Full Vineman Triathlon : Official Thread (Page 14)

How interesting.  That is a big difference between 4,000 and 2,000.  I don't see why the map my ride one would be wrong.  Hmmmm

I'd go with about 2,300 feet of total elevation gain or climbing from the sources that I have seen.  There are only two climbs to really think about though you will see each twice.  First is a relatively long though gradual climb before descenting into Geyserville.  It is not a hill that you will need to get out of the saddle for unless you want to stretch your legs and you have a nice downhill to recovery before some long flats until you get to Chalk Hill.

Chalk Hill is not very long but is a bit steep as the road twists up the hill.  Just when you think you are to the top, it seems like there is one more turn.  I just got in my lowest gear and took my time.  You don't want to burn too many matches trying to power up it.  You have a very nice long recover after the crest and flats to the end of the ride.  If you've ridden any hills in training you will probably find the course much flatter overall than you anticipate.  It is the prettiest ride I've ever done and I felt very fortunate to be taking it all in.

I use a custom mix - my "1 hour" bottle has 250 calories. I had to up the calories a few years ago since I was getting slightly hungry before I should have been. 250 is good for me...

Never tried Perpetuum but I've liked Infinite since I first tried it so I keep using it. It keeps me from getting hungry but I never get bloated/full. It's EASY to mix, concentrate, and carry. Don't have to worry about bars, gels, sports drink, chews, etc.

My mix has a little bit of protein and a moderate amount of caffiene. I set my Garmin to beep every 15 minutes so I sip (a concentrated 3-hour bottle) and chase with water. I carry a 3-hour bottle on my down tube and another 3-hour bottle in my back jersey pocket. Perfect for me!

Back from a work trip to Phoenix.  I don't know how anyone manages to travel for business and train.  Thankfully, this has been a recovery week anyway, but I still found it very difficult to fit any workouts in.  I got up early and ran around the city one morning, but the rest of the trip I was exhausted from all the darn meetings.  Trying to play a bit of catch up the rest of the week but am going to fall considerably short.  It is okay, though.  Nothing to get in the way of my training from here on out.

Hope everyone is gearing up for an awesome weekend!

How's the weather in everyone's neck of the woods? It's a long, tedious winter that just won't let go around here. It snowed 4 days ago. Yesterday it didn't make it past 45 degrees. Today at my half marathon it was 40 and raining. 

Fingers crossed that Mother Nature wakes up soon!

Pretty nice here in Oregon.  No winter weather here! No excuses for me either. : )

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Nice weather!  Take advantage of that!  :-)

Hey gang, late to the discussion, but just got the ok for time off and will be joining you during race weekend....  We've done the race the last two year and if we can give any info that hasn't been provided already let us know!  

I'll also throw this out for any other lurkers, but I'm leaning towards signing up for the full Vineman if I can find another person to take advantage of the buy one get one 1/2 off- so feel free to DM if you need a partner for that...    worst case I'll do the aquabike  

Welcome!  It will be great to have you help answer any questions that come up!  I guess the race can't be that bad if you have done it for a couple years.    I am nervous about the road conditions for the bike, the hilly course (I live in a flatter than flat town) and the heat for the run.

Road conditions are fine for the most part, a few rough patches, but nothing worse than riding around town. The hills aren't too bad- the first year we did it I wasn't much of a fan of Chalk HIll, the second year it was just another hill.  The hills on the run were more of a pain for me than the hills on the bike.  The run is lacking shade, so hope for cool temps!