This was my second time trial of the year. And, it was the first time that I have raced at Portland International Raceway.

The race consisted of six two mile laps. The racetrack is flat, but it is also close to the Columbia River where the wind loves to blow. We were racing the track counter-clockwise, meaning that we had to ride into the headwind during the long straight. It was hard, but the wind really pushed me on the back side of the track.

Racing on a track has some interesting characteristics. Previously, all of my time trials have been on out and back courses. On such a course, you really don’t see many other competitors. But doing six laps on a track allows you to see other racers, both ones you can pass, and the ones passing you.

The course was not technical, with the exception of one hare lefthand turn. I had the benefit of being passed just before I did the turn for the first time, so I could follow the other’s line through the curve. None the less, I really only nailed the curve twice. All of the other times I misjudged and found myself going very wide through the turn.

I worked very hard during the race. My average power was 231 watts and my average heart rate was 151 bpm. Considering the wind, I am please with my average speed of 22.3 mph.

In terms of results, I did not do as well as I had hoped. I was 15th out of 17 folks in my division. But, I should add that the winner of my division was also the overall winner.