Havent done the race, but have trained a lot on the two first mountains\ hills.

It depends on you ambitions. If you are a very strong cyclist and your downhill skills on the TT is good i cant se why you should not use your TT bike. I would recommend a 27. or 28. sprocket on the back though. The first climb is pretty steady withouth the most challenging of ramps but it is long, 25 km including 2-3 kms of flat and easy terrain 2\3 up. When you reach Dyranut, depending on the weather of the day it is going to be fast. Some small bumps in the road but nothing you should get out of the aerotuck for. When you reach Geilo, the Kikut hills is pretty steep, therby the 28 sprocket advice.

The following downhills are fast and on a surface wich have seen much better days. So heres where your donwhill skills are cominging in handy!

I am not going to do the race but keep an eye out for me 5 kms before Geilo. I willl be the grumpy guy standing at the roadside hoping fetch Maccas bottle.

As to your gearing and handle bar needs, only you and your comfort and climbing and descending on TT bikes can really inform that. I have always felt with a good basebar position and practice one can corner nearly as good on a TT bike as a road bike, but that is up to you.

BestBikeSplit.com can help inform the wheel choice though, as to whether 808s or super light wheels will be faster. I can tell you from experiences with courses much nastier hill wise, that the 808s will be faster assuming there aren't winds that cause handling problems =)

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Hi, finished the race last year (2nd brit, 36th male, 40th overall) in some pretty appalling weather during the bike. Road a Canyon Ultimate Sfx with my climbing wheels and clip ons, If I were doing it again then I would go tt with shallow , light wheels. The climbs are steady and long as per most alpine hills and the descents are fast (couple of tighter hairpins on the last but nothing crazy). The road surface on the last long descent can be very poor. My 3 bits of advice are get your team ready to clear T1 as soon as you do as a long traffic jam forms quickly, scout up the road the day before and pick a spot up on the plateau to have your first "aid station" away from every one else. Don't plan to save your legs for zombie, you'll take more people in first 20km of the run than will take you up the hill. And lastly get your team to bring their wetsuits and enjoy the Fjord swim and coffee the day before, it is a truly fantastic experience.
Good Luck!

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It's only impossible if you stop to think about it.

It is great to hear from folks who have personal experience.

Probably Go with very light deep wheels ... are those an option :). Like jack mentioned if stability isn't an issue go 808s.

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Founder: BestBikeSplit
Amazonian

I agree with, Mooks.

I did the course last year and would have gone with a TT bike for those exact reasons. I rode a road bike last year and if I do the race again would ride a TT bike.

Hi,
did the race in 2012 on my Isaac Joule Aerotic (tt bike) and Zipp 404. Like the previous poster already said, the ascents are long but not too steep, and the descents are just fine. A few hairpins on the last descent and quite a bumpy road on that last one, but nothing too concerning. I would have killed myself had I brought the road bike. So much time to lose on the plateau and the long descents.
I think the 808 are a little overkill, and I'd take the Reynolds.

Regarding the traffic jam after t1, that very much depends on your swimm skills :) I came out of the water in just under an hour and was fine.

Happy training from a fellow(?) Austrian

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2012: Norseman. I'm done.

geat! :)
thanx for your very helpful advice! TT on lihgt wheels with good breaks (sram red) and 53/39 and 12-27 would be my favourite choice for now, as i can also hammer the TT in hairpins nicely :)

It's nice to live the experience over again vicariously though competitors this year. An extra bit of advice is to make sure that your team know what to expect, can have every thing from bottles of fuel / water to banana's to gillet or jacket to hand quickly as the climate can change massively and are used to seeing you or others suffer and continue to push you. I only had one support, my wife, who read me the riot act as we climbed the final mountain. I had stopped eating and talking but she "persuaded" me to down a banana and kick on to the finish.

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It's only impossible if you stop to think about it.

We had friends who exited the water in the top 3 men but their crew hadn't packed up their hotel kit and so although as an athlete you'll sail through your crew will struggle to catch up! Plus given the field most of us were coming out on the hour.

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It's only impossible if you stop to think about it.

Any tips from your wife to pass on to my support crew? It sounds like they will have an equally long and challenging day ahead of them, so if she has any advice, I would love to pass it on.

Thanks also for the feedback on the bike. I was semi contemplating taking my road bike, but this feedback has sealed my choice of P5 with wheels suitable for descending in all conditions.

Feel lucky, you will have an incredible experience.

If you feel safe on your tt bike, use it. Non of the downhill are really difficult. Especially not if you are from Austria (the hilly part ;-)
Last year it was windy, but I had no problem using Mavic 40cc. I know people using deeper wheels with no problem. It is all about the rider.

The first 40 kilometers have a lot of climbing on narrow roads with hardly any possibilities for your support to support you if something happen. Then you will enjoy the next 40k to Geilo, especially if you do not get headwind.
From 90k you will have 4 hills. They are not steep, but grinding. The downhill are not technical, just the last one has some hairpin turns. The surface of the last 25k was really bad last year, but good news. They have resurfaced it so it will be fast. Your support crew cannot be behind you at the top of the hill, then they will run intro trouble to get everything ready and to park the car at T2. Also have the backpacks ready for the hike up to the summit. I have written a lot about the different legs on my website.

Also, be nice to your support team. They will have a LONG day, and will do everything for you to have the race of your life.

This is what I wrote in my RR about finishing the race:
And finally I crossed the finish line with my brother and my dad.
I had done it.
Right there it all made sense, all the pain was worth it.
I had been focused the whole day and now I could relax and yes I cried.
What a race, what a journey, what a support team.

Support crew here! I wasn't prepared for how stressful it would be. It's great fun though. Here's what I wrote about the day: http://oneenduranceeventatatime.wordpress.com/...-it-says-on-the-can/
If you need anything at all give me a shout over on twitter (@vickiewoodsford) and I'll gladly help if I can

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It's only impossible if you stop to think about it.

This is a good video describing the stressful job of being a support crew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWSD-EndTxM

I did the 2013 race on my QR CD 0.1 with Shimano C50 wheels. I was pretty happy with this setup. The Di2 shifters on the basebars were a huge help in the climbs. The downhills are not technical, so as long as you are comfortable with your handling on a TT bike, I say go for that.

I have a lot more specifics in my race report here. Feel free to send any questions you may have. Are you driving to the race?

Good luck!
Ann

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__________________
Proud member of the Timex Multisport Team
Check out my charity initiatives at my blog http://helpmetri.blogspot.com/

2 places behind Mooks and 3rd brig ;0)

TT bike (planet x),HED 90/60.

Compact rotor with p2max and 28 cassette.

The easier chainset helped save the legs for the run.

How strong of an Ironman-biker are you?

For me:

2013 Race, 13th place finish OA. P3 with C50's. 54/39 x 12/27.

I will probably be racing a NP3 with a H3+ Disc this year with similar gearing. Wasn't well prepared this year for the bike, will be better tis time around, i hope. The weather can't be worse this time around.....

I'd go with the Walser with the light shallow wheels if I had your options in 2013, and for the Walser with 808's when well prepared. The climbs aren't that steep and you can win a lot by being aero on the Hardanggervidda and the downhills.

Hope this helps....

Have you got any pic of the Walser?

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http://cds-0.blogspot.com

sure do!
here a shot in usual triathlon-set-up.
PB in klagenfurt / austria 2011 > 9:40

what would be realistic for norseman, compared to your results?

I can't answer any of your Norseman questions but that's one sick looking bike. I'd ride it just to look good.

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"Unless you have a ... GF who might put out that night and that night only ... skip it and race." - AndyPants 3-15-2007

I'll be riding my QR CD0.1 this summer!

Another question: do folks change into hiking books for the final trek up to Gaustatoppen? Some of those rocks look like it would be easy to turn an ankle, especially after a long day on the feet when athletes might not be mentally all there.

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Rusch Racing | website | @maggieru | Instagram
Ask me about: Alto Cycling | Cuore | Base Performance | XTERRA Wetsuits | Cadence Run Company | First Bourn. Coached by: Desert Dude

You do not need to change shoes. Yes you will walk on rocks but it is manageable. If you have weak ankles maybe a change is the best. I had no problem using my running shoes, and I was really tired :-)
Just be aware of the temperature changes from the valley up to the mountain, and potential rain, wind or snow.
Make sure your support crew has warmer running gear ready, and also something warm to change into after you finish.

But nothing tastes better than the tomato soup. I will also recommend the waffle.

hi guys,

i calculated the average gradients on the norseman-climbs. see attached.

DOES ANYBODY KNOW THE MAXIMUM GRADIENTS OF THE CLIMBS?

i am not sure on which transmission to go for?
i ride 26-39 i races and 27-39 in training.

are there any longer climbs with more than 18% ? can not figure that out via web. the average climbs seem ok, compared to our climbs in the Austrian Alps.

all the best
mike

Support crew: I haven't done Norseman, but twice Celtman (same principle). It is stressing and tiring for the crew. We are constantly moving, and although they go much faster in a car, they can be completely busy all day long (and it's a long day ;). We settled on having fewer but very well defined meeting points. It's easier for the crew has it is hard to be alert all the time, and they can rest in between pit stops. It's also better for you to know where you will meet them. However, be prepared to be a bit autonomous. If there is something special that you want and haven't planned before (e.g. cold: need a jacket), don't stop, shout it when you pass them and carry on. They find what you need in the mess that the car is rapidly becoming, pass you and wait for you just a little bit further. You can lose a lot of time having a nice time with your crew. Good luck, it's fun!