COEUR d'ALENE - As Roger Dunteman pedaled up the long, steep grade south of Cougar Gulch on U.S. 95, a car whizzed past on his left.

Then a truck. Then a minute later, another car, followed by a pickup. All zipping by about 65 mph, some 10-15 feet from the Coeur d'Alene man training for Ironman later this month.

Dunteman slowed, pulled off on a turnout and stopped.

"For local training, it's a little bit dangerous," he said.

Still, he's ridden the new bike course for Ironman Coeur d'Alene about a dozen times. It takes cyclists about 20 miles south of Coeur d'Alene before turning around. Dunteman said it's a bit "scary" at times, especially when he hears the hum of tires hitting the rumble strips, indicating a driver is venturing into the shoulder.

He just tucks in, stays right and pushes ahead. What else can you do, he asks?

"You live here, so you want to try to get as much homecourt advantage as you can," Dunteman said.

That advantage could pay off during the 10th Ironman Coeur d'Alene on June 24. Nearly 3,100 are registered for the race that begins at City Beach at 7 a.m. with a 2.4-mile swim in Lake Coeur d'Alene, followed by a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. Each is two loops.

About 4,500 notices were recently mailed to homes and businesses alerting them to traffic impacts of the new bike course. U.S. 95 from Coeur d'Alene south to Settlers Road will be affected from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on race day.

No roads will be closed, but there will be traffic delays due to flagger-controlled intersections.

"The main thing is, Highway 95 is not closed, nor are any of these roads," said Mac Cavasar, race director.

Cyclists will be traveling both directions in the two northbound lanes, while northbound vehicle traffic will be diverted to create two-way traffic in the southbound lanes between mileposts 408 and 429. The speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph during the race.

Cavasar is happy with the new course and believes it will serve athletes and residents well.

"We looked and looked and looked. It's taken us about a year and a half to get to this point," Cavasar said.

The old bike course, the one used for the past five years, took cyclists through Dalton Gardens, Hayden and Hayden Lake. Before that, for the first four years, it went through Post Falls.

This year, the course still includes the stretch that follows Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive to Higgens Point. New is the route that goes south on U.S. 95.

"From a safety standpoint, this is a better course," Cavasar said.

"We don't have all the traffic to deal with on Government Way. We don't have impact on businesses, and we're not shutting down an area like we were on Dodd Road (in Hayden). From that standpoint, it's a lot better course."

Cavasar said he's checked with the Idaho State Police and businesses in the race area along U.S. 95, and hasn't heard of any incidents.

"Everybody I've talked to has been really positive," he said.

Stephanie Hale, Idaho Transportation Department permit coordinator, worked with Ironman on the special event agreement process for more than a year to allow the course on U.S. 95 from Coeur d'Alene to just beyond Settlers Road near Worley.

Organizers said the plan for race day is sound, with cyclists and vehicles restricted to specific lanes and directions of travel, reduced speeds for cars and trucks and flaggers throughout.

They made the course as safe as possible, Hale said.

In regards to training on U.S. 95, she said cyclists should follow the rules of the road.

Some basic safety rules include riding on the shoulder, maintaining direction of travel, wearing bright clothing and being alert at all times.

She said Idaho's highways are available to cyclists, and there isn't anything ITD can do to specifically make it safer for Ironman cyclists training on U.S. 95.

ITD can't impede vehicle traffic or block lanes for cyclists.

"There's no way of knowing when people are going to be out there," Hale said. "They're all training at different times of the day."

This course, Cavasar said, should be faster than the Hayden one, especially if cyclists have a tailwind returning to town.

"On the way back, look at all that downhill you've got," he said.

There has been some grumbling from cyclists about debris and flat tires along 95, he added, but the highway shoulders have been swept and will be again before race day.

"We'll see what happens race week," Cavasar said. "Everybody wants to go out and try the new course."

Don't count Ann Kik-Powers among them.

A finisher of the past two Ironman Coeur d'Alenes, the Spokane woman took two laps on the U.S. 95 course Thursday with husband Tim Powers, who is entered in this year's Ironman Coeur d'Alene.

"I'm really disappointed, to be honest," Kik-Powers said. "I loved the course last year. This is horrible. We're out here riding with semis and traffic."

Still, she said it should be a faster course. There are far fewer turns, not so many ups and downs, so it will be less technical.

"It's definitely going to be faster," she said.

Powers said he was a little nervous during Thursday's training ride. He noted he saw the occasional driver drift over the white line on the highway's shoulder.

"Training on this road is somewhat dangerous, I think," he said. "The traffic and the semis are the things that are concerning. Training in Hayden was substantially safer."

Kik-Powers doesn't recommend folks arriving soon for Ironman take a test ride on the new part of the course.

"Anyone coming here that has never done the course before, all they need to do is drive it," she said.