A friend asked me to send him a write up of my thoughts on the IMC bike course and as i was going about it I really started to get into it. Here's my $.02 on my favorite full course i've yet to do.
Also a reminder to come by Bike Barn and join us for the sherpa/taper rides. Leaving the shop at 8:30 every morning to give people time to swim before hand.
50% of the time there will be a north wind and 50% of the time you’ll get a south wind (HUGE valley walls to E and W so rarely can blow from those directions). When it’s the former (2009) just CTFO. No reason to push at all going south. When it’s the latter (2008....not really for me but for the AGrs it was) there may be a little something to be gained by staying steady on the gas as you head down to osoyoos knowing that you’ll get a nice tail kicker once you are over in the Similkameen Valley (after richter). Likewise the headwind you’ll get once over there in a north wind situation can be a bitch and you’ll bury your head trying to grind through it. Note the wind early on and make the decision on that. Richter can be a bit tougher with a north wind as it is exposed in that direction and you get a bit of a helper going up if it’s a south wind. Yellow lake can be tricky with a south wind and a deep dish front (808 in ‘08 for me) but you can REALLY carry your speed and haul ass you just gots to have your handling skillz about you. With a north wind you’ll be pedaling down the whole thing (‘09)...and with the absence of the high speeds skills aren’t as necessary. (I was white knuckling it in ‘08 but for some reason I guess I’m a good descender....put time on everyone in that section....i do take a lot of risks and was by myself so had the liberty to do so).
Leaving town it’s chill, don’t get caught up in whatever mess is going on about you and stick to your SRM. You go along the lake and then about 15-20min in or so you climb up mac clean creek road. It’s a bitch of a little tick up and I’ve stayed seated on the lower part of it and then do a VERY relaxed standing climb towards the top. I believe I’ve gone with 11-27 or 11-25 both years. The extra is always nice for spin-spin-spinning. Absolutely LIMIT! your time above FTP to as minimum as possible. You are now on top of the east “bench” and will cruise along up here for a little bit (flatish to slightly downhill) then a curvy descent down into OK Falls. Watch your speed on some of the turns but you should be able to carry it. Back down in the valley it’s largely flat as you pass vaseux lake and then into olive. You start to come out of the base of the valley here and start to meander on the side so it gets very low rolling here. Still can carry a lot of speed and again, CHILL OUT! As you approach Osoyoos there is a long false flat building in to the base of Richter. Then you’ll make a hard right turn off of 97 and onto hwy 3 and begin the richter climb. About 20-25min long (not including the false flat approach) stay upright and spin spin spin. There’s one or two false summits that might trick you into thinking “all done!” but keep patient and keep on pressing. The pass is very evident. You plummet off the back side of it and roll high speed down into the similkameen. The cathedrals will be on the opposite side of the valley as the road hugs the wall, makes for a pretty descent.
Once down you then have the 7 bitches. PUNCHY little hills. Spin up, stand-power over, coast down. That’s been my mantra for them.
Back into the flat of the valley it can be a long grind to Keremeos if north wind or smooth sailing with a south. Then....the out and back. This is where you if you are missing cals or focus it will bit you in the ass. It’s some short but steepish rollers on this section. At the apex of the turn around is special needs. Seriously, if you start to lag here, get some caffeine and cals in and snap yourself back together. It can cost you out here. In and out then back to Keremeos. STAY FOCUSED!
The climb to Yellow Lake starts out very unassumingly. Very false flatish and ever so gently increases it’s grade. There’s going to be a HUGE crowd where Green Mountain Road intersects and this will give the impression that either there is an aid station or you are close to the summit. Ignore it, neither is true. It gets pretty quiet after this section and the road continues to pitch up but never gets all that steep. You’ll want to spin out sitting up though. Finally you’ll hear the aid station and summit crowd before you get to the big right hand turn. The summit is pretty flat so after you pass the crowd you’ll be rolling along the lake before getting to the other side of the pass and then starting the drop down. See comments on descent in the wind section up top. The descent eventually flattens out and again will depend on the wind direction as to how you roll the last miles into town. If it’s a south wind the bike course is essentially 100 miles, if a north wind, you’re in for 112. With the north wind you’ll have to pedal a good bit on yellow lake and really have to push the last section on 97 and all the way back thru town. If a south wind you can really cruise on the 97 section and in town and shake the legs out for T2.
Okay, hope that’s helpful!
