State Age-Graded Time Trial Championship Race Report

The third race of 2014 was the State Age-Graded Time Trial Championship, held in Chesapeake, VA, on a flat 12.25 mile out-and-back course, on Sunday, June 8. Weather was ideal: temperature was 64 degrees, humidity was 88 percent, and the wind was calm.

My biggest challenge was again my inability to complete my full 56-minute warmup. Got to the race at 7:10 a.m., after driving for over 3.5 hours. Registration opened at 7:15 a.m. My start time was 8:20 am. By the time I registered, got back to my bike, and started my warmup, it was 7:44 a.m. I only had enough time for a partial, 22-minute warmup.

I was the first competitor to start of five in my age-group, including the defending 2013 age-group champion. I started at a moderate 22 mph pace in my 52 x 16 gear at 85-90 rpm cadence for several minutes. Then, I increased my cadence to 90-95 RPM and my speed to around 24 mph. The minor undulations and uneven road surface for a large portion of the course compromised my attempt to maintain this cadence and pace, especially after a partial warmup.

However, I was able to finish in 0:30:57 (unofficial) with an average speed of 23.74 mph, which was good enough for my second consecutive win of the season. I am the 2014 State Time Trial Champion for my age-group. The defending age-group champion finished in second place in 0:32:23, 1 minute and 24.5 seconds slower than me. His average speed was 22.69 mph, over a mile-per-hour slower than me.

Race replay: State Age-Grade Time Trial Championship