Trail des Coteaux - TDC

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• 416m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• All downhill to the finish: go all out!
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 11.8km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 21.1km.
• Start · 0.0km–2.2km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.2km–11.8km · Climb of 517m, high point 784m, descent of 416m averaging 10%. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them.
• Work · 11.8km–21.1km · Plus 1 more climb. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 21.1km–27.7km · Descent of 406m averaging 6%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 1100m+. With 42m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 48% of the distance is uphill, 31% downhill and 21% flat. The longest climb runs 9.3km at an average 3.5% grade (326m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.6km at an average 6.2% grade (406m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 13.2% over 0.9km. The steepest descent drops at 24.7% over 0.4km. Surface: 46% trail, 28% smooth, and 25% road.

Poles

The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 14 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 11.8km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 21.1km.
• #1 · 7.5–11.9 km · 416 m D−, -9.7% · 15.8 km ahead → control
• 21.1–27.7 km · 406 m D−, -6.2% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end