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IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike
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 I understand that the layout of these 2 course sis different but I have done IMMT, IMCDA and found that IMMT was prob the toughest bike course I have done to date. Just wondering if Whistler is steeper( doesn't seem to be). I have looked at all the bike courses online etc just wanted to hear from someone who has done both..and can give me some feedback. Thanks
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [mlaibe] [ In reply to ]
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Whistler is on a different level of toughness compared to Tremblant.

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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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My friend won his AG at IMMT in 2013 and was 3rd in his AG at Whistler in 2014 - his bike time at Whistler was about 10 min slower than Tremblant.

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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [natethomas] [ In reply to ]
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ok thank you
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [mlaibe] [ In reply to ]
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I did both three weeks apart last year and will post the Garmin files later. My bike split 3 weeks later in Tremblant was only 2 min faster on a pretty trashed body. Whistler is a way tougher course. I think the other posting that Whistler is around 10 min slower is close to right AND I think the impact of the Whistler course on the run split is also more dramatic.
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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OK so just pace yourself so you still have something on the run..got it. The grade on IMMT was like 15% i think at one point and Whistler doesn't show the same steepness, is it just that it is later in the course and you are tired?
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [mlaibe] [ In reply to ]
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mlaibe wrote:
OK so just pace yourself so you still have something on the run..got it. The grade on IMMT was like 15% i think at one point and Whistler doesn't show the same steepness, is it just that it is later in the course and you are tired?

The last 20 miles or so of the Whistler course are literally uphill. You are looking at % grade like it tells the whole story. A climb or two at Tremblant might have a steeper grade but they are very short climbs. Whistler has a 20 mile climb from about miles 90 to 110. It is a tough climb by itself, let alone 90 miles into the bike ride with a 26.2 mile run looming. The Callaghan Valley section is no picnic either but it comes early in the ride.

The Whistler bike course was just brutal last year because it got blasting hot in the Pemberton area. The last 30 miles of the bike course was just stupid hard last year.

The Whistler run is not easy either.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [mlaibe] [ In reply to ]
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mlaibe wrote:
OK so just pace yourself so you still have something on the run..got it. The grade on IMMT was like 15% i think at one point and Whistler doesn't show the same steepness, is it just that it is later in the course and you are tired?

Tremblant literally has 10 feet of vertical at 15% per lap....Whistler has something like 1/3 of the course miles of real climbing that are long hills in the 5-10% range. Tremblant has 80K of aerobar riding and 7-10K per loop that you get out of the aerobars and sit up or stand...probably even less if you ride the hills on the highway in the aero. Most of Tremblant course is no harder than Kona (in fact the topography is quite similar if you remove the vegetation and replace with lava)....the only difference is the final ~8K or so.
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [mlaibe] [ In reply to ]
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Whistler is on a different level of toughness compared to Tremblant.
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The last 20 miles or so of the Whistler course are literally uphill. You are looking at % grade like it tells the whole story. A climb or two at Tremblant might have a steeper grade but they are very short climbs. Whistler has a 20 mile climb from about miles 90 to 110. It is a tough climb by itself, let alone 90 miles into the bike ride with a 26.2 mile run looming. The Callaghan Valley section is no picnic either but it comes early in the ride.

The Whistler bike course was just brutal last year because it got blasting hot in the Pemberton area. The last 30 miles of the bike course was just stupid hard last year.

The Whistler run is not easy either.
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I agree with both posts


Train safe & smart
Bob

Last edited by: Longboarder: Apr 27, 15 10:09
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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GMAN19030 wrote:
The Whistler bike course was just brutal last year because it got blasting hot in the Pemberton area. The last 30 miles of the bike course was just stupid hard last year.
This.

If the race is on a sunny day, the heat just adds to the difficulty the longer you're out on the course. The last climb is completely exposed.
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [spudone] [ In reply to ]
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spudone wrote:
GMAN19030 wrote:
The Whistler bike course was just brutal last year because it got blasting hot in the Pemberton area. The last 30 miles of the bike course was just stupid hard last year.
This.

If the race is on a sunny day, the heat just adds to the difficulty the longer you're out on the course. The last climb is completely exposed.

Agreed. The climb back to whistler did seem a lot worst than it should have been last year which I attribute to the heat. Especially after being in the valley for a good 30 miles. Where it was a lot warmer.
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [blueapplepaste] [ In reply to ]
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blueapplepaste wrote:
spudone wrote:
GMAN19030 wrote:
The Whistler bike course was just brutal last year because it got blasting hot in the Pemberton area. The last 30 miles of the bike course was just stupid hard last year.

This.

If the race is on a sunny day, the heat just adds to the difficulty the longer you're out on the course. The last climb is completely exposed.


Agreed. The climb back to whistler did seem a lot worst than it should have been last year which I attribute to the heat. Especially after being in the valley for a good 30 miles. Where it was a lot warmer.

I did it in both 2013 and 2014 and the difference was alarming. I come from Texas which is on a whole different level of hot and humid than someplace like Whistler but the heat that day snuck up on me in a couple of ways:
1) The forecast called for temps in the 70's and not 90.
2) The temps we experienced on the bike went from 52 to 90 degrees according to my Garmin 510.
3) In SE Texas you know you're hot. It's 100 degrees and humid, there's nothing sneaky about it. In Whistler, I didn't feel hot in the way I'm used to because of the arid, mountainous, low humidity environment. By the time I realized I was blasting ass hot it was too late. I had become crampy and dehydrated. That was with about 10 miles to go in the Pemberton Valley flat section. So I was overheated, dehydrated, and cramping... and I still had the Pemberton to Whistler section ahead of me. After I finished the longest climb, right about mile 100, I just pulled over and sat on a guardrail for about 5 minutes. I was done. I had a cramp in my left leg that was just brutal. Got back on my bike and finished off the last 12 miles and pulled the plug at about mile 6 of the run. My only DNF in my triathlon history. 2013 was "easy" in comparison since the temps weren't as bad.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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I totally agree. That day in the Whistler the heat totally snuck up and I like hot races. Early morning, I wore toque and gloves to the swim start and then on the bike it was only on the climb back from Pemberton that I realized that I was profusely sweating (when your speed is barely 10-12 kph, you really see how hot it is)...prior to that in the valley I knew it was warm but did not realize how hot it had become.

Here are my garmin files....on the surface the numbers look similar, but you have to look at the elevation graphs and temperature graphs to get the real feel. I was also 137 lbs for these races with >4W per kilo FTP, so if you are lower than 4, your Whistler and Tremblant days would likely have a big divergence:

Whistler: 5:28 split, 2230m elevation, NP 197, TSS 325, IF 0.77, 3575 KJ (max temp 35C)

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/554672517

Tremblant: 5:25 split, 2069 elevation, NP 195,TSS 314, IF 0.76, 3507 KJ (max temp 21C)

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/572971137




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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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GMAN19030 wrote:
blueapplepaste wrote:
spudone wrote:
GMAN19030 wrote:
The Whistler bike course was just brutal last year because it got blasting hot in the Pemberton area. The last 30 miles of the bike course was just stupid hard last year.

This.

If the race is on a sunny day, the heat just adds to the difficulty the longer you're out on the course. The last climb is completely exposed.


Agreed. The climb back to whistler did seem a lot worst than it should have been last year which I attribute to the heat. Especially after being in the valley for a good 30 miles. Where it was a lot warmer.

I did it in both 2013 and 2014 and the difference was alarming. I come from Texas which is on a whole different level of hot and humid than someplace like Whistler but the heat that day snuck up on me in a couple of ways:
1) The forecast called for temps in the 70's and not 90.
2) The temps we experienced on the bike went from 52 to 90 degrees according to my Garmin 510.
3) In SE Texas you know you're hot. It's 100 degrees and humid, there's nothing sneaky about it. In Whistler, I didn't feel hot in the way I'm used to because of the arid, mountainous, low humidity environment. By the time I realized I was blasting ass hot it was too late. I had become crampy and dehydrated. That was with about 10 miles to go in the Pemberton Valley flat section. So I was overheated, dehydrated, and cramping... and I still had the Pemberton to Whistler section ahead of me. After I finished the longest climb, right about mile 100, I just pulled over and sat on a guardrail for about 5 minutes. I was done. I had a cramp in my left leg that was just brutal. Got back on my bike and finished off the last 12 miles and pulled the plug at about mile 6 of the run. My only DNF in my triathlon history. 2013 was "easy" in comparison since the temps weren't as bad.

At least we had some good conversation during the race. I never looked at the temps but legs siezed up coming into T2 due to lack of salt. Once I pounded a bottle of water and 2 salt tabs I was ok to run apart from my already destroyed neuromas in my feet. 2016 I will be back though.
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [PeteDin206] [ In reply to ]
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I think we were never more than 1/4 mile from each other on the bike course for pretty much the whole ride. I'd pass you, you'd pass me, you flatted or something, I nearly dropped dead around mile 100, etc. :-)

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [GMAN19030] [ In reply to ]
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GMAN19030 wrote:
I think we were never more than 1/4 mile from each other on the bike course for pretty much the whole ride. I'd pass you, you'd pass me, you flatted or something, I nearly dropped dead around mile 100, etc. :-)

Yeah that flat threw me off my game. That is when I started to realize it was hot, but didn't adjust enough.

Now if I can just get back to some normal training volume and get through the whole legal process after the accident I'll be ready for round 2.
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [PeteDin206] [ In reply to ]
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PeteDin206 wrote:
GMAN19030 wrote:
I think we were never more than 1/4 mile from each other on the bike course for pretty much the whole ride. I'd pass you, you'd pass me, you flatted or something, I nearly dropped dead around mile 100, etc. :-)


Yeah that flat threw me off my game. That is when I started to realize it was hot, but didn't adjust enough.

Now if I can just get back to some normal training volume and get through the whole legal process after the accident I'll be ready for round 2.

One more thing...the spacing of the aid stations on the climb home is too far apart. The aid stations on climbs should not be spaced by distance but by relative time. I am a relatively fast climber and I basically was out of liquid fast. My Garmin file says it was 35C and when you a climbing at slow air flow it is a LOT LOT worse than 35C in Texas and 35C in Kona (I can post Garmin files for both if anyone wants).
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Re: IMMT bike vs IMCA whistler bike [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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devashish_paul wrote:
PeteDin206 wrote:
GMAN19030 wrote:
I think we were never more than 1/4 mile from each other on the bike course for pretty much the whole ride. I'd pass you, you'd pass me, you flatted or something, I nearly dropped dead around mile 100, etc. :-)


Yeah that flat threw me off my game. That is when I started to realize it was hot, but didn't adjust enough.

Now if I can just get back to some normal training volume and get through the whole legal process after the accident I'll be ready for round 2.


One more thing...the spacing of the aid stations on the climb home is too far apart. The aid stations on climbs should not be spaced by distance but by relative time. I am a relatively fast climber and I basically was out of liquid fast. My Garmin file says it was 35C and when you a climbing at slow air flow it is a LOT LOT worse than 35C in Texas and 35C in Kona (I can post Garmin files for both if anyone wants).

Agreed Dev. I made a huge mistake in skipping one of the aid stations in Pemberton because I thought the aid stations would be in the same spot as 2013 but that was not the case. Went about 30 miles on one bottle of water. I started having issues after that.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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