IRONMAN 70.3 Northern CaliforniaVerified
IRONMAN 70.3 Northern California: 91 km bike leg, 637 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
Rolling terrain through Shasta County. The organizers make a point of the net descent of nearly 1,000 feet (about 300 m) over the course, with smooth roads and open views, good for going fast. About 770 m of elevation gain, but the overall trend is downhill: hold your power on the climbs and drop the level on the descents. Early May in Northern California is dry and pleasant.
Source: Adapted from the official course description (the course page on ironman.com)
The terrain on this course
- Flat (±1.2%) makes up 53%
- Main climb 18.6–19.6 km: 47 m of gain (avg 4.7%)
- Main climb 41.4–43.0 km: 49 m of gain (avg 3.0%)
- Main climb 53.5–54.5 km: 45 m of gain (avg 5.1%)
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 05-03): 15.5°C · Wind 3.0 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”.