So I was asked for a Vegas 70.3 recap...less all the personal stuff. So if you are not racing Vegas or not a triathlete, you probably want to skip this blog post!
SWIM: No clue....Lake Las Vegas is not open to swimming year round so we were not able to do any recon. Looking at the area it was hard to tell where T1 will be, where the swim takes place etc. The question will be wetsuits or not? We felt the lake and it was NOT hot but since I did not have a thermometer with me it is hard to say if the temperature is within the wetsuit legal range or not. Word on the street is no wetsuit, so get a swim skin. If you are wondering if it is worth it - YES they do make a difference and hello you are at the World Championship. Don't give me, but they are expensive- take a look at what you spend to save less than 1lb on your bike- do it, get one! I hear Zoot will have theirs ready and I hope they do!!! I love my Prophet Wetsuit so can only assume the swim skin will rock too.
BIKE: So you can see the map and the profile..... what do you notice? The most amount of climbing is mile 40-56 and this is hard to imagine when your ride the course. As you exit T1 and Lake Las Vegas you are climbing almost immediately out to the highway, good time to settle in and not go crazy, Although there will be many hammering out, eager to ride, there is no need, you will have plenty of time to climb hard. First you turn right toward Henderson for a bit and then get on the River Trail and head back towards Lake Mead. You enter the National Park and do an out and back. The roads are good. Rolling hills and if there is no wind this will be a fast course, if there is wind, not so much. The climbs are reasonable all can be done aero - nothing as steep as the Oceanside or Wildflower Climbs. Great for sighting competition as you turn around at mile 18. Once you exit the park you are on the highway for a bit and then the stair step turns through the neighborhoods begin. It reminded me a bit of St George neighborhoods - bleak, desert like and not that exciting, But you are climbing the whole way. Here is where I think people will feel the ride...if you over ride in the park this will be tough. Still aero but a lot of turns and not exciting. I don't image there will be many crowds back there either. No shade and may be really hot. We missed the last 2 miles but I am sure they meander through the neighborhood to T2.
RUN
T2 and the finish are in a big park/amphitheater area- with shade. Rolling in T2 should be easy and nice to be on the grass. Getting out to the run course was hard to navigate so I am unsure of the route, But the run is odd, really more like an L. You run ~1 mile net downhill and turn around at a park, run back up past T2 and then run up hill ~1 mile- steeper climb for sure, turn around and run back down- that is lap 1. There will be no shade so expect it to be hot. I think the run is fair, can be broken into 1/3's and gives you 6 opportunities to see your competition as you are out and back each segment. I imagine crowd support will be tremendous so the run will go by quickly. The last downhill mile is of course better than uphill but tough on the quads.
So there you have it.....where to stay? We are staying at Green Valley Ranch, at the finish, Bike check in is on Saturday so race AM I assume there will be shuttles- there is not much near Lake Las Vegas- hotels and restaurants but all expensive. At the finish you have lots of shopping and more to do. Plus we will all be hanging at the pool bar Sunday post race...so come join us.
Any specific questions...fire away! Cheers and good luck.
Oh and was it hot- yes it was f'ing hot! Well over 100 degrees- but definitely a dry heat. Sort of like running or riding into a hair dryer.
SWIM: No clue....Lake Las Vegas is not open to swimming year round so we were not able to do any recon. Looking at the area it was hard to tell where T1 will be, where the swim takes place etc. The question will be wetsuits or not? We felt the lake and it was NOT hot but since I did not have a thermometer with me it is hard to say if the temperature is within the wetsuit legal range or not. Word on the street is no wetsuit, so get a swim skin. If you are wondering if it is worth it - YES they do make a difference and hello you are at the World Championship. Don't give me, but they are expensive- take a look at what you spend to save less than 1lb on your bike- do it, get one! I hear Zoot will have theirs ready and I hope they do!!! I love my Prophet Wetsuit so can only assume the swim skin will rock too.
BIKE: So you can see the map and the profile..... what do you notice? The most amount of climbing is mile 40-56 and this is hard to imagine when your ride the course. As you exit T1 and Lake Las Vegas you are climbing almost immediately out to the highway, good time to settle in and not go crazy, Although there will be many hammering out, eager to ride, there is no need, you will have plenty of time to climb hard. First you turn right toward Henderson for a bit and then get on the River Trail and head back towards Lake Mead. You enter the National Park and do an out and back. The roads are good. Rolling hills and if there is no wind this will be a fast course, if there is wind, not so much. The climbs are reasonable all can be done aero - nothing as steep as the Oceanside or Wildflower Climbs. Great for sighting competition as you turn around at mile 18. Once you exit the park you are on the highway for a bit and then the stair step turns through the neighborhoods begin. It reminded me a bit of St George neighborhoods - bleak, desert like and not that exciting, But you are climbing the whole way. Here is where I think people will feel the ride...if you over ride in the park this will be tough. Still aero but a lot of turns and not exciting. I don't image there will be many crowds back there either. No shade and may be really hot. We missed the last 2 miles but I am sure they meander through the neighborhood to T2.
RUN
T2 and the finish are in a big park/amphitheater area- with shade. Rolling in T2 should be easy and nice to be on the grass. Getting out to the run course was hard to navigate so I am unsure of the route, But the run is odd, really more like an L. You run ~1 mile net downhill and turn around at a park, run back up past T2 and then run up hill ~1 mile- steeper climb for sure, turn around and run back down- that is lap 1. There will be no shade so expect it to be hot. I think the run is fair, can be broken into 1/3's and gives you 6 opportunities to see your competition as you are out and back each segment. I imagine crowd support will be tremendous so the run will go by quickly. The last downhill mile is of course better than uphill but tough on the quads.
So there you have it.....where to stay? We are staying at Green Valley Ranch, at the finish, Bike check in is on Saturday so race AM I assume there will be shuttles- there is not much near Lake Las Vegas- hotels and restaurants but all expensive. At the finish you have lots of shopping and more to do. Plus we will all be hanging at the pool bar Sunday post race...so come join us.
Any specific questions...fire away! Cheers and good luck.
Oh and was it hot- yes it was f'ing hot! Well over 100 degrees- but definitely a dry heat. Sort of like running or riding into a hair dryer.
great post... looking forward to the race and post race pool party!
ReplyDelete