Ironman Triathlon World Championship: A Kona Preview-Part 2

Here's the continuation of my Kona preview, text borrowed from Ray Britt. Please visit Ray's website at http://runtri.blogspot.com/. I have added pictures and comments.

Bike
One of the things I looked most forward to was the 112 mile ride
through the lava fields. It looked like a spiritual experience as I
watched it on television broadcasts, and it was exactly like that
when I got there in person. But first, you have to get there.

I break the Kona bike course into five parts: warmup, fast and fun,
legendary climb, screaming downhill, headwinds going home.

Warm up
The first several miles of the bike course, in and around the town
of Kona, seem to be designed to break up the pack somewhat. There
are small climbs and descents that basically give cyclists the
opportunity to warm up without going crazy. The first miles are such
that you won’t see a lot of passing, and you’ll realize it’s best to
just hold your position and get into a comfortable cycling rhythm.

Still in town, the climb up Palani Drive. Yes, we get to run up this hill later.

Donkeys actually do cross here, but thankfully not on race day. The volcano Mauna Kea looms large in the background.

Fast and Fun: to Waikoloa
When you get onto the Queen K highway, the best part of the bike
course is ahead of you. The highway is nicely paved, the undulations
are friendly and not too challenging. You’re fresh and you’ll feel
like picking up the pace a little. Go ahead. Just keep it in check;
tougher miles are ahead. Look right, left and forward. All you will
see is dried lava. You’re out in the middle of nowhere, and it’ll be
nearly silent, except for the sound of cyclists pedaling.

If you have any illusions that the bike ride on the Big Island is all swaying palm trees and ocean breezes, let this picture dispel them. Nothing but lava and sawgrass, heat and wind.

Mile-after-mile through fields that feel like an endless moonscape.
Where else will you ever have an experience like that? It’s where
you were meant to be. Your bike computer will say are fast, having a
great ride. And that will be a true impression for the first hour or
two. But when you reach the intersection for Waikoloa Village, it’s
time for some serious work.

Looking across Kawaihae Bay to the northwest tip of the island. We ride to the right in this photo all the way to Waikoloa, then across the face of the Kohala mountain range from right to left in the background, then around the other side to Hawi. And back again!

Legendary Climb ‘The Road to Hawi . . .’
After Waikoloa, the course will toss some sharp drops and climbs in
the next few miles. And then you will take a left turn toward the
west side of the island, for the climb to Hawi.Check it out on the
course map, there’s a point where the climb clearly begins, 12 miles
before the top. Mile markers on the road will measure your progress.
But they will creep toward you, not as fast as you might want them
to. You start the climb thinking: 12 miles, that’s not too bad. And
yes, it could be worse, but it’s not easy. Take this time to eat and
hydrate if you can. The last five miles to Hawi are more exposed to
wind, and you may have to battle that additional resistance. Gravity
and wind. Not fun. But soon you’ll be in Hawi, an unremarkable town
but for the role it plays in the Ironman. Then you’re heading
downhill.

Screaming Downhill: into the Wind
What goes up, must come down. And after Hawi, you will retrace the
course back downhill. It’s a manageable downhill, not so fast that
you have to concentrate closely on staying in control. But it’s fast
enough to help you gain back some of that speed you lost on the
earlier climb. The bad news is that it’s only 12 miles or so
downhill. Then things get a little challenging on the next 13 miles
heading back toward Waikoloa. The wind may be getting stronger, and
it’s all but certain to be blowing right at you.

Even three-time world champion Peter Reid loses the handle once in a while.

Headwinds Going Home

You’ll reach the Waikoloa intersection feeling pretty good, and your
bike computer might reveal that you’re having a good ride, speed and
time. Each time I got there, I was thinking: hold this pace, and
you’ll finish near a bike PR! No such luck in any of those cases.
While the last 25 miles are relatively flat, it’s the pummeling
headwinds that will all but kill those dreams. I remember riding 12
to 15 miles per hour, and just not being able to pick up the pace.
The winds are maddening. And the mile markers are there, again,
constantly reminding you how far you have not gone. Just hang in
there. Everyone is dealing with the same conditions. Everyone will
tell the same story when the race is over: the winds were everything
you heard they would be. Rough.

Near the end of the bike in Kona 2006: Every time you think it should get easier, it doesn't.