Marmotters! beware of the descents!!

vermooten
vermooten Posts: 2,697
edited June 2008 in Sportives/audaxes/training rides
People have died in this event in the past by descending too quickly and messing up their cornering. The kind of thing F Schleck did yesterday but with horrible consequences.

See this thread on the MW forum: http://www.manchesterwheelers.co.uk/For ... robat.aspx
You just have to ride like you never have to breathe again.

Manchester Wheelers

Comments

  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    edited June 2008
    Thanks for the heads up on this again Andy - think I may try and get our crew to do a recce ride of the Glandon on the Thursday :?
    It's a Lifestyle! -+-+- Coggan Training Levels
  • skavanagh.bikeradar
    skavanagh.bikeradar Posts: 1,097
    This is something I'm dreading about the Marmotte, the descending.
  • celbianchi
    celbianchi Posts: 854
    The Glandon is steep and technical at the top for about the first 3 miles.

    Take care people, there are no barriers at the side of the road so overcook it and you'r e down the ravine to the next stretch of road below.

    I have not ridden the Marmotte, but have seen a couple of crashes on the Glandon when I have been riding there.

    The Galibier descents and the Lauteret are pretty straight forward, though again be careful for the fist 2 miles down the Galibier.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,553
    The main corner to watch out for is about 1 km from the top, a left hand hairpin where there is a rock wall on the outside of the bend. This is where the poor Dutch guy lost his life in 2005 and where there was a very nasty crash in 2006.
  • ricadus
    ricadus Posts: 2,379
    After the obvious danger of the hairpin corners, if you look at a map it is tempting to think the road is straight, but actually there are several chicane-like kinks in it and the width of the road is quite narrow for about 5 km, so if your aren't careful you could be off the road or into a wall quite easily.

    In 05, the first year it descended Glandon, I saw the aftermath of 5 crashes on that descent, including a motorbike paramedic treating the fatality, another guy being put into an ambulance about a km further on (one of the dog-leg bends I mentioned) and a broken bike next to one of the speed humps right at the bottom of the descent that are there to make drivers slow down as they approach the town – no sign of the rider, maybe he was in another ambulance.

    One other thing to remember: the route is not closed to on-coming traffic, so do not be tempted to cut a blind left-hand corner. On the wider, lower part of the Glandon descent (after passing through a small village) a few of the corners had queues of vehicles patiently waiting just round the bends for the event to pass through.
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  • oldwelshman
    oldwelshman Posts: 4,733
    skavanagh.bikeradar wrote:
    This is something I'm dreading about the Marmotte, the descending.
    Dreading? I am dreading the climbs not the descents :D
    Bronzie, I am up for doing the thursday ride also. Take some pics then.
    http://s290.photobucket.com/albums/ll245/oldwelshman/
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK5Bfqj5fxY
  • skavanagh.bikeradar
    skavanagh.bikeradar Posts: 1,097
    Don't get me wrong I'm not looking forward to the climbing either, but I don't think I'm in danger of carping it while twiddling uphill slowly!
  • vermooten
    vermooten Posts: 2,697
    The climbs of the Marmotte are beautiful. BTW it's 32 degrees in Grenoble these days....
    You just have to ride like you never have to breathe again.

    Manchester Wheelers
  • clanton
    clanton Posts: 1,289
    Vermooten - I can't find the Glandon on the route profiles I've seen so far - am I right in saying its the first descent?
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    Et voila!

    profil128.gif
    It's a Lifestyle! -+-+- Coggan Training Levels
  • clanton
    clanton Posts: 1,289
    edited June 2008
    Thanks Bronzie - I'm sure on the profiles I've looked at the first climb was the Col de la Croix de Fer?

    Edited to get the name right!
  • clanton
    clanton Posts: 1,289
    Thanks Bronzie - I'm sure on the profiles I've looked at the first climb was the Col du Foix or similar?


    Now from Ken Nights post in the other thread the feeds tops are:

    Glandon, water only
    Telegraph, water only
    Valloire-the works
    Galibier top, water, gels, fruit
    Bourg, the works
    the Alpe-several water stations
  • ricadus
    ricadus Posts: 2,379
    clanton wrote:
    I can't find the Glandon on the route profiles I've seen so far …… I'm sure on the profiles I've looked at the first climb was the Col de la Croix de Fer?

    Edited to get the name right!

    The route climbs the beautiful valley of the Croix de Fer almost to the top of the col, and, until 2004 the route used to cross it and descend the north side as well; but when the road on that side was closed for tunnel repairs the route was slightly diverted down the Glandon (which is a kind of tributary route) and they have kept that change ever since.

    So you spend an hour and a half climbing the Croix de Fer, but end up descending the Glandon. It's the same mountain though.

    What it means is that you may find old out of date info on the internet that describes descending the CdF on the pre-2005 route.
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