NVSO 10 KM & 20 KM Time Trial Race Reports
My seventh and eighth races of 2015 were part of the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics, the same venue where I achieved my first win in 50 years in 2013 (2013 20 KM Time Trial Race Report), and was a double gold medalist in 2014 (2014 NVSO 10 KM & 20 KM Time Trial Race Report). This was a rolling hills loop course through the rural Virginia countryside.
The weather was chilly and windy. Temperature was 57 degrees, humidity was 85 percent, and the wind was from the northwest at 12 mph gusting to 16 mph when I started my first race. I wore arm and leg warmers for my warmup ride over the course and for both races. I felt none of the chill.
In the first race, I really had no competition in my age group. The guy who is the current age group course record holder, and finished second to me last year, was my only competition. My goal was to beat his course record. The strong headwind over the final two miles of the course slowed my closing sprint, but I was able to finish in 0:16:49 (22.17 mph average), 30 seconds faster than last year, for the win. I missed setting a new course record by 10 seconds.
Race replay: NVSO 10 KM Time Trial
In the second race, two laps of the 10 KM loop, I faced the same competitors. My goal was to further lower my course record from last year. I was the first to start. A mere seven seconds from the start line, my chain slipped off my small chain ring and became wedged against the frame. I quickly dismounted, reattached the chain, and remounted, losing 30 seconds. I didn’t panic. I simply focused on shifting smoothly on the uphills to maintain a steady cadence. It worked and I finished in 0:34:12, 48 seconds faster than last year, for the win and a new course record. But, subtracting the 30 seconds lost for the chain slippage, my finishing time would have been 0:33:42 (22.12 mph average). Then, my margin of victory over the second place finisher would have been four minutes, rather than roughly three minutes.
Race replay: NVSO 20 KM Time Trial