Can someone out there tell me the total climbing for the bike course at IMCDA? A group of us are training for it and we’ve all done IMC and/or IMUSA and would like to have a comparison. According to my S710 (which may be off by a few percent), IMC was around 4950 and IMUSA about 5400. The online course profile comparison is helpful and makes IMCDA look considerably flatter, but I’m a numbers guy and would like something more precise than those charts. Any feedback on the overall course would be appreciated also.
I can not answer your question,however a word of warning. I did CDA last year. This is what I found interesting. I live in Montana,and used to climbing.Lots of hills here.I climbed more on all my training rides than at CDA.The problem with CDA is you are constantly shifting and breaking your rhythm.It is a deceiving course although the climbing is not near as much as LP or IMC.
I’ve done both IMC and IMCDA and I felt the type of climbing was very dfferent. At IMC you stayed with a long steady climb and were able to get into a rythm while at CDA the terrain was constantly changing. The key to CDA is getting good at transitions between terrain types, none of the climbs were longer than 5-10 minutes if I remeber correctly.
Did IMCDA last year and the climbs were a non issue. However the course is pretty technical in parts with short steep climbs that make getting into a rhythm a bit tough as you were constantly up and down. Descending and breaking I thought were key as you have some very technical descents. There was also alot of wind which was a big factor when you look at the bike splits. Needless to say the heat led to a ton of DNF’s but if the heat had been under 90 and the wind not so tough on the flats the bike course could be pretty fast for a technically savy rider. If the conditions are anything like they were last year you just sort to have to grind it out
I’ve raced IMUSA, IMC, and IMCdA. They are all different courses and require modifications to your mental preparation (although I don’t think you need to significantly change your physical training).
The longest climb at CdA takes between 6 and 8 minutes. It is not particularly long, but has a decent pitch. There are a number of “rollers” as well between the two climbs which do have a cumulative effect and definitely take focus to “stay on top of your HR/Cadence.”
The final 18 miles of each lap are fairly flat, but can be marked by prevailing headwinds. They are also a bit less beautiful so they are a mental challenge.
I don’t know the total elevation gain. However, I’d suggest you do your training on rolling hills with a few extra corners and focus on keeping a very steady HR throughout the climbs/descents.
I wouldn’t worry about the heat…I believe last year was an anomoly (which is a shame because I love the heat).