May232021May 23, 2021May 23, 20210Commentby Masters TTRacer

2021 Race Report #3: Stray Kats Kankakee 20 KM Time Trial

Posted in Race Reports

My third race of 2021 was the Stray Kats Kankakee 20 Kilometer Time Trial, the third race of the 20-race Mid-America Time Trial Series (MATTS). This race is an out-and-back flat course near Splash Valley Aquatic Park, Kankakee, IL, 60 miles south of Chicago.

The weather was warm, humid, and windy. Temperature at my 9:44 a.m. start was 77 degrees, 69% humidity, and the wind was a crosswind from the west northwest at 13 miles per hour (mph). The wind would be a glancing headwind during the inbound leg of the course. The course was in bad condition with sections full of potholes, loose gravel, and cracks in the asphalt. I had to sit up several times to navigate through and around these hazards.

I completed a structured 40-minute warmup on my stationary trainer of 10.38 miles. Average speed was 15.6 mph; maximum speed was 21.8 mph. Average power was 129 watts; maximum power was 272 watts.

My objective for this race was to push a bigger gear than my first two races. My race bike has a standard 53-teeth big chainring and a 39-teeth small chainring. This is typical for a race bike. My rear wheel has a 10-cog cassette set: 23, 21, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12. In my last two races, I have been pedaling in my big chainring and either the 18 or 17 cog. Today, I wanted to push the 16 or 15 cog. What is the difference? Pedaling at 90 revolutions per minute (rpm) theoretically produces the following speeds:

  • 53 x 18 = 20.7 mph
  • 53 x 17 = 22.1 mph
  • 53 x 16 = 23.5 mph
  • 53 x 15 = 25 mph

Today, I consistently pedaled in my 53 x 16 gear at 86 rpm average. Slowed by the steady headwind on the inbound leg, I still averaged 22.84 mph, good enough for a 2nd place finish in 0:30:00. The winner’s time was 0:29:16 (23.37 mph). Third place was 0:30:16 (22.59 mph). My top speed was 27.5 miles per hour (with the strong tailwind on the outbound leg of the course).

Race replay: Stray Kats Kankakee 20 KM Time Trial

My next race is next Sunday, May 30, a 20 kilometer time trial in Harvard, IL, a course that I’ve raced both live and virtually multiple times over the past two years.