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2011-09-19 11:39 AM
in reply to: #3561549

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Hopewell, New Jersey
Subject: RE: Pocono 70.3 Bike Course
I rode the course on Saturday with a guide and about 6 other people. Our time was about the same as what people have been talking about, 4 hours with no hammer down. That said, I think the course on the whole is fair and well balanced but challenging. There are no god-awful long super steep climbs. The climbs are short (less than a 1000 meters) and steep. There is a section on River Road that will sneak up on people who are in the wrong gear, also because it is within the first 3 miles I think. There is Larsen's Lane (which I walked up due to the road surface, but they say it will be paved on race day, I may walk up it anyway). And the final really steep section is Turkey Hill. The rest is, almost without exception, very rolly with some good sections of flat and downhill. There was a guy we rode with you has ridden the course a ton over the last couple of years and was a very good rider. He said he did the whole thing once in under three hours but would not have been able to run very far following. His target time is going to be 3:30, which makes mine just under four or three and three quarters. The run is some up hill on the way out of Stroudsburg proper and then downhill on the way back, so you have to stay loose in order to handle the hills on the way back into town.

As to a lot of the comments about the quality of the roads, I think those issues are overstated for the most part. Hidden Valley was bad in some sections, but those are scheduled to be fixed. Other than that and Larsen's Lane, which is still just gravel and chip with a roller over it, I think if you have ever ridden in the fall in the northeast, you will be prepared for the quality of rural roads.

The course is beautiful, I had a lot of fun on Saturday and rode with a really nice group of people. I am looking forward to trying my hand at the distance on the 2nd.
Hope this helps.
Post questions if you need.

G


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