What are the descents like on the IMWIS course? I’m a pretty timid descender, so I’m a little worried. Are they curvy and technical? Do most people stay in the aeros the whole way? Should I worry?
-Colin
I just rode the course last weekend and there are a few descents…mostly straight. There is one that is fairly curvy, with a right hand curve as to which you need to pay attention to. I got up to low to mid 40mph on one of the downhills. I think i was only on the brakes through the curvy section and you’ll know which one it is, because it’s under a canopy of trees. Hope that helps.
The best tip ever for the course. There are several very steep short hills. If you sprint off the top and build a huge top speed, you will have very little to climb when you slow down. I passed so many riders doing this. If you coast and have to haul your butt up the hills, they will take a toll. I heavy geared down and stood and semi sprinted to way past the 3/4 point of the hills, rolled over the top and did it again and again. I was literally doing 25mph while others were at about 6 mph.
only a few corners to be concerned about, the descents are mostly pretty straightforward. Hard to describe the course as I only rode it once (race day) But be prepared to accelerate as you go into and out of corners more than some other IM courses, this can take a tool.
as a rule of thumb when you see hay bales slow down! There was one right hand and one left corner at the bottom of small descents where we say a few people come off
That IS the best tip ever! Thanks!
-C
The best tip ever for the course. There are several very steep short hills. If you sprint off the top and build a huge top speed, you will have very little to climb when you slow down. I passed so many riders doing this. If you coast and have to haul your butt up the hills, they will take a toll. I heavy geared down and stood and semi sprinted to way past the 3/4 point of the hills, rolled over the top and did it again and again. I was literally doing 25mph while others were at about 6 mph.
i sure hope this works for me…
I am also not convinced this is the best way to approach the descents on MOO. I use this method at IMC rollers (gear up adn hammer donw) and thought that was the best way to get up rollers but on MOO I am not sure as you dont carry as much speed and they are shorter generally that at IMC. Might just blow your legs up quicker. One of the tips Rich Strauss (go to gordos forum he is on there a bit) who gave a presnetation at MOO, mentioned was to coast down. He might have a point.
The way I stated may be too simple as you do need to watch your pace. I eased as it got hard, and only kept the speed the legs liked. I am mostly a cyclist so it was easy for me to gauge and ease off as needed. Certainly bombing the climbs could be a problem… I sat on almost every climb and continued to shift as the hill slowed me down, always keeping my cadence high and trying not to power. The high cadence allowed me to keep my speed as others coasted up the other side. I totally agree to watch your effort and just add to your speed with the help of the hill. Hope that descrption helps.
I’ve ridden the course twice now. There’s one descent you need to be careful of…it’s about 40 miles into the ride if I recall. Then there’s a few other descents that are fun, but you should still be careful…I’d suggest staying out of the aero bars for a couple of the curvy descents for the first loop if you’ve not ridden the course before. You should definitely stay in the aero bars for the straight descents…fast & fun!
Don’t get nervous and ride with confidence and strength and you’ll be fine.
Colin - There are only 2 descents that you should worry about. The first is Garfoot Rd. It starts out with a gradual downhill, then banks right and becomes a significant descent. It’s a little tricky because you build some speed on the gradual downhill at the top and if you’re not familiar with it, it’s possible to come into the first couple of bends too hot. There’s usually a warning painted on the road near the top of this one. After you clear the first couple of bends, you can let it roll. The second is a straight shot downhill (can’t remember the road’s name at the moment) with a tight left hand turn at the bottom. You can easily hit 40-45 mph on this one, but you need to get on the brakes near the bottom to make the turn. On race day, both sections will be swept pretty clean, but better safe than sorry. Hope the VQ ride on the 19th still works for ya - you’ll get to check them out in person!
The straight shot with the left at the bottom is at about the 45 mile mark. It is Timber Lane. It is about 2-3 miles after the B-tch (aka Radio Tower Hill). It is dangerous if you have a lot of speed at the bottom because of the 90 degree left turn at the bottom. Miss it and you’ll be in someone’s front lawn/porch.