The Bike at Mamaia-Constanța: 90 Flat Kilometers Where the Race Is Decided

The course in two lines

Single 90 km loop between Mamaia and Constanța, described as mostly flat: 339 m of total elevation gain. Wide roads, long straights, tarmac described as smooth in the official materials. Details on corners, roundabouts and actual surface quality haven't been published: it's the first edition and nobody has raced on it yet.

One practical heads-up: the course page lists 86.9 km at one point instead of 90. Likely a typo or a measurement still being updated. Verify the final distance on the official site before setting your power targets and fueling points.

What this course really demands

With 339 m of climbing over 90 km, there are no climbs to recover on and no descents to catch your breath. That means three things:

• Even power. Your reference number (watts or feel) has to hold for 2-3 hours with no spikes. If you're used to rolling courses where the terrain dictates the pace, here you have to learn to dictate it yourself.
• A sustainable aero position. Long straights on wide roads: you're on the bars almost the whole time. Position comfort matters more than bike weight. If you can't hold 2.5 hours in aero in training, you won't hold it on race day.
• Coastal wind. The course runs along the Black Sea. The race profile says it plainly: the wind is an unknown, rated neutral due to lack of historical data. A flat coastal course with a headwind or crosswind turns into a hard race.

The wind: the real opponent

There are no reports from past editions, so nobody knows how the wind behaves in late September on this specific course. The prudent plan:

• Do your long prep rides by actively seeking out windy days. Train in headwinds (patience, steady watts) and crosswinds (bike handling in aero).
• If you lack crosswind experience, run manageable rim depths. An 80 mm rim or a disc wheel up front in unknown crosswind gusts is a gamble; a mid-depth rear and a shallower front is a choice that costs you almost nothing if the day turns out calm.
• Prepare two power plans: one for a calm day, one reduced by 3-5% for a windy day. Decide in the morning, not at km 40.

Pacing: the ballpark numbers

The profile's projections (estimates, not official data) put the bike split between 3:20 for a relaxed finisher and 2:15 for a top age-grouper, with the average target around 2:50. On a course like this, the classic risk is going out too hot because "it's flowing": the first 30 km feel free, and you pay for the last 20 on the run.

Rule of thumb: pick the intensity you know you can hold for the entire split and verify it in training with a 70-80 km simulation in aero followed by a 20-30 minute run at race pace. If the run after the simulation falls apart, your bike target is too high.

Gearing and equipment

With 339 m of climbing, you don't need climbing gears: a standard or compact crankset with a normal cassette covers everything. More important:

• extensions and saddle dialed in for 2.5 hours of continuous time on the bars;
• hydration accessible without coming out of position;
• reliable clinchers or tubeless, because there's still no firsthand account of the actual tarmac.

What to do now

1. Build a block of long aero rides on flat, windy routes into your plan. 2. Test the dual power strategy (calm day / windy day). 3. Decide on wheels only after seeing race-week forecasts. 4. Double-check the official course distance (90 vs 86.9 km) on the course page before you go.