The Rookies Guide to the ‘new’ IMUK Bike Circuit
Areet?
So Ironman released the new bike route Thursday, a brand new 30 mile, 3 lap ‘speed’ circuit and I was absolutely itching to get out there and give a lap a spin….
I can’t tell you how excited I was about this – ‘a 30 mile lap??? – I’ll piss it’ and thoughts of effortlessly cruising to a new PB filled the mind on the all new ‘rapid’ circuit….
‘Can’t wait to ‘race’ this year instead of ‘grind’….
I wasn’t the only one….
Within minutes, tier 3 slots completely sold out as people rushed to buy golden tickets for the perceived ‘nice easy Ironman’….
I went and rode 1 lap of the new bike course yesterday…..
Let me tell you something….
If you think you are going to come to Bolton for a ‘nice easy Ironman’ then you are in for a shock…..
Before we get cracking with the review, i think its important I set the scene here….
Hopefully, this will be my 4th Ironman in a row at Bolton….
1st year I did the classic ‘unable to swim a length front crawl’ then, like thousands before me, went on the pilgrimage to IMUK and wrote a book about the amazing journey we all go on to get there
I then became addicted to what happens on race day at IMUK (the supporters) and the training itself
2nd year I got lucky and ‘winged it’
3rd year I started to have a good go at the bike loop with a couple of decent lads and got me 50 mile loop time down to a very respectable 2:38 before going ‘awol’….
In 2019, They changed the course to the infamous ‘brutal’ bike loop and I made the cut off by the skin of my teeth which some people would say is ‘shit’
However, we must never forget that on this day, a whopping 20% of the field did not make the cut, so I will let you be the judge of what is ‘good’ and what is ‘shit’….
Make no mistake, being awarded the sacred 2019 medal was bloody excellent as far as I was concerned…
I then went on the piss for 4 months and my weight ballooned to 16 stone, which is at least 4 stone over ‘peak’…
Whilst I have got back into training since the 1st Jan, I am still a fat bastard and the weather today was freezing cold, wet and windy, as it always is….
Both those factors are far from ideal, 3 times yer Ironman or not….
In addition, always remember that this is the view of someone who simply wants to ‘get round’ within the cut-offs whilst paying his respects to the thousands of wonderful supporters stood cheering us on all around the race circuit, many of whom are legendary Ironmen themselves…..
Just bear that in mind as you read please….
How did it go?
I’ll cut straight to the chase…..
I was expecting to cruise round this new 30 mile lap in around 2 hours…..
Didn’t happen….
Try 2:40….
And it was a tough 2:40 at that….
How does that fit into the race plan of someone who ‘just’ wants to ‘get round’?
1:30 swim plus an hour taxi onto the main loop = 2:30
Add 3 x 2:40 loops and we are bang on the overall cut off of 10:30…
And that is presuming I can sustain my lap 1 pace on lap 3 (extremely unlikely)
Not good enough……
Yes, large parts of this new circuit are a lot of fun and the roads are much better….
But I would ‘summise’ the new loop as follows (note I began the ride from the bee-hive pub on Chorley New Road which pretty much marks the starting point of lap 1 – come race day we will have already ridden circa 16 mile from the flash by this point)
It goes like this….
Horwich to Bolton town centre is not the downhill treat you think it is going to be
Bolton town centre up to Tongue Moor is what it is
The 2 stonking hills of Breightmet welcome you to Bolton in fine style (imagine these on lap 3)
The horrific harwood golf club climb was the stuff of folklore last year and it’s frankly out of order making us do this thrice (Lap 3 here on race day is going to be hilarious)
The fast descent after the golf club climb is a lot of fun (but be aware of the stop sign shortly after you begin your descent – there are ALWAYS cars crossing your path here so STOP as instructed you crazy fool)
The new bits through the wags of greenmount and from Holcombe brook back towards turton road are a graft at times
The other new bit down into edgeworth is largely a nice fast descent on a wide road, even if there is a bit of a stonking climb at the top that goes on for longer than it should
The fun continues as you hurtle down through edgeworth on a somewhat teeth clattering surface
The forest of doom (entwistle reservoir) is hell on earth and feels like cycling uphill through treacle on lap 1 never mind lap 3
The extended new downhill part of the A666 is once again much fun and very fast
The new bit once you turn off the a666 and head back past delph sailing club is a grind and I guarantee you will be losing the will to live here at some point, probably on your second lap
The SHL climb in reverse at the back end of the loop is out of order (once again imagine this on lap 3) but the iconic supporters outside the black dog will get you through it
The SHL descent is one of the best parts of the circuit….
We are then back onto the road from Horwich to Bolton which is not quite the downhill treat you think its gonna be….
Sounds easy???
Come and have a chat with me on your 3rd lap cocker…
I’ll be honest with you….
I came away today with a smacked arse, scratching my head and wondering how 3 laps of this are gonna fit within the cut offs….
The burning question on everybody’s lips right now is ‘how does this compare to last years ‘brutal’ course?
My Rookie opinion?
No doubt about it, 1 lap of this versus 1 lap of the 2019 circuit is much easier and quicker….
But 3 laps of this versus 2 laps of the 2019 circuit from a ‘how easy is it to make the cut-offs’ perspective??…..
Right now, I’m not so sure there is much in it you know….
My prediction is that many will come unstuck in Bolton once again this year….
Me??????…..
A 2:40 1st lap…..
It’s not acceptable…..
Practice needed…..
One thing I would say…..
Unlike last year’s circuit, this is the type of loop that, if you practice, practice, practice then, all of a sudden…….
You’ll end up lovin it….
Be under no illusion…
There is no such thing as ‘an easy day at the office’ in Bolton…..
If you want the sacred medal here, you are gonna have to come and earn it my friend….. (as always)
We will see what the coming weeks will bring….
Here is the strava link for this ride (use this as the benchmark for the absolute shittest you can be and still make the cut-offs by the skin of your teeth) www.strava.com/activities/3102938023
Next update 23 Feb…..More tales from the new loop
To understand why I keep entering IMUK click here www.iron-rookie.com/4-in-a-row-imuk-1-28/
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By the way, have you heard about this book? its nearly 500 pages crammed full of hints and tips detailing exactly how I was able to go from zero fitness to completing an Ironman triathlon and covers super sprint, sprint, olympic 70.3 & full iron distances all from a ‘first timer’ perspective – please take a moment to read the reviews on amazon www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Ironmen-Iron-Rookie/dp/1974002322/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540676777&sr=8-1&keywords=iron+rookie
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