The 70.3 Nelson Mandela Bay Bike: 90 km Where the Wind Rules

Two laps, one opponent

The bike course is 90 km over two laps. You start from the Marine Drive seafront, cross the city, head out to a turnaround and come back between the coast and rolling countryside to Hobie Beach. On paper it's a fast course. In practice, almost everything depends on the wind.

The 2024 reports all agree: tailwind for the first 40 km, headwind for the entire last 50. One athlete describes the return as a slow grind, with a brutal headwind for the whole second half. Another report from the same year mentions gusts building as the hours passed, and calls it one of the toughest race days they've ever faced. It's not a one-off: Gqeberha is a windy city, and the wind already makes itself felt in the swim.

How much it really climbs

Here the sources diverge, and we'll be straight with you. The official figure is 487 m of gain on a 'rolling' profile. PJAMM, which measures courses with its own tools, comes up with around 768 m and calls the route 'hilly'. The difference isn't trivial: nearly 300 m over 90 km changes your gearing choice and your time estimates. The steepest section, again per PJAMM, hits about 7% for a few hundred meters: short, but after 60 km into a headwind you feel it.

The practical advice: calibrate your prep for the tougher scenario. If your home routes are flat, add strength work on gentle climbs (3-5%) and long rides with false flats held in the aero position.

Gearing and wheels

With pitches up to 7% and plenty of rolling terrain, you don't need a mountain-race cassette, but you don't want a pure flatland setup either. A mid-compact with an 11-30, or a compact with an 11-28, covers everything and keeps your cadence on the false flats into the wind. On wheels: if you're not stable in crosswind gusts, leave the very deep rims at home. A mid-depth front wheel is a sensible compromise; only consider more extreme setups if you have real experience riding in strong wind.

The pacing plan

The classic mistake on this course is written in the race reports: you feel like a rocket in the first 40 km with the tailwind, go over your target, and then pay for it all over the last 50 plus the half marathon. Pace by power or by perceived effort, never by speed. Rule of thumb: on the first lap stay 3-5% below your power target. If the wind is pushing, you'll still be fast. You'll invest that margin on the headwind return, where the gap between those who paced and those who didn't is measured in minutes and in legs for the run. For time reference: 3:00 on the bike is a mid-pack goal on this course; on a very windy day, add minutes to the plan and don't sweat it, because everyone else is adding them too.

What to do between now and race day

• Ride on windy days, don't avoid them: learn to hold aero in crosswinds and manage your effort into a headwind.
• Do at least one 90 km long ride with the first half deliberately held back and the second at target: simulate the race dynamic.
• Test your gearing on a route with 500-800 m of gain and make sure you have cadence on the short ramps.
• Do at least two bike-run bricks after hard headwind rides: the run here is decided on the bike.