Going from Flat to Hilly IM

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2013-02-06 11:32 AM

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Subject: Going from Flat to Hilly IM

So I am wondering which IM would be the best choice, All my IM have been on a Flat Bike course, but I have been slowly progressing my cycling skills and would eventually like to take on a SLIGHTLY more challenging bike course than the ones I have done (ChesapeakeMan, IM Arizona, and Hopefully IM Florida later this year).....Again let me emphasis SLIGHTLY more challenging....Eventually I would like to take on the more challenging bike courses but 1 step at a time for me for now...So which IM event would be a step up, (lets just focus on the bike course alone and none of the other aspects)  

2013-02-06 5:36 PM
in reply to: #4611208

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Subject: RE: Going from Flat to Hilly IM
I train in an area with little to no hills. My first IM was IMCDA. The hills were intimidating, but the scenery was beautiful and as long as you stay within your power/hear rate/rpe and don't try to mash on the hills you will be fine. As courses get hillier, you have to hold the ego in check and let people pass you on the up hills. Most of the times they are riding harder than they should be and you will pass them on the run!
2013-02-07 6:34 AM
in reply to: #4611208

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Subject: RE: Going from Flat to Hilly IM

I did IMFL for my first, not pancake flat, but you will see that in November.  No real challenging hills.  When I decided to do my second IM, I wanted to chose between PR at Florida or trying a more challenging race.  Ended up doing IMWI (and still got my PR ).  I think IMWI is a good challenge.  your bike splits aren't exactly slow, so you have no worry about not making the time cutoff.  The bike is challenging, but they are mostly shorter steeper climbs.  there are three big hills in close succession that you end up doing twice, but only one of them is actually long (it is also the least steep).  There is one other particularly challenging hill on the loop, but it is about 10 miles before the "three sisters". 

I think there is a bit of a gap on the north american IM circuit (at least for WTC races).  IMFL, IMAZ and IMCOZ are all known to have fairly easy bike course, but then there is a gap to some of the more challenging course - IMWI, IMCDA, IMLOO and IMMT.  I think Lake Placid and IMC are kind of in their own world because the climbs in those races are a lot longer and harder to simulate if you are in a non-mountainous area.

For Non-WTC, I think Rev3 at Ceder point would be marginally harder than IMFL.

2013-02-07 7:29 AM
in reply to: #4611208

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Subject: RE: Going from Flat to Hilly IM
You're thinking too much. You'll have 3 Iron distance races for experience. You'll have some idea of how to go long from those. You'll know how to manage yourself over the course of 12, 13, 14 hrs, or whatever it ends up taking you. Yes, there are some differences between flat and more hilly, but they'll be more secondary to just going for that long over whatever terrain.
2013-02-07 8:21 AM
in reply to: #4611208

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Subject: RE: Going from Flat to Hilly IM

I watched the video feed for IMCDA two years ago and the scenery looked nice and the climbs definitely looked challenging.  I haven't done a full IM but I did IM Branson last year (now a Rev3 event).  That course had 9 Cat 5 climbs, total elevation gain of 3,000 feet and after managing my pace well, I had a much better run than my first HIM.  I live in Kansas, there are zero Cat 5 climbs on any of my training rides, let alone Cat 4, 3 etc. so needless to say I was not "hill" ready (I weigh 195lbs so that made it even more challenging).

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't think you'll notice much of a difference if you go for a slightly more challenging bike course at the IM distance.  What is slightly?  500 more feet of elevation gain?  1000 feet?

What I would do in this case is compare elevation maps of what you've done and what you're considering doing.  Then once you do that one you can do Savageman Tongue out

2013-02-07 9:00 AM
in reply to: #4612379

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Subject: RE: Going from Flat to Hilly IM

brigby1 - 2013-02-07 8:29 AM You're thinking too much. You'll have 3 Iron distance races for experience. You'll have some idea of how to go long from those. You'll know how to manage yourself over the course of 12, 13, 14 hrs, or whatever it ends up taking you. Yes, there are some differences between flat and more hilly, but they'll be more secondary to just going for that long over whatever terrain.

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