Course Profiles

Here are some course profiles for Victoria (and other) area triathlon bike courses that I have ridden. If you want to have a profile added, please e-mail me the Polar HRM file for the course or contact me so I can get out onto the route. I'll add more routes (Ironman Canada and some Victoria training rides that I have on file), grades, locations and course descriptions soon. Thanks! Dennis

Distances from my Polar monitor are of course approximate. The speeds listed below are those measured on my bike, excluding transition times. I ride a Klein Q-Carbon 2004 race bike with aero bars and spoked wheels (no tri or disc wheels).

One key to race well is to ride similar courses in training. If you look below, the 'hardest' (most climbing per km of race) is Sooke. Some courses in flatter areas (such as Smith's Falls, Ontario which I raced last year) have relative difficulties of 2.0 or less (approx. 36m ascent in 19.4 k). On these courses average speeds do also go up! (I averaged over 36km/hr with spoked wheels in Smith's Falls, without much wind).

It is a good idea to train on hills with similar gradients to those that you will be racing. For local races, maximum sustained (over the whole hill) grades are around 5-6%, with sections up to 8% (sections of Old West Saanich return on Sri. Chimnoy and a small part of East Saanich on Panorama and the Victoria 1/2 Iron). The difficulty in most local races is that there are few, if any, flat sections - you will be constantly on a different slope, changing gears and position on the bike.

Self Transcendance Triathlon Bike Course

Measured distance: 38.9 km

My average speed: 33.5 km/hr

My maximum speed: 64.3 km/hr

Total ascent: 415 m

Race Web Site Link

USATF Running Route Course Map Link

Location: Victoria, B.C. from Elk Lake Parking lot out to West Saanich Road past McTavish Road. Out and back.

Tri for Compassion Bike Course

Measured distance: 18.9 km

My average speed: 34.1 km/hr

My maximum speed: 53.5 km/hr

Total ascent: 170 m

Race Web Site Link

USATF Running Route Course Map Link

Location: Esquimault (Victoria), B.C., from CFB Esquimault Naden Swimming Pool through Esquimault. 3 laps of main part of course with out and back at start.

Sooke Sprint Triathlon Bike Course

Measured distance: 19.7 km

My average speed: 32.3 km/hr

My maximum speed: 58.0 km/hr

Total ascent: 260 m

Race Web Site Link

USATF Running Route Course Map Link

Location: Sooke, B.C., from Sooke Recreation Center Swimming Pool along West Coast Road, Kemp Lake Road, Otter Point Road and back to Sooke (loop course)

Victoria 1/2 Iron Triathlon Bike Course

Measured distance: 91.9 km

My average speed: 32.2 km/hr

My maximum speed: 69.9 km/hr

Total ascent: 955 m

Race Web Site Link

USATF Running Route Course Map Link (run)

USATF Running Route Course Map Link (bike)

Victoria, B.C. from Elk Lake Parking lot out to West Saanich Road, along McTavish Road, East Saanich, Central Saanich and Keating Cross (loop 3 times) and back along Oldfield and Brookleigh to transition.

Cowichan Triathlon Bike Course

Measured distance: 33.9 km

My average speed: 33.2 km/hr

My maximum speed: 71.3 km/hr

Total ascent: 375 m

Race Web Site Link (cancelled for 2007)

USATF Running Route Course Map Link

Chemainus, B.C. from Fuller Lake Park to Old Chemainus Road, Crofton Road, York/Osborne bay Road, Herd Road, Bell MacKinnon, Westholme and back to start

Panorama Triathlon Bike Course

Note: bike course changed for 2007, listed here is the old course...

Measured distance: 29.1 km

My average speed: 33.5 km/hr

My maximum speed: 57.9 km/hr

Total ascent: 300 m

Race Web Site Link

USATF Running Route Course Map Link

Panorama Recreation Center (Sidney B.C.) along East Saanich Road, Mount Newton Cross, West Saanich, McTavish Road, and back to East Saanich. Two laps.

Dennis Paradine is a certified Level 3 NCCP Cross-Country Ski Coach who has coached University (Waterloo) and Club (Soo Finnish Nordic) athletes at elite and competitive levels. He has coached national champions and medalists.

He has over 20 years of racing experience in triathlons (5 years), x-country skiing (15 years), running (20 years) and flatwater sprint kayaking (5 years). Dennis also has certification as a Sivananda Yoga Instructor.