Subject: RE: River roux 2013 I did the 2013 race. The swim was well layed out. Enter the water down a boat ramp and exit up another boat ramp. There was carpet on the exit so it was not slippery. There were many volunteers to assist in transition. On the way out on the bike there is a set of rail road tracks that are not perpendicular to the road and cross at an angle. As I was riding up to them a biker had caught his wheel in the grooves and flipped. I think there should have been more of a warning about this or re-routing the course around the tracks to a more favorable crossing area. Going over the new bridge was very nice, and the ride through St. Francisville was awesome. The course is by no means flat. But there are no real big climbs either. The rollers are relentless though. The aid stations weren't quite at the mile markers the coordinators had mentioned, but they weren't too far off either, just a few miles each. On the way back crossing the bridge wasn't too bad. It is probably the highest climb of the day, but all in all not bad. At the bottom of the bridge, the course takes a left turn. On the way out a policeman was stationed there to direct bikers. On the way back, there was nobody directing traffic or bikers. There was also no turn sign or anything indicating a turn. A guy ahead of me a few hundred yards went by the turn, then a guy I was riding with (legal distance apart ) and myself passed the turn. We went about a mile down the road, slowed down, and noticed a group of about 8 guys following us. We formed a small group and rode through New Roads asking anyone how to get back to the mill. We all rode an extra 5 miles before finding transition. All the other previous turns were clearly marked except the one we passed up. I also heard closer to T2 there were a couple more turns not clearly marked and several people went different routes. Not nearly adding 5 miles to their trip but a little. The run was very nice. There were aid stations every mile or so.
This race definitly needs better coordination on the bike course. |