Ironman Wisconsin : Official Thread (Page 21)

Vision Quest from Chicago will also be there on Sat.

Posted by Ryan Richards IMWI Race Director himself:

Attention Athletes: Anyone found using the aluminum cross walk at the construction site and/or cutting through the private property on Hwy 92 will be fined for trespassing and possible ban from Ironman Wisconsin races. Please respect the detour as the road construction progresses. This is for the safety and security of all involved. Thank you. Ryan Richards, Race Director

So think twice before thinking you can bypass the detour.

While I agree with the sentiment someone should at least post a no trespassing sign or something by the aluminum crosswalk.  It would be a shame for someone to be kicked out of the race due to ignorance even if it is on several different levels.

For what it's worth, I rode past the detour sign Saturday morning to look at the bridge (it gave me a reason to stop pedaling) and nothing is marked as private property, no trespassing etc.  I know it's a bit of a no-brainer but it should still be marked if it means someone can be kicked out of a race.  

Now to the important question, why is my speed so flippin' slow on hwy 92?  No matter what I do I can't seem to maintain a decent pace on that section of the road even if I have a tail wind.

false flat

I feel the same way for the loop.  Either I've gotten slower, or that TH detour makes the loop much tougher. (Or both!)

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=12272

So this Sunday will be my first chance to get out on the course.  From everything I have read here and on other sites I am fully expecting the residents to be standing on their yards with pitch forks and guns cursing me as I ride by, police and National Guard check points at all intersections making sure I put one foot down at stops and Navy Seals and Ryan Richards lurking by the aluminum plank over the creek at the construction zone waiting to pounce anyone who dares to cross and skip the detour... all kidding aside - I think I am more nervous about the residents than I am riding the course the first time.

Is this like this every year or is this year worse than previous years as after 10 years of triathletes coming up it keeps escalating more and more?

I don't know if he's a regular fixture as I've only done the race once, but when I was there in '09 there was a guy sitting in his driveway with a bunch of broom handles and a sign basically saying if you dropped anything in his yard he would throw the handle through your spokes. 

FWIW, he wasn't there when we rode the course on WIBA weekend. 

On a side note, I don't get the whole road closed situation.  I don't think I've ever seen a "road closed" scenario that applied to pedestrians, and if you're walking your bike you're a pedestrian.  On the other hand, I'm very pro "don't tick off the residents".

I've had no issues with the people that live in the neighborhoods, but have had a few with the F150 truckers that ride on G and 92.  My favorite was having a guy pull up so his exhaust was right in front me and then he gunned it.  He drove a diesel so black smoke came bellowing out.  Those dorks get no reaction from me anymore which I think disappoints them.  Some small victory in that.

I think it is generally 10 years running now of cyclists day in and day out over the summer months flooding those roads. Most are very respectful but some are not. Last year VQ I believe were all ticketed turning onto KP as they didn't see the stop sign being a sign for them by any matter. Few litter, but that is all it takes. Some ride more then 2 abreast and that is all it takes as well. While the race is only ONE day our of the year, I feel for the local residents, because it is a major hassle. My friend lives in Mt. Horeb and it adds a significant amount of time to her commute into Madison. 

I am going to work with my coach this off-season to setup some roundtable discussion in the passing towns to try and mend the tensions somewhat and offer suggestions and ideas on how to calm this situation or improve upon it in the future. 

Quite hilarious.  With Madison having one of the hardest bike courses in Ironman, the riders coming out year round sort of comes with the territory.  All we can do is use our best judgement on the road and follow the rules of the road (that we are entitled to as cyclists).  Go out there and enjoy the course....it's a beauty!  Surely there are a handful of irritated residents (which is always expected anywhere), but overall I think they are cordial and treat everyone with respect.

My first experience out there earlier this year was one of the highlights for me in my training and I wouldn't change anything about it!

I live here in the Madcity and ride the course or parts of it often, and I have never had an issue with any of the residents along the way, but like all of us I have had issues with car/trucks. I look forward to seeing everyone on race day, enjoy the course and safe training.

As a reminder Uphill Grind in Cross Plains, which is locate on the course on Bourbon road has a mobile help/repair unit that will rescue you on the course call (608) 413-0068. They also give refills on water/ice for no charge and stock lots of sports drink mixes to purchase.

Closed Monday & Tuesday

Wednesday & Thursday Noon - 7pm

Need service or get stranded on the road when they are not openCall (608)577-5752.

Nicole

Got a question for you veterans...I was just skimming through the last few pages and it looks like some of you are putting in a lot of training hours (up to 56 hours on the bike in June).  I ride about 4-5 hours per week, run 2-3 and swim 2.5 hours/week.  This will be my first 140.6 and I've completed two 70.3 races, all in 2012.

Having said that, am I screwed for this race? 

Longest ride this year has been one 70 miler on a group ride and I've done two 56 mile rides on two HIM races.  I've been trying to get out to do longer rides, but I live in Chicago and I don't have a car at the moment so it's been hard getting away from the city to do my long rides.

Looking at your logs and speed in some of your races I would not say you are "screwed" but I guess that depends on your definition. 17 hours is a long time to finish and I don't think you will have a problem doing that. You still have 3-4 weeks before taper down, if I were you I would try to get in a century or two before then and up your overall volume (unless you start feeling hurt) and I think you will fell much more confident coming into the race.

So for the guys who are logging big mileage, are you shooting for a sub 5 hour bike split?   I finished my last HIM bike leg (Racine) in 2:34, so I figure 6 hours for the IM bike is a reasonable target.  But I have to admit, I'm not sure that's possible anymore...suffice to say, I feel pretty overwhelmed and feeling very under prepared after seeing some of those logs.  Someone spent 50+ hours on the bike last month!?  Wow...

What I mean by "screwed" is, am I going to hate myself for doing this race and feel like crap out there for all 140.6 miles?  I'm not too concerned about not being able to finish.  However, I am starting to worry about overtaxing my body since it seems I haven't prepared as well as other have thus far.

How was your run at Racine with that bike split?  I don't think you are screwed at all but you might want to go into the race with some very realistic goal paces then adjust on how you feel.  This is also my first IM and I don't really have any specific time goals - I have ideas of where I would like to be but I will take it as it comes during the race.  The goal is to just finish.  Don't put so much pressure on yourself and just enjoy the day!  

My run was terrible and I nearly dropped out of the race with severe cramps at T2 (5+ minutes).  I ended up walking a lot of the run and ended up with a 1:58 split.  My open times are in the low 1:30s so thought I could manage a 1:45.  There were a lot of variables that I think impacted my run performance, most importantly was leaving my nutrition at home on race day - had zero water bottles on my bike and it sucked drinking Ironman Perform which my body does not agree with.

I haven't looked at or posted on this thread until today and I was just shocked to see how much training volume some of you put forth towards a 140.6.  If it sounds like I'm freaking out, it is because I am - I feel like a total slacker compared to some of you.

My open is right around 1:30, maybe a tad lower and I averaged 21.4 at door and ran a 1:35, so you maybe pushed a little hard on the bike. I paced and did not push too hard, kept hr in high z2 and z3 for most the ride. I am assuming i will be around 6 hours on the bike, maybe a little lower at IM. Not sure if that helps at all, but maybe something you can go off of. I think if you put a good month in, you will be just fine.