The Bike at San Salvador: 90 km of Rollers on the Pan-American Highway

The course in a nutshell

Two laps on the Pan-American Highway, on the stretch between San Martín and Cojutepeque, for 90 km total and 1,616 m of stated elevation gain (5,301 feet, official figure). This isn't a course with one signature climb: it's constant rolling terrain that never leaves you alone. The first 3 km or so are a proper climb — one race report mentions roughly 200 m of gain in the opening stretch alone — then the profile becomes a relentless up-and-down until the end of the lap. An experienced athlete who raced the 2026 edition describes it as their slowest race ride ever. Another report, from an age-grouper who finished second in their category, confirms it: over 1,600 m on the bike, a very tough race.

The message is clear: if you're looking for a flat leg at a 36 km/h average, you've picked the wrong race.

What makes this course special

Two things work in your favor. First: the course is fully closed to traffic. Second: the tarmac. Race reports describe it as the smoothest ridden in decades. This changes how you approach the descents: they're not recovery sections, they're launch pads. Riders who exit descents carrying speed hit the next climbs with a huge advantage over those who stop pedaling as soon as the road tips down.

What to do in training: find a hilly loop and learn to pedal downhill in the aero position, surging before the road kicks back up. It's a specific skill, and here it pays off more than raw watts.

Gearing: don't be a hero

1,616 m over 90 km means roughly 18 m of climbing per kilometer. With two identical laps, you'll face the opening climb twice — the second time with 45 km in your legs and rising heat. Your gearing choice is the most important equipment decision of your race:

• Compact (50/34) or semi-compact up front.
• Wide-range cassette in the back: 11-32 or 11-34 if your watts per kilo aren't in the top third of your category.
• If you run 1x, make sure you have a bailout gear below the equivalent of a 34x32.

Better one spare gear you never use than a climb ground out at 55 rpm on lap two.

Pacing: the three-block plan

1. First 3 km: a climb straight out of T1, with adrenaline and cold legs. Keep the power in check: this is where races get burned without you even noticing. 2. Rest of lap one: find your rhythm on the rollers. Steady power uphill, active pedaling downhill, no spikes. 3. Lap two: this is where good pacing shows. The heat ramps up, and a half marathon with 180 m of climbing is waiting. If you're already struggling on the second pass up the opening climb, back off immediately: in San Salvador, the run punishes anyone who rolls into T2 cooked.

Look at the ballpark times: 3:45 for a comfortable finisher, 3:15 for a mid-pack goal, 2:55 for the fast crowd. These are our estimates, not official data, but they give you the order of magnitude: add 20-30 minutes to what you'd do on a flat course.

Wind and weather

On the bike leg, February highs reach around 30°C, but with a morning start you'll be riding in the coolest hours of the day. Reliable wind data along the Pan-American Highway isn't available in the sources: the wind ratings in the race profile are rough assessments, not official measurements. Still, carry one more bottle than you would for a February race in Europe: hydration on the bike sets up the run.

The decision to make today

Fit the wide-range cassette now and train with it. Schedule at least four long rides on hilly terrain with specific work on surging out of descents. And mentally accept, before you even start, that your bike split here won't be comparable to any other 70.3 you've done.