STRIC - Shanghai Tri Club – Discussion and information on Ironman and Triathlon events, training and exercise. Tri events, Triathlon Training, Ironman Triathlon, Ironman 70.3 Triathlon.

'Cool water, big gears and supportive shoes will be Ironman China'

COURSE REVIEW UPDATE MARCH 29, 2008

Pro coach Scott Penny briefing some of the crew Ok let's go over the course again - I have ridden it 4 times and the first thing I will say is I got 2 flats, both on the freeway sections, once on the way down the freeway and the 2nd on the way back up, different days. I use the words 'down' and 'up' loosely. As STRIC Pro coach Scott Penny said "this is probably the only Ironman course he has ridden where he would consider carrying 2 spare tubes or tires (tubular)" I will be carrying 2 and I am forgoing the 'race lites' for Gator skin type tires. The extra 100 grams or so might be worth it on the day. I am sure the organizers will have the roads cleaned as best as they can but these are heavily used roads. There are small stones on each side of the freeway and if we get one vehicle lane then there will be minimal stones. There are more stone coming back up the freeway then going down but from what I can see we will be riding up and back on the one side, either way if you can stay out of the emergency lane you will have a lot less chance of a flat.

Gemma with the Princess and Robbie Tan fueling up at the end of the freeway stretch. From T1 we have flat, fast, wide roads, known as the Coconut Highway. At 12.5 km you turn right and ride slightly up hill and along a busy road for 8 or so k's then another right turn onto the freeway section. The surface on all these roads is good but they are used heavily and conditions change daily. Once on the freeway there are long rolling sections. There is one slightly down hill section, across a bridge I'm not getting into degrees of elevation but there are no sections of the freeway where you need to come out of aero position other then to hydrate and or stretch. There is only one small hill and you WILL get out of the saddle for about 1 minute or so. This will punch your heart rate and that will be the only piece of terrain that will control your heart. If you have to get out of the saddle then we'll call it a climb. There is another smaller hill, this isn't a climb, you won't get out of the saddle and you won't be concerned about either once you have ridden them. The course is slightly technical off the freeway sections where it goes through 2 small towns and there is a small bridge that goes over a freeway which up until last weekend was still unpaved. Actually it was in worse condition last weekend (March 22,2008) than previous but hopefully it will be sorted out by race day. Sorted out I mean it could be paved otherwise it is 150 meters of dirt/clay and gets a little tricky at the end where there is some gravel. Riders will fall there for sure if they aren't careful or over break.

Gemma, Kristian and AJ Andreson When you turn off the freeway there is an elevated (1.5 meter) two way narrow road heading towards the town of She shen. Besides the odd pile of Buffalo crap on the road, about 30 cm round and 4 cm high, you'll see them and you'd better miss them. They can take out even the most skilled and experienced cyclist ;-) this is a good road however there is one shape left hand turn, hopefully flag marshaled on race day. This corner saw one of our guys, distracted possibly by some Buffalo crap, miss the turn and end up in the irrigation drain below. He was alright but if you are moving at race pace and did the same thing your day would be over.

Once out of the towns, there is a new stretch of road, tree lined and ready to be developed. This is a nice fast stretch, I sat on 45km most of the way after getting a run up from a slight downhill stretch. This section heads back to the busy highway where you there is 15km of rolling freeway, possible less (check the map) then you are in town. This will be interesting as it is always super busy. The last section is down hill for a few hundred meters and then a left turn back onto Bin Hi avenue for the fast, final 10km of the loop.

Craig coming through Sheshan The organizers have sacrificed a super flat fast course for an interesting 'traditional China' feel to the one we have. They could have quite easily by passed the towns but what would be the point of coming to China if you didn't experience a small rural town or two during the bike course. It is a good course which has a bit of everything and you will enjoy it.

WINDY - Sorry almost forgot. It will be windy. I can't tell you from which direction the wind will be coming from as it was different almost every ride but it will be there. You'll feel it on the freeway for sure and it will slow you up most likely coming back up fro the turnaround. I was riding with a guy who tagged along on one of the rides with us and he had a rear disc wheel which will be a good idea, however he had a little too deep dish in the front, I think it was 90 or more and he scared himself with the cross winds. If you have experienced this you know what it feels like. I saw him drift at about 50km per hour over a windy bridge section and it looked nasty. I did hear him say after "this front wheel isn't the right one for this course" I'll be using a Zipp 404 front and a rear Zipp disc for this course but for training I had the trusty Mavic's and they like Mavic do, worked well. I was training in Tufo Tubular clincher CS 22's running 130psi.

That's about it. If you have any specific questions send us an email and we'll do what we can to assist.

If you’re looking for an event with a cultural experience and ‘something a little different’ then the inaugural K-Swiss China Ironman and the CLSA China Ironman 70.3 events on April 20 might just be the ticket.

As China rapidly embraces the 21st century the Ironman China race course will capture the amazing contrasts of this fascinating country.

Haikou waterside The Southern island of Hainan, said to be the ‘Hawaii of China’ hosts the inaugural K-Swiss China Ironman and the CLSA China Ironman 70.3 events in the capitol city of Haikou. Haikou is a rapidly expanding metropolis with a population of 1.5 million people. This eagerly awaited, and some would say, long time coming, latest addition to the Ironman family will definitely not disappoint.

The initial 45 minute taxi ride from the international airport through the heart of Haikou, for first time visitors to China will instantly feel the culture shock. This will dissipate as you head through the City along Bin Hai Avenue, which makes up a good part of the race course. Your thoughts and views may vary wildly as you catch a glimpse of the ships, yachts and catamarans at play in the South China Sea. Along the esplanade families walking, children roller blading, 50 meter public swimming pools and of course the many extravagant hotels, apartment complexes and golf club welcome gates all serve to add to the cultural exchange that is China in 2008.

Cycle course through some Hainan villages The race course itself is the true attraction and what will ultimately become the drawing point for Ironman China as Triathletes look for a race with a difference.
The swim course is picturesque and could be any pacific island start. The backdrop of the Sheraton Haikou and its vast gardens and pools is every bit a paradise in itself. The ocean is clear and clean and come race day, will likely provide a perfect temperature for a fast swim, perhaps just cool enough for the use of wetsuits.

Out of the Sheraton Hotel and onto Bin Hai Avenue you'll be greeted with a wide three lane, smooth, low traffic road. Heading toward the first highway stretch there will likely be a slight, welcomed tailwind. The road narrows at the 10km mark as you head west past the many duck breeding ponds and agricultural fields toward the new, fast section of the West Expressway. A wide smooth highway with slight undulations, sections of tailwind and at times very fast. It was big gear, head down, hitting 65km per hour in some sections. The turnaround at 37km routes back along the expressway bringing with it the exact opposite of what you just experienced, a slight incline and headwind slows the return before the real fun starts.

Right turn from the Highway along this road to the villages A right turn off the expressway takes you into 'another world' the rural and old China you were expecting. A winding, still smooth quality road past small farms, water buffalos, decades old tractors and farmers with very puzzled looks on their faces as you ride past on your space age machines. Who knows what the locals will think on race day when they see hundreds of matching race suits and aero helmets fly past their normally quiet neighborhood.

It will be hard not to be distracted by the sights and smells as you climb gently through the tiny village of Dao Tang. A narrow concrete road passes snugly through small shops, houses and outdoor market stalls. The many 'helllooos’ from the smiling faces of little kids will inspire and help you to forget about what remains of your long challenging day ahead. You will hear a lot of 'JIA YOU' or 'Jar Yao' from the locals as you charge past them, this basically means 'Go Go Go' or 'Come on'. You can also use this term at the gas station when filling up your car, go figure. I can imagine there will be a speed restriction and a 'no passing' rule imposed on this part of the course.

Ride through the village of Shi Shan The course heads along another narrow road and across a small bridge which routes over a new section of highway, the day before we cycled over this bridge and looked down on a dirt road, today it had fresh bitumen for hundreds of meters. The Chinese know how to build stuff, and build it fast so I have no idea what this section will be like come race day but rest assured it will be good and ready. Along the road a kilometer or so and through the slightly larger market village of Shi Shan you come to the only true climb of the course. This 'climb' if you like, is a 400 meter section that will spike the heart rate monitor for a minute or so and force you to refocus after the village distractions. I still had a 12/27 rear cassette on my bike from training and racing in Thailand which came in handy only in this section of the course, come race day I'll be back to my standard 12/23 which will more than suffice on this, for the most part, fast Ironman course.

After the climb there is a fast downhill section, which at the time of writing had several speed bumps the width of the road. We are told these won't be there on race day. About a kilometer or so on the left there is a volcano tourist park so I'm guessing the 'climb' was up one side of this small volcano. At the entrance to the park the course turns sharp left onto the fast green path road back towards Haikou.

Fuel stop downtown Haikou In 3 days we rode 350km and each day we experienced head winds building as the morning progressed, especially on this part of the course. My guess is on race day it could be the same. At this point of the ride the rural experiences is swapped for a short, fast highway section which takes you back into the hustle and bustle of Haikou city and onto Nan Hai Avenue. The traffic was crazy in this section so It will be most interesting to see how it is controlled in this section on race day.

At the bottom of Nan Hai Avenue there is a left turn back onto Bin Hai Avenue for a likely tailwind and a 15km flat, fast ride to the transition area. For the full Ironman athletes its back out for another lap of the same, for the 70.3 competitors its a great section of the course to recover, refuel and focus on what it to come, that rare treat of a point to point 21km half marathon run to the finish line.

Almost entirely flat, runners will return back along the palm tree lined, ocean front boulevard of Bin Hai Avenue. I will point out at this stage for the bigger athlete or anyone with a previous injury you might consider a running shoe with more sole support then usual. I found the concrete surface to be really hard and I have discarded the Asics 'noosa' Tri shoes for a pair with a softer ride. The course makes it way through parts of the city with many new high rise buildings only ever meters from the waterfront. You run across the canals before finishing in the vast expanses of Wen Lu Park in downtown Haikou. The park has two small lakes joined by a bridge and we have been told by the race organizers there will be a spectacular like never before seen for an Ironman finish, 'Hollywood style' was the term used. Something to really look forward to.

From the beach looking back to the Sheraton Hotel, one of the many 5 star Hotels in Haikou Wen Lu Park has many busy area full of stalls and people walking and playing. We are sure the 'Ironman show' will provide a truly unique atmosphere for the locals who we believe will come out in force to experience the cultural diversity of this new sport. Something we hope, they will get for many years to come.

The full 42km marathon run will take in 2 laps of the flat, fast Bin Hai section before completing a similar final route as the 21km run near the end. The full Ironman run will also finish in Wen Lu Park but will be separated from the 70.3 finish.

As with most of China, there is a huge variety of accommodation options, food choices and experiences to be had. All adding up to a truly unique Ironman experience and one that can be shared by a growing band of triathlon junkies from all walks of life. In the words of Lou Reed, “take a walk on the wild side” and be a part of this historic event, you won't regret it.

Reviewed and written by Kristian Page, Scott Penny and Freddie Croneborg for STRIC - Shanghai Tri Club.

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