Yesterday I did a TT on my new TT bike. This was the first time I had really put any miles on it. At about 7 miles in my right side was killing me, it was extremely hard to breath and hurt enough to have to get up out of my TT position and catch some air. I was wondering what could be the cause of this. I haven't had anything like this happen to me all season long, so I'm guessing it might have something to do with the fit or setup of the TT bike. Is it possible that my aero bars are too close together and restricted my air intake?

Well it's definitely associated with the new position. Are your shoulders / head / elbows lower? Compressing your stomach? That, combined with high intensity, will give me a stitch sometimes.

If you're serious about your TT's, seek out a fitter who knows TT positions - lots of tri coaches out there, or cruise slowtwitch.com for some tips.

Yesterday I did a TT on my new TT bike. This was the first time I had really put any miles on it.Ahem.