IRONMAN Les Sables d'Olonne・VendéeVerified
IRONMAN Les Sables d'Olonne・Vendée: 178 km bike leg, 871 m of climbing. Elevation profile, what the terrain asks of you, the weather this race day usually brings, and how to pace this course.
Course intel
Starts from the famous Remblai seafront in Les Sables d'Olonne and runs through Vendée countryside across 17 municipalities, on fully closed roads. The organizers describe it as rolling and demanding, with many restarts: about 994 m of elevation gain but a high point under 100 m, which means a string of short climbs and re-accelerations out of corners, so riding constant power the whole way actually wears you down more. Late June on the Atlantic coast is windy.
Source: Adapted from the official course description (the course page on ironman.com)
The terrain on this course
- Flat (±1.2%) makes up 70%
- Main climb 35.6–37.1 km: 28 m of gain (avg 1.9%)
Speed score
Rolling terrain is where you overspend without noticing: 20 extra watts on every little rise adds up and empties your legs for the back half. Let power touch the top of the range on the small stuff and leave it there.
Historical race-day weather (around 06-27): 19.8°C · Wind 3.2 m/s
0 to 100, and the higher it is the easier it is to post a good time. Points come off for terrain, for corners, and for the heat and wind this race has actually had over the last five years at the same time of year. Full explanation in the article “How the course score works”.