2019 Race Report #1: WBR Bong Single Time Trial

My first race of 2019 was the sixth race of the 20-race Mid-America Time Trial Series (MATTS). The course was 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 and increasingly windy. Temperature before my 9:11 a.m. start was 61 degrees and the wind was from the west-southwest at 10+ mph. The wind would be a factor as it was a headwind during the first half of the loop.

I had no trouble increasing my heart rate to just above lactate threshold, roughly 136 BPM (105% of my functional threshold of 132 BPM) with a maximum heart rate of 143 BPM. My cadence averaged 93 RPM; maximum was 125 RPM. My power target was 205-215 watts. I averaged 209 watts with a maximum of 332 watts.

My time was 0:32:41 (21.80 mph average) for third place. The winning time for my age-group was 0:29:34 (24.10 mph average). My top speed was 31.1 miles per hour (with a strong tailwind on the second half of the course) as I crossed the finish line.

Race replay: WBR Bong Single 20 KM Time Trial

My next race is in a week, another MATTS 20 km time trial, in Harvard, IL, 73 miles northwest of Chicago.