Ironman USA Lake Placid : Official Thread (Page 4)

PennState - 2009-09-27 9:44 AM

thewindshop - 2009-09-27 9:10 AM I'm in for 2010. 3rd IM for me. Can someone compare the bike/run courses to IM Wisconsin?

Ask RStocks... he did both this year

I can do that. Wisconsin a significantly harder bike course than Placid, lots of short steep up's and down's lot's of right turns etc you are always making lots of small decisions etc i.e what gear do I change to etc.... Placid in my opinion FWIW wouldn't be that hard if the hills weren't at the end of the loop, that is what makes that course hard a lot of people go too hard at the start and then get flogged in the last 10miles back to town. Wisconsin the fastest hour of the course is the last hour similar to Canada.

The run at Placid is harder then Wisconsin only one real climb at Wisconsin and it is bigger than anything you climb at Placid issue with Placid again is where the hills are i.e. end of each loop you are basically climbing back to town.

JG

Bobby you should use a 27/12. It is nice to have the extra gear for the climb up to Wilmington before you hit the out and back...

1/ Will be IM number 3 for me:

2/ No trained on it alot though!

3/ Sub 10:30.

4/ I am good but thanks for the offer.

PennState - 2009-09-28 5:56 PM

jamesG - 2009-09-28 5:00 PM

PennState - 2009-09-27 9:44 AM

thewindshop - 2009-09-27 9:10 AM I'm in for 2010. 3rd IM for me. Can someone compare the bike/run courses to IM Wisconsin?

Ask RStocks... he did both this year

I can do that. Wisconsin a significantly harder bike course than Placid, lots of short steep up's and down's lot's of right turns etc you are always making lots of small decisions etc i.e what gear do I change to etc.... Placid in my opinion FWIW wouldn't be that hard if the hills weren't at the end of the loop, that is what makes that course hard a lot of people go too hard at the start and then get flogged in the last 10miles back to town. Wisconsin the fastest hour of the course is the last hour similar to Canada.

The run at Placid is harder then Wisconsin only one real climb at Wisconsin and it is bigger than anything you climb at Placid issue with Placid again is where the hills are i.e. end of each loop you are basically climbing back to town.

 

JG

 

 

 

 

James, my good friend who is a pro triathlete and has done both LP and Wisconsin multiple times actually has a very different view. He says that Wisconsin is a significantly easier bike course and his times have reflected that. IIRC Bob Stocks take on this issue is also different than yours. Having never done Wisconsin I have no personal view... but my professional friend is quite certain about his view.

I suspect it's in the eye of the beholder, but it is not unanimous that one is definitely harder than the other.

Fred - Thanks for the feedback. I guess it depends what you like? I rode a 6:02 at Wisconsin in 2008 and a 5:36 at Canada this year Canada very similar to Placid in my opinion long climbs as opposed to the Wisconsin course which is up and down and turny. One thing I noticed on my power tap at Wisconsin was I could not stay in my hill power caps and was blowing 270watts+ to climb the hills on occasions. At Placid there is no climb I can't get up at under 230watts. I think what makes Placid hard is the run it is tough and the hills on the bike and the run are all at the end. Wisconsin Run course is significantly easier in my opinion than Placid.

If you have a look at the Wisconsin race reports this year (2009) a lot of people did very badly most people said it was the heat I don't buy that at all it was 85ish, when I did it in 2008 it was 87ish and that was perfect the issue with most people have is the bike course the run course at Wisconsin is not that bad at all.

Just my 2 cents....

Agreed with what you say and I am not trying to get into a pis&ing match. Difficult to split improvement between the course versus another year of training and improvement.

I would guess Canada is a 5-7minutes easier bike course than Placid similar elevation but at Canada you are all done riding by mile 95 the last 12miles are a coast back to town. I do think Canda is a harder run course that run is damn hard really a runners course the hills just hammer you between mile 11 and 16 and it is always hot with no shade.

Also I will be riding a P4 next year if you believe everything people say next year I wont even have to train for 2010 and will still be faster 8-)

looking forward to seeing how you go next year if you can get your run injuries sorted out you should be flying in 2010...

Here is a picture showing the differences in elevation gain between IMWI and IMLP. 

What is funny IMLP even has more peek climbs.  I am not talking about the big climbs.






You can check more out useing this link;

http://www.ironmancenter.com/compare/comparebike.php

PennState - 2009-09-30 2:46 PM James (tasr james), you are making a good point. Most people seem to talk mainly about the climb out of Wilmington... but that is NOT the climb that gets you. It is the shorter, steeper climbs that take the toll as people aren't thinking about them as carefully as they are the big, long climb.

Lake Placid is a great course... and better yet, they have re-paved a lot of the roads recently.

Yeah agreed LP is awesome, I like it better than Wisconsin. You should check out Canada one day, the bike course is amazing like nothing I have ever ridden before crazy beautiful. Just wish it had of been a bit cooler though 8-)

jamesG,

Don’t get me wrong I am not trying to flam you or anything.

Did you raced IMLP or finished?  If you say IMWI bike was a harder to race than IMLP, do you refer to this by HR, RPE or power?  If you posted this before maybe I missed it so sorry for that.  I find it hard to believe you would find IMWI bike harder than LP.  I understand for you it was and respect it. 

For 2011 I am looking at either IMWI or IMFL.  I would also like to do IMCD and IMCN.