Hagg Lake (Portland, OR) Bike Course
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KitKat posted 15 weeks ago.
This is my backyard. I've ridden the course a lot. In fact my HIM this Sunday is out there, we do 1 1/3 loops before heading out to Hwy 47. Anywho, back to Hagg. It's very hilly and curvy. The road sucks! It's a chip seal and really needs to be repaved as it has taken a beating over the years. Since you will be running part of the bike course expect the hills. Coming out of the water you will be running up the hill to T1. Exiting T1 goes up a short steep hill and then you get onto the road and hit the rollers. The rollers are good though, most you can descent and gain enough momentum to get back up. T2 is T1 so expect coming into the short steep descent you ascended out of. I saw some guy eat it there lat July, major road rash and ruined his Zipp wheel. Then you run up and out the same way you biked in and out. Starting the run up that hill is NO FUN. This is a challenging course, hope you're ready for it.
I'll be out there cheering! :D
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tri-ac posted 15 weeks ago.
at AG natls last year, there were a lot of people in the wrong gearing for that slope leaving T1. between that and the failed flying mounts, it was bodies everywhere. sadly, one guy's day ended right there with a tumble.
as kat said, be ready for hills on the bike and run
unfortunately, google earth doesn't really help much given the scale, but you can see the twists & turns
Adam
Tri-ac
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UFTriGator posted 15 weeks ago.
Like Kat said, you get enough momentum to make it over most of the hills, but there is one fairly long hill (with a turnaround at the bottom so you start from scratch) that is actually pretty tough. Maybe 2 min long or so, so definitely not a mountain climb, but tough. I didn't think the surface was that bad (at least not compared to some God-awful roads like San Francisco). I made up a lot of time going downhill and through curves (not turns....there really aren't any turns) because a lot of people wouldn't go through that fast. I remember going through one of the curves at 45 mph without any drama while flying by people riding their brakes.
The run is hard as siht, though.
Good luck!
______________________________________________
-Matt
Not fast enough.
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733 days
Ironmom posted 15 weeks ago.
Lots of rollers, I love this course! Ride it beforehand if at all possible, if not then drive it. Knowing where you can fly on the downhills and when you need to be more cautious is the key to turning in a good time at Hagg Lake. Most of the hills on the bike are not very challenging because you are always going up and down. There's one towards the end that's moderately tough but not very long.
As others have said, make sure you're in a low gear when you rack your bike, because it's an uphill slog out of T1. The run is hilly, so being prepared for that means you aren't surprised on race day. This is a really pretty course, so enjoy it. I wish, wish, wish I could say I was going to be there for the Nationals, but I'll be on vacation instead, I'm kinda bummed about missing out.
But I'll send my good luck along to you, I've PR'd twice on this course, inexplicably because I'm not the best technical rider (once I even had the pace truck for the whole first loop!!) and I've always had good run times there too.
Blue Skies, -Robin-
http://ironmom.blogspot.com/
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Ralph posted 15 weeks ago.
Thanks to all of you for the comments. It really helps. I plan to get there on Thursday so will try to get out on the course that day, if not to ride it, at least to drive it. I will be prepared out of T1 with a small ring gear! I have been working on a lot of hills on the bike since the CDA Oly Tri had a fairly hilly middle to the bike course; but the run was flat. With 5 weeks to go, it sounds like I better do some more hill repeats on my runs. Speaking of chip sealing, they just chip-sealed half of my regular 30 mile bike loop that I could do from my house without driving anywhere. I never ran into this when I lived in Atlanta or Tampa, FL. It must be a Northwest thing! It seems that every summer, some road in Northern Idaho is being repaired by chip-sealing! Oh well ... such is life. I will just have to go back to the CDA course (45 mins. away) and ride on that for the next few weeks.
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JMA posted 15 weeks ago.
Hey Ralph, see you at Nationals! Good luck! Look for me, I'll have my Tri-Fuel hat on...
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733 days
Ironmom posted 15 weeks ago.
Ralph wrote:
Speaking of chip sealing, they just chip-sealed half of my regular 30 mile bike loop that I could do from my house without driving anywhere. I never ran into this when I lived in Atlanta or Tampa, FL. It must be a Northwest thing! It seems that every summer, some road in Northern Idaho is being repaired by chip-sealing!
Oh yeah, I was cracking up over the athletes in Florida complaining about the "terrible" road. Heh. Come ride some of the PNW's loveliest chip seal and then see how you feel. Just make sure to tighten all of your nuts and bolts first. I've ridden chip seal so bad that my hands went numb, and I would never buy an aluminum bike for riding here!
Blue Skies, -Robin-
http://ironmom.blogspot.com/
I am entered in the USAT Age Group National Championship which will be held at Hagg Lake, OR. on 9/20. Has anyone ridden the bike course at Hagg Lake? If so, I would appreciate your comments on the course. (The run, as well, if possible). The website gives the elevation changes for the 2 lap course but it is in meters and kilometers so I am having a hard time figuring out the percentage grades, etc. and the scale is fairly small. It appears to be hilly with a lot of ups and downs. Any help would be welcome.