Vallee D'aulps sportive morzine

torico

Anyone done it ?
It looks like a great alternative to some fo the bigger ( more expensive sportives) with great access to geneva airport and a small entry fee with some great climbs.Col du joux plane, col du ramaz and the col du joux verte ( the pretty way to get up to avoriaz!!!) it looks like a great event

TheStone

Great event.

The route seems subject to late change. This year the Joux Plane and Ramaz were shut,
so they took us over every mountain they could find.

Only a few hundred did the long route. I realised I was way out of my depth in the pen,
as only a couple of other people had unshaven legs and no-one else had a belly.

Part of the way up the first climb, I was joined by the broom wagon. There it stayed, just
me and the wagon all day long. Over 10 hours later I skipped part of the final climb and
headed straight to Morzine.

If I remember right it was about 160km and just over 4000m of climbing.

pdstsp

I've done both log and short course - great event. As The Stone says the route can alter right up to last minute. The Joux Plane seems to suffer with land slips and is sometimes closed, though the Ramaz is a great stand in - the views before Sommand are fantastic.

Like The Stone I had the broom wagon experience- there are some seriously fast people on this event but its a great route. Enjoy.

Paul

pprince

think I rode the first version of it a few years back

the Joux Plane was the hottest conditions I think I've ever ridden in
the descent to Morzine requires a particular mention - very technical

great route though, would love to do it again

stay in Morzine and you have a descent to the start and you're digs are yards from the finish!

torico

cheers for the comments
I know the descent well as i Ski it regularly ( its a lazy green run!)

pdstsp

The bit after you leave the ski piste is the techier part - there are some sharp bends and the road gets a little steeper without actaually looking as if it does (if that makes sense). I've rideen it half a dozen times and always have a bum clenching moment or two!!

knedlicky

pprince wrote:

the Joux Plane was the hottest conditions I think I've ever ridden in

I also did Joux Plane in really hot conditions, about 9-10 years ago as part of the Jacques Michaud cyclosportive (this stopped existing about 3 years ago, start and finish were in Annemasse near Geneva).
I think it was 38-40 degrees C in the valley and as we went up the side from Samoens, we had the full sun on our backs. By then, after having taken a wrong turn around Cluses and gone 15 mins out of my way, I was over halfway down the field and had no chance of a good result. So when I reached the top of the pass I went and splashed in the lake there, then lay down in the grass to dry off, before carrying on.

knedlicky

torico wrote:

It looks like a great alternative to some fo the bigger ( more expensive sportives) with great access to geneva airport and a small entry fee with some great climbs.Col du joux plane, col du ramaz and the col du joux verte

If you can stay longer than a week, and the dates are about the same as this year, you could do another cyclosportive in the same area the weekend before (Time Megeve Mont--Blanc) or the weekend after (La Grand Bo).

The Joux Plane is at its hardest after about 4 km, when it has stretches at 15%, but not a regular slope. They can wear you out so much that the easier top kms become difficult. In year 2000 Armstrong lost ground to some of his main competitors about the 15% point up the pass. Supposedly it was because he had a bit of a bonk.

In comparison, the Ramaz is easy. I went up this with a friend the other year and when he couldn't keep up my pace, we agreed to meet back at the campsite in Cluses. When he never turned up by nightfall, I went to the police to report him missing and next morning they had the local fire brigade go slowly up and down the pass, in case he'd gone over the cliff edge, which they told me cyclists were known to have done (at one middle section, there's a high drop-off behind a low parapet wall). The fire brigade didn't find him.
He eventually turned up at the campsite in the next afternoon, so 24 hours after we'd parted, saying he'd lost his way, and when it went dark, he went and slept in a field. Then, the following morning, thinking he was heading to Cluses, he first ended up at Samoens!

TheStone

Anyone doing this on Sunday?

Unless any late changes, it looks like the planned route from last year, so take out Feu,
Cou and Encrenaz. Add the mighty Joux Plane.

I've put a rough route on here:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/La ... ee-D-Aulps

mallinov

Megeve Mont Blanc is an awesome event if you have the choice - locals know all about the sportive so the roads are pretty much shut, you get a free shirt and the chance to win a time bike in the raffle. Ignore the recent accident which could have happened on pretty much any alpine road.

GiantMike

If anybody has a GPX of previous routes I'd be very grateful. I'm off to Morzine and would love to do the best parts of the route.

Cheers