Who's doing the Marmotte,
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Looks like the TGV luggage allowance is fine - you can take bike bags on there. However, the Eurostar leg of the journey looks dodgy, with a mere 85cm maximum bag length allowance.
Anyone travelled with a bike bag on Eurostar before?0 -
Yes, no problem. When you check in, look for the oversized baggage scanner on the right, it'll fit the bike bag no problem. The bike bag will fit on the luggage rack by the door of the carriage, get there early to make sure the space is yours!ketsbaia wrote:Anyone travelled with a bike bag on Eurostar before?0 -
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Kléber wrote:
Yes, no problem. When you check in, look for the oversized baggage scanner on the right, it'll fit the bike bag no problem. The bike bag will fit on the luggage rack by the door of the carriage, get there early to make sure the space is yours!ketsbaia wrote:Anyone travelled with a bike bag on Eurostar before?
Kleber, when you've travelled this way, have you paid extra for the bike or just treated it as normal luggage?
And have any of the Eurostar officialdom ever queried the bag size with you?
Cheers!My cycle racing blog: http://cyclingapprentice.wordpress.com/
If you live in or near Sussex, check this out:
http://ontherivet.ning.com/0 -
I've walked on, no problems. But they won't take a big box. A bag is fine, not a hard case.0
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Eurostar blurb says you can take bikes on fine so long as you can either fold them up, or remove wheels, saddle and bars and fit them in a bike bag.
http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisure/travel_information/at_the_station/bicycles.jsp
so that is what I am intending and expecting to do.
and fwiw, the last time I travelled with a bike on eurostar I didn't have a bag so had to check it in with their luggage service - requesting that it travelled on the same train as me.
Naturally it didn't, so I then had to hang around for 6 hours waiting for it to arrive.0 -
I returned from a training week in the Alps 3 weeks ago and soft bags were fine. No charge. Kleber is right - no hard cases.0
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Yeah! 27 I can do! 34 and I'll be a goner....0
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http://fr.weather.com/weather/10day-Alpe-dHuez-127:11
27° in the valley and 19° on the Alpe. Very pleasant!
Funny how you search all the forecasts 'til you find one you like!
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Thanks alot for the info on the train travel, much appreciated. Best of luck to everyone and hope you all get round safely. Enjoy.0
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[/quote]inseine wrote:http://fr.weather.com/weather/10day-Alpe-dHuez-127:11
27° in the valley and 19° on the Alpe. Very pleasant!
Funny how you search all the forecasts 'til you find one you like!
+1!
Heading down tomorrow with JonGinge. Good luck and safe riding, folks.FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."0 -
Yep, good luck folks.
This is just basic technique stuff for going up mountains, but I've found these two tips more helpful than others:
Relax. The tougher it gets the more you should focus on relaxing because your body might well be doing otherwise. Maybe even play a game to see just how relaxed you can be (takes the mind off the pain!)and focus on each upper body muscle group in turn to make sure they're as loose as possible.
Find a rhythmn quickly. The gradient varies a fair bit on some of the climbs we're doing, especially the Glandon, so it can be difficult to keep a good rhythmn. This means you're more likely to start battling the hill, wasting physical and mental energy and slowing down. You can avoid this by nailing a good breathing pattern when you hit each ramp. If you sync your breathing with your pedaling you'll find a rhythmn quicker. They don't have to be super deep breaths - if you're breathing really heavily, you're probably going too fast.
Anyway, probably teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, but those tips helped for me!
Anyone got anymore?0 -
Anyone got anymore?
Eat! I'm hoping that once the fact that I've actually thought about 'fuelling' is going to pay off.
Your so right about taking it easy, it really is a long hard day, but it's easy to forget on the first climb when you probably feel great and you are being egged on by riders passing you. Same goes for eating and drinking. Start early and get those carbs down.0 -
On the subject of the weather, I've been in Alpe d'Huez since Monday and it's fine and warm. Down in Bourg it's oppressively hot. Every day around 3pm the cloud has built up and there are tremendous hail and thunder storms in the area for the rest of the afternoon. This is expected to continue for the weekend so later runners may well get caught out - just as stragglers caught a storm last year.0
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Just driven back from Bourg having done La Vaujany last weekend. The locals were saying that the heat is likely to make the clouds bubble up over the mountains mid to late afternoon - this often leads to a brief but heavy storm. Remember the one last year over the Galibier/Valloire? It was welcome after the 30 degrees heat on the Telegraphe! Good luck to all doing the Marmotte this year......I was too late with my entry. La Vaujany is a good event though, highly recommended!0
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Abdoujaparov wrote:
Anyone got anymore?
On hills count pedal strokes 1-2-3,1-2-3 and push harder on the 3. Helps keep momentum going.0 -
inseine wrote:Anyone got anymore?
Eat! I'm hoping that once the fact that I've actually thought about 'fuelling' is going to pay off.
Your so right about taking it easy, it really is a long hard day, but it's easy to forget on the first climb when you probably feel great and you are being egged on by riders passing you. Same goes for eating and drinking. Start early and get those carbs down.
+1
Biggest cause of spectacular blow-ups on Galibier is when too little food/water meets great big mountain that goes on forever. Eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty and keep spinning.
And think inspiring thoughts, the climbing will end, you will feel wasted, and then the endorphins kick in. Enjoy that part, it's quite an 'up'.0 -
Big thanks for everyone's help and advice. I'm off! Best of luck to everyone taking part on Saturday. 0
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yep - off to dismantle the bike and catch the ferry.
Good luck everyone, safe trips down and safe riding down there. 0 -
So they've neutralised the descent from the Glandon - effectively removed it from the event and reduced the challenge.
The Marmotte is surely on it's last legs. Crap value for money and crap organisation.
Compare this with something like the Pantani last week and it's a joke. The Italian event takes place on closed roads, is every bit as much of a challenge, and the general standard of riding is way higher. The Marmotte is on main roads which remain open, is €50 to enter and you don't even get a bloody jersey. In Italy for less money you get a commemorative jersey or windproof and a whole goody bag full of little gifts.
On top of that they have allowed 8,500 starters this year and no doubt there will be the same level of incompetence displayed by many. Ask yourself why hardly any French riders bother?
With the removal of the descent I really don't know if I can be arsed to start on Sunday. Having enjoyed the Sportful and the Pantani, this event is an overpriced overrated piece of rubbish organised for testosterone fuelled wannabees who think they are tough. That's not what cycling used to be about. B.R.A anyone?0 -
airwise wrote:So they've neutralised the descent from the Glandon - effectively removed it from the event and reduced the challenge.
The Marmotte is surely on it's last legs. Crap value for money and crap organisation.
Compare this with something like the Pantani last week and it's a joke. The Italian event takes place on closed roads, is every bit as much of a challenge, and the general standard of riding is way higher. The Marmotte is on main roads which remain open, is €50 to enter and you don't even get a bloody jersey. In Italy for less money you get a commemorative jersey or windproof and a whole goody bag full of little gifts.
On top of that they have allowed 8,500 starters this year and no doubt there will be the same level of incompetence displayed by many. Ask yourself why hardly any French riders bother?
With the removal of the descent I really don't know if I can be arsed to start on Sunday. Having enjoyed the Sportful and the Pantani, this event is an overpriced overrated piece of rubbish organised for testosterone fuelled wannabees who think they are tough. That's not what cycling used to be about. B.R.A anyone?
A descent in a non competitive event is neutralised - big deal!
Get over yourself. If you don't want to ride stay at home.
The Marmtte is a great event. Poor riding standards are in my experience due to the large number of Brits riding so maybe you ought to stay at home!0 -
actually its 7000 and even if it is neutralized you can go at what speed you want surely? its a sportive not a race remember.0
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Rodrego Hernandez wrote:
A descent in a non competitive event is neutralised - big deal!
Get over yourself. If you don't want to ride stay at home.
The Marmtte is a great event. Poor riding standards are in my experience due to the large number of Brits riding so maybe you ought to stay at home!
I beg to differ. The Marmotte is a disappointing event, oversubscribed, overrated, and ( as you rightly point out) plagued by inexperienced riders and copious amounts of traffic.
When you do other events across Europe you appreciate just how poor the Marmotte is in terms of VFM, safety and atmosphere. This obviously is only my opinion and others may differ. It just annoys me that this event has such a high profile and yet such low standards.
The neutralised descent takes away from the challenge - nothing to stop you taking an hour to chill at the top of the Glandon then waiting at the bottom for a large group of riders to come along and hop on the back. It's only neccessary because the event is oversubscribed and run on open busy main roads. That is the fault of SportsCommunications and I am unsure as to how long the Savoie authorities will put up with the event in all honesty.
That said, I wish all those out there luck on Tomorrow - don't want to be a killjoy just need to get the rant off my chest. I'm in Alpe d'Huez right now. If anyone is here but lacking an entry do feel free to PM me today - I really can't be arsed to do the thing now.0 -
mattieoo@hotmail.com wrote:actually its 7000 and even if it is neutralized you can go at what speed you want surely? its a sportive not a race remember.
If it's 7000 why do the numbers go up to 8650? Genuine question. The 7000 cap was introduced last year at the behest of the Savoie authorities concerned with the lack of organisation. A Sportive is surely by it's very nature a personal race against time and others. Some make up time on climbs. Others on descents. The neutralization now prevents those skilled enough to make time up on the descents from doing so. Gran Fondos are classified as races yet are remarkably similar events in all but name. Let's not kid ourselves that events like the Marmotte are "uncompetitive" Those not "racing" can enjoy the B.R.A every couple of years and soak up the scenery and superb atmosphere.0 -
There's a difference between sportives in Britain and the rest of the world. In France and Italy they are races, elite guys will be on the start line with the aim of winning. Prize money, trophies and reputations are at stake.mattieoo@hotmail.com wrote:actually its 7000 and even if it is neutralized you can go at what speed you want surely? its a sportive not a race remember.
How does the neutralisation work? Will riders be shepherded down by vehicles or is it simply a case of timing riders? If it is the latter then riders will just go hard anyway as the front guys will want to stretch things out as early as possible.
It's true that it's not the best event in organisation and safety but it's not been that ropey when I've done it. Certainly there's nothing else that uses such a brutal course, so many vertical metres for such a distance.0 -
dizzydane wrote:I returned from a training week in the Alps 3 weeks ago and soft bags were fine. No charge. Kleber is right - no hard cases.
Maybe they have changed their policy but last year, I took on two massive hard bike cases without issue. At one stage they asked me to open one of them up to check inside but when they saw that I had zip tied them shut, they didn't bother. The luggage racks easily fit the cases. There were quite a few riders with hard cases IIRC.
Good luck to all doing the Marmotte - looking forward to reading how you get on.0 -
Kléber wrote:
It's true that it's not the best event in organisation and safety but it's not been that ropey when I've done it. Certainly there's nothing else that uses such a brutal course, so many vertical metres for such a distance.
Hi Kleber, Just to say two weeks ago I "enjoyed" the GF Sportful (sadly the long course was cancelled because of snow) - 215km and 5300m of climbing. Last week I did the Pantani at Aprica 170km & 4800m of climbing. These are certainly as brutal as the Marmotte ( I find more so as the gradients are less accomodating), they take place on closed roads, and are far better organised IME.
As for the neutralization, no idea how they will work it. If they plan on shepherding riders down in groups it will be hugely frustrating but from what I understand, all that happens is the timing stops at the summit of the Glandon and starts again at the bottom of the descent.0 -
Hi Airwise,
iI did Sportful too 2 weeks ago. First event abroad.
Absolutely brilliant.
Most of the crew with me said the same...i.e.these events are far better than the Marmotte and Etape. Now I would love to do them some day but like you said i think they are far too expensive to do...
What was the Pantani like ? Would you recommend it for next year?
Would it be possible to combine it with the Sportful and a weeks cycling over there?0
