Is there anyone who can share what’s their favourite European half distance race that have a hilly bike course?
I signed up for Ironman France in June but after covid in February and now calicuvirus i am falling behind and I just realised I will not be able to catch up. So since I will not start in Nice I figure I’ll can do something shorter, like a half distance, instead.
So I am looking for a race with similar hilly bike course, not super tough or “Xtremeâ€. Just pleasant and scenic with a hilly bike course. Like Nice but a bit shorter.
I found some races on ahuto.com but it’s hard to tell if they a good or not.
So I hope someone can share some experience
Is there anyone who can share what’s their favourite European half distance race that have a hilly bike course?
I signed up for Ironman France in June but after covid in February and now calicuvirus i am falling behind and I just realised I will not be able to catch up. So since I will not start in Nice I figure I’ll can do something shorter, like a half distance, instead.
So I am looking for a race with similar hilly bike course, not super tough or “Xtremeâ€. Just pleasant and scenic with a hilly bike course. Like Nice but a bit shorter.
I found some races on ahuto.com but it’s hard to tell if they a good or not.
So I hope someone can share some experience
Thanks
Regards
Carl
Sweden
Rapperswil is in June. Beautiful swim and bike. Quirky run. Great event
Would recommend Aix en Provence 70.3 (have done 3 times - beautiful place, bike course to keep you honest but not extreme, well supported run on looped course), but timing (May) maybe not ideal for your situation.
Look up Balneaman in the French pyrennes mountains. Beautiful lake although can be cold, challenging 100 km bike course with Tour de France climbs, challenging short run (12 km) on trails. Great atmosphere, food, after party. Enjoy
Is there anyone who can share what’s their favourite European half distance race that have a hilly bike course?
I signed up for Ironman France in June but after covid in February and now calicuvirus i am falling behind and I just realised I will not be able to catch up. So since I will not start in Nice I figure I’ll can do something shorter, like a half distance, instead.
So I am looking for a race with similar hilly bike course, not super tough or “Xtremeâ€. Just pleasant and scenic with a hilly bike course. Like Nice but a bit shorter.
I found some races on ahuto.com but it’s hard to tell if they a good or not.
So I hope someone can share some experience
Thanks
Regards
Carl
Sweden
Rapperswil is in June. Beautiful swim and bike. Quirky run. Great event
Does the race date need to be in close vicinity to the Nice’s one?
There are plenty of options here in France, most of them very cheap compared to the iron branded events (and very well organised).
On the 5th of june, you have :
the triGames in Cagnes-sur-Mer (https://en.trigames.fr/cagnes). You won’t get a closer experience to the Nice vibe as the bike portion takes you to some of the same roads, including the famous col de Vence. 1700 meters of ascent. Swim in the Mediterranean too, which is always great.
the Doussard half iron (https://tmt-triathlon.com/half-doussard/) near Annecy. The swim is in the very clean Annecy lake and the bike and run are both very scenic with the mountains as a backdrop. The bike is hilly but nothing extreme. After the finish you are rewarded with a free buffet stuffed with local products, and entered into a lottery with goodies on the line. I checked
the registration process but it seemed down for the moment though.
the Deauville LD tri (https://triathlondeauville.com/long-distance/?lang=en). You get to swim in the Atlantic and the bike is fairly hilly and scenic, from oceanside to the typical Normandy countryside and back. Deauville is a nice stay (it’s the seaside getaway for Parisians, as it is a mere 2 hours drive or a quick and direct train trip from Paris).
the Lac des sapins in Cublize, near Lyon. This one is a real hidden gem in lush backcountry of "Beaujolais vert†(https://www.beaujolaisvert.com/triathlon-du-lac-des-sapins/). It’s an atypical distance tri : 3k-100k-20k. It’s only a 800 meters of ascent course on the bike, but constantly rolling.
On the same week-end as Nice, you have the Tribreizh (https://tribreizh.org/), a half iron nestled in the “mountainous” and remote part of french Britanny. You swim in a beautiful lake and the bike takes you to the rugged countryside with 1300 meters of vertical gain.
On the 3rd of july, you have :
the beautiful Champ’man in Epernay (https://champ-man.com/). The swim is easy (downstream in the Marne river) and the bike takes you through the Champagne vineyards, with beautiful views and 6 climbs (1200 meters of ascent in total). Great atmosphere, and last time I did it, everybody was greeted with a bottle of champagne, obviously!
the LD tri of Embrun (https://www.embruntriathlon.com/en/races/triathlon-l-2/). Not to be confused with the famous Embrunman, but yes that’s the same city, the same clean lake and the same beautiful alpine backdrop. 1600 meters of vertical gain on the bike.
On the 9th of july, you have the must do triathlon des gorges Ardèche et Gard (http://triathlondesgorges.com/). You swim in the beautiful Ardèche river and you get to bike through the magnificent countryside of this remote part of southern France. They even have the permit to close the road of the “gorges”, a kind of canyon through which a scenic and twisty road passes. 900 meters of total ascent, but relentless. The run is very twisty, hilly too, and goes through a gorgous medieval village. And if you’re really strong, you can take part in the challenge, 3 tris in 3 days (a reduced oly on day 1, a super sprint on day 2 and the half on day 3).
I did the Mont Blanc Tri in 2019. The bike course is a beast, 70k and nearly 2000m climbing on public alpine roads, three serious climbs and super fast and technical descents. For a strong cyclist and competent bike handler a dream course, for the average Ironman participant it’s a handful. The race location is breathtaking, large stretches of the bike course have full view of Mont Blanc. Right out of T1 you get you get punched in the face by the Cote de Domancy, a climb featured in last years Tdf. The swim start looks like you’re diving right into a postcard. The run course is twisty and partially on uneven trails, not particularly fast. And even though it says “International” in the race title it has the vibe of a regional indy race whic I liked a lot. I loved that race and hope to do it again one day.
Alternatively 70.3 Slovenia might fit your bill. Less climbing than the Mont Blanc race and very beautiful scenery. Not the Alpine flair you get at Mont Blanc, more the mediterranean Alpes-Maritime vibe you get in Nice. Fast sea water swim and very fast run course, too.
I second the shorter embrunman race. I have not done it but I did the longer one. The atmosphere is great. Just get there early the town is in full vacation mode as well when the race is on
It won’t be crowded as the triathlon d’Embrun takes place on 3rd of july and it’s not holiday time yet (just shy of a week). Whereas Embrunman, on 15th of august, is indeed in full vacation mode and is a touristic place. But there is plenty of accomodation in the area.
Alpe d’Huez is harder than a half but is an incredible event. Sold out already though.
Challenge Budva might fit.
I went through Budva, Montenegro many years ago and remember it as a stunning place.
Bike course seems very rolling. Not super hard, but not easy either. https://challenge-budva.com/race-info/courses/
wow, thanks guys for taking time! So many interesting races, I will check out everyone carefully
A little about me and my (very) limited triathlon background. I tried triathlon for the first time in 2013 Stockholm triathlon olympic distance. I then heard about this Ironman thing and signed up for ironman France 2015, as my second triathlon. My goas were in order: 1. Finish the race, 2. Not suffer the whole race, 3. Have fun. Lucky me, I achieved all my goals
I really enjoyed the scenery and mountain and I was happy with 14 hours finish time. The whole thing was such a wow moment, and pizza have never tasted as good as that evening.
For diffirent reasons I didnt do anymore races but now 7 years later I want to pick up were I left off and do more races. My goals are the same, have fun, enjoy the views.
Would recommend Aix en Provence 70.3 (have done 3 times - beautiful place, bike course to keep you honest but not extreme, well supported run on looped course), but timing (May) maybe not ideal for your situation.
It must be really good if you went there three times. Was the race the only attraction or did you go there for the town/area as well? (I’ll put it on my list for 2023/24)
