The Waco 70.3 Bike: 90 Rolling Kilometers of Farm Roads, Chip Seal and Wind

The Big Picture

90 km in a single loop on rural central Texas roads. Official elevation gain: 1,009 ft, about 308 meters. On paper, that's not much. In practice the course is labeled as rolling, and two variables make it less straightforward than it looks: the road surface and the wind.

The organizer describes it as a fast course. True, but it's not a freebie: several race reports and course analyses flag rough sections and wind conditions that completely change how the open farm roads feel.

The Key Segments

• First 300 meters: right after transition there's a sharp left turn onto Washington Avenue, slightly downhill. Ride out sharp, not aggressive. Shoes pre-clipped to the pedals only if you're used to it.
• Miles 16-22 (km 26-35): a gradual climb. It doesn't hurt in the moment—it hurts later if you push it.
• Miles 25-26 (km 40-42): the main kicker, near Mooreville Church. Max gradient around 5.7%, mostly around 4%. Nothing technical: easy gear and watts under control.
• Miles 33-45 (km 53-72): the fastest stretch of the course, with the best pavement. This is where you get back the time you 'saved' earlier.

The Surface: Chip Seal and Highway 7

Part of the course is on chip seal, the coarse asphalt typical of Texas roads. Highway 7 is flagged as the roughest section. What this means for you:

• Moderate tire pressures: on chip seal, too much pressure makes you bounce, costing you speed and comfort. If you run tubeless, this is the course to take advantage of it.
• Stable position on the aerobars: the vibrations fatigue your shoulders and triceps. If you've never done 2.5 hours in the aero position on rough pavement, test it in training.
• Bottles and bottle cages: solid mounts. On chip seal, bottles go flying. Check everything the day before.

The Wind: The Real Wildcard

The course crosses open countryside. No shelter. The wind can turn the fast segments into grinding sections and vice versa. There's one rule: steady watts, not steady speed. If you chase km/h into a headwind, you'll hit the run with empty legs.

Practical plan:

1. Decide your power target (or RPE if you race without a power meter) before the race. 2. First half: stay below target or at the lower end, especially on the mile 16-22 climb and the Mooreville kicker. 3. Second half: if the legs are responding, lift slightly in the fast stretch from miles 33 to 45. 4. Last 10 km: back off the pace, spin the legs out, start thinking about the run.

What to Do Now

• Test to do in training: one long ride at steady watts on a windy road with imperfect pavement, in the aero position for at least 2 hours. If the position breaks down, work on it now.
• Equipment choice: 28 mm tires (if your frame allows) at moderate pressure beat rock-hard 23 mm tires on this surface.
• Gearing: with max gradients of 5.7% you don't need mountain gearing, but an 11-28 or 11-30 lets you spin up the climbs without burning your legs.
• Plan B: if race day brings strong wind, lower your power target by 3-5% and accept a slower bike split. At Waco the race is won (or lost) on the half marathon that follows.

The time estimates floating around for this course range from 2:25 for top age-groupers to 3:30 for those aiming to finish comfortably. They're ballpark figures: wind and road surface can shift them by several minutes in either direction.