IM Lou Bike Course Recon Notes

Paul Curtin

This past weekend Trent Prough and I rode most of the bike course in Louisville.  We chose to drive out to the church at 42 and 1694 and ride from there.  This avoided the traffic on River Road and the early stretch on Route 42.

Summary Notes:

·         It’s a challenging course.  There are no major climbs, but plenty of rolling hills

·         The course requires very smart shifting.  You must be efficient on shifting through several gears both up and down each climb

·         If you’re unsure about using an 11-25 or an 11-28 rear cassette, go with the higher number

·         The change to remove the KY 1694 section was a good move

·         If you were considering an upgrade to Di2 before the race, get the upgrade

Course Notes by Section:

1)      River Road Outbound: this is a flat section and will be rather easy.  The railroad tracks at mile 1 (and mile 111) were recently paved over, so this should be much smoother than in years past.  River Road will be highly congested on race day.  No need to do much here – just ride along and focus on getting your heart rate into a comfortable zone.

2)      Route 42 to KY-393: once you turn onto 42 you’ll see the first climb.  It’s a gradual incline – you may be able to stay in the aero bars for this, but watch your watts to ensure you don’t exceed whatever cap you’ve set.  There will be an aid station somewhere after that first climb (approx. mile 11).  I’m not sure how congested it will be but I plan to discard my first bottle and grab a GE bottle.

3)      Right turn on KY-393: this starts the loop section of the course.  With the course change 393 now has the steepest climb, so be careful not to burn any matches here.  It’s not overly steep but there is a section where you’ll be climbing for a mile or so.  Just ride it out at a smooth and steady pace – for both loops.  There’s an aid station just before Oldham County High School, and the bike special-needs bags should be somewhere near the school.

4)      Left turn on KY-146: with the usual traffic this section was horrible.  But on race day it should be fairly nice – all the way to Ballard School Road.  It takes a few miles of easy cruising before you get to La Grange – be careful here and don’t let the cheering crowds push you past your HR and power limits.  Save your energy for the Ballard School Road section.

5)      Left turn on Ballard School Road: this is the toughest section of the course IMO … stay highly focused here.  This road is very narrow, it has tight turns, it has short-but-steep climbs, and there is one particularly nasty section where you cross a brook – which entails turning to the right to cross a bump in the road at the bridge where you then climb up a hill.  On Saturday I bunny-hopped the bump both times and did okay; on Sunday I did not bunny hop, and hitting that bump ejected my bottle.

6)      Left turn on Old Sligo Road:  this is the new section of the course.  You’ll climb a hill on Old Sligo and then turn right onto Winters Lane.  Be careful of the false flats on this section.  Watch the grade and watts – don’t push too hard – it’s deceptively hilly here.  There’s a turn-around on Yager Lane and then an aid station, but the road is very wide so hopefully things won’t be too chaotic.

7)      Another left turn on Old Sligo Road: this puts you back on the original course.  The hardest hill on the entire course is along this section.  You’ll be standing up, but don’t worry – it’s a very short section.  When you get to the top, start shifting into lower gears to quickly get up to speed and take advantage of the downhill.

8)      Right turn on L’Esprit Parkway: resist the temptation to buy a horse farm and estate home along this section … it’s truly lovely along this road!  The hills persist here, so continue to watch HR and power and don’t deviate from your planned ranges.

9)      Left turn on KY-153: nothing notable along this section.  There’s a net uphill climb until you get back to Route 42.

10)   Left turn on Route 42: this is the best part of the course.  You’ll hit it at approx. mile 45 on the first loop and mile 80 on the second loop.  From here to KY-393, it’s fun riding: just a few uphills but largely downhill cruising at fast speeds.  Don’t go crazy but if you’ve ridden the other sections conservatively, this is a good stretch to hold tightly to the planned NP number for the day.

11)   Route 42 to River Road, and River Road to T2: we didn’t ride this, but my general take is that it’s downhill and easy compared to the other sections.  If you can hold watts here you’ll make huge gains over those who over-cooked the bike leg.  There will be one last aid station – somewhere just after you turn onto River Road – use this station to get your last fluids as you still have 8+ miles of flat roads back into Louisville.

Riding the course always makes it seem easier.  It's not a killer-tough course, it's just one that you don't want to spike watts or burn too many matches on.  Staying safe and in your ranges will go a long ways toward making your run a lot easier.

Laura Becker

This is awesome Paul! Thank you for doing this for the team!

steven cummings

Thanks for the recap! I rode the loop prior to the change of the course and thought a lot of the same things. I was only able to get in the main loop about 1.5 times because traffic was really bad by noon on a Friday. Ballard school road is very tricky...I found myself losing momentum in some of the short steep climbs. Old Sligo wasn't that bad if you keep some speed up going into the hills....L'Esprit was my favorite part of the course with the horse farms, and 42 was a breeze to me. The course is very similar to what I ride in the outskirts of Atlanta.

Coach Rich

Thanks for the detailed notes! In my experience riding the course for camps, race weekend, etc, it's "just a bike ride." Nothing epic that you need to be skeered of and nothing that you likely haven't ridden many times before on any local rides. It's just a ride but because it's an Ironman you still need to pay attention to gearing, shifting, managing your effort at the bottom of hills, etc.

But, other than that, it's "just a bike ride." Good luck!

Paul Curtin

John Henault: you asked about the course file from our ride. Here's the link - let me know if this works.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/13476119

Coach Patrick

 

Elizabeth Hornak

@Paul - so helpful - thank you so much for taking the time to put this together. Geeky question - is there a way (either in MapMyRide or Garmin Connect) to cross check elevation there versus what I am riding at home. I live in the Finger Lakes Region of Western New York, where we have some pretty challenging hill, and I just want to assure myself that what I am riding in training will set me up for success at LOU.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Paul Curtin

Hi Beth - I used to live in Rochester (I miss it there - it's a great town!). The hills around the Finger Lakes are similar to Louisville. Maybe even fewer steep climbs at IMLou.

Here's the Strava file from our ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/691008588

Check out the elevation profile just below the map. It gives you a sense of how much climbing there is. I'd classify the course as rolling hills and not climbs. (Oh, ignore the last 10 miles ... we rode the KY-1694 section which is no longer part of the course ... and actually that was the only real "climb" IMO).

Elizabeth Hornak

Hi Paul!

Thank you for the Strava file! ROC is a great city - I moved here for grad school, and ended up staying on! 

I do not speak fluent elevation *grimace* - would you be willing to look at my Garmin Connect of some recent rides - I am getting paranoid that I am not doing enough hills.

Cheers,

Beth

Paul Curtin

Beth - I just peeked at a few of your Garmin files, and it looks like there's plenty of hill climbing on your recent training rides. The terrain seems quite similar to IMLou: no super-steep or super-long climbs; no long flat sections (except for River Road which is pancake flat); and about 1,200 feet of total climbing every 28 miles or so. It's ideal training with just the right amount of hills - keep up the great work!
Paul

Elizabeth Hornak

Paul,

Thank you so much for taking the time to do that - I am super appreciative. You have put my mind at ease. 

Cheers,

Beth

Ed Eovino

Paul... Thanks! I felt so far behind in my planning for the race... But after I saw this I realized you've removed a lot of the guess work. I'll ride that Ballard school section and make sure I drive the course when I get in on race week.

C P... Thanks for the amended walk through... Good stuff

Paul Curtin

Hi Ed - congrats on your IMWI race!

I've created a course that might be good for a recon ride. It starts and ends in La Grange, from the public parking lot at the corner of Hwy 146 and Route 53. It goes along the course for about 16.6 miles (I didn't include the out-and-back along Yager Lane), then takes a direct route back to the start (this last 6.1-mile section is NOT part of the IM course - it's just the shortest way back to avoid a longer ride). Total distance is 22.7 miles.

https://www.strava.com/routes/6538075

Ed Eovino

Thanks... It was a lot of fun!

Thanks for the route... I'll defiantly use it. I'll be doing 1:30 ride while I'm up there... Let me know if you want to hit it together when we're up there.

Ed Eovino

I'll ride definitely defiantly