It's often been asked, "how much is the man (or woman), and how much is the machine?" In Time Trials these questions become even more interesting. Last year, I rode my standard Fuji frame, with clip on aero bars, and my ksyrium wheels. I turned about a 1:02, plus change, on the Boonsboro course. This year, I rode my a Quintana Roo Caliente, with HED3's on the front and back. I turned a 57:34. That's 3 1/2 minutes faster...
Now... maybe I got a little stronger this year, but I don't really think so. To make things worse, I spent Monday morning through Saturday morning in Utah, sitting on my ass 14 hours a day working. No exercise at all. Then, today, Sunday, I took a wrong turn on the way to the race, and showed up 20 minutes before my start time. i.e I had a 5 minute warm up. All that, and I still dropped 3 1/2 minutes.
So... does equipment make a difference? When it comes to Time Trials, you better believe it.... A big difference!