Banff Bikefest Time Trial

Today was the Banff Bikefest Time Trial. It takes place on a great course towards Lake Minnewanka. So much better than than the usual Alberta TT: go straight, 90° turn, more straight. The road heads out of Banff and under the Trans-Canada before winding along a scenic road towards the lake. The first half is hilly and climbs towards the summit near the lake then there's a fast, twisty descent back to the finish.
I arrived a little later than I would have liked but got in a quick warm-up and a two gels before I took my start. There was a big tailwind out of Banff which made the ride to the loop seem quick. The climbs this year didn't seem very hard and I was surprised to find myself almost half-finished before I knew it. I caught the same guy I caught on the hill climb as he struggled through the first half climbs as well as a Speed Theory rider. I caught the other rider I passed at the end of the hill climb as we were finishing off the loop by the lake. About four riders caught me but none after the summit of the loop. One who caught me I think I saw walking around after the first texas gate after the loop. Aerodynamics was the name of the game for the descent as there was a good headwind the whole way in.
I finished the 21.2 km course is 35:52, according to my GPS. I averaged 35.5 km/h with a maximum speed of 62.6 km/h. My average heart rate was a little lower than I would have liked at 166 bpm and a maximum of 174 bpm but I still felt like I put in a good effort. I'm very happy with my ride because I had been averaging around 33.7 km/h for my other time trials this year. Also, I took nearly five minutes off my time from last year; most of that during the first half of the race. The wind probably has a huge part to play in that since it was pushing me up the small climb to the loop by the lake. From the summit to the finish, I did go about 30 seconds faster than last year despite the wind. There was a small family of bighorn sheep feeding by the lake at almost the exact same spot as last year.
All in all, a good day for me.