2020 Race Report #15: Wisconsin Senior Olympics 10 KM Time Trial

My 15th race of 2020 was the first of two races for the Wisconsin Senior Olympics: 10 KM time trial followed by a 5 KM time trial on Tuesday, August 18. The course was a rolling hill loop inside a local park. The 10 KM race (6.37 miles) covered four laps of the loop.

The weather was mild, yet humid, with clear skies. Temperature at my 9:15 AM start time was 66 degrees with humidity at 64 percent. The wind was from the north-northeast at 10 mph, creating a strong headwind/crosswind on the downhill back stretch on each of the four loops of the course.

I started my warmup about 45 minutes before my start time by riding the course. I was particularly concerned about the effect of the wind and the shallow hills. My 34-minute warmup got my heart rate and power level up to just below race pace.

This was my first live race with all of the speed modifications installed on my race bike: high-angle aerobar extensions, shorter crank arms, and ceramic speed bearings in the bottom bracket and wheel hubs. Unfortunately, the high-angle aerobars did not feel stable to me, particularly as I accelerated into the back stretch headwind.

Last year, I posted a time of 0:16:14 (22.9 mph) for the victory. Today, I still finished in first place, with only one other competitor, but my time was 0:17:01 (21.9 mph), a whole mile-per-hour slower. The second place time was 0:24:02 (15.5 mph). Quite a few competitors in other age-groups had similarly slower times from last year.

Race replay: Wisconsin Senior Olympics 10 KM Time Trial

My next race is the USA Cycling Virtual League – Tempus Fugit 20 KM Time Trial on Zwift on Wednesday, August 26. Competitors will participate from all over the United States.