Since I'm pretty analytical (anal?) about the particulars of the races I and some of my athletes do, Ironman Ireland is definitely no exception.
I'll be musing about the course the next couple of months, starting with initial reactions and then going into the particulars of the entire course.
Today I started to really
take a look at the bike course. Thanks to the street view of Google
Maps, it helps *a lot* about the types of roads I'll be encountering on
the bike and on the run.
The transition area of the race is located at Youghal Beach, east of the city of Cork. Figure 1 below shows the location.
Before I start, I learned about how a lot of Ireland's roads are when I made a car reservation for the trip. The insurance was quite expensive, but it is clearly needed because the roads are notoriously narrow. A lot of dings and dents happen with rental cars in this country, so I loaded up with insurance to make sure that if anything happens, I don't get "dinged" for a cent.
So imagine to my surprise below that a lot of the bike course is on those narrow roads (sarcasm). I truly hope that they close down the entire road in these sections, because having it open to traffic will clearly pose a risk to triathletes here. One look at Figures 2-3 below and you will agree. Those roads are only about 5-6 miles into the cycling course.
OMG, these roads are so narrow! If theses roads are open to traffic, it's going to make for a very adventurous bike ride!
Lastly, take a look at Figure 4. Triathletes will have to make a left turn at that intersection. The turn itself will be quite a hairy one to begin with, given the narrow roads, but if Ironman allows the condition of the road in this picture as is, turns like these will be quite an adventure! I truly hope that they do clean the roads a little because they are inviting a lot of bike wipeouts and crashes at these turns.
That's about it for now. I'll come up with another update on the course every several days.
The transition area of the race is located at Youghal Beach, east of the city of Cork. Figure 1 below shows the location.
Picture showing the start and finish of the ride at Ironman Ireland
Before I start, I learned about how a lot of Ireland's roads are when I made a car reservation for the trip. The insurance was quite expensive, but it is clearly needed because the roads are notoriously narrow. A lot of dings and dents happen with rental cars in this country, so I loaded up with insurance to make sure that if anything happens, I don't get "dinged" for a cent.
So imagine to my surprise below that a lot of the bike course is on those narrow roads (sarcasm). I truly hope that they close down the entire road in these sections, because having it open to traffic will clearly pose a risk to triathletes here. One look at Figures 2-3 below and you will agree. Those roads are only about 5-6 miles into the cycling course.
Lastly, take a look at Figure 4. Triathletes will have to make a left turn at that intersection. The turn itself will be quite a hairy one to begin with, given the narrow roads, but if Ironman allows the condition of the road in this picture as is, turns like these will be quite an adventure! I truly hope that they do clean the roads a little because they are inviting a lot of bike wipeouts and crashes at these turns.
This is one hairy left turn I have to make here.
That's about it for now. I'll come up with another update on the course every several days.
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