How to read map?

Hi everyone,

As you can see by my screen name, I am brand new. I am participating in my very first mini triathlon, and just received a course map. Only, I'm not sure how to read it.

Here is the link:

http://www.firm-racing.com/races/maps/springsprint.jpg

How steep are those hills in the biking section? They sure look big to me! I am not that strong of a rider, but I am generally in good shape. I will be riding on a Trek Navigator 300. Will I have to walk my bike up any hill? If not, what gear do you think I will have to use?

I'm starting to get nervous!

Any help at all will be appreciated.

Thank you,

Over50Newbie

Those look like good-sized hills, but nothing terrible. Of course, it's all going to depend on what you're used to and your fitness level.

You should try to go there and ride the course at least once before the official race, maybe multiple times there if it's not too inconvenient to travel there. It's always nice to feel familiar with the terrain.

The hills look scary on the map, but remember that the vertical scale is exaggerated relative to the horizontal. Those hiles rise about 100 feet over a stretch of half a mile. I know I wouldn't have trouble _walking_ that. The hill I walk from town after Saturday shopping back home climbs 100 meters (300 feet) in about a mile. I could never get up my hill on a bike, even with the bike lift (yes, there is one for the first half of that hill, but it takes some practice to learn to use it) though I see others biking up it all the time. The ones on the map I think I might be able to manage with a bit of training.

First thing I check is the scale - how many feet are those jagged lines jumping over? Couple hundred top to bottom isn't too scarry.

Second thing is how steep are climbs or descents? And, how long do they last? I see a mild climb at the 1mi mark, lasts about a half mile, but it's followed by a sharp jump, and then a very sharp jump to get to two miles. I'd expect that first highest peak to be an out of the saddle push to the top. The climb around 7 miles in should feel similar, as it's shaped almost the same. What gear? That's all about you & your bike - whatever you can do that works :) From 3.5 to 4m, you have a nice big downhill - know how fast you're comfortable going, as I'd imagine you could easily exceed 25?

Wow, you guys are good. Thanks so much. There is a hill near my house that is a half mile long and is pretty steep. I think that I will start going up and down it more frequently when I take my bike rides. I could use the practice!

Also, with all topo maps, in addition to the distance scale, look for a measurement for contour intervals. That will tell you how much climbing in the distance. And a general rule, the closer the countour lines, the steeper the pitch.

One follow-up question, which is also an admission that though I may be a good map-reader I too am a newbie to biking ...
What is the % of an incline a % of? Is it a percentage of the difference between flat (0 or 180 degrees) and vertical (90 degrees) so that an angle of 171 (or 9, depending on which side you see it from) degrees would be a 10% incline? Or is it the rise as a percentage of the distance traveled, so that a 5' rise over 100' would be a 5% incline?