大象传媒

It's one of the most gruelling sporting challenges and those taking part will have undertaken months of training.

This weekend, Ironman 70.3 (SEVENTY POINT THREE) Weymouth returns. Last year's triathlon event was shelved because of Covid-19 Health and Safety considerations.

This year, over 2,000 athletes have signed up to take part in the combined 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, finished off with a 13.1 mile run.

Ironman means big business for Weymouth, bringing a major boost to the hospitality sector, with bumper hotel and restaurant bookings.

But the temporary road closures on the bike route continue to polarise opinion. Some residents accept it's just one day's inconvenience, others are less tolerant, particularly those running a business in rural outposts.

大象传媒 Radio Solent Laurence Herdman visited some of the smaller communities in the Piddle Valley along the 56 mile bike route.