Are road bikes saving time trialling?

Long-term decline in entries against the clock dramatically slowed by Cycling Time Trials' new road bike category

- James Shrubsall

The roll-out of road bike time trialling by Cycling Time Trials appears to have slowed the decline in event entries the sport has suffered in recent years, according to new figures.

Numbers from the sport's governing body show 1,198 new riders registered to ride in 2023, with the vast majority of those-964-entering an event on drop-bar bikes.

It's a fillip for a sport that has seen participation declining over the last decade.

Between 2017 and 2022 the number of entries to time trials fell 46%, but the last year has seen that trend slow.

There was still a 5.8% decline in accepted event entries but this is an improvement on last year's 19.4% fall and is the smallest reduction since 2017.

The figures were published by CTT in its 2023 Open Events Participation document, a deep dive into who has been riding what, and on what bike.