2020 Race Report #16: Wisconsin Senior Olympics 5 KM Time Trial

My 16th race of 2020 was the second 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 5 KM race (3.25 miles) covered two laps of the loop.

The weather was warmer, yet less humid, with clear skies. Temperature at my 10:45 AM start time was 73 degrees with humidity at 36 percent. The wind was from the north-northeast at 9 mph, creating a strong headwind/crosswind on the downhill back stretch on each of the four loops of the course.

I started an abbreviated warmup about 30 minutes before my start time by riding the course loop twice. I was still concerned about the effect of the wind and the shallow hills.

After the problems I had with stability during the first race, I was particularly cautious during the second shorter, but faster-paced, race. I didn’t have to worry about my sole competitor whose average speed during the 10 KM time was almost 7 mph slower than me.

Last year, I posted a time of 08:05.79 (23.0 mph) for the victory. Today, I still finished in first place, with only one other competitor, but my time was 08:44 (21.3 mph), almost two miles-per-hour slower. The second place time was 0:11:45 (15.8 mph). Just like the first race, competitors in other age-groups had similarly slower times from last year.

Race replay: Wisconsin Senior Olympics 5 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.