RST Lübeck Time Trial Cup – Finale (Obernwohlde) Training Plan & Preparation

Course & Elevation

The finale of the RST Lübeck time trial cup is held on a 9 km loop at Obernwohlde in the Stormarn district. It is the most compact course of the series and the most even-tempered: 42 metres of climbing, not a single registered ascent, start and finish at identical altitude. The profile drifts imperceptibly between 14 and 38 metres, roughly 60 percent of the lap is completely flat, and steep ground in either direction is entirely absent.

As the fifth and final round of the season, the finale lands on a Tuesday evening in early September with a 18:15 start — and with dusk arriving earlier, it is one of the series' more atmospheric dates. As always the racing takes place on open public roads under normal traffic rules, scored in two classes: TT bikes, and road bikes without extensions. Entries go by email until the preceding Sunday and guest riders are welcome. For everyone who has collected points over the summer, the cup standings are settled here — and the short, fast lap guarantees that every second counts.

Pacing Strategy

Nine flat kilometres on a loop mean a short, intense effort close to threshold from start to finish. There are no categorised climbs, only gentle metre-high rolls over which you hold pressure evenly rather than sprinting and coasting. Because the course closes on itself the wind directions average out — plan for a steadily constant output rather than big swings.

It is decided by aerodynamic consistency across the full, short distance. The classic trap is starting too hard: over a time trial this length the temptation is to press flat out immediately, but an overcooked first kilometre costs more in the closing third than it yields.

Ease up to your target level over the first minutes and build through the final kilometres.

12-Week Preparation

Nine flat kilometres mean 12 to 16 minutes flat out — the shortest effort of the series and the most intense. The race is ridden well above threshold, close to maximal aerobic power; the anaerobic reserves are tapped from the gun and arrive at the line empty. It is the kind of effort where the legs protest after three minutes and the head has to carry the remaining ten.

With no change of terrain anywhere, there is no marked decisive section — the decisive variable is the opening pace. The great danger on courses this short is the overcooked start: the first 90 seconds always feel too easy. Ride them under control, settle at the limit from minute three, and the final two kilometres can be spent entirely above sustainable intensity.

Preparation resembles a pursuit rider's program in miniature: intervals at maximal aerobic intensity — around five times 3 to 4 minutes with equal recoveries — form the core, supported by threshold work as the foundation and rehearsed race starts with a power cap to automate the opening. Since the finale closes the cup season, the earlier rounds provide the best benchmarking; in the last week, short activation rides suffice. Equipment and position should be long settled by September — twelve minutes leaves no time to fix anything.