transalp 2011

bendytrendy

Hi ,

Anyone on here done the trans alp before? im thinking of entering , hardtail or full sus?

Is it a good event ? any advice or worthwhile knowledge from past participants would be great.

MikeyA

I did the TranAlp in 2009 and it was a fantastic event - so good, in fact, I'm contemplating entering the 2011 race...

I'd definitely recommend full suspension - I rode a Maverick Durance (140mm travel) and my partner a Turner Flux (100mm). If I was doing it again, I'd probably get a 100-120mm travel bike like the FLux, Specialized Epic, Santa Cruz Blur or Yeti ASR 5. Although there was a lot of long and non-technical climbing (i.e. gravel roads/paths) in the '09 race, there was also miles of gnarly & technical downhill. Also, you're in the saddle for 5-8hrs every day & full sus will make it more comfortable/enjoyable!

Some other recommendations:

1. Make sure you're partner is of similar fitness/skill level - you have to ride together and will be penalised if you don't (each bike is fitted with an RFID tag for timing).
2. Do lots of road and/or hill riding to build your aerobic fitness - there's LOTS of really big climbs in the TransAlp. We went to Morzine for a week to do some 1500-1800m climbs about 3-4mths before the race, which really helped.
3. Book your accommodation early & go for B&Bs - I cannot stress this enough. I really struggled to get accommo in some towns, as many places do not like people booking for just one night & its also the height of the summer holidays. We met people who hired RVs and their experiences weren't great - many sites had no running water or electricity. Also, going budget (camping ground/warehouse accommo) is not great - you'll be sharing a hall if 200-300 other people & it looked grim to us.
4. Book a whole week of sports massages the day before the race starts - There are teams of sports physios at the TransAlp. The massages were a godsend and helped our recovery. If you don't book your days & times early, you'll struggle to get a place.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need any other info.

Like I said, its a great event, extremely well organised (unlike most of the marathon races I've done in the UK) and you'll meet some great people.

bendytrendy

nice one mikey , thats just the reply i was hoping to read , very helpfull!

Iv'e already started training , i used to be a 1st cat on the road and currently a 2nd due to lack of training , im doing the event with a ex elite mtber so we should be roughly the same level.

I caught the mtb bug after doing the margam enduro last year so im up for a big challenge.

Thanks for the bb suggestion , we were gonna go for the cheapy hall/camping option,so we will defo get some digs sorted if we get entry accepted of course.

a training camp will also be a must,

Let me know if you get an entry in,

thanks

MikeyA

Glad the last email was helpful. You're certainly more organised than us - we didn't start 'proper' training until Jan!

Just thought of a couple of other things which may (or may not) be useful...

1. Use bib shorts/chamois cream - guess with you being an ex-roadie I'm preaching to the converted. This combo (literally) saved my backside, given the number of hours spent in the saddle.
2. Wear cycle jersey with full length zip - it got v hot (36-37c) on some days & this prevented us from seriously overheating!
3. Get some good low profile/summer tyres - I used Hutchinson Python USTs, which were perfect for the gravel roads and hardpack singletrack.
4. Buy a Scott or Cube bike - both brands had a big presence at the TransAlp and offered owners (free of charge!!) a daily post-race bike cleaning and/or service. By mid-week, we were v. envious of Scott/Cube owners...
5. A GPS device is v useful - we used a Garmin 705 to pace each day, determine where feed stations were etc.
6. Pace yourself - sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised at how quickly many riders went out on the first few days...only to blow up and/or crash later in the week. We used heart rate monitors to good effect to prevent this from happening.

I'm still trying to convince my '09 TransAlp partner to enter the '11 event. Will keep you posted...

Charles2215

My neighbour did it and it snowed!
So be prepared for all weathers!

MikeyA

Good point about being prepared for all weather conditions - the first day of the 2009 race (which I suspect your neighbour competed in) was cancelled due to snow. Thankfully this freakish weather only occurred on one day, although it's well worth taking a waterproof jacket and windproof gilet.

Another recommendation, which may seem obvious, is to get a European Health Insurance card and some good travel insurance. If possible, try and make the latter as comprehensive as possible. Not sure whether policies can include retrieval but worth trying - we met an English cyclist who crashed v heavily and was helicoptered out: he was stung with a bill for at least 500 euros!

bendytrendy

Thanks for the advice,entry opens next week , im assuming you have to enter sharpish,so my mate and myself will be waiting at the computer with credit cards in hand, here's hoping we get in..
The route is now up on the transalp website , a finish in lake Garda will be cool , think ill stay out there for a week to recover!

garetjax

I trained to do this event but picked up an injury and so had to withdraw. Pushing 40 now and life is such that id find it hard to get the training in.

I have done the sazkammergut trophy in Austria, twice, which i believe is like one hard-ish day of the TransAlp. First time did this event it was so cold I nearly got hypothermia. The following year it was so hot I had to withdraw near the end with heat exhaustion. It's changeable weather up there in the mountains ! And yes, expect long, long climbs. The first climb of the Salzkammergut took me 1hour 40 minutes, but was not too technical.

Consider doing some cross training this winter to bolster your muscles, eg squats. This will prep your body for the hard bike training to come and will help to avoid muscle imbalances developing and therefore injuries.

My friends registered as soon as the web site went live. They completed the event.

Enjoy. So jealous.