2010 was the first year of the "new" course and the last year I raced it after multiple times on the old one. I preferred the old one. I'd say the old out and back, the one that will be back this year, has more rolling terrain and a few little hills. But, given the timing, I think it breaks up a lot of the bigger climbs on the course a little better. With the Ausible Forks out and back you had that after the flattest section of the course, then you turned up 86 and had that big climb to Jay and not long after that you were already climbing back to town. That was a lot of climbing in a shorter stretch.

With the old out and back, you'd do the Jay climb and then hit the rollers on the out and back, and if I remember correctly it was a little more downhill on the return, so you got a decent little break before you had to climb back to town. The other thing I remember about the first time on the new out and back was that it was too early in the race to have spread out the cyclists and everyone was really bunched up, and that didn't seem to be as big of an issue when the out and back came later, after that big climb up 86. But that may have had more to do with the fact that they kept increasing the amount of athletes let in every year than the actual out and back.

For most, I don't think you'll notice a huge difference. I think it's a nicer way to break up the climbing in the second half of the loop and that it makes it a little "easier" in that regard. Others might prefer that the Ausible Forks version was a little less hilly.

I agree - the Haselton out-and-back was a nice way to break things up after making that hard left on 86 in Jay and starting that climb. You had that quick drop ('the sand hill") on the way out that was short but steep on the way back, plus a long gradual grade in the last mile or so before the turnaround that translated into some quick speed once you made the turn. I never raced on the newer course but drove that stretch last summer out to Ausable Forks and it seemed mostly flat; I did ride the old course though while I was there.

I also agree that the one downside of that out-and-back was how crowded it could get as they increased the number of participants. It was tough for the draft marshals too because the road was narrower than the rest of the course so it was hard to get the motorcycles down there with the bikes on both sides, so you'd see lots of people taking advantage and bunching up.

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"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

Interestingly, it looks like they've kept the early out-and-back at the Olympic Center as well, so it's a mix of the old course and the "new" one.

I do like how it puts that wall of a climb earlier in both loops when you turn onto 86. Should be interesting to see how that separates people / causes folks to burn a few more matches early.

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