The Hilliest Ironman and 70.3 Bike Courses
The hilliest Ironman bike courses include Ironman South Africa Mossel Bay, Ironman Lanzarote, Ironman Austria Klagenfurt, and among the 70.3 races Ironman Mossel Bay 70.3, Ironman Alcúdia-Mallorca 70.3, Ironman Aix-en-Provence 70.3: 11 full-distance and 17 70.3 races on Cycloscape have mountainous or repeatedly hilly bike legs, where pacing the climbs decides the run.
What makes a bike course hard
A hard course has long climbs or many short ones, with descents that need skill and give little rest. On a hilly course the even-power rule matters most: surging on every climb costs minutes on the run.
The courses below are the ones whose bike legs are mountainous or repeatedly hilly, by IRONMAN's own course descriptions and our reconstructions of them.
Ironman (180 km bike) — 11 hilly courses
In order of the next race date:
- Ironman South Africa Mossel Bay — Mossel Bay, South Africa, 18 April 2027 — The full distance on South Africa's Garden Route at Mossel Bay: a hilly 180 km.
- Ironman Lanzarote — Lanzarote, Spain, 15 May 2027 — One legendary loop of Lanzarote: Timanfaya, La Geria and the Mirador del Río, in the wind.
- Ironman Austria Klagenfurt — Klagenfurt, Austria, 13 June 2027 — Two loops around the Wörthersee and Carinthia's lakes, with the Rupertiberg climb.
- Ironman Switzerland Thun — Thun, Switzerland, 4 July 2027 — Lake Thun and the hills of the Bernese Oberland: a hilly, scenic Swiss full distance.
- Ironman Lake Placid — Lake Placid, United States, 25 July 2027 — Two loops through the Adirondacks from Lake Placid: epic climbs and swooping descents.
- Ironman Leeds — Leeds, United Kingdom, 15 August 2027 — From Roundhay Park in Leeds over the hills of Yorkshire: a demanding, hilly 180 km.
- Ironman Vichy — Vichy, France, 22 August 2027 — Auvergne at full distance: fast straights, rolling terrain and the climb to La Guillermie.
- Ironman France — Nice, France, 12 September 2027 — Into the hinterland of Nice and the Préalpes d'Azur: one of the hardest IRONMAN bike courses.
- Ironman Wisconsin — Madison, United States, 12 September 2027 — Down the Helix and out to two hilly laps of Wisconsin farmland, with crowds on the climbs.
- Ironman Wales — Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom, 19 September 2027 — Pembrokeshire's coast from Tenby: one of the hilliest IRONMAN bike courses.
- Ironman Portugal-Cascais — Cascais, Portugal, 23 October 2027 — The Portuguese Riviera at full distance: the Guincho coast and the Sintra hills.
IRONMAN 70.3 (90 km bike) — 17 hilly courses
In order of the next race date:
- Ironman Mossel Bay 70.3 — Mossel Bay, South Africa, 22 November 2026 — A hilly out-and-back from Santos Beach to Uitkyk on the Herbertsdale road: about 1,020 m.
- Ironman Alcúdia-Mallorca 70.3 — Alcúdia, Spain, 8 May 2027 — One lap from the bay of Alcúdia into the Serra de Tramuntana, over the Coll de Femenia to the Coll de sa Batalla.
- Ironman Aix-en-Provence 70.3 — Aix en Provence, France, 23 May 2027 — From Lac de Peyrolles to Aix-en-Provence over the technical roads of Mont Sainte-Victoire, flat and hilly.
- Ironman Kraichgau 70.3 — Kraichgau, Germany, 23 May 2027 — One loop of the Kraichgau, the 'land of a thousand hills': forests, vineyards, climbs and fast straights.
- Ironman Pennsylvania Happy Valley 70.3 — State College, United States, 23 May 2027 — Quiet roads of central Pennsylvania with three named climbs: Beaver Bluff, Old Main Grind and Nittany Summit.
- Ironman Bolton 70.3 — Bolton, United Kingdom, 6 June 2027 — From Pennington Flash over the hills of Lancashire to the heart of Bolton.
- Ironman Switzerland 70.3 — Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland, 6 June 2027 — Lake Zurich and the hills above Rapperswil-Jona: a scenic, demanding Swiss course.
- Ironman Mont-Tremblant 70.3 — Mont-Tremblant, Canada, 20 June 2027 — The Laurentians around Mont-Tremblant: a hilly, scenic 90 km in Quebec.
- Ironman Ruidoso New Mexico 70.3 — Ruidoso, United States, 11 July 2027 — Race the Peaks: from Grindstone Lake to Hondo and back, at over 2,000 m in New Mexico.
- Ironman Swansea 70.3 — Swansea Bay, United Kingdom, 11 July 2027 — Mumbles, the Gower clifftops and rural Swansea, then back along Swansea Bay.
- Ironman Vichy 70.3 — Vichy, France, 22 August 2027 — One loop from Vichy through Châteldon and the Livradois-Forez, up to La Guillermie.
- Ironman Zell am See-Kaprun 70.3 — Zell am See, Austria, 29 August 2027 — A demanding 90 km through the mountains around Zell am See and Kaprun.
- Ironman Nice 70.3 — Nice, France, 12 September 2027 — One loop above Nice: hill villages and the Col de Vence, then down to the Promenade des Anglais.
- Ironman São Paulo 70.3 — Brazil, 19 September 2027 — Brazil's biggest city: a hilly bike course at around 750 m in São Paulo.
- Ironman Portugal-Cascais 70.3 — Cascais, Portugal, 23 October 2027 — One loop of the Portuguese Riviera: the Guincho coast and the climbs of the Sintra hills.
- Ironman 70.3 World Championship – Men — Nice, France, date to be confirmed — The 70.3 World Championship men's race, raced in Nice in 2026 over the hills of the Alpes-Maritimes.
- Ironman 70.3 World Championship – Women — Nice, France, date to be confirmed — The 70.3 World Championship women's race, raced in Nice in 2026 over the hills of the Alpes-Maritimes.
How to train for a hilly course
Train climbing efforts of 10 to 40 minutes below threshold, practise descending, and fit the lowest gears you can. Indoors, the trainer's simulation mode on the race's own course (Event Coach Pro) rehearses the climbs where they come.
Frequently asked
Which Ironman has the hardest bike course?
Among the full-distance races, Ironman South Africa Mossel Bay, Ironman Lanzarote, Ironman Austria Klagenfurt, Ironman Switzerland Thun have mountainous or very hilly bike legs; every one is listed on this page with its date.
How do I pace a hilly Ironman bike course?
Keep the power even: the same effort on the climbs as on the flat, a little below what feels possible, and eat on the descents. Surging on every climb costs minutes on the run.