Very helpful thanks. So sounds like I'd be in okay shape without the compact and a 29 granny gear for insurance....

Do you (or anyone) know if the "new" (for 2018) bike course is similar with respect to steepness? It's kind of hard to tell based on course info available at IM website. I http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events ... z5CrUfNPn9

If I do opt for a 29 cassette, any thoughts on 11-29 vs 12-29? Should I be coasting on the downhills, or keep on the pedals at low power to make up some time?

Hello all. First post alert!

I'm an early-30s San Francisco, CA based MOP triathlete. Fairly strong swimmer/runner and relatively weak rider (3.0 watts/kg weighing 70kg) with mediocre bike handling skills.

I'm looking for some gearing advice as I enter the final stages of training for IM Canada this July. This is my second IM, with previous being IM Louisville at 6.5 hour bike leg. Consensus for the old IM Canada course seems to be that a compact + 11/28 is ideal for most riders. I'm not sure if new course announced for Whistler this year changes this guidance.


My bike: Canyon Ultimate 9 SLX Pro, Campy Record 36/52 x 12-27 running Bora 50s.

So question is: What should I do with respect to gearing. Easiest fix is dropping on 12 x 29 cassette. Alternatively, I could swap to a compact and run the 12-29 (or perhaps an 11-29 to get back some of my top end), but that's obviously a bigger upgrade. I presume both options will require a new chain.

At the end of the day, cost isn't really an issue, especially since I could recoup much of the cost of a new new crank by selling my old one. I just want the best setup for least hassle that will leave my legs fresh enough to finish the marathon and be versatile enough for my shorter course races.

Thanks!

I'm planning on bringing a 36x32. I determined that based on throwing my race plan into bestbikesplit and looked at the speed of my slowest interval. Based on that speed, I used a gear calculator to find my cadence in a variety of gears and the 32 was needed to keep my legs spinning at a cadence I deemed acceptable.

You may want to try a similar exercise.

I came to Whistler because I had some downtime from work. I rode the bike course. I think one of the loops is close to 2800 feet of elevation.

Here is my breakdown of the bike course. It's 3 parts.

Part 1: Alta Road - 9 Miles round trip. Going up, it isn't that bad. 2 big climbs but nothing that you can't handle. A lot of the climbs you can get some momentum to get up it. Going down takes you about half the time if you're willing to go for it. There are some curves when going downhill and there are some parts of the road that will need some work. There are 3 speed bumps which you will feel if you are going fast on the downhill descents.

Part 2: Sea to Sky Highway. It is 22 miles road trip to and from Alpine Road. It takes me about 30 minutes to get to Callaghan Road. Takes me about 40 minutes to come up from Callaghan Road to Alpine Road. When the highway is closed off for the Ironman, I believe that going from Alpine Road to Callaghan will be at least a minute to 2 minutes quicker. There are 3 climbs that I can remember (Alpine to Callaghan). Some climbs you can get some momentum with from the downhill. Not as bad as going from Callaghan to Alpine Road. This is where I think most of the elevation comes from. There are at least 3 LONG CLIMBS where you are just grinding it out.

Part 3: Callaghan Road. 6 miles round trip. It's long to go up. It takes half the amount of time to come down. I can see it being a little dangerous in parts coming down as the decline is very steep and people are going to want to push it.

Overview: Its going to be a long bike day. I road the other day from Whistler Village to Pemberton, and yes, that was a tough ride going and coming back. But at least you had the 28 mile flat ride in the Meadows to kind of make up time and relax before you began your trip back to the Village. The Sea to Sky Highway, I know in previous versions of IM Canada you had to do that, but it really takes its toll on you. I really think overall it's going to be closer to 8000 ft of climbing. The main issue that I have is that there isn't really a lot of downtime on the course where you can rest a little bit. Even on the descents there is a turn or slight curve that you have to be able to handle. It is very up and down and like a previous poster posted, you will have to be good at changing your gears because there will be a lot of that going on this bike ride. Wind will be a factor in several places, especially the Sea to Sky highway. I have had it both going out and coming back on it. Crosswind, headwind, you can feel it. Even the most experienced and strong bike rider will feel the 3 loops.

Will head back up and ride the entire course soon. Will give you the exact details when I get it.

Figure out the worst grades at the race and then find similar grades near your house. Try your current gearing on that. If it's not enough, change it. Don't guess. Try it for real and know.

Yes, this is why I'm leaning to simply spending a weekend in Whister to ride the course and really KNOW. There are certainly no shortage of steep climbs here in San Francisco Bay area (where I feel like my 36 x 29 gearing is lacking on longer/steeper routes), but even after mapping the IM Canada course on RideWithGPS, it's hard to tell how the elevation chart will feel real world.

I'm leaning toward switching to the compact for insurance. I think I'd rather have extra gears going up than down.

Yes, this is why I'm leaning to simply spending a weekend in Whister to ride the course and really KNOW. There are certainly no shortage of steep climbs here in San Francisco Bay area (where I feel like my 36 x 29 gearing is lacking on longer/steeper routes), but even after mapping the IM Canada course on RideWithGPS, it's hard to tell how the elevation chart will feel real world.

I'm leaning toward switching to the compact for insurance. I think I'd rather have extra gears going up than down.

Do you know how far up Callahan the riders will actually go for the full?

the race director previously indicated somewhere she thought the turnaround to be at approx Dority creek bridge. This is 3.74 km from the highway (according to my Garmin) and 158 meters of climbing (from the highway) (rode it on the weekend)

as a side note.... this turnaround is unfortunate as the Calighan climb and decent are the best parts of the old course that we no longer get to do.... Hopefully when details of this new course are posted we will get to go up further - I would rather go up Calighan further and skip the Stoneybridge turnaround on Alta lake road

Does anyone have a wat to simulate the callaghan climb on a taxc neo?. Im new to this but doing the 70.3 this year.