IM WI participants - I went up to Madison for a training ride this weekend, and thought I should let you know the current condition of the course (as of Friday 8/5). The rumors of fresh gravel out on the loop section are true - here’s where they are: Valley Rd/Sugar River Rd. - recently resurfaced, but fairly clean - the initial short climb still had some loose stuff on it, but the screamin’ downhill on the other side is clean enough to let 'er rip. **Garfoot Rd. - **this is the long, windy descent after the rollers on Witte Rd. Be advised - this was recently resurfaced, and is quite dangerous. Make sure your brakes/pads are in good working order - you’ll need them here. The entire length of the hill was very sketchy on Friday, but should be good to go within a week or 2. Old Sauk Pass - several patches resurfaced, but generally clean. All sections are preceeded by “Loose Gravel” signs - ignore them at your own peril. Be safe out there.
Will a 12-23 be OK, or do you recommend a 12-25 for this course? Thanks for the report!!
Spot
Thanks for the update. All these reports have me realley wishing I had a chance to ride the course before Moo, but its not in the cards. But reports like yours are great!
Appreciate you sharing!
All the best,
RF
I think a very strong cyclist would be okay with a 12-23. However, I did several training rides on this course with my new bike which had an 11-23…this wasn’t good for me. I bought a 12-25 and felt much more comfortable.
-Matt
What are some of the max grades? 15%?
Hmmm…I hesitate to make a recommendation on gearing without knowing peoples’ abilities. I can tell you that I’m riding a 42/53 front and I had a 12x25 9-speed this weekend. I used the 25 a couple times, but more than likely, I’ll go with the 12x23 for the race. The course is tough because there’s not alot of flats - lots of rollers chipping away at the legs. There are really only 5 climbs of significance - Mt. Horeb (a sit n’ spin 1/2 mile hill), Old Sauk Pass (pretty tough, but not brutal), Timber Lane (short and steep), Midtown Rd. (medium length and steep) and Whalen Rd. (1/2 mile sit n’ spin - but it’s on the way back to Madison and therefore late in the race). Sorry if I sound evasive on the gearing issue - I’d hate to screw you with the wrong recommendation. If you won’t be able to preview the course before coming to Madison, I’d say bring both cassettes and try 'em out on some of the hills if you have time before race day. A drive-by preview of the course would also do in a pinch.
I don’t believe anything near 15%. As far as TOPO is concerned only a few very short sections of 10-12%. Most long stretches are 7-10% or less.
~Matt
Thanks for the info…when you say steep, do you know what the grades approximate? 10%, 15%? I probably will take your advice and bring both cassettes with me just in case.
Spot
I’m with Matt - I figure the steepest climbs are ~10-12%. Timber Lane is ~100 m and Midtown Rd. is ~250 m. Timber Ln. is tough because you’ve just come over Old Sauk Pass, but it’ll be lined with very vocal spectators a la le Tour, which helps a ton. For my money, Midtown Rd. is the toughest - it comes right after a left turn, so there’s no building momentum into it - just stand up and grind.
ugh. is that the one that curves to the right at the top? i’m not a fan of that one either. and the other windy one that is surrounded by trees (nice for shade) i’m not keen on either.
last year there was fuss about similar road ‘improvements’ that were done just prior to the race and they were fine on the day. i’m sure it’ll all be good on the day.
k
Well, everybody has a different riding style, but I know that if I ride the course with a 39x25 as my smallest gear, at keep rpm’s no lower than 70 rpm slogging up the hills, I have to hold almost 400 watts on the hills, or almost double my average power output. Is that ok for the short hills? I’m not going to bother to change my cassette for the race, but I’ll consider making a change to allow significantly lower gearing next year.
Mark Harms
Madison, WI
Will a 12-23 be OK, or do you recommend a 12-25 for this course?
Almost everyone will need a 39x27 (700) for the one big hill if you plan on… 1)spinning up the hill (especially during the second loop, 2)riding the hill on the aerobars, and 3)keeping your watts/HR low.