Ironman Wisconsin : Official Thread (Page 19)

Nice work on the bike!  That's a big month!

I was thinking of entering via IM Foundation but there are no hotels.  Are they just reserved and maybe I should just call?

I did the Trek 100 last month, which brought my bike hours/miles up. I was having shoulder/neck issues so I cut back on the swimming for a couple weeks. I am getting a litte nervous I'm not doing enough, but my coach assures me I'm fine. TRUST THE PLAN!!!

Hotels usually start opening up a couple weeks before Ironman, just keep checking the availability. Have you tried looking for campgrounds?

Try the Hotel Ruby. It's completely adorable, and right downtown! That's where I'm staying.

http://rubymarie.com/

Where were you looking?  There are many places outside of downtown that would work well and have openings--did you check Verona or Middleton?  Neither are far from Monona Terrace.  I booked someone a room the week before IM last year.  I would do this and then keep checking some of the hotels closer to the race venue if that's your preference.

3rd Post in a row!!

Anyone biking around Madison this weekend and want to hook up? Looking to go down there and do my 3.5 hour ride. I'm willing to go off course, just looking for the same terrain/hills. My new wheels and tires just came in, can't wait to try them out!

Walinda

my email: [email protected]

Add me to the injured list .  I'm fairly certain that I have a soleus muscle strain.  I had to bag my run at less than 10 minutes this morning.  Now I am hobbling around the house getting ready for work.  I have a half IM in two days.

I feel like I'm going to cry now.  I have had exactly one race over the past year that has actually gone well.  (2 half marathons with chest infections, an olympic with a regular cold and a sprint with a concussion). I feel like screaming "Why me????". 

Okay, Pity Party over.

Took some time off running after doing the Fargo Marathon in May... Shipping the kids off to grandparents, summer camps, etc... for the summer... July is going to be a big month!

Bummer!  Hope it heals quickly.

Good suggestion, thanks.  Anyone know where the best place to park would be to do the loop?  And what alternate roads to use to avoid construction?

I parked at Badger Prairie County Park a couple weeks ago and it worked great. It sits right on Verona Ave, there are some bathrooms just off the "upper" parking lot around the back, it was fairly empty, and there's a bike trail you can hop on for a brick run after. 

Although I would definitely bring a map/cue card just in case, there are small red/pink arrows on the ground at all of the turns, including the detour, that I think one of the training groups put out there. They're small, but if you're looking for them, they're hard to miss. Here's the detour info from the IMWI website:

Option 1
Messerschmidt to Hwy 92.
Right on Hwy 92 about 100yds to Town Hall Rd.
Right on Town Hall Rd. to Cty Hwy S.
Left on Cty Hwy S to Witte Rd.
Right on Witte Rd. to Cty Hwy J.
Right on Cty Hwy J which puts you back on the route.

Option 2 This is the best option during June 25-27, June 29-July2 and August 16-19. All dates are weather permitting.
Messerschmidt to Springdale Center Rd.
Right on Springdale Center Rd to Offerdahl Rd.
Left on Offerdahl Rd. to Town Hall Rd.
Right on Town Hall Rd. to Cty Hwy S
Left on Cty Hwy S to Witte Rd.
Right on Witte Rd. to Cty Hwy J.
Right on Cty Hwy J which puts you back on the route.

Have been meaning to ask this for a while...

I've heard and read from several people that IMWI bike was ~1 mile long last year.  Anyone know if that is correct?  (And, if it was 113 instead of 112, where was the extra mile?  I did it in 2010 and 2011, and the only place I can think of something being different in 2011 is somewhere near the start/end of the loop.)

As an addendum to the detour, I will update people on what I found after riding two loops this past Saturday.  The reason for the detour is that a bridge was torn out on either 92 or Messerschmidt (I can't remember which).  We ignored the detour and rode up to the bridge to see if it were passable in any way shape or form.  We found that someone (probably a fellow cyclist) had put down a 1x6 plank across this narrow stream.  So me and the 3 guys I was with all walked across this narrow plank to get across and continue our ride with no detour.

The only catch is 1) There is no guarantee that the board is still there and 2) walking across a 1x6 board (apprx 6-8 feet long), in bike shoes, carrying a bike, is maybe not the smartest or easiest thing to do, and 3) It adds a little excitement if the hills aren't enough for you!

We thought it was worth it so that we could ride the entire loop, but others may not want to engage in the acrobatics.

Yeah my Garmin had it at 113 mi, and I believe the difference was in how you were routed through the arena parking lot at the very beginning/end of the bike.

Awesome thank you for the info!

Thanks.

Oh I also tried this Sunday, walked the plank and carried our bike. Met some of the locals on the other side of the bridge and he stated we would be ticketed for trespassing. We indeed had the police waiting for us coming up the big hill into Mt. Horeb. They simply stated that if the road is closed to cars, it's also closed to bikes. I imangine this has been happening a lot and has many locals complaining. Next time I'm taking the detour! (If I see it, which I didn't on Sunday)

Walinda

That's pretty ridiculous & I hope u were not ticketed.  After crossing that bridge all of those roads are freshly paved and in PERFECT condition so it was treat to be riding them.  Ironically once were we got over the Mt Horeb hill and approaching the roundabout a policeman pulled up next to us in his car and severely scolded us for riding 2 across (even though the shoulder was about 5 feet wide at that point).  Needless to say we got back into single file and continued on. 

I like to think they are just trying to look out for our safety, but I don't know what the issue would be with riding on that closed road because it was in great/new condition and with no cars it was probably the safest road in all of Wisconsin!

Because the road is closed. Why don't people understand this? Bikes have the same laws as cars, can't run stop lights, red lights, etc. but bikes do it all the time! This is why cops also ticket bikers on the corner of Garfoot and KP as they blow through the stop sign every year in August. I am not pointing fingers at anyone, but why do cyclists think they can bend laws because they are on a bike, and then yell at cars for every little law they bend? As long as 92 is closed cyclists should stay off the road and take a detour, it will challenge you more and keep a good relationship with the local community and police. 

Just my $.02 but the bolded statement above says it all.  The people in these communities are stuck with hundreds of cyclists every week, many of whom don't quite get the idea of sharing the road or following the laws.  I have only been on the course approx 6 times but each time out I have seen groups riding 2-3 across, trash (GU packets etc) on the side of the road, cyclists stopped for meetings at intersections etc.  I can understand why the police and locals get irritated with us.  Just use common sense and treat the roads like you live in the area.

The situation is this.  Not everyone has ridden the entire course before and sometimes people have very limited opportunities to get to Madison to ride it.  I suspect those of you suggesting we ride the detour are also people who have ridden the entire course numerous times and are familiar with every road, hill & turn.  Some of us are not and when we go out to Madison for our first and only time, we want to see the entire course exactly as it is going to be on race day.  If that involves riding on a short segment of closed road and risking a ticket, that is our choice.  Just as we all speed and violate many traffic laws daily, riding a bike on a closed section of road is not really a significant offense & people are going to continue to take that risk.  That's just life.

Second, there are less than a dozen certified Ironman courses in the United States and Wisconsin/Madison is truly blessed to host this event.  The bad (if you really want to call it that) will always come with the good and let's face it, the good is that Ironman brings millions of dollars into Madison and Wisconsin.  In addition, cyclists riding the course all summer brings additional revenue to the many businesses of Madison.  That is a LOT of good and the bad is....well, VERY insignificant.

IMO the communities should embrace the people & revenue that Ironman & the people bring to their cities.  The types of problems and crimes we are committing as cyclists are so minor in scope, that we shouldn't even be talking about this topic.