Louisville is definitely a rolly course (see a profile here). I really liked it though, and I don't think there was much that was technical on it -- just nice, rolly roads.

The tough part about the Florida course from what I've heard is that it is so flat there is never really a break in pedalling or a change in the pressure, which can be hard on your legs, too. I don't know how turny the course is.

I don't remember any steep descent into a turn type things. There were some descents with turns, but the only tough turn was on the out and back (where it was a utrun on a somewhat narrow road), and there it was on a slight uphill if I remember correctly (definitely not a spot with so much speed it was an issue).

I was in my aerobars 90-95% of the time. I stay in them on rollers most of the time, but will sit up on longer rollers to also stretch my back and shoulders. That is also how I train though.

you said you're a strong swimmer, but 2.4 w/o a wetsuit is a bear. im pretty sure thats how IM LV went down this year. my apologies if you knew that. good luck with your decision. i have not done either race but i have buddies that have. i have heard great things from both, no complaints. good luck with you decision.

ha, good work. i guess i need to train more without it. i feel like a brick without my suit.

I just did Big Shoulders 5K swim in Lake Michigan-no wetsuit, after that I feel pretty confident about the swim. Now my bike will become my best friend.

Big Shoulders is definately something to experience. I plan on working on my cycling alot-how far were your longest rides, and how many of the big long ones do you recommend?

If I was going by bike course alone, I'd choose rolling hills over completely flat. IMFL is very flat, with high probability of wind. It wasn't terrible or anything, but I think such flat courses can be deceptive. People think "easy" when they hear flat, but wind (like at IMAZ this year) can make a huge difference, and I think long distances on the flats can be tough because your legs and body never get a break from the same position.

All that being said, I didn't find the IMFL course to be too terrible. Windy, but not overly so, and it had a few smallish hills for variety. My biggest concern (and this is a perennial concern at Florida) is the large packs of drafters. I'd been warned, but was still astounded by the numbers (and was actually run off the road by a pack of 75 - 80 or so, drafting tightly). If Louisville has better bike monitoring by race officials, I'd pick that any day. I think the drafters are a safety concern.

There is some wind on the IMLou course (some days as people trained on the course it was strong, it wasn't too bad on race day - at least that I noticed). Mike was riding Blackwell 101s and did feel it was a bit too deep with the winds that there was.

There was pretty much no drafting at IMLou that I saw or heard about. Yes, I saw one couple of riders pulling each other along, but they were working at drafting, and I didn't see any of the "but I couldn't avoid it!" kind of drafting that you get at some flat races.