Cool report Kona!

I did the 100k route and could not imagine tackling the 200k at this point.

Hills are my nemesis on the bike, so it was a personal victory that I never had to hop off and walk, even when I dropped my chain on Barlow. There were tons of walkers starting even on the very first big climb.

It was fun to be out there in a non-race situation but still have great support/aid stations. The ride was nicely organized and there was a real friendly vibe. I thought that the 100k route was actually about as tough to complete as the full Ironman WI course that it shares some roads with. On the plus side, I briefly hit 46MPH on one of the descents. :)

Training for hills is all about power application. Prior to Triple T, I was on my trainer or on the Illinois flats. Becoming used to sustaining various power ranges is something you can do wherever you train, whether it's hilly or not. This is why I chuckle when a person says they can't train for hills since they live in the flatlands. That's where I live, and apparently, I climb rather well. Sure the first time you are on hills it will suck temporarily, but in the end, riding anything is about being able to manage the "appropriate" amount of power given the terrain, wind conditions, length of ride, etc.

I.e., getting a power meter and using it effectively. When you ride by HR, it isn't as effective, since it can take awhile for your HR to catch up to your power output, and if you've tried to reach an HR target, it's too late, you already did it and now you are wasted.

Last year I did the HHH 100K just 3 weeks after an Ironman and I found it easy. Why? Because I knew how to ride within sustainable power ranges.

My typical long ride workout will include a lot of time at HIM wattage (80-90% of functional threshold power, or FTP) and then time at FTP itself. I won't go into a discussion about how to ride hills with power; that is an art in and of itself, but suffice it to say that if you aren't used to riding for long periods of time at FTP, you will not be able to climb effectively.

And by the way, I AM mental as this is time #4 for me! Next up is the Dairyland Dare 300K in August. I may not make the full route, though, as it's 3 weeks after my Ironman race, but I'll give it my best shot.

Great report!!

Anton, thanks for the referral for Mountains of Misery. While I won't be able to do it in 2008 (doing Triple T again), I'll keep on radar for 2009. It DOES look like fun!

Kona, Thanks for the power meter advice, I'm going to look into investing in one. And have a good race at your IM and the Dairyland 300K!