1st Ironman... lake placid '06 any info appreciated

Just a note on the gearing for Lake Placid. Depends on how you normally climb. Do you sit and spin a low gear, or are you out of the saddle a lot? It's hilly, but there are no short steep climbs. I rode last year in a 39 x 23 and and had no problems, and even could have just done it in the 39 x 21, but it was nice to have the extra gear on the 2nd loop. I'm out of the saddle more than most. If you're used to riding in the hillier parts of New England you should be OK. Go out and do a ride in central MA around the area where I live, near Mt. Wachusett for a good approximation of the grade of hills. You won't get anything as hard as climbing up the road past the ski area from the Westminster side, but come up from Princeton (except for the first steep bit) and that's a good indicator of the grades that you'll see. I think people that are accustomed to riding in Western/Central MA or in NH will have no problems at Lake Placid.

Edited by max 2005-11-06 8:22 AM