Who's ready for the Marmotte?

alanp23

Its less than 2 weeks and I guess many people will be heading over this weekend. Good luck to you all!

I hope you are ready for it. I can't wait! So excited and so scared! :roll:

Any good stories past or present to make the wait more palatable?

wicked

Definitely starting to shit myself but am excited. Am I ready? I will let you know in 2 weeks!

jzed

Not sure I am ready - still not comfortable with riding hills never mind Alps. But I will take my time and finish. Not bothered how long it takes - just that I finish it and can say I've done it.

airbusboy

Excited but feel under prepared. Best go and get a long ride in tomorrow..... Still need to get a dr. certificate.....

glasgowbhoy

Absolutely flying at the moment, so, no doubt peaked too soon and will completely blow up on the Marmotte

bs147

Just looking to get round! Hoping that recent rides in the wind and rain will have strenghened my resolve to keep pushing on!

Heading out on Sunday/Monday so will get some good rides in next week.

Brian B

Think I am ready for it and have been putting in a lot 100mile plus hilly rides despite the terrible weather we have had in Scotland for the last 7 weeks or so. Done a lot of big climbs abroad and all the climbs in the marmotte so know what to expect just dont know how I'll feel at the end of it though.

Good luck to all and if you see tall bloke on a black Storck bike then give me a shout of encouragement if you pass me

the flying smith

no training just my daily ride to work so im gona suffer iam driving down wed night for 9 days to ride the trophy de la osians so i might suffer so much come next sat if anyone wants to meet up anytime il be on the bike every day and no the area a little

TheStone

Nope

Road Red

Pi**ed off with training now so just want to get on with it. I have no idea whether I have trained enough, only time will tell.

Am definitely in the riding to finish category though. I wont score highly on the style marks but hope to compensate in the brute force and ignorance department!

Cant wait. I expect an epic day out. Enjoy.

twotyred

I'm travelling out on Sunday. Definitely in the half exited half cr@pping it category. All my training has gone to plan so just hope I've made enough deposits to the training bank to cover the large cheque I'll be writing on the 2nd.

Good luck everybody.

wicked

the flying smith wrote:

no training just my daily ride to work so im gona suffer iam driving down wed night for 9 days to ride the trophy de la osians so i might suffer so much come next sat if anyone wants to meet up anytime il be on the bike every day and no the area a little

I am heading down monday evening so will be up for a ride and same goes for anyone else. I am camping at La Piscine so maybe a recce of the Alpe although that may make me even more scared for the big day?!.

Eboue27

Less prepared than last year but looking forward to it. I crashed coiming down the Glandon lastyear and had three punctures .... hope for better luck this time round.

Managed three days in the Alps last month and lots of lumpy Chiltern rises since.

How hard can it be?!

RickyG

Also in the bricking it/excited camp. Last 6 weeks of training went well although I definitely need a good rest before the big day.

Driving down on Saturday and staying just by the outdoor pool. If you see a guy in a red Brunetti jersey on a blue and white Focus say hello (or give me a push if you're passing me).

timmyflash

JZed wrote:

Not sure I am ready - still not comfortable with riding hills never mind Alps. But I will take my time and finish. Not bothered how long it takes - just that I finish it and can say I've done it.

JZed, i 'know' you from the SCR thread. I'll be out there too. Will you be in KW colours? I'll be riding in my CS Grupetto kit so will shout at any KW people i see and say hello (along with all other clubs ih the SW London area i recognise).

Training went to pot when i got my new job in the city, so now i just commute and do a weekend ride. We shall see... Did that Chiltern 100 with my club for training / fun. That was awful. Can only assume it's easier than that

Jaguar.

Just need to lose about 5kg and I'm there I think

I guess not eating for a week might work...

The Other McHoy

I did Quebrantahuesos sportive in Spain on Saturday in 7 hrs 50 (205 kms, 3500 metres) and do not want to think about the pain involved in doing another 1500 mts of climbing. I'll be heading for the Marmotte on Tuesday but feel pretty tired at the moment.
Good luck to everyone doing it, it's a first for me.

genki

I booked the appartment in ADH yesterday, see the doc tomorrow to get my form signed and will start training this weekend :roll:

I mean it's just a day out on the bike over a few hills, right?

Rich.H

I am as ready as I will ever be this year. A final hilly 60 miles for me on Saturday and thats it.

Travelling to Calais on Wed evening and then down to the Alpe on Thu.

I have a little St Georges flag on the seat stay just above the rear brake - if you spot me sat hello

I expect a long and challenging day but I am really looking forward to it. I just hope the weather is fair and not too hot......

Good luck

Rich

jzed

timmyflash wrote:

JZed wrote:

Not sure I am ready - still not comfortable with riding hills never mind Alps. But I will take my time and finish. Not bothered how long it takes - just that I finish it and can say I've done it.

JZed, i 'know' you from the SCR thread. I'll be out there too. Will you be in KW colours? I'll be riding in my CS Grupetto kit so will shout at any KW people i see and say hello (along with all other clubs ih the SW London area i recognise).

Training went to pot when i got my new job in the city, so now i just commute and do a weekend ride. We shall see... Did that Chiltern 100 with my club for training / fun. That was awful. Can only assume it's easier than that

Timmyflash - I shall be wearing club kit along with 20+ others. Will keep a look out for CS Grupetto but as starting at the back and not built for climbing don't expect to be moving through the field. Think should have spent more time working on climbing. Better hope i find a rhythm.

Kind of looking forward to it in a sadistic way.

farmgirl

Anyone heard any weather forecasts yet?

I am the god of hell fire

Rich.H wrote:

I have a little St Georges flag on the seat stay just above the rear brake - if you spot me sat hello

Hey nice idea

Where can I get one too in a hurry?

cheers

TheStone

I'm just hoping I won't be the very last person on the road. Was just me and the broom wagon for 10hrs on the Morzine sportive a couple of years ago. Not fun.

But steady and slow is the plan. Got a 34-32 low gear.

Training started great, then took a few knocks, (ski accident, then bike crash), then improved a bit, then the last few weeks I've had some kind of bug
.... but now beginning to feel normal again.

12-12h30 is the aim. Just get round in one piece. Really hoping for a cool day. Current 10-day forecast for the Friday (which is totally a guess anyway) is showing 25C. That wouldn't be too bad, but no hotter please.

http://uk.weather.com/weather/10day-Le- ... s-FRRA0871

londonlivvy

I've been training, but am still veeeeery slow so I'll be plodding along at the back and hopefully make it round with no tears etc.

Just a quick question, though, is that all the organisers say 174km but I seem to recall that one of the descents isn't covered so you actually do 190km? Is that right? Just so I can psyche myself up as required...

nevman

Ready as ever will be now-flying over Sunday am and staying at Bourg d`Oisans with about a dozen mates arriving various days.Look out for some serious flyers in blue and white Mercury kit,but not me as Im hanging off the back to make sure I get round.Good luck to all I say. Dossard 5418.

bigmat

I'm number 4666 :twisted:

Training has never really got going, life is just that bit too busy, but I'm in good enough shape to get round OK I think. Been suffering on short steep hills and putting in bursts on commutes / racing, so my one hope is that I'll be in good "diesel" shape and the long steady(ish) climbs will suit my form a bit better. Will be going for gold, may well miss it (I usually do) but I think its a realistic target.

TheStone

londonlivvy wrote:

Just a quick question, though, is that all the organisers say 174km but I seem to recall that one of the descents isn't covered so you actually do 190km? Is that right? Just so I can psyche myself up as required...

I'm fairly sure it's just 174km in total.

The Glandon descent is excluded from your total time (as lots of crashes), but as far as I can tell they've just published the total time in previous years (including that descent).
.... can anyone confirm?

Tom Butcher

Hallejujah - my dodgy knee seems to have cleared up just at the right time - three century rides done in the last 10 days and not so much as a twinge. Now if I can just drop 10lbs in the next week and if the last minute purchases from WIggle arrive on time I'm ready !

Gears wise I've got 36*27 to put on this weekend - mulling over getting a 34 ring - what do people think ? I've been pushing 39*23 round the Peak District in training so I don't want to splash out on a new chainring if I don't have to as I wont use it for anything else. I'm leaning towards sticking with what I have.

jonginge

Hmm, not sure I'm ready. I really suffered last year so the the plan for this was to have a more structured training program. Well, that didn't happen! I seem to have done 500 fewer miles than this time last year :oops:

@TheStone here's hoping for 25C and dry. It was mid-thirties on the Alpe last year, which was a touch too much.

I'm dossard 659 so my plan for the day is to not blow up half way up the Glandon trying to hang on to the fast chaps

jonginge

TheStone wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

Just a quick question, though, is that all the organisers say 174km but I seem to recall that one of the descents isn't covered so you actually do 190km? Is that right? Just so I can psyche myself up as required...

I'm fairly sure it's just 174km in total.

The Glandon descent is excluded from your total time (as lots of crashes), but as far as I can tell they've just published the total time in previous years (including that descent).
.... can anyone confirm?

The total (including glandon descent) was on the printed certificate I picked up at the finish. The times published on the website excluded the descent.

p_munster

feeling ready now, just did the morzine sportive in a shade under 7 hours, which was 150k and 4000m of climbing, so feel prepared for the marmotte (although the last climb of the col de joux plane was horrendous - but good mental prep for alpe d'huez). how i'll feel on the morning of the event after a night under canvas i'm not sure, but i don't think any last minute training is going to help.

just as well as i came off my commuter bike yesterday and have a sprained wrist, but nothing to serious and won't affect participation. it'll just force me to have a relaxed 10 days before the big day.

We're heading down on friday lunchtime (only from Geneva) and staying at la piscine campsite. looking forward to a spin in the valley on friday afternoon and a nice evening dip friday night.