IRONMAN 70.3 St. George Bike Course Analysis

 

Bike Course Analysis

 
Being that I am a big guy, and by ‘big’ I mean my body ratio is all wrong for climbing hills on a bike. And by “body ratio” I mean fat. As I climb hills I often curse under my breath through labored breath “Is there anyone in this race that doesn’t climb hills faster than me?” My point is that it is usually a hilly bike course that strikes more fear into me than any other part of a race. Sometimes knowing what I am facing and talking myself through it, helps calm my fears. Here are my efforts on the Ironman St. George bike course.

Elevation start: 3,031           Highest point:   4,111

Elevation should not be a major factor. We will be capping off the toughest climb at the highest point of elevation, but I think the hurt we will feel will be from true effort rather than elevation.

There are 5 major climbs for a total of 2,552 feet of ascent during the course. I am going to think of them as the 5 days of a work week. The first hill is called ‘Nemesis’. I haven’t been able to find out what if anything the locals call any of the other 4 hills, but I am going to call them Monday Morning, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (or Hallelujah Hill).

Monday Morning - Apparently this hill is called ‘Nemesis’ and starts shortly after T1 at mile 3.5. It is a 1.4 mile long Category 5 hill with 260 feet of elevation gain and an average grade of 3.6%. This hill will probably hurt the most of the 4 Category 5 hills that the course throws at us for a couple reasons. It is the first hill and the steepest of the 4 Cat 5’s. We will encounter it with only 3.5 miles of riding and the legs may need a little waking up. It might feel a bit like a Monday morning. The bright side is that it may be a welcomed opportunity to warm up after a cold swim.

Tuesday - After Monday Morning there are plenty of good flat and descending miles to shake off any effects of climbing that first hill. It is not until mile 20 that we will encounter Tuesday. Tuesday should feel a lot better than Monday Morning. It is still a Category 5 hill with a shorter 1 mile long climb with half the elevation gain of Monday Morning (134 feet) and more than a full percent less average grade coming in at 2.4%.

Wednesday - About 5 easy miles after Tuesday we will encounter Wednesday at about mile 26.5. Wednesday is basically the identical twin in every way of Tuesday. If you have met Tuesday then you have met Wednesday.

Thursday - About 6 miles after Wednesday, we will encounter Thursday at about mile 32.5. Thursday is a little later in the week and this hill reflects it. It is a Category 5 hill that is 1.5 miles long with an elevation gain of 264 feet and an average grade of 3.3%. This hill's stats should sound familiar as it is almost a carbon copy of Monday Morning.

Friday - We just have to get past Friday and then it is the weekend. After Friday it is 11 miles of downhill to the bike finish. We will not approach Friday with the ease that all the other days of the week afforded. We will be 42 miles into the ride and instead of a flat or downhill approach, at mile 37 we will begin a climb that will gradually increase in grade for 5 miles until we reach mile 42 where the climb turns into a category 3 hill that goes for up 3 miles. In those 3 miles we will climb approximately 800 feet with an average grade of 5%. At the risk of being sacrilegious, I am going to call this Hallelujah Hill. After 4 category 5’s, 45 miles and 8 straight climbing miles with the last 3 miles at a 5% average grade, when my fat butt hits that top of that hill, a Hallelujah maybe entirely appropriate. By the time we hit the top at mile 45 it all downhill for the last 11 miles.  

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

This is simply a paper analysis by an Arizona flat lander based on what little available information I could find with my meager computer skills. I have never ridden or even seen this course in person, but would welcome comments from those who have.