dragon ride Vs marmotte
chill123
Posts: 210
ok so i did yesterdays dragon ride with a ride time of about 7 hrs and 20 mins. i rode pretty well and felt strong throughout. i was a bit unsure about pace to erred on the side of caution and didn't blow up at any point.
next up is the marmotte in one months time.
to anyone that has done both of these events what should i expect from the marmotte? obviously the hot weather may be a huge factor to deal with on the day. apart from this how do the rides compare? will i make it round?!
next up is the marmotte in one months time.
to anyone that has done both of these events what should i expect from the marmotte? obviously the hot weather may be a huge factor to deal with on the day. apart from this how do the rides compare? will i make it round?!
0
Comments
-
In my opinion you will feel how you feel at the end of the Dragon at about the top of the Galibier. You might feel a bit better after the long descent to the bottom of Alpe d'Huez or you might feel a bit worse: it depends how hard you push the descent.
So its pretty much Dragon plus Alpe d'Huez. As long as at the end of the Dragon you could have done 13km uphill for 1000m you'll be fine.0 -
wasn't there a post like this a few days ago...?Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer0
-
IMO the Marmotte is like the Dragon - but plus 20% or so.
And don't be fooled into thinking the descent off the Galib/Lauteret is all downhill - there's some nasty little false flats/hillocks which can sap whatever strenght you have left before the ascent of the Aple.
It's the ascent of the Alpe that's the killer - esp if it's hot.0 -
It was a 39C last year and people were throwing up all over the place on the Alpe due to heat exhaustion etc. Don't worry too much about energy drink if it is hot just make sure you take some hydration tablets like nuun, I think they saved me. Oh and do a better job of hydrating yourself before the ride than I did.Short hairy legged roadie FCN 4 or 5 in my baggies.
Felt F55 - 2007
Specialized Singlecross - 2008
Marin Rift Zone - 1998
Peugeot Tourmalet - 1983 - taken more hits than Mohammed Ali0 -
Hydration tablets. That sounds like a tip i should remember. Have just started using energy drinks that include electrolytes and stuff, but they just never felt like they quenched my thirst as much as water. Hmmmm0
-
The Marmotte is nothing like the Dragon in my experience. I did the Dragon in similar time to you, but the Marmotte took me an extra 3 hours :shock:
I don't mind admitting I had a torrid time on the Marmotte (2008). I made stupid mistakes like eating too much at breakfast, so I spent most of the Glandon climb trying to digest it. I also dressed too conservatively, so ended up overheating from Galibier onwards. I had to stop at the Galibier summit for half an hour to try and recover. If I were doing it again, I'd take some really cheap armwarmers and gilet that I could just ditch when it got hot.
The feeling of finishing it though is fantastic.0 -
+ 1 for above, marmotte is much harder than the dragon. But then that's to be expected as the dragon is 3000m climbing and 5000m in the marmotte. The marmotte's climbs are a lot longer and steeper.0
-
I did my first dragon ride last year as build up to my first marmotte. The dragon ride went well and gave me too much confidence for the marmotte - knew that the key is to take it pretty easy for the glandon, telegraphe and galbier but still went too fast (partic on the telegraphe).
It could have been a lot worse in terms of my time (prob only lost 20 mins by not pacing myself well), but I'll never forget the amount of suffering I went through on the alpe. The thing is, there was no point in stopping cos my hotel was at the top of the climb! Madness.
If I do it again (and I might) I'm going to chill the f*ck out on the first three climbs.0 -
Dragon Ride Vs marmotte
Judging by the threads today I would suggest
NO CONTEST0 -
marmotte is much harder than the dragon
Like I said the Marmotte is 20%(or so) harder than the Dragon. Really depends on how hard you push it in the Marmotte (and the Dragon for that matter).
And as I've said the killer is the final ascent of the Alpe - usually in the heat of the afternoon. Be prepared for some pain............and then some.
It will be my 6th Marmotte time this year(well I'm including the '98 Etape which was roughly over the same course)......and I rode my 3rd Dragon on Sunday.0 -
my hotel was at the top of the climb! Madness.
Yep - unless you have as car I wouldn't stay in Alpe D'Huez. Best off in the valley.
For last couple times (and thios year) I'm staying at Camping Colporter - roll out of bed onto the start line (dash down the valley to the Glandon is my warm up !)0 -
itisaboutthebike wrote:my hotel was at the top of the climb! Madness.
Yep - unless you have as car I wouldn't stay in Alpe D'Huez. Best off in the valley.
For last couple times (and thios year) I'm staying at Camping Colporter - roll out of bed onto the start line (dash down the valley to the Glandon is my warm up !)
I would, in fact, I do, every year.
Roll out of bed and down the Alp to the start, what better start to the day can you have? Free wheeling for a few minutes at 30mph
For me, it comes down to why else would you bother to pedal up the damn thing after 100 tough miles, apart from the fact that your hotel, your bed and all your stuff is up there :?0 -
why else would you bother to pedal up the damn thing after 100 tough miles
To finsh the event ![/quote]0 -
timmyflash wrote:Hydration tablets. That sounds like a tip i should remember. Have just started using energy drinks that include electrolytes and stuff, but they just never felt like they quenched my thirst as much as water. Hmmmm
If all you drink is water, especially in the heat, you'll end up flushing out all the minerals you need to stop you hydrating. Get nuun, or I tend to use Elete water.
And I'll be out in Marmotte territory from Sunday..0
