Hi - I have seen the IMNA page with the comparison charts but does anyone know the elevation gain for the entire race…someone told me it was 6700 feet - is this close to the truth?
Thanks for the help.
Whatever they say, it only tells part of the story. It is a never ending series of short steep uphills followed by short steep downs. It seemed like you were always out of the saddle punching it up a hill and then coasting down the backside. It wore me out mentally and physically. I have done Hawaii and Lake Placid and thought Wisconsin was harder than either of them . I much prefer long steady climbs where you can get into a rythm. I went 10:01 at Placid and 9:59 in Kona but struggled home in 10:59 in Wisconsin. I was really done after the bike. The walkathon was just to finish.
lake Placid bike 5:27
Wisconsin bike 5:34
The difference was after the Placid ride I felt like a champ and ran a 3:20. After the Wisco ride I felt like I had been in a tough road race covering attacks all day. I wanted a nap not a marathon.
Damn, on behalf of all the IM Moo virgins I’d like to thank you for the uplifting pep talk. Looks like my training motivation from here on will be based largely on pure fear! So, based on your experience do you think a light road bike with lightest possible wheels or tri bike w/ light wheels would get you through in better shape than traditional tri bike w/ disc?
If you get a chance ride the course, and definately do some hill training. It was tough, but also fun. Its the only im ive done so I cant give you a comparison, but like the previous poster said its a constant up and down. The heat was also a factor last year.
I read in Silent Sports magazine that the Ironman Wisconsin bike course has about 1/2 the climbing of a nearby century ride that has 10,700 feet of climbing. The century rides on some of the same roads as IMWIS so here’s a link to that article…
In hindsight I would have used my road bike with clip ons. Being an idiot I did very little pre race investigating and assumed that being in Wisconsin meant flat and fast. I showed up with my low profile TT machine and 11-21 on the back. I really would have loved the drop bars and brake hoods for some of the out of the saddle climbs. I think the thing that hurt me the most was the mental aspect. Having mentally prepared and trained for a flat fast course, I was totally thrown for a loop by the hills. The equipment was a secondary factor. About mile 90 I mentally threw in the towel. I had enough and was way off my projected pace. I needed to suck it up and make the best of the hand I was dealt but couldnt do it. Some day I will go back to Madison and give it another go but right now the memory is still too fresh. I think if you know what to expect ahead of time the course could be fun and challenging. Just by asking questions now you are all way ahead of where I was going into the race.
This will be my first IM - in fact it is only my second season in this sport. God. Hearing you guys makes me realize how lucky I am to live here and ride that loop every weekend. We’ll see if I can do it in Sept.
In hindsight I would have used my road bike with clip ons.
Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to race IMMoo the year I signed up (2002) since I got injured. But I did do a fair amount of riding on the bike course with both road bike and tri-bike. IMO, a tri-bike is fine for the course. But the course definitely needs lower gearing than Lake Placid. I raced Lake Placid in 2000 and 2001 and did fine (splits in the 5:40s) with a 12-23 cassette (700C wheels, 39x53 chainrings). But in training on the IMMoo course, I struggled using a 12-25 cassette, especially on the 2nd lap.
It ain’t all that bad - true, it’s a pretty technical and demanding course…there’s not alot of flat ground out there. It’s essentially constant rollers, with a couple of short steep climbs thrown in for good measure. There’s really only one significant hill on the Madison-Verona leg, and it’s steeper on the backside so you’ll want to keep that in mind on the way back to T2. Out on the loop, there are 5 significant hills - The first one is early in the loop - there’s a bigass downhill leading to it, and that’ll help get you up the other side (although I stand up near the top). The second is the long grind up to Mt. Horeb - it’s long, but not so steep that you have to stand. The next 3 are pretty closely spaced - the first one is the longest, and pretty steep at that - not to mention that if you don’t know the course, it sneaks up on you 'cause it’s hidden in the trees and around a corner. If you’ve seen the picture of the guy in the devil suit, that’s where you’ll probably see him. The second is steep and short (maybe 250 meters long). The third is longer and just as steep. Fortunately (or not), the last 3 all come in pretty rapid succession and they’re near the end of the loop, so when you hit ‘em, at least you know you’re almost back to Verona. There are 2 screamin’ downhills - I can easily hit 45 mph after I spin out my 53/11 and coast - only problem is that one is on a very winding road (open to traffic, and some gravel patches) and one has a pretty sharp turn at the bottom. Best to get out and drive the loop so you’ll know where you can let it roll and where to be cautious. I ride a road bike with clip-ons, and my race wheels are Spinergy Rev-X’s (unless the Zipp fairy comes to my house before September) - gearing is 42/53 up front and I’ll ride an 11-23 on the back. The gearing combo might be a bit aggressive for such a rolling course, but it works for me. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend a disc - it can be windy out there. Whatever you ride, lightness will be rewarded. Best of luck in your training, and maybe I’ll see ya in Madison.
After riding it LOTS, for me it is road bike, clip-ons, lightweight spoked wheels and a 25 cog in the back. It’s not the first loop…it’s the second that can rip you, with that long uphill on the “string” back to Madison putting the icing on the cake…or the legs!
Good luck!
Ditto what Mark said – it’s the second lap that will get you. If you’re going to ride the course ahead of time, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do the main loop twice (80 miles). You don’t really feel the effect of all the hills after one lap (I know I didn’t).
Not sure about the total elevation gain. Strong riders should have no trouble with the course. This hills aren’t that big, but you have to be very patient. You ride up and down all day, and there were a lot of people who paid last year for being to eager early in the day.
– Big EE
I’m really really surprized at that. From the bike profiles it looks like IM LP is way more difficult than IM Wis.
I’d be interested if anyone has compared bike splits between IM LP and IM Wis.
We have been thinking of doing IM Wis next year for a change having done IMLP several times.
…It seemed like you were always out of the saddle punching it up a hill and then coasting down the backside…
Not to pick on Paul but more as a suggestion for others doing the race, this is not the best way to ride the course. I found it best to stay seated and in the aero bars throughout the whole ride. For the up hills, choke up on the aero bars and grab the flats in order to get more leverage. Get yourself a low gear and spin. I used a 39x27 700c and could have used one lower gear on the big hill for the second lap. For the down hills, flip into your highest gear and keep pedaling. You’ll pass tons of people that way. Make sure you’re comfortable in the aero bars at 40+ mph.
My bike split was pretty much the same between LP and Wisconsin, but I think Wisconsin is a little tougher. The hills are short (but frequent) and it is hard to get into a rythem. Also, there are no long downhills to give your legs a rest. Riding the Wisconsin course in advance helped a lot.
Keep in mind that while the bike may be a little tougher, the run is certainly easier (esp. now that they cut out the backside of Observatory Hill) so its a tradeoff
The actual evlevation gain from start to finish is 0. You start at 600ft and finish at 600ft.
Sorry–only a little.
… I wouldn’t recommend a disc - it can be windy out there. Whatever you ride, lightness will be rewarded …
A disc will be less affected by cross winds than an aero front wheel. In fact, a disc can help stabilize an aero front wheel. I’d suggest a disc and a less aero front wheel for anyone concerned about being blown around.
As for lightness, aero always wins over lightweight for a looped course.
Hi,
I rode 5:13 in 2002 at IMWI, 19th OA bike split (I think). Set up: 650c P3 with Hed 3 front, Disk rear. 39/55 with a hybrid cassette. I took the 25-24-23 cluster (I think that was it) and put it on a 21-11. So I had 23 to 25 for climbing but retained the tight gear ratio in the middle of the cassette and the 55-11 for downhills. I had the bike tuned with this gearing in Madison. When shifting from big ring to small ring I first shifted to the middle of the cassette, soft pedaled the chain to the SCR, then shift the rear deraileur to the gear I want. I’ve been riding this 39/55 ever since.
The description by the first poster is exactly how you do NOT want to ride this course. This is my climbing style, after racing and training with power for over 2 years: Divide the hill into three parts: base, body, crest/first 3rd of downhill. As you transition from the flat to the base of the hill, pay very close attention to your cadence and the pressure on the soles of your feet. Shift through the gears, maintaining the same cadence and this same pressure. Best to go into the base of the hill with a rider near you, to provide you with a frame of reference. You want him to gap you on the base of the hill. Your intent through all of this is to avoid the power spike that is very natural at the base of the hill. When you ride with power you immediately see how easy it is to toss out huge watts for little gain. Headwinds and the base of hills are classics. You are now in the body of the hill. Just manage your effort and stay within yourself. A few notes here: First, realize that HR lags effort by about 90 seconds. Don’t wait for your HR to rise to the HR cap you have set for yourself on the hill. The damage has probably already been done. In general, climb easier than you think you should be. Second, you will probably start to close the gap on your marker friend. He spiked his watts. His body sensed he was working too hard and he has now backed WAY off whatever watts he was tossing out at the start of the hill. You, however, are simply maintaining the same effort. Third, ALWAYS bring enough gears to give you whatever cadence you want to see on the steepest hill of the course. Personally, the lowest cadence I like to see in an IM is 65rpm and I’ll put anything on my bike to give me that. Crest and downhill: as the hill starts to flatten out the overwhelming tendency is to shut it down and begin coasting as soon as possible. This is wrong. Instead, simply maintain the same effort in the body of the hill, over the crest and into the first third of the downhill, shifting quickly to maintain your cadence as the bike accelerates. In the end, I’m only asking you to make the climb about 10-15 seconds longer. The difference is that are quickly accelerating up to 28-32+mph and coasting, instead of shutting it down at the top of the hill and coasting at 26mph. And, you carry this high speed across the intervening flat and into the next hill.
I’ve been climbing like this for almost 3 years and it works.
Another consideration of all of this is that it plays to our strengths as steady state athletes and avoids our weakness: short, high power bursts. How many of you have done roadie rides and felt very strong taking long pulls in the front? We are very good a pegging a number and just sitting there. But when the short hills and corners start, requiring huge power spikes and quick accelerations to keep with the group, we (I) get creamed. So why would you ever ride an Ironman like this? Make a hilly course as steady state as possible, and apply watts to quickly accelerating into a downhill, coasting at 32+ vs 26, instead of climbing a little harder and going 8mph up the hill vs 7mph.
Great post & Tips
But… what about the elevation gain?
Anyone rode the bike course using a Polar 710/720?
Thanks
Luis (from Brazil - Who is not going to have the chance to ride the course before sept 12th) 
I remember somebody else posting the stats on a different forum:
IMWI = 6,300 ft of climbing over 112 miles
The double metric century in the same area as MOO:
Horribly Hilly 200K = 11,500 ft of climbing over 124 miles
.