Quebrantahuesos 2010 Accommodation

StrangelyBrown

Thinking about doing this next year and was looking for any advice on accommodation in or around Sabinanigo. From the threads on here a few have done it before and any help the old hands can give would be gratefully recieved.

I think we'd prefer an apartment rather than hotel, but what sort of options did people find available, and were you pretty much tied into booking an entire week?

Cheers

StrangelyBrown

Anyone?

stevo1602

Hey

Shame nobody has repiled. I too am thinking of doing it next year, and don't want to go on a "package" so would be interested in accomodation etc.
I am going to do some of my own investigations, there is a lot of info on their website, if you can speak Spanish.
Will let you know if I find anything useful

Rob

StrangelyBrown

Yeah, miserable gits

Cheers - will do the same in return.

londonbfg32

Went with Cicolcostablanca - good location, Jaca, though hotel had no A/C which wasn't great.

Still in 2 minds whether to go again- getting married and going on honeymoon might undermine winter training...

QBH is a great event - loads of Spanish club riders in their 20s and 30s who take it seriously, as opposed to mid-life crisis Brits doing the Etape. Still a tough event though - not as hard as the Etape in 2007 or the Marmotte, easier than Etape 2008.

Thomas the Tank Engine

...me too thinking of going as a 1 man army...will keep an eye on this thread......

jamespiggot

I would love to ride the Quebrantahuesos, sounds like it gets very oversubscribed and this year the website says they will be taking pre-inscriptions in November and will then have a lottery to allocate places in December.

The Other McHoy

Guys - because of massive demand last year the organisers have changed the process. There is now a pre-inscription planned for November and then a draw of names. As there were around 20,000 people looking to enter last time that would suggest you have less than a 50% chance of getting in.

To help encourage more UK riders, the organisers have allocated guaranteed places to Train in Spain (www.traininspain.net). They are doing a 4-night package from the Wed-Sun. The arrival day is based on when Ryan Air fly into the nearest airport which is Zaragoza. From experience, there are no flights on the Thursday and the Friday flight is too late for the signing on which takes place on the Friday afternoon. Hence the 4-night package.

John Fegan runs Train in Spain and he previously organised the trips for Ciclo Costa Blanca so he knows the ropes.

For the record, the event is brilliant - I have done it three times, it is addictive!

StrangelyBrown

For anyone thinking about going it alone, if you join UCI Golden Bike then you get guaranteed entry to the Queb. It's a one off fee of 30 euros that gets you a few goodies and entry to the De Ronde van Vlaanderen, Gran Fondo and the Queb, to name but a few.

StrangelyBrown

For anyone still thinking of this one:

Seven of us joined UCI Golden Bike. UCI 'passports' have arrived, plus fairly decent Santini top.

We have pre-registered with the Quebrantahuesos draw and sent off our UCI passport details to the organisers, so our draw is now guaranteed.

Pre-reg is free and open until 14 December. Draw takes place on 15th December.

The Train in Spain option was binned as by the time you add in flight costs (usual 1p front page price, £4 billion real price) it got way too expensive. Plus, I would rather walk than use Ryanair :evil:

We are driving down and sharing driving duties, which actually ends up being a fair bit cheaper than flying, and, door to door, not that much different in time.

bilbo.baggins

StrangelyBrown wrote:

For anyone still thinking of this one:

Seven of us joined UCI Golden Bike. UCI 'passports' have arrived, plus fairly decent Santini top.

We have pre-registered with the Quebrantahuesos draw and sent off our UCI passport details to the organisers, so our draw is now guaranteed.

I've done the same thing. Did you register for the Quebrantahuesos via form the organiser has sent to you, and pay the EUR45?

Have you found any good accomodation? I'm obviously keen on booking something before the draw date.

Thanks

The Other McHoy

Strangely Brown - good luck on the trip and at the event itself, you will love it.

I have a couple of friends who were planning to do the same as you, making a road trip from Edinburgh. The costs soon stacked up though, and the the thought of driving over 2000 kms before a big sportive and then doing it again after it did not appeal. By sharing it amongst a bigger group you can cut down on some of this. For the record, they were reckoning on something like this over the course of a week:

Edinburgh > London - 7 hours of driving (600 kms)
London > Jaca - 15 hours driving (1500 kms)
Petrol for return journey = 300 pounds
Ferry= 100 pounds
Tolls = 100 pounds
Accommodation 4 nights = 400 euros/pounds
UCI membership and QBH inscription = 70 pounds per person.

As you can see it was going to cost over 500 pounds each and when you throw in the 3-4 days driving it was considered too much hassle. Accommodation costs could be reduced but they were looking for reasonable standard and budgeted 50 euros each per night.(prices go up considerably that weekend due to the event).

You pay your money, you take your choices . . . they decided the air fare was worth it to save on the return car journey.

StrangelyBrown

bilbo.baggins wrote:

I've done the same thing. Did you register for the Quebrantahuesos via form the organiser has sent to you, and pay the EUR45?

Have you found any good accomodation? I'm obviously keen on booking something before the draw date.

Thanks

We registered using the online system. This year, due to huge demand for places, it's different to previous years. You have to pre-register, which is free, and then there is a draw in December to select the lucky few (thousand). If you are a member of UCI Golden Bike your entry draw is guaranteed.

Still looking for accommodation.

StrangelyBrown

The Other McHoy: If we were starting from Edinburgh we might make the same decision but as we're a lot further south the sums and timings for us make sense. We would be taking 14 hours and 1200km out of your trip.

By the time we had added all the flight costs up, with all the usual Ryanair optional additions - inside seats, use of toilets, luggage, bikes etc - the cost for seven of us was a tad large.

Mind you, none of us is looking forward to the drive. There's a danger that we won't be talking to each other by the time we arrive

What accommodation did your mates get?

The Other McHoy

Strangely Brown - how are you fitting seven blokes and bikes into a van? Are you using a trailer as well?

Any way all the best and take it easy on the drive. Our friends will be in the Hotel Oroel (as will I along with Train in Spain) in Jaca which is about 12 miles from the start at Sabinañigo. Jaca is right at the foot of the Somport which is the first big climb of the QBH. It's also the right side of the Pyrenees for you coming in, rather than Huesca which is further South. If you book accommodation now you will stand a better chance because after the draw in December you will have 8000 Spaniards confirming hotel rooms (many will already have reserved and will just cancel if they don't get in). Be aware, prices double for that weekend and what it says on their websites won't always be what they ask for when you reserve. For most of them June is very low season but that weekend is classified as high season.

Maybe see you there!

StrangelyBrown

Our numbers are increasing by the day so there may well be flights involved now - it's like hearding cats once the group size hits critical mass :roll:

Maybe see you there indeed - we'll be the group in Kenilworth Wheelers club gear so say hello if you see us.

andrew@snowrace

There are 5 of us riding down from Abergavenny to Panticosa two of are going to do the race entries confirmed. We will be based in Panticosa and have transport to sabinanigo avalable also contacts for flat rental or hotels. if I can be of any help let me know updates on training and routes are on www.madaboutthemountains,.co.uk non commercial website
Andy Morgan

andrew@snowrace

I have had a number of people contact me via pm regarding accomadation and travelling for this event. I have a very good contact and friend who competes in this race every year and persuaded me to have a go he is baced in panticosa which is 29 km up the vally towards the portalet from Sabinanigo. I know he has already got a couple of the guys from this forum staying in the village. We are also staying in the village. he can be found at www.bikepanticosa.com and from Monday there will be a link from oour web site. hope this helps Andy

The Other McHoy

As of yesterday there are 14,500 names on the list for Quebrantahuesos so if you are on it you now stand less than a 50-50 chance of getting a place as they are doing a draw for 7000 places. The remaining 15000 are already pre-assigned.

StrangelyBrown

On the other hand, if you had joined UCI Golden Bike you would already be in, have your accommodation booked and your travel plans made

andrew@snowrace

sometimes its who you know not what you know

StrangelyBrown

Is anyone else doing this, and going it alone rather than through an organised trip?

stevesavage71

Hi, ive been lucky and got a place in the Quebrantahuesos. I live in Spain but am English. I race mountainbikes here but not very seriously and have never done anything like this before. If anyone needs any help with the language or other things please drop me a line, or if you are participating, the best of luck and I hope to see you there

jamespiggot

Got an email to say that I have a place, just through the normal lottery so was lucky. Don't have any plans made yet for anything although I have lived in Spain in the past so should be able to find my way around although accommodation may be in short supply by now. My wife is coming with me as we are driving down and combining this with a holiday in Spain. Haven't done any big sportives in the Pyrenees although I did ride the 2006 Etape which was in the Alps, that was pretty hard so don't imagine this will be easy but should be a grand day out for all concerned.

stevesavage71

I got a hotel off booking.com in Jaca. I think they are filling up quickly! I looked at doing the etape, but to take my wife and kids would have cost about €1500. I got a hotel here for €220 for 3 nights.

StrangelyBrown

Accommodation fills up very fast, from what we've seen. Managed to get a chalet in one of the local campsites, but it was hard work finding availability. You might want to get your skates on if you haven't sorted it by now, otherwise you'll be landed with a long hack in and out.

Good luck with the training all, and maybe see you on the day.

stevesavage71

I'd love to know anyones advise about training for such an avent. I currently do a ride of about 90km each weekend, and plan to increase this to about 180km before the race. I also do 1 or 2 rides during the week of 90 mins. Luckely where Iive there are plenty of mountains, so I don't think the climbs will be the problem, more the 8-9 hours in the saddle. The longest ride I have done to date is about 4 hrs.

The Other McHoy

stevesavage71 wrote:

I'd love to know anyones advise about training for such an avent. I currently do a ride of about 90km each weekend, and plan to increase this to about 180km before the race. I also do 1 or 2 rides during the week of 90 mins. Luckely where Iive there are plenty of mountains, so I don't think the climbs will be the problem, more the 8-9 hours in the saddle. The longest ride I have done to date is about 4 hrs.

hi Steve - I did it in 7hrs 40 last year and aim to get around 7 hrs 15 in 2010, maybe less if I can stick to my diet and shed a few more pounds.
Your training at the moment is very light and will need to be raised considerably for a 205 km endurance event. The good thing is you have six months to prepare if you start in the new year. There is loads of great advice on these forums on how to train as well as elsewhere on the web, be it for QBH, the etape, the Dolomites etc. etc. so have a good look around to find a plan that works for you.

When you do the event, you will find the vast majority of people begin extremely fast as the first 40 kms are fairly flat and people get swept along in large pelotons. The adrenaline is still flowing when you hit Somport and many people are already suffering half way up this first mega climb. The descent is long and fast as you drop into France and then you have another fast flat section to Marie Blanque. If you have gone too hard on Somport, the last 4 kms of MB will be hell on wheels and that is just the half way point of the day. Make it over that, get stocked up on food and drink and then start heading to Portalet. Unless you are extremely fit and extremely well prepared you will suffer on this 29 km ascent - practically everyone does. You will think it is never going to end and wonder why you signed up in the first place . . .at each km mark there is a sign telling you the gradient for the next km, your heart will start to dread these signs . . . but then the crowds build up and the cheering gives you extra strength and you know there is a long descent to come when you can recover a bit. After that you have the little climb of Hoz to tackle. It's a tough one despite being short and by now it could be extremely hot but you will fight your way up it knowing you can't stop now. After that you can find yourself a decent group to latch onto and do the last 20 kms to the finish line . . .

So how do you train for it? One way to approach it would be to build up your weekend ride by 5-10 km per week until you are doing 130-140 kms and then try to do a ride of this distance 2-3 times a month - make sure you carry plenty of nutrition and stop to get water and a coke or two as you will do so during the event itself. In April and May, do a couple of rides of between 160 - 180 kms with plenty of climbing and, if you can, enter some other sportives for the experience.

On the weekdays when your time is limited, try to get out 2-3 times and have set goals for those rides e.g. 90 mins with 20 mins steady, 40 mins at a hard pace that you can maintain, 20 mins steady and 10 mins easy. On another day do hill repeats, on another intervals with sprints etc. You might wonder why but there will be times when you may need to dig deep to stay with a group on the flat, to put in a wee burst to recover a wheel you were following etc. Again, have a look for a structured plan that suits the time you have available.

Another point to consider is your weight, if you are already a weight weenie then no problems but if you are carrying an extra few kilos then you are looking at a major penalty when it comes to the mountains. A friend of mine who weighed 90 kilos reckoned that, all things being equal, each kilo he could lose down to 85 kilos would equate to around 10 minutes on the day - so 45-50 mins off his time. Not sure how accurate his science was but it sounds about right for a big guy.

Good luck with the training and at the event itself, I'll be there with the guys from Train in Spain (www.traininspain.net).

StrangelyBrown

All sounds fairly sound advice.

Another help is to see if you can find a group to train with. You'll need to be spending a lot of time in the saddle, and it makes it a lot easier and more enjoyable if you're not always on your own while doing it.

I'll be structuring my training anyway, as I'm going to be racing next season, but it all goes towards improving my riding. You will need to get some long rides in to get your body used to spending that much time in the saddle, and get used to the demands that will make on your arse and your bodies ability to provide you with energy.

It can also be useful to decide what you you will be eating/drinking on the day and then do a few sessions where you actually use what you're planning to. I've fallen foul in the past when I've used gels etc on 100+ sportives and found that I reacted badly to them - they were fine on shorter rides but eating them all day did not work for me.

And don't wear new stuff on the day. Train in the gear you are going to ride in so you know it's not going to cause you problems.

My aim is to not just get around - I could do that now - but to complete the ride in decent form and enjoy it, not survive it.

And in case you've not read this, here's a good and amusing write up I found of a brits previous Quebrantahuesos ride.

stevesavage71

Thanks for some great advice. I'm quite fit as I do mountain bike racing, I think my challenge will be being in the saddle for 8hrs. I think we are close to each other as I live in Alfaz del pi.
How do the mountains around us (ebo, tudons etc)compare to the race?
My main training question is:
I need to increase my km's for sure, but I also want to increase my av speed a bit. Am I better spending say 3 weeks doing the same km's and increasing the speed on each ride? or concentrate on raising the km's and working on my pace nearer the time of the race?

The Other McHoy

Hi Steve - the route up to Ebo from Pego is a great climb for training on, in fact several pros do repeats on it pre-season. A good club rider probably does it in 25-28 mins, racers sub 25 and pros around the 20-22 mark. I saw Kolobnev on it the other week pushing a riduculously big gear!

Tudons and Confrides are similar in length to Somport and Portalet (25-30km) but are easier on the legs - however they are brilliant climbs for training on. If you looped round them both on the same training ride you would certainly be getting a good idea of how QBH will feel.

There are 2-3 climbs off of other climbs also that are similar in profile to the last 4kms of Marie Blanque. When you reach Al Patro from Pego (direction Margarida), there is a road off to the right that cuts across the mountains to Lorxa. The climbing part is pretty brutal, the descent on the other side more for mountain bikes though!

Happy Christmas.to all.