IM Lou Bike Course Recon Notes

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.