Any houghts. I’ve heard madison is hilly with rollers
This is one of those perennial threads. Do a search and you’ll find a lot of posts.
Yeah, this topic has been addressed on this forum in several other threads but not by me. I did WI in '02 and '03 and LP this year, please hold your applause.
I live in Chicago so I’ve ridden the WI course several times. I always tell people who are doing that race for the first time, you really should get out there for a training weekend prior to racing. The course has some casual rolling hills and also a couple of short, steep climbs. But the really tricky parts are a couple of decents with turns that require some restraint. I think that course would be really dangerous for someone to do for the first time on race day, even if you drive it the day before. There’s one twisting downhill that I’ve never been able to navigate without braking a little and another straight drop with a sharp left turn at the bottom. And there’s a lot of open, lonely, quiet space out there without much to look at to break it up. You just put your head down and keep turning the pedals over.
I was intimidated heading out to Lake Placid the weekend before the race. Tuesday of race week I did the Keene descent for the first time and that really put me at ease. It’s a wide, smooth lane, very mild turns (no braking required) and despite my best efforts I couldn’t get my speedometer over 43 MPH. Climbing back into Lake Placid is tough, like going up stairs, you get some flat landings but the elevation changes are always higher. And the altitude is not a factor, even for someone who lives in Chicago.
I’d recommend doing both.
Wisco is about 15 minutes easier than LP.
My take on this is different. As a Michigander I personally view these as the two least desireable events. Now, don’t for one second misinterpret my opinion as being negative about the events- everyone I have spoken to about these events absolutely glows about the organization, quality of the race and the courses. They are both top notch events with an established history of success.
However, when I consider the amount of work I have to put into preparation for an Ironman distance event and the expense I don’t want to do it in my own geographical area.
I do understand that travelling to the race with a family and other logisitcal and financial facoors weigh on many people’s decisions as to which race to do, and that is one reason these races (IMLP amd IMMOO) are so popular and sell out so fast.
Having said that, I am much more attracted to Canada, Brazil, China or one of the other races. I mean, guys, come on… It doesn’t take much imagination to picture what the Chinese are going to do for Ironman China- that is going to absolutely huge. It is a national showcase for them and the “Unprecedented level of government support and cooperation” as stated on the IM China website is going to go a long way to make it an incredible experience.
So, given the choice between IM Lake Placid in New York, IM Wisconsin in Madison or Brazil, China, South Africa, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, France, Japan, Korea, Canada- even Arizona since it is a change of scenery from the Midwest with its arid setting- come on… Live a little.
It’s a short life and it pays to get out there in this big world and look around, even if it takes a little more effort and costs a few extra bucks.
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