2019 Race Report #9: Double Bong 20 KM Time Trial

My ninth race of 2019 was the 16th race of the 20-race Mid-America Time Trial Series (MATTS). This was the third and final race at the Richard Bong Recreational Area for the season. The two previous races were May 5 and June 2. The course was a rolling hill loop of 11.95 miles.

The weather was warm and humid with a threat of thundershowers. Temperature at my 8:54 AM start time was 72 degrees with humidity at 83 percent. The wind was from the west-southwest at 7 mph. There would be a headwind/crosswind for the first half of the course.

I started my warmup about 44 minutes before my start time by riding the course backwards from the finish line. I was particularly concerned about the effect of the wind. My 20-minute warmup got my heart rate and power level up to just below race pace.

This is the second consecutive race that I have ridden the course as a warmup. It has allowed me to reach my threshold heart rate by the four minute mark of the start of my race. My speed reached 26 mph at the same time. Like my last race, I remained in a tuck position for the entire effort, even on the corners. This allowed me to finish with a personal course record of 0:31:46 (22.7 mph), an improvement of 51 seconds over my results on May 5 and June 2.

I finished in third place out of four competitors. The winning time for my age-group was 0:28:11 (25.44 mph average). The second place time was 0:28:30 (25.15 mph). The fourth place time was 0:35:50 (20.00 mph).

Race replay: Double Bong 20 KM Time Trial

I have three races during the week of August 19: the Wisconsin Senior Olympics 10 KM Time Trial, Tuesday, August 20, the Wisconsin Senior Olympics 5 KM Time Trial, Wednesday, August 21, and Cherry Valley 20 KM Time Trial, the 17th MATTS race. The two Senior Olympics races are in a local park. Cherry Valley, IL, is 95 miles southwest of Milwaukee.