Ironman World Championships Nice Course Preview and Tips

Coach Alan provides an in-depth preview of the challenging yet stunning Ironman Nice World Championships course, offering crucial insights and preparation tips for the 2024 Women's event.

The Course

The course, with the stunning backdrop of the Côte d’Azur, is a little different to the historical home in Kailua-Kona Hawaii. The course is best summed up as beautiful but tough, with a swim in the pristine Mediterranean, a challenging mountainous bike leg, and a flat but potentially scorching run along the Promenade des Anglais.

Swim Overview

A one lap sea swim over two separate 1.9km rectangular loops. Starting from just into the water athletes swim out around one loop before turning in the water to go out around another rectangular 1.9km loop, an ‘M’ shape if you will. As you start the race the sun will be rising on your left which should make sighting relatively simple on the return to shore using building outlines to help guide your line, however the outward legs will have zero larger background objects to sight from.

As the athletes enter into the second loop with the sun a little higher the angled return to shore may be somewhat into the sun. It will be well worth using any pre race walk or swims around the area to check out the background behind the swim exit in order to be able to keep your bearings during the return swim legs.

Compared to Kona the swim is relatively similar, one of the differences will be water temperature and this will affect the likelihood of a wetsuit legal swim. During the men’s race last year, the pro and age group athletes were non-wetsuit but athletes did look a little chilly pre race start as the sun was not quite in the sky yet. As the swim progressed it was clear that further out the swim ventures a little beyond the shelter of some of the headlands and therefore chop and swell will likely increase nearer the turn buoys.

• Check out the background on shore pre-race. Try to memorise significant building outlines that frame the entrance and exit arches.

• A bin bag or similar may be handy pre-start to maintain a little warmth

• Be prepared for both wetsuit and non-wetsuit swims

  • Average Sea Temperature in Nice in September

    • Minimum Average = 20.4, Average = 22.3, Maximum = 24.3’C

  • Ironman Non- Wetsuit Cut Off = 24.5’C

• Practice sea swimming

Bike Course Breakdown

The single loop bike course makes for a potentially daunting prospect for those who are used to riding a looped course. A two lap course makes for a much easier psychological two ‘bites’ mindset and then we also have to factor in just over 2400m of elevation gain over the course.

Segmenting the bike course in Nice is essential to help aid a good ride within which you remain calm and on track. A crucial factor in planning is to understand the likely time taken for each section of the course and where indeed half way in your ride duration will occur. The course profile is predominantly up for the first ‘half’ and then down for the second ‘half’. This means that the first 90k will be covered significantly more slowly than the second 90k.

The route can be broken up into the following 13 sections, maybe I should have written that upside down…

• Warm Up along the coast

  10km - smooth fast, groups are likely to form. Stay calm and let the cycling legs warm up gently. Potentially allow the sea 'tummy' time to settle (burp).

• The first climb

  Turn inland and straight up a tough 1.5km section. This is one of the, if not the steepest, sections of the day. You will need to change gears and checking your ego/perspective and accept the speed loss whilst changing gear. Many will be over optimistic with their pacing here or simply ignore their plan.
  
  Remember it gets easier from here, the climb turns into one that rolls.

• Descent to Pont sur Loup

  7km - not too technical and one in which you can ride at speed whilst pressing on the pedals. The work will be useful to keep the legs warm.

• Climb of Col de l Écre

  18km at an average of 5%. The bottom and top of the climb are a little steeper with a short easier section in about the middle of the climb.
  
  Shade is sparse near the top of this long climb so keep up a check on your cooling and how quickly you are heating up so as to not tip into an accelerating rise in core temperature.

• Plateau

  This section generally drags upwards and may feel potentially slower than expected or what you might feel you can do looking at the road.
  
  This is the section where the head needs to stay strong you will have done a lot of hard work and will be feeling it in the legs. You’ve been out there for what feels like ages whilst there is a long way to go in distance but the ‘kinder’ bits are coming.

• Short Descent

  A short drop down but worth noting there are some faster corners and a couple of standard alpine hairpins.

• Out and Back

  At the far north western point of the course there is an out and back section. This may mentally be dull but is pretty much the only section where you get to check out the progress or lack of progress of other riders. Coming back and coming off this section beware the road rises and drags up, potentially into the wind.

• Descent 2 - the scenic bit...

  The scenic bit, but not the section to look around in.
  
  Keep your eyes on the road in this section which has some technical elements to it at high speed.

  Focus on reading the road ahead whilst keeping a relaxed upper body, with dropped shoulders and tucked in elbows. A tense arm and hand makes the bike feel more twitchy and stiff shoulders lock the head still when you want to turn the head rapidly left and right to look through corners towards the exit. You will follow your gaze.

• Climb to Coursegoules

  Another 9km of climbing, it may take the legs a little to warm up into this after ‘cooling down’ on the descent.
  
  Don’t be afraid to slow a little at the start to find your rhythm before pressing on with the climb. It is critical near the top to think ahead with hydration and nutrition especially as this will likely be one of the warmer climbs of the day although there is welcome shade on this part of the course.

• Final Descent

  A technical ride pretty much the whole way down to the coast covering around 30km.
  
  A significant drop in altitude along with technical riding means that drinking and eating spots may be harder to come by as you ride down be ready for this and have your bike prepped with bottles where you want them for quick easy access (and putting back!) as well as ease of bike handling.
  
  Significant amounts of focus will be required and applying yourself to this task positively with good bike handling technical cues such as ‘pressure on the outside foot’ or ‘look through the corner’ will help you to ride well and keep the mind focussed and on task.

• The 'Bonus Climb'

  This is a 2km False Flat or climb during the descent.

  It would be oh so easy to think you are done before this but you aren’t quite there yet.
  
  Although not too taxing it is well worth being aware of this additional effort required on the way down.

• Final section of descending

  Finish off the descent, as the day goes on it is quite normal in any mountainous terrain for the wind to start to blow up the valley creating a headwind descent. It is therefore quite likely that this will become a fast but pedalling descent with a lot of time spent in the aerobars.

• Cool Down by the sea

  A potentially ironic headline there as once back down from altitude the temperature will likely rise. Having said that the going will be relatively easy and the airflow whilst cycling will keep you cool. Indeed staying cool as you travel towards T2 should be a primary objective ahead of the marathon.

  Early on in this section will be the last chance to get nutrition on board before a short pause in intake before T2. Often the shunting of blood from cycling to running musculature can leave a lack of blood flow to your digestive tract and GI discomfort can ensue from this so try to avoid eating and drinking significant quantities either side of T2.
  
  Try to mobilise your hips and lower back a little in order to have your body in the best state entering T2.

Bike setup

For this course bike handling is a significant element, on the descents excessive braking or lack of acceleration up to speed will lead to lost time. Whilst these descents will be physically easier to some degree, the harder you brake and slow down the more physical effort or watts you will need to put out in order to regain speed.

Weight distribution on the bike in terms of fluid spares and nutrition can alter the bikes handling ease quite dramatically. If the descent is a challenging aspect for you then it is worth considering standard bottle cages on the bike frame for this event. This will enable easy grabbing of bottle between corners but will also keep the bikes centre of gravity low and central making the bike feel significantly more stable. Heavy bottles between the arms or above the arms on the other hand will make the front end of the bike feel much more difficult to handle by placing more weight above and ahead of the steering axis.

Gear ratios for the climbs will be key, don’t overlook this and ride a normal ‘flat’ Ironman gear ratio.

Nutrition

On this challenging course, it’s crucial to start by calculating your carbohydrate combustion rate, as well as your fluid and sodium loss rates. Understanding these metrics will allow you to tailor your nutrition plan to meet your specific needs during the race.

Next, map your nutrition needs against your estimated time on each section of the course. Remembering that the first half with the climbs will take you longer and you will also likely be slightly hotter than the descending section so cooling demands for water may be higher.

Finally, plan when and where you can realistically eat and drink during the ride and where it may be challenging. Identify the locations of aid stations and ensure your strategy allows for flexibility, so you can adjust on the go as needed. Knowing your rates of loss or combustion along with how much you intend to consume will help you to make informed adjustments on the ride. Expect the unexpected on race day, and be ready to adjust not only your fuelling and hydration but all aspects of your race plan as needed. Sometimes choosing to ride a little slower than planned in order to simply relax, cool down or digest or consume a little more water or energy can be the decision of a very wise head!

• Margin for changes to ‘the plan’ is a crucial aspect of race day execution. It is almost certainly never the case that a plan goes as expected or should be executed as expected.

• Adjustments are always needed and this is vital in your planning and expectation management on race day in all aspects of performance not just fuelling and hydration.

Run

The run takes athletes along the iconic Promenade des Anglais, with four loops extending to the airport and back. Offering a flat yet potentially gruelling marathon under the Mediterranean sun, proper heat acclimation will be crucial for success on this segment.

With just 33 meters of elevation gain over the 26.2-mile course, runners will face minimal changes in running mechanics, making the marathon physically easier but mentally monotonous, particularly in the latter stages. This course will test your grit, especially in the second half, as you work to maintain good mechanics and form under significant fatigue. Remember to maintain good fuelling, hydration and cooling through the first half marathon. Often athletes can see their nutrition plan focus ending in T2! It is vital that this focus is continued until the half marathon point and beyond.

Intentionally varying your pace or rhythm can help combat the monotony and fatigue. The sea breeze is likely to provide a natural shift in conditions, with a headwind offering cooler, slower segments where you can push a bit harder, and a tailwind suggesting the need to ease up slightly to avoid overheating.

Whatever the conditions on the day, the course is straightforward—just keep the sea on one side and Nice on the other. The enthusiastic support from spectators along the route will also help keep spirits high throughout the marathon.

Final Thoughts

The 2024 Women’s Ironman World Championship in Nice promises to be a stunning yet challenging race. With a course that demands not just physical strength but also careful planning and mental resilience, success here will come to those who have thoroughly prepared for the unique demands of the race.

From mastering the sea swim to tackling the technical climbs and descents on the bike, and finally, pushing through the flat but mentally tough marathon, every aspect of this race requires attention to detail. Proper nutrition, hydration, and heat acclimation will be crucial to staying strong throughout the day.

As race day approaches, keep refining your strategies, stay adaptable, and most importantly, trust in the hard work you’ve put into your training. Whether you’re aiming for a podium, personal best or simply to cross the finish line, remember to experience the race on your terms. Indeed, how do you want to experience this race?

Prediction: Given the course's challenging nature, a well-rounded athlete with strong biking skills and the ability to handle technical descents will have an edge. Based on her recent 8hr2min fastest ever time for the Ironman Distance at Challenge Roth in June, Anne Haug could be the one to watch for the title in Nice.

Good luck, and may the stunning views of Nice carry you through every mile to the finish line!