Has anyone rode the IM Louisville course? What is it like? How would it compare to IM Wisc?
This is perhaps my first Ironman where I’m more concerned about the swim than the bike or the run.
Anybody comment on the current swim situation? It appears that it will either be the fastest IM swim course on record, or the slowest…depending upon how they open the dams. Would it seem “right” to make the swim course longer (or shorter) based upon the current?
I was nice and did a search of THIS FORUM for you and found this.
I spoke to someone at WTC, who will remain nameless since I didn’t ask if I could post his response, and he indicated that the swim is looking very good at this point and that the locks were currently opena dn the current in the river looked VERY light…the plan is to still close the locks to minimize any current that may exist. The only real concern from the WTC perspective is if they get real heavy rain in the 24 hours immediately prior to race time.
Just FYI…
Paul
That’s good news…
Although, what does that mean?
Locks open = strong current = One way swim course?
Lock open = strong current = 1 loop course with one wickedly hard swim back to the start?
Locks closed = weak current = 1 loop swim?
I’m not a weak swimmer, but do have nightmares about making the turn around and swimming in an endless pool until 2:20 trickles by…
Thanks for the bike map, but on a computer it doesn’t help me much. Just so I have a better idea, are the hills frequent and shorter, or steep and long. How would it compare to any other ironman?
For the swim…I would assume, if there is a strong current, the worst it would be is an easy swim one way and hard the other. My concern is not so much the swim but the heat and humidity.
We will be swimming into the current on the way out and with it on the way back. I wouldn’t worry too much about the current. When they have the two dams closed there is virtually no current.
Do searches on IMLOU, IM LOU, IM KY. I wish everyone would post under one consistent IM heading, like IMLOU.
One post that I asked was about gearing and i indicated that I ride around a 5:45 to a 6:00 hr IM and normally use a 39/27 for IMC and the old IMCDA. They said stay with the 27 just to be safe. I don’t want to be grinding on the second loop on any of the short hills. I normally ride a 39/25 but like to have that easy gear to spin on the short steep stuff when racing.
**IMO - Ironman Louisville’s bike course is more difficult than Moo. The course is more “frustrating” in that the climbs are steeper and really kill your speed average. If you were thinking of a bike PR at Louisville, forget it. Moo is constant rollers that can be ridden mostly in the big ring. I rode the Moo course twice with a training buddy and it was a very reasonable course. Not easy, but reasonable for a 1st timer with minimal bike experience. Moo - Constant steady rollers with heat **(usually) to go with it. **L’ville - sharper extended climbs and heat, **no way to get over in the big ring unless you plan to see a knee surgeon soon.
IM-L’ville has a nice pancake flat start (8-9 miles) and then the lots of hills ranging from 6% to 10+%. It’s the kind of course that folks who have not ridden it may blow up on. Thank goodness the run is flat. The hills are extended so you do not get the benefit of carrying momentum over the next grade. Training: I suggest people focus on the sections around La Grange. The double loop section of the course is primarily where time will be made up or lost.
I rode the course yesterday (without the flat section), essentially 100 miles of hills and it was no picnic. There are some stretches (Hwy 42 back into town) that are good for getting your average speed back up. Up until that point, your average speed will look terrible. Like I mentioned above, the course can be frustrating if you are watching the clock and MPH closely.
To put in in perspective, I rode a flat IM-FL in the mid 5 hours, IM AZ about the same, IMLP in 6hrs and expect to ride IM-L’ville around 6:15-6:25.
Best of luck.
-WT
Just remember that difficulty is relative to an individual. This course isn’t that difficult. Think consistency rather than where you can make up time on the course. The scenery is awsome. Enjoy that.
I’ll chime in with my 2 cents:
I’d put the difficulty about the same as IM Moo. I think the hills are a little worse at Lou, but the first 10 is pancake flat along with the last 10, and those 20 miles will help a lot settling in after T1 and going easy into T2.
Hills are WAY shorter than IM LP. This course will hurt weaker cyclists and women a lot more than experienced cyclists since a really strong guy can power over many of the hills if you bomb down them, up and over. Most people in an IM though coast down the hills or at any speed over 25 mph, and if you do that, you can’t make it up the next. Then shifting, shifting, small ring, over, big ring, repeat. HUGE difference in time there.
Pretty easy run though, thankfully