I am trying to find an event with the toughest bike course in ontario… toughest means most elevation gained…
so far I have come up with goderich triathlon and muskoka 70.3… any other suggestions?
let me know what you think
Well, if you were out West I’d suggest the Osoyoos Desert Half. Climbs Richters pass (part of the old IMC course), then down, then over the bitches, then turns around and goes back over the bitches and up Richters. Turns out is is tougher on the way back!
awesome thanks BCDon
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Goderich hands down. Fantastic course and real bargain.
would you say it is well organized relative to MSC and trisport races?
Multisport Canada’s Huronia Oly Distance race had some great climbs
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Muskoka 70.3 bike course is a b*tch, and is 94km instead of 90km…
As to whether Goderich is as well organized as our or other race series’ races, I would suggest the question is somewhat moot. I haven’t competed there for many years but if you would like a tough bike in a nice local race I will refer you to this thread. http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...rich;t=search_engine
I stand behind my words in that post. Tom Doherty puts on a great local race.
I did Muskoka this year - only race I did in Ontario, but it was quite hilly. Here’s the course profile and garmin connect file - not much flat there!
If you want to go a little bit east and do a shorter race, Barry’s Bay has a hilly 32 km course (good pavement). It’s usually the last weekend in June, so it’s a great warm up for future hilly races. http://www.barrysbaytriathlon.com/course/index.html
Although I’ve never done Goderich, it sounds like it has the same feel - a small, but well organized event with great community support.
Muskoka 70.3 was my third tri and longest distance so far. After coming from flat Windsor, all I have to say is I think I can handle any bike course after surviving that! FWIW, I finished the bike in 3:15.
Muskoka 70.3 bike course is a b*tch, and is 94km instead of 90km…
+1
I’ve done many of the races in Ontario and would agree that Muskoka 70.3 takes the cake. I Garmin’d it at 1,200 m elevation gain with some nasty climbs and not a flat km to be found (Strava ride). The list of guys that have broken 40 km/h on that course is quite short and studly.
As for Olympic distance races, MultiSport Canada Bracebridge (Strava ride) and Huronia are both pretty tough. Bracebridge has a similar sawtooth profile to Muskoka 70.3 and Huronia may be the most “technical” (by triathlon standards) course on the Ontario circuit.
Cmon… he is just stating the obvious … Ontario courses are known for their lack of vertical gain.
hi guys thanks for the input, great discussion
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I know you asked for Oly or half but seriously the Milton sprint was pound for pound the hardest bike course I’ve done next to Rev3 Quassy. Although I’ve never done muskoka and I here, as has been posted on this thread, that it is really hard…
I know you asked for Oly or half but seriously the Milton sprint was pound for pound the hardest bike course I’ve done next to Rev3 Quassy. Although I’ve never done muskoka and I here, as has been posted on this thread, that it is really hard…
Ah yeah the old Nassagaweya 6th line. She packs some punch.
I would prefer though if they would go the other way and climb the Escarpment via Rattlesnake Point. That would be funny.
i did goderich years ago as a 16-year old (!) and remember thinking it was the longest 40k of my life. i also remember it being pretty, well-run, chilled out and friendly. i also remember guelph lake (believe it or not) not necessarily being ‘hard’ but just slow. could never get a rhythm on that course.
i’ve raced the collingwood half a couple of times, and climbing the escarpment early on can really take it out of your legs later in the day. i think the sprint also climbs the escarpment, but honestly can’t remember! i had a strong finish there once or twice like a decade ago, but man . . . i must be getting old!
otherwise, yeah . . . not heaps of climbing in ontario, but plenty of those little small-town races have a bit of bite!
-mike
I would prefer though if they would go the other way and climb the Escarpment via Rattlesnake Point. That would be funny.
You are a mean man…
the sixth line hill is a killer, i did the milton sprint tri route and the elevation i registered on garmin was actually around 1200 meters
I am actually more concerned about coming down that hill on the way back as it is scary fast, i registered mid 70s km/h going down that hill. it is scary because it will be hard to navigate around faster and slower athletes …
Everybody keeps talking about sixth line hill and that is certainly a tough climb but the up and down continues throughout the entire ride and that is what makes it really tough. The run is not much easier…