Marmotte

le_patron

Found it hard too. Feed stops were a bit chaotic and not much to shove in the jersey, didn't drink and eat enough and had to ride through cramp on the last k of the Galibier. I then had a slow descent of the lauteret (more cramp on the little uphill bit at Le Freney d'Oisans) and only coke and sandwiches at the foot of the alpe saved me. Actually quite enjoyed the last bit, felt much better by the end. 8.37

I think I may be back to try improve on that, but at the time I was wondering how many years this is taking off my life....

skavanagh.bikeradar

Just as the pre ride conversation was all "ohhhh I've been on a beach for 6 months and didn't do any training" the post ride conversations is "it was hell on earth and I just flopped over the line in 8 hours". 8 hours?!! 8 HOURS???!!! I was happy just to finish it in the end.

After seeing myself in the mirror 30 minutes after finishing (pale, bloodshot eyes, thousand yard stare) I thought never, ever again. I don't know how you blokes find the time to train to do 8 hours for something that hard. Someone should write a book.........

vermooten

I also thought 'never again' and I texted this to a milllion people while eating my pasta, but now... mmm I can't wait to do it again.

Yorkman

I was going to do it next year, but seeing that one of our local elite riders who rode the national road race championships last weekend took over 8 hours, I'm not filled with confidence.

christ-on-a-bikeǃ

I saw a midget!
Whether he finished or not I don't know, but that's a hell of a lot of climbing.

Bronzie

I'm loving this shot more than the ones of me suffering on the uphills - damn expensive at 22 euro for a hi-res file though :shock:

genki

Near the top at above 2600m - knackered


Descending at last, the start of an hour of fun 8)

What a great day out! My first time doing it, but hopefully not my last...

yorkshireraw

Bronzie wrote:

I'm loving this shot more than the ones of me suffering on the uphills - damn expensive at 22 euro for a hi-res file though :shock:

Just think of it like this - how much did the whole trip cost you? If it had been just 22 Euros more and you'd got a free photo would you have noticed the additional cost...

As you may guess, this justification has been used many times to myself!

le_patron

I wish my photos were as dynamic. I need to photoshop them so that I either look like I am clearly attacking every hill in the big ring, or it should be very clear that I am suffering like a dog on the hardest ride in the world ever.

In reality I look like I am on Sunday afternoon cruise, I'll have a word with photo-Breton next year, make him angle the camera a bit more.

Bronzie

Yeahbut - there's 4 of them I want :oops: - I've had the cunning plan of ordering the 9"x6" prints at 12 euros - can then scan in for use on our webby and then hang them on the wall in the study when I've done that :idea: - the missus will be chuffed - more cycling tat on the wall :P

skavanagh.bikeradar

See, there you go again fellas - Le Patron claiming hell on earth but doing a time with 8 hours in it!!! If anyone else posts such stuff they'd better attach a training plan....................

Mark Alexander

Fantastic weekend. Had a great time.

That said.... What the F**k was this about an 1800 cut off!! I was told to hand my chip in without getting a time. If i'd known I would have not taken it easy on Glandon, Galibier and not stopped for any length of time at all. Man I'm p*ssed off.

After missing it by 9mins I was ready to hit someone for not notifying us of this. I could have gone through at least an hour before!!

Just wait "09, Un-finished business!!!!!!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Bronzie

:?:
But the results show the last rider finished in 13-42 which is nearly 9pm assuming he started with the early numbers??

Gutted for you anyway mate, especially after suffering thro all that and not to even get a time :x

le_patron

Bronzie wrote:

:?:
But the results show the last rider finished in 13-42 which is nearly 9pm assuming he started with the early numbers??

A very long alpe basically, guess the trick is to get past the first hairpin by 1800.

I looked at the the winners photos, he has the Mavic wheel motorbike right behind him...guess he didn't lose too much time with punctures.

craigenty

le patron wrote:

I looked at the the winners photos, he has the Mavic wheel motorbike right behind him...guess he didn't lose too much time with punctures.

How do they get away with having a "winner" in a cyclosportive?

Craig

vermooten

Ummm... it's the person with the fastest time? A sportive is a bit like a time trial in some ways, but with fewer restrictions.

craigenty

Brian B wrote:

craigenty wrote:

Probably the worst day I have ever had on a bike.
Climbed The Glandon nice and steady pacing myself and riding well within myself.
After a good descent got in a nice group through and off along the Maurienne Valley. That's when alarm bells started ringing when my calfs were aching for no reason.
Hit the Telegraphe and went backwards almost immediately. From then on it just became survival because there's nowhere else to go except upwards if your comfy bed is at Alpe d'Huez.
Groveled up The Galibier (many thanks to Guy and Helyn from KOM for the banana and coke which cured my cramp for about 20 minutes until I got over the top of the Galibier) After another good descent to Bourg felt much better and managed the first 3km of The Alpe ok but then it all went wrong again. That's when I gave up.
Sat on the wall at bend 13 to phone my mate to come down for me with the van but the watch showed less than 7 hours to bend 13. Gathered my thoughts and set of again for the worst hour of my life to get me to The Alpe in just over 8 hours. Never again.

(PS can this be moved to The Race forum )

Sounds like a bad day out Craig. I want a crack at it next year but your day does nothing for my confidence.

There was definately something amiss on Saturday Brian. I've been plagued with this all season. I had to quit La Cezanne sportive because I was ill after 40km and the week after The Monts du Vaucluse I was ill too. If I'd have had the form from La Ventoux I might have done a 7.30. It's doing my head in.
(It's now on my blog http://craigandvickys.blogspot.com/ )

craigenty

vermooten wrote:

Ummm... it's the person with the fastest time? A sportive is a bit like a time trial in some ways, but with fewer restrictions.

Hey Moots I was being facetious

My mate Ben watched Antonio Corradini and Bert Dekker come round bend 3, 2 and 1 from our chalet and he said it was like Contador and Rasmussen in last years tour :shock:

vermooten

whoops!

I would have liked to see them duking it out. I read about the finish in the next day's Dauphine Libere but I don't really understand French so the detail was lost on me.

Bronzie

They had a sprint for the line around the last roundabout FFS!! :shock:
http://ficc.blogspot.com/2008/07/la-mar ... rints.html

craigenty

Bronzie wrote:

They had a sprint for the line around the last roundabout FFS!! :shock:
http://ficc.blogspot.com/2008/07/la-mar ... rints.html

Yep, and 1 second sorted it!

Mark Alexander

It was a bit bizarre going up Glandon, hearing a wooshing sound then having a guy on deep section wheels going past . re-living those TTs with disks flying past.

After the anger of not being able to get a time, I got to turn 3 and got cramp!! from there I fought muscle and leg cramp all the way to the top having to stop regalarly so it took over 3hrs to get there. I crossed the line at 9.30 totally knackered.

On guy missed the cut off by 1 minute.

ricadus

"Corradini is a 37-year-old rider of the famous Team Salieri. "

Alarm bells rang when I read that bit. :? Salieri team leaders Merloni & Negrini are the Bonnie & Clyde of the granfondo scene.

clanton

Just back from the Alps. Had a fantastic time, finished in 9h34 which I'm quite pleased with - it was a seriously hard ride! I believe tougher than last year's Etape despite the fact that I was much quicker.
The Galibier was simply unbelievable. Toughest part of the ride for me mentally was the early section of the Galibier climb which looked really flat yet we were all crawling along looking UP at the really steep stuff to follow!
I'll be back!

oldwelshman

Bronzie wrote:

I'm loving this shot more than the ones of me suffering on the uphills - damn expensive at 22 euro for a hi-res file though :shock:

I only paid 14 euro for large pic in a folder and 12 euro for normal print. Are you sur eits not 22 euro for the digital file? Just get a print and scan it

oldwelshman

These are the pics I bought, I did them on the wed and thursday as I thought I would look crap on the day

agnello

I did a 9:20

Not bad as my front tyre exploded off the rim near the top of the glandon descent. The motorcycle policeman rubbed off the metal burrs on the inside of the rim while i was having my shoulder, hip and wrist mopped up by the ambulanceman. Descended the glandon with 50 psi in the front on a wonky wheel that juddered when i braked. Mechanical support was non existent so after i found a track pump i figured it was more up than down so i may as well carry on. general consensus was it could have been worse as one of the guys i rode with was pretty certain my collarbone would be broken when he saw me hit the deck. instead i just have some pretty cool road rash and scabs/ bruises to show. fuc**ed my shoes too. also i had whiplash the day after from banging my head. thank you giro - god knows what state i'd be in without a helmet...

by the time i got to the alpe the wrist/shoulder combo was affecting my sense of humour. i'll post up the pictures as the difference in my countenance is markedly different on the way up the glandon and galibier. mind you; can't imagine i would have grinned up the galbier crash or no crash. I'll never know what i could have got without the crash, although physical delays were 15 minutesish (ambulance etc)

...unless i do it next year i suppose.... 8)

russell_in_france

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kldC4Mv_VeM

Okay, YouTube have finally added the Watch in High Quality link - so it now looks as I wanted it to look. You can see all the detail. Much better.

Cheers, Russell
www.grenoblecycling.com

russell_in_france

http://www.la-marmotte.org/index.php

Guys, you can now check out your intermediate times around the course now on the Sport Communication website.

Number 6023, and I can see that I left at 7:55 and looks like I took 1:13 to climb the Alpe d'Huez.

Cheers, Russell
www.grenoblecycling.com

vermooten

hell I'm getting Vietnam-type flashbacks watching your video Russell, but I can't stop watching. Like Christopher Walken's character in the Deer Hunter.