IMKY - What gearing on bike?

[timritt]

Those of you who did IMKY last year did you use a 12/27 or a 12/25 cassette?

TR

[robreddy]

think i rode a 25 - maybe or a 27 - but probably a 25 ya ya thats what i rode unless i did'nt

this course is not very hard in any one place - the bigest climbs are nothing to write home about - think i only got out of my seat once and that was more to change position

BUT - like MOO - this course is relentless rollers

first 10+ miles false flat up - not hard at all but you are going up

next 6 or so - rolleres with an overall positive net elevation gain - these are moderate in size just keep going up

then an out and back (guess 10 miles total) pretty good sized hill you do twice - here is one place you will get into the small ring and want to be able to spin

then the two loops - roller roller roller - no long flats - but you can stay fairly aero if you have some leg strength - nothing epic in the climbs

last 16 miles can be VERY fast - 6 miles of downward sloaping rollers and then the final 10 miles on the down side of the false flat (i did not run a computer last year - all on feel - got to about mile 108 and was sitting straight up on the seat drinking and eating came up next to a couple guys who were just our for a ride - asked how fast we were going = 23+ WOW no idea was not working at all and at the end of the ride - so you can go fast at the end but need to be careful).

Like any IM course you need to be careful - overall i would rate this one as moderate difficult w/the potential to be very fast - because of the endless rollers you gotta know how to spin - unlike flat courses where you can mash but hold v low heartrate - if you mash up the hills even though at first they will seem pretty easy - the hills will beat you down after 80+ miles

r