Thinking of some European sportives for 2012 - ideas?

rodgers73

I've done a handful of UK sportives so far but already looking to spread my wings a bit.

Does anyone know of some good Euro sportives to try? So far I've heard of -

The Etape
The Marmotte
The Maratona
Paris - Roubaix

Any more??

Thanks

rodgers73

Oh, and the Ventoux event

cjcp

Tour of Flanders
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
Amstel
Ardechoise (sp?)

And loads, loads more. Check out www.cyclosport.org

Also, the Marmotte is one of a number of Grand Trophee events held around that time. Check out the Sports Communications website for the details.

rodgers73

Do the Euro ones require a higher level of fitness? Or just a bigger wallet and more time off work?

I can do 100+ miles fairly easily and I'm doing the Fred Whitton route in Sept, so I'm not lacking in fitness - would I end up being blown away at these events or am I about right?? They seem a bit intimidating.

twotyred

Based on my limited experience of doing La Marmotte this year I'd say the standard is higher than the UK. I can normally finish top 30% in a UK Sportive and top 20% for my age group. I was top 70% in La Marmotte- which was still good enough for a silver medal. I'm going to have to improve my climbing by about 10% to finish top 50% and get a gold medal.

Yes they are intimidating- like nothing you can experience in the UK. I wasn't sure I would be up to the Marmotte but therein lies the challenge. These events are also generally superbly organised, better than anything in the UK, and, setting aside the travel expenses, are good value for money.

For me the experience of doing one of the hardest rides of my life, with thousands of other cyclists, over roads where legends were made will stay with me forever so I'd say get fitter than you've ever been and do it.

cjcp

@rodgers - know what you mean, but no need to be intimidated. The experience and atmosphere are both fantastic. The Marmotte is completely different to anything the UK has to offer, and so is Paris-Roubaix.

Flanders is less gruelling, and we don't have cobbles to practice on, but the short, sharp climbs are at least reminiscent of the type of climb we have in the UK. It's not a timed event, either: no timing chip, just your own stop watch. The Pro race takes place the following day, great atmosphere, great beer, very easy to get to from the UK, so you only need to take the Friday off. A very good choice if you're looking for something different to the Marmotte.

airbusboy

I would recommend the Marmotte. I rode it this year and is the only sportive i've ever ridden, throughly enjoyed it, and would/might ride it in 2012. I can't compare the standard between EU vs UK but i can say some/ a lot of foreigners can't descend quickly...

gsk82

a couple of experienced guys i was with for the marmotte this year reckon that if you had the heat for the marmotte at the fred whitton no one would finish it.

rodgers73

I'm guessing a good hard winter of training will mean I'll be ok to take on one or two of these events.

Any other events anyone would recommend? Sounds like all the action is in France, Italy and Belgium. Does nothing happen in Spain or Germany, for instance?

Peak Times

I can highly recommend the "La Lapebie" which is run out of Bagneres de Luchon (Le Tour stage finish and start last year). The event is well supported and very much a classical Pyrenean sportive taking in 1 HC, 2 CAT 1's as well as a nice couple of smaller cat 3 cols. The Lapebie is one of the "Trophee label d'or" events like the Marmott and is held the first Sunday in September.

Bagneres de Luchon is easily accessible with flights into Toulouse, PAU or Tarbes/Lourdes all within 90 minutes. It is also possible to catch a direct sleeper train from Paris on a Friday evening that arrives in Luchon at 8am, departing on Sunday evening around 9pm.

For more information visit http://www.lalapebie.org

TimB34

Spain's biggest event is the Quebrantahuesos : 205km with three big climbs (including the Somport and Marie Blanc), 6000 fast spaniards and free (0%) beer at the end.

The website is rubbish though http://www.quebrantahuesos.com/

Dunno about Germany.

I've heard good things about the Fausto Coppi in Italy (starting in Cuneo) but I don't know anyone who's done it.

In France there's also things like the Ariegeoise (in the Ariege http://www.cyclosport-ariegeoise.com/) and the Ardechoise (not surprisingly in the Ardeche... http://www.ardechoise.com). The Ariegeoise is a UCI Golden Bike event (like the Quebranta and the Dragon ride): http://www.golden-bike.ch

The Ariegeoise is one of many smaller but excellent French sportives, the Ardechoise has 15,000 participants, lots of whom do two or three day circuits but everyone finishes in the same village on he same day.

FJS

The big on the NL is the Steven Rooks Classic in June (Amstel Gold/LBL terrain), and in Austria the Otztaler Radmarathon.
In Belgium UK riders tend to do Tour of Flanders or the recreational version of LBL, which areboth more audax-type randonees. A Belgian continental-style cyclosportives is the Velomediane Claude Criquelion.

ariege_cyclist

+1 for the Ariegeoise. Not that small with over 4000 participants, so puts most UK sportives to shame. Plus (like many European sportives) there is a mass start so whizzing along in a peleton of over 1000 for the first hour is amazing, as is blasting through small towns brought to a halt by the Gendarmerie for the riders. Usually the big descents are closed to traffic for the day as well so you can really let it go. And you get a cycling jersey and a meal for the €37 entry (not some cheap T-shirt).

Lots of this applies to many of the European soprtives and even the hundreds of small sportives in France usually have Gendarmerie outriders at the begining and marshalls stopping traffic at all the junctions on the route.

Many have a choice of distances so you can decide which you want to do depending how good you think you are...(or how hot it is!).

Others are:
Time Megeve Mont Blanc, tough climbing in the Alps but not quite a Marmotte
La Pyreneenne - Inclues Tourmalet, Aspin etc.
etc...
Check out http://www.velo101.com/cyclosport/calendrier/mois:7/annee:2011

phreak

I did the Granfondo Giordana recently, and it's a cracker if you fancy a challenge. It's about 165km and you go over both the Gavia and the Mortirolo so some proper beastly climbs involved.

I wouldn't say it was quite as polished as the Maratona but it was on closed roads with some really good organisation.

shropshirelad

Just come back from doing "La Pinarello" in northern Italy - absolutely fantastic! 3,500 participants (including Miguel Indurain) and a choice of two courses - 200km with a 24km climb of 1,700m over the Monte Grappa, or the short course 132km and a few reasonable hills.

I did the short course (along with about half the field) and went like a train - so many groups to join, police at junctions to hold up the cars - and I think a wider range of cycling performance - felt like there were many more slower riders involved (so I had company) rather than the experience I have in the UK of solo riding whilst very fast chain gangs whip by.

http://www.lapinarello.it/index_eng.php

Had so much fun I made a website about my experience:
http://www.zen139991.zen.co.uk/cyclemin ... _start.htm

maddog 2

I've done the Marmotte twice and the Maratona this summer. Both are excellent. Marmotte is tougher, and definitely tougher than the Fred Whitton IMO. Maratona is similar but different...

I like the sound of the Giordana phreak

I do fancy having a crack at the Mortirolo. Might look into that for 2012.

thebongolian

Did the Quebrantahuesos in Spain (crossing into France) - great ride. And will doing the Gruyere cycling tour again which is fairly easy but you can really push it as you're not just trying to finish.

Fancy trying the Otztaler Radmarathon one year - looks like a beast

And for something completely different there's the Rattenrunden - 300 flat km in the midnight sun round a lake in Switzerland

TheStone

I've done the following:

Etape (2) - Great event, but very expensive and hard to arrange (start/finish different)
Morzine Vallee d'Aulps (2) - Cheap, excellent route, but low number of riders.
Marmotte - Excellent, probably my favourite, but tough
Nove Colli - Big, well arranged event. Very cheap to organise.
Gent Omloop - Some cobbles, but easy event, great town for beers after. No timing
Flanders (long) - Long, long miserable day, but loved it. The short route prob enough. No timing.

PieterM

And for something completely different there's the Rattenrunden - 300 flat km in the midnight sun round a lake in Switzerland

I believe you mean the Vaetternrundan in Sweden: http://www.vatternrundan.se/Default.aspx?module=4&content=12&lang=SV&fwsite=2

rodgers73

For those of you doing events that are far off (Italy etc) - are you taking your own bike along or hiring when you get out there?

I'm imagining there wouldn't be many hire bikes available when such events are running??

Tom Butcher

If you fancy the Marmotte there's an option of going down the weekend before and doing La Vaujany too - a couple of clubmates of mine did that and seemed to rate it as a good event.

thebongolian

PieterM wrote:

And for something completely different there's the Rattenrunden - 300 flat km in the midnight sun round a lake in Switzerland

I believe you mean the Vaetternrundan in Sweden: http://www.vatternrundan.se/Default.aspx?module=4&content=12&lang=SV&fwsite=2

Man, brain really didn't get involved when I typed that! :oops:

pedylan

rodgers73 wrote:

For those of you doing events that are far off (Italy etc) - are you taking your own bike along or hiring when you get out there?

I'm imagining there wouldn't be many hire bikes available when such events are running??

I did the Pantanissima last year as part of a two night stay at the Belvedere hotel. Fantastic experience. The hotel is brilliant, specialises in cycle tours, will hire you a De Rosa, get you entered and coach you to the start. A champagne reception when you finish is a great way to refresh.

http://www.belvederericcione.com/en/pantanissima/

Two distances 106 and 151k. Great course and a high standard of entrants (translation - I finished well down the field ).

knedlicky

I've done about 20 cyclosportives on the Continent and would recommend the following for the ambitious newcomer to them:

- the Marmotte, simply because it's a well-known biggish event and includes famous passes and Alpe d'Huez. I don't think it's good value for money in terms of organisation, feed stations, mementoes, etc, but sadly it doesn't change because it's constantly so popular (and I suppose my recommendation won't help it change!)
- the Dreiländergiro, with start and finish in Nauders in Tirol, Austria. Like every event I've been to in Austria and Switzerland, it's efficiently organised, and also more casual and friendlier than many in France and with more 'atmosphere' afterwards. Also, the longer route option includes the Stelvio!
- the Gruyere, with start and finish in Bulle in Switzerland. Very efficiently organised, and good value in Swiss terms. Like most events in Austria and Switzerland, it has a relatively high proportion of female participants!

For anyone spending time in France or Germany, I'd also highly suggest they looked at the local organised rides similar to UK sportives in character and organisation, but without the timimg aspect. These can be equally enjoyable and include feed stations and sometimes mementoes at minor cost at the end.
In France the details are to be found in a subsection of the website www.ffct.org, and in Germany in a subsection of the website http://www.rad-net.de/

rrobbo

I can only speak from experience of this part of the world (SE France, Alpes Maritimes) but I'd certainly recommend some of the ones round here, la Charly Bérard particularly 130km 2300m in early April. Start/end at Nice, fantastic scenery. Few more like this as well here
RIchard

rrobbo

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blim

Flanders is the only European one I've done, but I loved it (despite the weather and the pain of the cobbles) and will do it again.

Really well organised, and you get the feel of the real thing (and can see it yourself the next day).

daverow

I've had some excellent times in the Pyrenees and, for the first time this year, the Alps. To be honest, until you've done the Etape (incl. the logisitical pain in the arse that is different start & finish locations) and the Marmotte, I wouldn't bother with anything else. The organisation is excellent, the riders are generally of a higher fitness than those in the Uk and you get the SUNSHINE!!!!!

The Marmotte is a proper test of your fitness and, if found lacking, your character.

I had an excellent week in Barcellonette this year also. Riding Cols Bonnette, Pra Loup, Allos, Cayolle, Champs, Vars + Izoard was a real treat.

Either way, France is Mecca for road cycling and i'm going back next year to improve on my Marmotte time!!