2020 Race Report #19: ABD Kaneville 10 MI Time Trial
My 19th race of 2020 was the sixth, and final, outdoor race of the season after easing of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Social distancing was observed by expanding the start times between riders from the usual 30-seconds to four minutes. There were officials at the start, turn-around, and finish lines observing social distancing.
The weather was chilly and windy at my 10:06 a.m. start time: 63 degrees (felt like 63 degrees), 80 percent humidity, and wind at 7-8 mph from the east-northeast. The wind direction meant a steady crosswind on second leg of the 9.88 mile loop course and a steady headwind on the inbound leg.
I completed a structured 30-minute warmup on the local roads near the course. I started right on time and quickly accelerated to 24 mph with a tailing wind. I averaged 24.11 mph for the first 3.59 miles before reaching the first right turn of the loop. The buffeting crosswind slowed my average speed to 21.58 mph for this 2.17 mile leg. I slowed even further into the steady headwind, averaging only 19.96 mph for the final 4.12 mile leg.
My official time was 0:27:25 (21.62 mph) for second place. The winning time was 0:25:16 (23.46 mph). My slow time was primarily due to remaining upright during the entire race, not once using my new aerobar setup. I discovered during my warmup that the elbow cups were positioned too far inwards, creating a feeling of instability in the buffeting wind conditions. (I’ve already made an appointment with my mechanic to shift the cups outward to a more stabilizing position.)
Virtual race replay: ABD Kaneville 10 MI Time Trial
This was the final race of the season. After a couple of weeks of easy endurance riding as a transition, I will begin preparations for the 2021 race season.