# 2021 Triple Bypass **URL:** \ **Category:** Racing\ **Created:** [January 20, 2021, 2:31am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345 "2021-01-20T02:31:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![unmountain\_biker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/unmountain_biker/32/100074_2.png) [@unmountain\_biker](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/unmountain_biker)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 8:37pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/27 "2021-08-04T20:37:01Z")
Perfect - thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Jkauffman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jkauffman/32/129534_2.png) [@Jkauffman](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Jkauffman)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 1:52am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/28 "2021-08-05T01:52:33Z")
Do you remember how many aid stations they had? Trying to decide if I have to pack a bunch of calories/drink mix, or if I can “travel light” ---
**Author:** ![tgarson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/tgarson/32/149676_2.png) [@tgarson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/tgarson)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 2:10am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/29 "2021-08-05T02:10:43Z")
I don’t remember exact number, but there’s enough that you can eat/drink entirely off the course. I’ve never brought any food with me however I’ve never attempted to “race” it, it’s just a long day out for fun so I’ve never cared about having my exact custom mix for optimum performance. That said, they did mess up royally and run really low on supplies and water one year, either 2018 or 2019, and it was a whole big thing. They made big changes after that so I don’t think it’d happen again. Have fun out there, I’ve done it the last last 4 years I’ve lived out here but won’t be doing it this year since it’s the same weekend as Leadville. Hoping they go back to the July date next year. ---
**Author:** ![unmountain\_biker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/unmountain_biker/32/100074_2.png) [@unmountain\_biker](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/unmountain_biker)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/30 "2021-08-05T02:32:31Z")
Looks like 4 aid stations on the route profile. ---
**Author:** ![jaylikesbikes](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jaylikesbikes/32/114721_2.png) [@jaylikesbikes](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/jaylikesbikes)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 1:15pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/31 "2021-08-05T13:15:01Z")
> [@tgarson](#): > > This is old, but had a chuckle. It’s definitely not flat in-between. While there’s a section that I would describe as rolling, the majority of the in-between is long but gradual climbs. Clearest example is between Idaho Springs and Loveland pass. You don’t realize it at first, but you’re gradually climbing for upwards of 30 miles straight and your legs will feel it eventually. Oh man. Not what I wanted to hear lol. ---
**Author:** ![tgarson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/tgarson/32/149676_2.png) [@tgarson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/tgarson)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/32 "2021-08-05T16:39:59Z")
![triple_bypass_-_man_dance_party20140715-2-k9bgmv1](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/3X/0/d/0de5b01d86bc144038dd779c9d17046aeaff75c2.jpeg) I don’t think the scale is quite accurate on this profile view vs the official one, I think it makes it look worse than it really is, but I do think it shows much more detail in the profile. Note that it’s in metric. You have 1 big climb to start with, then 1 long descent. You then have one really, really long climb from Idaho Springs to Loveland but it’s more gradual and you don’t really think you’re climbing at first because you’re just on feeder roads and bike paths and not climbing twisty exposed switchbacks. By the time you hit the proper high elevation part of Loveland pass where there’s switch backs and stuff you’re actually pretty close to the top (labeled Loveland Pass Road in the profile). Then you have another long descent, a rolling section, and the another gradual climb up again to Vail pass which is much easier than the previous 2, but also comes at a point where you have tired legs. Here’s the good news though, I actually encourage you to lie to yourself and tell yourself it’s not really a ~120 mile ride and that it’s really a 93 mile ride plus a long cooldown. When you get to the top of Vail pass there’s a long fun downhill followed by some flatter but still mostly downhill sections all the way to the end. You still have to pedal, but I always get a second wind and find the final stretch into Avon goes by quite easily each year. ---
**Author:** ![jaylikesbikes](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jaylikesbikes/32/114721_2.png) [@jaylikesbikes](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/jaylikesbikes)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/33 "2021-08-05T17:56:07Z")
> [@tgarson](#): > > I don’t think the scale is quite accurate on this profile view vs the official one, I think it makes it look worse than it really is, but I do think it shows much more detail in the profile. Note that it’s in metric. > > You have 1 big climb to start with, then 1 long descent. You then have one really, really long climb from Idaho Springs to Loveland but it’s more gradual and you don’t really think you’re climbing at first because you’re just on feeder roads and bike paths and not climbing twisty exposed switchbacks. By the time you hit the proper high elevation part of Loveland pass where there’s switch backs and stuff you’re actually pretty close to the top (labeled Loveland Pass Road in the profile). Then you have another long descent, a rolling section, and the another gradual climb up again to Vail pass which is much easier than the previous 2, but also comes at a point where you have tired legs. > > Here’s the good news though, I actually encourage you to lie to yourself and tell yourself it’s not really a ~120 mile ride and that it’s really a 93 mile ride plus a long cooldown. When you get to the top of Vail pass there’s a long fun downhill followed by some flatter but still mostly downhill sections all the way to the end. You still have to pedal, but I always get a second wind and find the final stretch into Avon goes by quite easily each year. Thanks for the info! Just starting to panic a little because I haven’t made the progress I wanted to have made in my fitness and my weight by now. I’ve done rides with similar distance and amount of climbing before, just never at altitude and with such long sustained climbs. I’m sure I’ll make it to the finish…eventually… ---
**Author:** ![tgarson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/tgarson/32/149676_2.png) [@tgarson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/tgarson)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/34 "2021-08-05T22:03:00Z")
I’m sure you’ll do fine. Triple Bypass has always had a very social and non-competitive atmosphere the years I have done it. There’s just thousands of people all riding at their own pace, stopping, taking breaks, just slowly chugging along. Many with less than ideal fitness and/or equipment choices. You’ve done other long events so you know this, but #1 thing is to keep eating and drinking. You dehydrate easier at altitude and it’s less apparent when you do because the air is so dry. You don’t have to be dripping with sweat to be losing a ton of water. The worst thing you can do on a day this long is dig yourself into a big hole and make yourself so miserable you don’t enjoy the day. Slow is fine as long as you aren’t hating every minute. ---
**Author:** ![Un-QuittingBikes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bb73d2/32.png) [@Un-QuittingBikes](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Un-QuittingBikes)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/36 "2021-08-11T18:46:00Z")
I did the Tour de Big Bear this past Saturday. My first ever climbing fondo at elevation. Not quite as crazy as the Triple Bypass, but similarish: 8700’ of climbing over 98+ miles, 7,000 ft average elevation, one continuous 1600’ climb and one continuous 2000’ climb. I was hyperfocused on conservative pacing at elevation and fueling, and hydration was good, but what got me in the end was the heat. Weather report said 81F highs, which was accurate at Big Bear **Lake**. Climbing up the backside of the main summit, I stared at my Garmin as the temperature creeped up past 106F. That was unexpected. An ice water drench at mile 80 got me going again and I felt like I had more in the tank as I crossed the finish. In hindsight, I could’ve gone faster, but I know that I could’ve also gone a lot slower had I cramped or bonked (which I avoided). So I’m happy with how it went. First time’s a learning experience. Next year I’ll come back a little bit fitter, a little bit lighter, and lot more experienced. ---
**Author:** ![unmountain\_biker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/unmountain_biker/32/100074_2.png) [@unmountain\_biker](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/unmountain_biker)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2021, 8:10pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/39 "2021-08-18T20:10:41Z")
My husband is riding it with a friend. His goal - finish upright, after having a rough go with the SBT blue course last weekend. I’ll be cheering at the finish with the kiddo - good luck to everyone! ---
**Author:** ![drafeedie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/drafeedie/32/35457_2.png) [@drafeedie](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/drafeedie)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 12:10am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/40 "2021-08-19T00:10:04Z")
I’m flying out from Atlanta tomorrow. A buddy from Tallahassee Florida is meeting me to ride it too. My plan is to finish upright without any thought to time and not be cripple afterward. 10 years ago I weighed nearly 400 pounds and riding a bike 110 miles across three mountain tops was only a dream. 230 pounds lighter and I’m only 3 days away from doing this! I hope everyone has a great ride. Big shoutout to all the people at Trainerroad, Nate, Chad, Amber, and Jonathan for their constant encouragement and sharing their collective wisdom. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![jaylikesbikes](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jaylikesbikes/32/114721_2.png) [@jaylikesbikes](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/jaylikesbikes)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/42 "2021-08-19T17:27:10Z")
Just finishing is the goal currently! Been fighting off a stomach bug for this whole week, and coming into this from sea level mean I’ll be at far less than 100% (which isn’t much to begin with! lol) ---
**Author:** ![Un-QuittingBikes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bb73d2/32.png) [@Un-QuittingBikes](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Un-QuittingBikes)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/44 "2021-08-19T18:28:50Z")
> [@JSTootell](#): > > My training method at the time was mostly just riding A LOT. No planned intervals, mostly just tons of endurance miles (average of about 1000 hours a year). I’m planning to do the same starting mid Sep and resume interval training in the winter. At TdBB I got smoked up the climbs by some 60+ year old men and women who clearly had a LOT more miles under their belts. ---
**Author:** ![Un-QuittingBikes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bb73d2/32.png) [@Un-QuittingBikes](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Un-QuittingBikes)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/45 "2021-08-19T18:41:14Z")
> [@hdas](#): > > - Skip the first Aid Station, 2L is more than enough for 40 miles and this race starts early enough. I usually skip the first aid station for the same reason. I start with two tall bottles of high carb mix and take small sips regularly. I make sure those two bottles are completely empty by the 2 hour mark when I make my first pit stop. Underfueling early in the ride and/or chugging bottles right before an aid station has always ended in regret for me… ---
**Author:** ![tgarson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/tgarson/32/149676_2.png) [@tgarson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/tgarson)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/47 "2021-08-19T19:28:56Z")
> [@hdas](#): > > - Skip the first Aid Station, 2L is more than enough for 40 miles and this race starts early enough. > - Stop and eat before the start of the segment of Loveland Pass. > - Quickly refill water in Georgetown. This should work as long as you’re getting in **plenty** of fuel between Idaho Springs and Georgetown, but I’ve seen a ton of people who come into Georgetown wiped and need to stop and really catch up there in order to salvage the rest of the day. You say you’re dialed in so trust you on that, but this event in can be so miserable if you don’t stay fueled early so any plan of skipping or rushing aid stations is not without risk,. ---
**Author:** ![jaylikesbikes](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/jaylikesbikes/32/114721_2.png) [@jaylikesbikes](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/jaylikesbikes)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/48 "2021-08-20T23:17:55Z")
Good luck to everyone tomorrow, hopefully we get good weather all day too! ---
**Author:** ![Cory.Rood](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/cory.rood/32/77597_2.png) [@Cory.Rood](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Cory.Rood)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 4:12pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/50 "2021-08-22T16:12:42Z")
Has Triple Bypass ever been marketed as anything other than a recreational ride? ---
**Author:** ![acousticbiker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@acousticbiker](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/acousticbiker)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/52 "2021-08-22T17:36:03Z")
The quality of food/drink is what I would expect to see at an event like this and the variety was exceptional - fresh oranges and bananas, PBJ, AM muffins and bagels with cream cheese or Nutella/PB, fig newtons, chips, sandwiches (meat, veggie, and GF options) and sodas for lunch, abundant water and electrolyte solutions, gels, and I probably missed some others. On speed, the triple is not a race but they added a Gran Fondo option for being timed up climbs. That said, I have similar power numbers and got passed by plenty of much faster people. Overal, I thought it was a well run event with lots of friendly volunteers and we had great weather for a high altitude mountain event. ---
**Author:** ![tgarson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/tgarson/32/149676_2.png) [@tgarson](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/tgarson)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 9:38pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/54 "2021-08-22T21:38:14Z")
> [@hdas](#): > > What I meant is that I thought more fast people were going to be there. It’s really hard to judge this in an event that doesn’t have a fixed start time. There are fast people there, but they can be diffused over a 2 hour start window so who you see on course can be kind of a crapshoot. I’ve always assumed that the event does this on purpose to preserve the recreational atmosphere. Despite the fondo only timing the climbs if more people treated it like a race you’d see more people attacking the descents which would lead to more crashes. The objective of the organizers is to move a crap ton people of wildly different ages and abilities through the course as safely as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Cory.Rood](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/cory.rood/32/77597_2.png) [@Cory.Rood](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Cory.Rood)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 10:44pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345/55 "2021-08-22T22:44:03Z")
Also, Why would you go out and bury yourself on a recreational event? Sure, I could push 3.5w/kg up the climbs, but why? for what? Instead I could roll up at a much more reasonable pace and maybe get to know the stories of the people I’m sharing the road with. [Previous page](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345.md?page=1) [Next page](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/2021-triple-bypass/51345.md?page=3)