Marmotte entry numbers
Comments
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Thanks for the heads up Brad - I was already aware that it pays to get to the airport plenty early if you are booking a bike on the flight - race you to Stansted Welshie!brad68 wrote:they will only take a certain number of bikes per flight even if you have paid for them!
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What 6,000 people all with their brake hoods up each others backsides? Any accidents?
In 2006 there were a few accidents descending Glandon (after the 1st climb: Croix de Fer). There were several ambulances and at one point they held people at the top for a while and let them down in groups of 50 or so
the danger is not the bunched start but occasional idiots descending like they are salvodelli - but without his skill.0 -
And here's where a poor fecker died on the Glandon's descent in the Marmotte in 2005:
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Sad. Translates roughly as "Fly over the mountains, think about us and enjoy".0
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It was good to see zillions of coppers on that descent making "slow down" movements with their hands to all riders. Not that I needed any more motivation.0
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Sorry if this has already been posted earlier on - I've not read the whole thread but thought you marmotters might be interested
http://www.rhoscycling.com/article-marmotte.htm0 -
That's a very good write up - thanks for posting it popette.popette wrote:Sorry if this has already been posted earlier on - I've not read the whole thread but thought you marmotters might be interested
http://www.rhoscycling.com/article-marmotte.htm
I rode the Marmotte the same year, 2006, and I think the author uses a little artistic license as it wasn't that hot. Maybe high 20s but not anywhere near the mid to high 30s. The Etape finished in Alpe d'Huez a couple of days later and it was significantly hotter then, probably 30 degrees or more in Alpe d'Huez itself so it must've been like an oven lower down the climb.
I'd add that having ridden, and abandoned, the Marmotte in 2002 when it was wet for most of the day I'd much rather do it in the heat than in the cold and wet. I've never been so cold on a bike as I was that day descending the Croix de Fer, shaking so much that I could barely control the bike.0 -
I did La Marmotte in 2006. (I also rode the Prix des Grandes Rousses that sportcommunication organised a few days before.)
At both events I was able to show my racing licence and that was sufficient. It's the UCI number that they were interested in seeing, and that is shown on the BC racing licence but not on a bog standard BC membership card (in which case you'd need a medical certificate).
Regarding the start, by the time we got there - about 15 minutes before the start it was quite difficult to find the correct pen we were meant to start in, so we just took a short cut through one of the side streets (along with some local riders) and ended up starting further forward than we should have been !
Although it was a bit crowded in the pens, once we got going the start was pretty civilised. People set off fast down the road towards Allemont, but there wasn't the type of pushing you get in some of the other events.
I'd say be careful on the descent from the col de Glandon. It's pretty steep and the first few switchbacks are very tight. A rider crashed and died there in 2005. In 2006 there was a serious crash too.
If Grenoble with Ryanair is problematic, how about Lyon with BA ? Bourg d'Oisans is 1hr away from Grenoble. Lyon is 1hr15. In fact when you check on the map you will find that these two airports are not that far apart. Also, at this stage there may not be a big difference in price, and BA carry bikes for free.0 -
Has the course reverted back to the traditional Croix de Fer route now? The diversion over the Glandon was a temporary arrangement whilst they did some work on the road on the Croix de Fer.airegin wrote:I'd say be careful on the descent from the col de Glandon. It's pretty steep and the first few switchbacks are very tight. A rider crashed and died there in 2005. In 2006 there was a serious crash too.
In 2006 I was about a minute behind the crash you refer to. It was at the same spot as the fatal accident the year before that was mentioned previously. Luckily there were lots of marshals and first aiders there so it was being dealt with quickly but some people had clearly been quite seriously injured. I believe none of the injuries were life threatening though.
With regard to logistics, if you live in the south-east then I can thoroughly recommend getting the Eurostar to Lille then switch to a TGV to Valence. It takes about 5 hours and it's an easy drive from Valence, and there is a few car hire companies at the station, to Bourg d'Oisans. There's no problem with taking a bike either, as long as it is bagged.0 -
Bronzie wrote:
Thanks for the heads up Brad - I was already aware that it pays to get to the airport plenty early if you are booking a bike on the flight - race you to Stansted Welshie!brad68 wrote:they will only take a certain number of bikes per flight even if you have paid for them!
Have you booked yet?
I have so I know I can take my bike on plane
How do I know?
I just booked another flight to Treviso for Pinarello fondo and at the end I got a message saying the limiy for number of bikes was reached so please book another flight !!
I had to change my return flight so guess they now stop bookings once the 15 limit reached, so no I don't have to get to stanstead so early
I just booked another flight to Treviso to go buy a Pinarello 0 -
just take your medical cert with you to signing on, they don't need to see it before then.swt0
