Team time trial

A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events).

Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart. Starting sequences are usually based on individuals' times in previous events. 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 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).

Unlike individual time trials, where competitors are not permitted to 'draft' (ride in the slipstream) behind each other, in team time trials, riders in each team employ this as their main tactic, each member taking a turn at the front while teammates 'sit in' behind. After their turn, the lead rider will swing over, allowing the next rider to take the lead, while the leader goes to the back of the team.

The winning team in a TTT is based on the time of the Nth rider to cross the finish line, where N is usually the 4th rider in a team of eight or the 5th rider in a team of nine. When a TTT is part of a stage race, the first N riders to cross the finish line are given the time of the Nth rider, and any riders who finish later are timed individually in the usual way.

Starting at the 2023 Paris–Nice stage race, TTTs have sometimes been scored with N=1, meaning that the team's time is based on the time of the first rider to cross the finish line, and each individual's time is based on when they cross the finish line. In such races, teams generally ride as a pack for most of the race, to take advantage of drafting, but the strongest riders may ride individually at the end of the course.