2019 Race Report #4: Bong and a Half Time Trial

My fourth race of 2019 was the ninth race of the 20-race Mid-America Time Trial Series (MATTS). The course was the same as the first race of the season: a single 20 kilometer rolling hill loop around the Richard Bong State Recreation Area, 4,515 acres of rolling grassland, savanna, wetlands, and scattered woodlands in southeastern Wisconsin.

The weather was warm, but not as windy. Temperature before my 8:40 a.m. start was 63 degrees and the wind was from the north at 7 mph. The rolling hills on the course would be a bigger factor than the wind.

With a tailwind on the first leg of the loop, I gradually increased my heart rate to lactate threshold, 130 BPM, with a maximum heart rate of 139 BPM. My cadence averaged 93 RPM; maximum was 117 RPM. My power target was 212 watts. I averaged 226 watts with a maximum of 430 watts.

My finishing time was virtually identical to the first race: 0:32:38 (21.97 mph average, 29.3 mph maximum). I finished third. The winner’s time was 0:29:27 (24.34 mph average); second place was 0:31:26 (22.81 mph average). This was exactly the same result as the previous race on this course.

Race replay: Bong and a Half 20 KM Time Trial

My next race is in a week, another MATTS 20 km time trial, in Garden Prairie, IL, 75 miles northwest of Chicago.