Subject: RE: Escape from Alcatraz Bike Leg I've only done Alcatraz so I can't compare the 2 races.
My personal experience....
I totally underestimated the bike leg. I knew it had hills and my coach had me training appropriately, but all of my nerves were focused on the swim. I'm a decent swimmer but not fast. I was so worried about making the swim in the time cut off (which I did with plenty of time to spare...and without being picked up and repositioned by the nearby boats ).
The bike leg has some hills, but the one series that I remember the most was the one that went up the San Francisco neighborhood. It went up, flattened out for the road crossing, went up again and repeated in a step wise fashion. There are other hills on the course and pay attention during the briefing as there are a few sharp turns at the bottom of some of the hills (Presidio ).
My Garmin showed 1,460ft elevation gain over the 18 miles.
Most people chose to ride a road bike. While I am more "comfortable" on my tri bike, I was glad to have my hands near the brakes on a few of the downhill turns. There was a good mix of road and tri bikes out there so ride whatever you feel best on. Have fun and enjoy the scenery. It is truly a beautiful race! I would love to go back one day but it is a very expensive weekend of racing. |