorter than a classic 20 or 40 km time trial. That changes the character of the effort: intensity sits clearly above threshold, near maximal aerobic power, with a real anaerobic contribution. Riding it at your one-hour power leaves time on the table.

What decides the result is dosage rather than any single section. The two short three-percent rises at km 5 and 6.2 arrive in the second half, when the legs are already loaded; carrying pressure over them without blowing up is where seconds are won. After the second rise only about three kilometres remain, and they can be emptied completely.

Training should centre on intervals just above threshold — three to five repetitions of 5 to 8 minutes — supplemented by shorter work at maximal aerobic intensity, for example 4 to 6 times 3 minutes. With five rounds across the summer, the series is also an ideal laboratory for testing pacing strategies race by race. Riders in the road bike class should rehearse a low position in the drops; in the TT class, every minute of adaptation to the aero position pays off. Climbing work is one thing this course will never ask of you.