Hello mates, has anyone done Austria and if so, how is the bike course. I have done Placid and Wisconsin for comparison. Does it sell out? I don’t remember and the website doesn’t tell me what time the sign up starts on July 9 for the 2008 race. Also, hints on where to stay, I have travelled with Ken Glahs group before, it was fine. Ideas are appreciated. Thanks!
I think Austria is an easier course than Lake Placid. I loved LP, but Austria is a far more beautiful course and the atmosphere during the race is better. You go up a really steep climb called the Rupiterburg and get screamed at by drunk Austrians yelling “Hup, Hup, Hup, Bravo.” One of the most awesome tri experiences I’ve ever had. After the steep but short climb, you get a nice long gradual descent. The run is pretty neat as you run a figure 8 along a canal path with one of the turnarounds at the town dragon - the Lindwurm. The city is a bit loud at night and the hotels are not air conditioned, so I did not get as much sleep pre-race as I would have liked. Also, it was such a great area to train in that it was hard to not go for long bike rides, swims, and rides during the week before the race. I travelled with Deepak at Premium Plus Sports and I would recommend them, as they did an excellent job. When I did the race a few years ago, it did not sell out until the fall, but my understanding now is that the race sells out very fast.
Thanks for the feedback. It looks like a stellar race. This “steep” hill, can you compare it to anything as far as length? Is it like the beast in St. Croix, or not that long? I love LP, so I think I may like this one.
Nothing at all like the beast at St. Croix. I smiled my whole way up at Austria - the crowd is awesome and the hill is not too bad and it felt nice to get out of the saddle a bit. Other then a smile of disbelief when I initiially made the left hand turn onto the beast and saw how steep it was, I did not do much smiling up the beast.