Hello. Has anyone done IM Copenhagen to provide an appraisal of the bike course? It looks quick from the profile. Looking to ride a 1x (54) and 11 - 28. Thanks.
Hello. Has anyone done IM Copenhagen to provide an appraisal of the bike course? It looks quick from the profile. Looking to ride a 1x (54) and 11 - 28. Thanks.
It’s a fast course w/o any significant climbs. I did it in 2018. Loved it. Beautiful course too. First time racing in Europe. Also loved the European bike handling skills compared to the USA (no offense to anyone). It’s not pancake flat like IMMD but it’s faster than any other IM courses I’ve done. But my other IMs include Lake Placid, Mont Tremblant and Whistler. All very hilly. So Copenhagen was really fast compared to other races I’ve done. Enjoy. It’s a great race overall. Run is awesome too in the city of Copenhagen! And it’s one of the cooler races (regarding heat levels).
Did IMCPH 3x.
1x should be fine. What do you need?
Biggest issue biking in Copenhagen is the wind. No major climbs, quite a few undulations though and you end up with some total climbing.
Thanks. The profile suggests like the ascents are not more than about 40m up over the distance of a couple of km - is that about right?
Thanks for responses.
Looking at the map, I think the worst hill is likely Geels Bakke, which I think is roughly around 6% and 400 m. The cycling world championship finished on the top of that hill back in 2011 and Cavendish won in a bunch sprint, so it’s not the hardest climb in the world.
Yep. Geels Bakke is like 40m+ and loads of fun with many spectators cheering. But you hit it at 60-70 kmh so no biggie
I’ll stand at Geels cheering.
It has 24 m elevation over 0,6 km, nutrition at the top.
I Think 1x in front will be ok, depending on your weight and the wind.
Here is a good video, that explains the bike course and its details well. The dude speaks Danish, but the CC works fine 
I actually just learned that they have now flipped the direction of the course, which makes that one hill a bit less steep. 1x will be all fine.
Excellent thanks. That was very helpful.
It’ll be interesting to hear what this year’s course is like since they switched it around. I’ve done the race 3x but with the old course profile which was pretty fast. The bit of rollers in the “countryside” roads can be slow because it takes you out of rhythm. You just have to be patient for about 45 min getting through that section. Then get back on the main roads where you can sit in aero, not sure how the wind direction will be though. Good luck!
I will let you know after next weekend. Looks a good course with nice road surface for most of it (much better than Bolton which was a bitch).
Race Hard! Have fun! Copenhagen is beautiful and the run is insane with so many spectators cheering!
Actually your post here and watching the bike course video, just put CPH (4th time) on the map for 2024 for me, so thanks for that
CPH was where I first time KQed, so it has a special place in my heart
No chance of KQ in Cph this year. 20 slots total for men’s race - obviously 2024 is full of deferrals.
Great course. And if you are a reasonable good biker 1x is the way to go. Did it with same gearing in 2018 and no issues.
Course is now slightly changed and loop is reversed. Shouldn’t matter for gearing though.
My biggest gripe with the course is that it is mostly only one lane that is closed and that’s just too narrow for passing slower athletes on lap 2 so you’ll need to either brake, pass too close or cross the center line… for most of lap 2.
Looking at the map, I think the worst hill is likely Geels Bakke, which I think is roughly around 6% and 400 m. The cycling world championship finished on the top of that hill back in 2011 and Cavendish won in a bunch sprint, so it’s not the hardest climb in the world.
Easy hill. No worries here. There are no true hills around Copenhagen. The key, is the wind, a bad day can be horrible with 25MPH winds usually hitting from the west.
Having completed IM CPH on Sunday my thoughts are great race overall, great bike course and great support in the city centre for the run. I would highly recommend. CPH is a very nice place to visit and the local people are very friendly.
My initial question was regarding the suitability of a 1x for the bike course. This was fine and it was easy to carry speed into the few ascents (which were not severe at all). It is a very fast course particularly the section along the coast, which is done twice, although it was not windy on the day. The road surface is excellent apart from the start and finish in CPH city which is rough (lost bottle behind saddle within first 5km).
Good stuff. Glad you enjoyed it. I’m living in CPH now as an expat… not sure for how long but while here enjoying the great roads for cycling. Lucky you didn’t get the wind and I heard was an outstanding weekend weather wise (I was away). When it gets windy, it gets really tough… and that happens often (the wind). But hey Copenhagen is an outstanding city regardless.