Ironman 70 3 Swansea 2025 Bike Course Guide 🚴‍♂️ | Best Aero Sections, Climb Tips & Race Strategy

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Are you racing Ironman 70.3 Swansea 2025? In this video, I break down the entire bike course with key insights to help you race smarter, faster, and more efficiently. From aero position tips, climb strategies, and power pacing, to advice on gear choices and nutrition — this guide has everything you need to know before race day.

🚴‍♂️ Course overview includes:
• The best sections to maximise your aero position
• Key climbs and gearing tips
• Where to push and where to hold back
• Suggested power & cadence strategy
• Real-world advice based on course reviews & race data

Whether you’re aiming to qualify, finish strong, or just survive the Gower hills – this video will help you get the most out of your bike leg.

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📌 Comment below if you’ve got questions about the route or want a deeper dive into power pacing based on your FTP.

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hello everybody welcome to recover lab tv my name is chris i’m your coach and sports therapist and this video is all about iron man 70.3 swansea one of um my subscribers reached out jordi um thank you for reaching out with this question just by here um he reached out because he wanted to know a little bit more about the iron man swansea course uh and rightfully so he wants to maximize his time he wants to know when are the greatest opportunities uh to be made and and what i kind of thought about it so i promised him literally last night that i would make him a video this morning uh today and here it is so i’ve written a ton of bullet points on my laptop so i’ll be reading back and forth from there so there is no sexy um kind of editing there is no uh video of me riding my bike however this is going to be fundamental for you guys uh so please listen i’m going to be touching over the route as a whole and its key features uh when to go arrow um notable climbs wind and weather conditions nutrition and pacing practical tips and potential hazards and a summary of a opportunities okay so going right in at the top the root overview now i’ve done um i’ve raced every single iron man swansea um each year this will be the fourth year uh and i’ve been lucky enough to be able to be at the start line of every single one now this year’s uh route is a single loop 90k um 56 mile route around swansea bay and the gawa peninsula the elevation is uh 1,16 m total ascent featuring 13 to 14 climbs now luckily they have updated the garmin route uh the gpx file so if you go on their website and download the latest version they have all of the climbs in whereas i was there a couple weeks back now uh you’ll see the video uh i’ll attach it to to this video right now and um on my garmin at that time they only had um the old route and i’d literally downloaded it uh just before but so that only had i think six or eight clims on whereas now they’ve kind of updated it and uh they’ve got all of the main clims on that garmin gpx so by all means check that out now for me i personally put it on my garmin computer so then on race day i’ll put that route on as i’m riding and then i’ll be going out and then uh it just tells me a little bit about the climb when a climb’s coming up how long is left on the climb and then that way for me personally i know how to kind of pace it um based on what i’m doing and and how i’m doing it now this route is um generally consists of coastal roads hugging uh the clifftops and then it transitions into a rural inland and finally a flat coastal uh return right back to the start line now when to go arrow uh is a real important point now for me uh as you’re kind of leaving um transition that whole section across the mumbles is the perfect opportunity to get into those aero bars get tucked up um and because it is as flat as a pancake you know um it only starts elevating uh on the furthest side of um the kos swansea bay uh right around where you’re racing over this side you’re coming out of transition this side you get right the way around uh the mumbles and then you’re climbing up to uh your first climb there’s a photographer there that’s going to take photos of you so make sure you’re you’re aware of that uh and get some good race photography in um and then you’ll come up that first climb um and it’s kind of like just a gentle kind of uh spinny legs kind of climb if you will um and then it kind of goes in now from there to around 10k um you’re kind of rolling start as you leave swansea slight elevation to the mumbles as i said stay out of the arrow on the mixed rain and watch for um the auditors near um club to markers every 10 miles now 10 to 30 km um go across the coastal gawa peninsula there’s constant up and downs and there’s uh a fair bit of wind exposure if it is a windy day so just be mindful of that um you’re only going to be able to really kind of hold that aerial position on the descents and the flats in between the climbs now there is a bit of flat in between so you’re going to have to micromanage that and also what i’d say is if you are a strong uh strong at descending kind of really that is your opportunity to make up your uh kind of average pace um and also help you up into the next climb so um stay seated on the climbs and uh try and conserve your effort ready for later on now um 30 to 50k you’re kind of in rural swansea uh it’s under but rolling um to kind of flatter as you kind of approach the bay um this is a great opportunity to use um your arrow on the flat sections from kind of 35k slight headwind as you return uh via the bay so just be aware of that now soon as you hit 50k to 90k um you’re kind of going along the coastal return to swansea city uh and it’s largely flat especially when you’re at the top of uh that kind of rural uh space and kind of out by um the skydiving airport uh that they have there now if you flip back between um this video and my previous video when i went out to swansea with a couple of the recovery lab athletes um you’ll notice how windy it was on that day now you can get an incredible headwind and crosswind by there so just be aware of that but arrow is the best way to kind of cut through that if um you’re going to really focus on your time and also kind of uh look to save energy as well so uh lock into an arrow position as soon as you can on the flatter routes uh and maintain a steady effort for about 40k backwards um just be aware that kind of like drafting rules are incredibly strict on iron man and you kind of need uh to be passing each other there’s a 12 m distance to be clear of um now obviously at certain points especially in the underllaying kind of hills uh sections it’s going to be really tough to kind of maintain that and naturally um the guys uh driving around on motorbikes they’re aware of of um what’s happening and how how it’s happening but if you’re looking like you’re drafting uh then you’re certainly going to be picked up for that so just be aware of that um so try not to spend more than 25 seconds in that kind of drafting period before you kind of get past now noticeable uh notable climbs um that i would say are um caswell hill it’s approximately 20 to 22 km in uh it’s a 6% gradient over half a mile um stay in the seat have a moderate cadence and kind of smooth effort and just try and keep your heart rate low just for that because it’s going to be a gradual kind of climb um on the way up and then kh hill that’s around the 25 kilometer mark uh shortly after that’s a 4.7 over a third of a mile it’s clear and manageable if paced well um but again it’s um just gradual and maintains now um you have some smaller rises uh to focus on uh between 35 to 50k that’s where you’re kind of um going out to that kind of farmland property that i mentioned in the in the previous video um that’s going to be where you can either burn out a lot especially on a second loop round or you can really conserve your energy now if you conserve your power output rather than the speed then um you’ll really make the gains as soon as you’re at the top of um the kind of the hills if you will and then that way you’re kind of dropping down right into the marshlands and just be aware of those little bumps that i said in the previous video so please flip between this video and and and the last video because um together they’re going to really make a difference for for you in swansea now wind weather conditions coastal exposure means potential headwinds uh certainly on the flats so opt for a lower cadence to hold your power output okay do not burn your muscles out because it will hammer you on some of the later climbs especially on that kind of second loop going round out kind of farmland um that’s probably where your longest and biggest climb is um and the same with where um the kind of start of the second loop where you kind of drop down and you’ve got that long climb under the kind of tree growth that i mentioned that um in the previous video uh one of my clients matthew almost took me out on all right so just look out for that you know cuz um it gets to the top and then it turns now a lot of people don’t realize that and that’s where it can mentally defeat you so just be aware especially if you’re um new to this that it’s a head game and if you’re more experienced just be aware that potential um newer people especially as you come around on that second loop if you are fast that they may uncip as well so you want to be kind of uh giving them a bit of room if you can now we went on a open road so naturally you’re kind of single file behind people whereas on open road you’ve got the whole road and it might be worth especially as you’re getting to the top and taking that narrow corner uh just go a little bit wider just in case there are kind of less experienced or slower riders um just around the corner um in regards to the weather inland sections offer wind shelter there’s a lot of hedgeway that can similar to iman wales um where you if you can tuck under uh and tuck into that arrow position it’s going to really help you and um save a time and kind of settle into that arrow position to recover from those clims so just be aware of that um and then in regards to nutrition and pacing aid stations are every 10 miles so about 16 km uh and they’re ideal for grabbing your gels your hydration your water your electrolytes um and uh any sort of bars and so on so forth that i think they offer out molton uh gels and bars um roughly you want to be aiming for around 60 to 80 grams per hour on the bike however um one thing that i used and still use is um if you go on to precision fuel andhydration.com um they have a little calculator that you can use by answering a little questionnaire uh and they can give you a little race strategy now i worked out that i need roughly 75 g an hour based on that um calculator if you will and uh it’s it’s kind of really helped me uh ever since and the same way with like if you’ve watched my recent video that i just launched about um cardiff 7.3 triathlon um nailing that nutritional in um kind of input really allowed me to get um my first ever sub6 on a 70.3 so um by all means check that out um practice fast transitions with uh tri belt setups and ensure your helmets uh and your bibs are placed in the correct position it’s low maintenance stuff however if you have good transitions and you can time yourself and practice yourself or if you’re coming out to swim and you run to your car on a kind of a normal training day it’s these little things that are going to really help you with that bike that bike split overall and kind of overall help you um shave off absolute minutes cuz it’s far easier to shave off that time in transition than it is on your swim bike or run okay so just be aware of that now practical tips and potential hazards the roads are closed however marshalls uh and the occasional vehicle may be on the other side of the road so uh just be aware of that you know i know i said you’ve got the whole road on like say a hill for example um naturally you’re going to hear the motorbikes coming from behind you um and they’re certainly going to make themselves aware but just be sure to because at carter triathlon this past weekend people weren’t looking behind them just to check out their blind spot before moving across now yes that comes with experience um but it also it it’s your job to uh to be sure and be aware so look after your safety but also the safety of others cuz that’s incredibly important and generally in iron man races it’s far better than uh your kind of your typical local triathlon u but it is our responsibility to make sure that one we are safe and also that we’re we’re not causing crashes and and potentially hurting people as well um so yeah just stay alert with that now road markings and signages are really clear you’ll see it on the left hand side generally uh as you’re kind of going into things uh so just be aware of that stay focused on on kind of any sort of wet surfaces there is one uh spot particularly that um i think it’s the first descent you kind of go down and as you’re kind of turning that corner and then going up a sharp kind of kind of s shape if you will it’s like a reverse s there’s an island in the middle of the road um and it comes to like a t junction as this kind of s uh road comes up just be aware of that corner because um in a previous iron man two iron mans ago um two swansea’s ago i went to go down there and it was incredibly slippery and my back wheel almost went and in order for me to correct i had to squeeze between the island and this bolard and honestly i only just fit through and um it proper shook me up and i was just super super lucky that i i was able to have um good bike handling skills at the time um but it kind of like unnerved me only until kind of um recently to be honest because similar thing happened in iron man wales last year uh where there was a a few leaves uh on the the descent going into wiseman’s um and it was raining and hammering it down and and again my back tire now i’ve only recently in the past year or two um swap my bike over so i’m still getting used to that i feel a lot more confident on that now uh so just be aware of that one especially because one of my clients uh dan he was unfortunate and his bike just completely left him on that turn so on a dry day it’s absolutely fine uh on a wet day just just be a bit more cautious on your brakes and as you’re coming down because it is a fast corner um and that’s when the bike does tend to slip out especially uh when it’s wet um mechanical sport is available however uh make sure you you know how to look after your bike make sure you know how to change spare tubes and things like that um and the kind of the typical uh bike maintenance stuff um because naturally you could be waiting some time and if if um you are aware or afraid of of bike cut offs and stuff uh that’s going to eat into your time if you’re just waiting around for the mechanics to get around to you okay um clifftop sections they may have some crosswind okay check your tire pressure and bike stability during training now i tend to kind of ride at kind of 85 psi um my max pressure is around 96 um and that way because of my weight it just gives me a little bit of a give in the tire um and i’ve kind of really kind of gotten used to that tire pressure and so on um naturally if it’s a little wet you may want to drop it a little bit more just to kind of um give your your tire a little bit more stick um and naturally the opposite if it’s a little bit drier now um the biggest thing i can suggest if you can is get down swansea and just ride the course don’t put any pressure on yourself that you got to make the cut off in that that particular time because um you’re going to be focused on just gunning it and you’re not going to take in the course itself um go down their train take your time uh have an easy ride around and check where the potholes are check where uh the road conditions are check what the wind is doing check where the kind of little dips in the road and stuff like i mentioned as you come from that big climb um from that farmhouse and that kind of like right at the top of that hill you get an incredible 360 view of swansea as a whole and you can see right out to the sea uh which is incredible uh and then as you come down it’s a very fast ascent and then as you kind of drop down and take that bend there’s a little bit of a drop in the road uh especially as you go in now last time i went round the first time i kind of did i think it was around 100 uh not 100 um 77 can you imagine um around 77 km an hour um or 73 and then i think um the next one was 74 and then one of my clients hit 8384 which is incredible speeds to go down uh now one thing i said in the previous video um was um if you lift your bum about an inch off the saddle and soften your knees and have that little spring soft elbows contracted it in um it gives you that kind of like little spring and that recoil as you kind of hit those bumps and you kind of move with the bike and and with the flow of the road whereas if you’re sat in your saddle rigid holding on for dear life then you’re much more rigid so when you land you’re much more likely to wobble and shake um especially as you kind of land from that little bump that’s where you’ll then potentially get that kind of crosswind um and then it’s a lovely straight before then that turn round and then on the first lap you’ll turn back around and go left on the second lap you’ll take that right and head back in so just be aware of those kind of uh things if you can get down there please get down there just because um one you won’t be disappointed it’s a hell of a a training ride uh and two um it’ll just give you that more confidence you know uh by all means watch these videos even go back to i think i did one the year before or one in 23 where um i kind of filmed the course again uh and although the course has changed ever so slightly it will show you um what the local terrain is like what the road surface is like and then i do talk a lot about the climbs when i’m on there cycling them okay um now to summarize this as a whole right um flat stretches uh between 50k and 90k um that’s where you’re going to mostly maximize your a position on the top of those hills uh intermediate flat sections between climbs uh roughly between 35 and 40 uh between 35 to 50k in that’s where kind of like lots of rolling uh short sharp punchy climbs um come out the arrow on climbs like caswell and khill uh coastal rollers between 10 km and 30k just stay seated smooth legs don’t waste your energy save it for later especially if it’s windy because you’re going to need that when you’re in that arrow position remember sacrifice a bit of speed and focus on that kind of power work and that cadence work that’s going to really help you um and then yeah just practice approaching uh your technical turns and your technical descents um wherever you live if you can’t get to swansea until race day um the more you can practice your technical turns uh if you have any sort of farmland around you going over cattle grids is uh a great way to practice um and yeah this course overall rewards smart pacing strategic aero use save your legs for the run and um hopefully you’ll have an incredible day i hope this video helps uh in some way by all means um add to it in the comments section so if you’ve done swansea before and you found that this that and the other really helps uh or helped you or that you found um following a particular race strategy really helped by all means share that strategy uh in the comments section those people are going to be able to find your channel they’re going to be able to appreciate you for your comments and ultimately it’s going to help this community okay and that’s what it’s all about hope you’ve enjoyed this video i know it’s not necessarily the the most sexiest video in regards to editing uh however i hope it’s the most informative uh and i hope you gain something out of it um and thank you for asking the question um to begin with you know so if you um like this video um then by all means hit that subscribe button like the video if you can let me know if you’re racing this year in um i’m swansea um i’m certainly going to be there i’m going to be uh trying to break six again on this course um because uh cardiff is considerably flatter so uh if i could break six on this i will be beyond chuffed um and fingers crossed we have an incredible race day it’s going to be awesome uh in regards to the pro series uh so i’m really really looking forward to that and looking forward to what kind of goodies we uh get from iron man as a result and um and also just to be able to race with uh this caliber of pro athletes is going to be pretty incredible as well so hope you’ve enjoyed this video and uh thanks for watching take care i’ll see you soon