Marmotte 2012
Comments
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That forum kinda burst my bubble Alan, had hoped someone would say if you can do Sa Colabra the the alpe's a breeze but obviously not
Well done on winning the club hill climb - natural born climber
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If you can do Sa Colobra in 40 minutes then the Alpes won't cause too many problems!0
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Marmotte dorsal number arrived today - 2050. Not sure if that gets me an earlier start than last year when I was in the 6000s.0
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whats a dorsal number?My Marmotte 2012 Blog:
http://steve-lamarmotte2012.blogspot.com/
cervelo R5 VWD
Spesh Roubaix
Genesis Equilibrium
Spesh FSR Stumpy Expert
Spesh M4 Stumpy
Brompton SL2
Giant TCX
Canyon Grandcanyon 29er0 -
It's specially shaped to glue to those aerodynamic fins you wear between your shoulders to smooth the air flow from the back of your helmet.whats a dorsal number?0 -
You got a number? Was it by e-mail or post (I'm guessing e-mail!)So this little yellow braclet makes me a better cyclist?0
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Email - sent from INFO so it looks a bit like spam you might miss it.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
Arrived by email yesterday lunchtime. Others in the gropu also received them,0
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Yes, they arrived today, well 3 out of the 4, but I guess the other will follow soon enough.
Number 990, so I beleive thats the 2nd pen. 1st pen (1-400) is invite only I think (based on previous years times etc), 2nd pen is 401-2000, then 2001 to 4000 and then above. I think they have slightly different starting times (something like officially 15 minutes between each) but in efect the last out of one pen and then they let the next pen go.
It's all based on total time calculated when you cross the line, so from that point of view the number isn't really importantSo this little yellow braclet makes me a better cyclist?0 -
Ours arrived yesterday.... in the 4000s0
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the descents are the worst bit? WHAT? if you can't enjoy hurtling down the wide open roads off the galibier what part of cycling can you enjoy? i wouldn't say there was much traffic when i descended nor would i say other people made me feel unsafe and i'd never cycled up or down a mountain until a few days before.
aches and pains descending could probably be solved by doing bit of light gym work, particularly shoulders, auuper and lower back and chest."Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago0 -
So, who has started their training for this year's Marmotte?
Went out on the roads for the first time this morning in -2 temp (can't say I enjoyed it TBH) then followed by a turbo session in the afternoon. All light work though. Also doing a bit of light weight training every morning before work, mostly to strengthen upper core. Only doing this for 8 weeks before switching to full cardio workouts in preparation for the UK sportive season starting in April.0 -
twotyred wrote:
Agreed and I get a sore neck as well. There's the temptation to rest your hands on the hoods to try and relieve this but don't. You'll only reduce your control, reduce the force you can apply the brakes with and you run the risk of your hands bouncing off the bars if you hit a bump.
Why do you say don't do it ?
Ok you wont get quite as aero on the hoods, but I did the MArmotte and did every descent on the hoods, the descent you mention I hit 67mph once and 63mph twice and the tunnels were very bupy but not a problem and I have hit some huge holes round my home area but never notoced my hands bouncing off
Also a lot of people on here say about the force you can apply to brakes on the hoods, I have never had any issue stopping at all using the hoods.
I enjoyed all the descents of the marmotte and the hoods are generally more comfortable.0 -
If you descend on the hoods you are descending in an unsafe way, both with respect to yourself and those around you. Don't do it.0
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RichA wrote:Sustained Effort. Consider Glandon, Telegraphe, Galibier & AdH as 4 x 1-1.5hr efforts. Non-stop, evenly paced sub threshold efforts. Many consider Turbos the ideally training set up for mimicking this.
Worth doing multiple turbo sessions in one day to replicate this.FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."0 -
Don't talk nonsense. Everyone, please ride in the position you feel most comfortable and most in control. Hoods or drops, your choice.grimpeur wrote:If you descend on the hoods you are descending in an unsafe way0 -
Have much experience do you have of riding fast Alpine descents?
Your comment is at best foolish and at worse dangerous. Riding on the hoods you do not have the same level of control and security on the handlebars of your bike as you do riding in the drops. If this is your attitude then please stay away from mass start events.
People on this forum are offering you advice that could prevent you and those around you suffering serious injury. Please follow it.0 -
I have and to be frank your talking rubbish.grimpeur wrote:Have much experience do you have of riding fast Alpine descents?
Your comment is at best foolish and at worse dangerous. Riding on the hoods you do not have the same level of control and security on the handlebars of your bike as you do riding in the drops. If this is your attitude then please stay away from mass start events.
People on this forum are offering you advice that could prevent you and those around you suffering serious injury. Please follow it.
I have descended in races and not just sportives with no trouble at all using hoods, same as many other riders. The biggest problem with sportives is riders who do not have good control whether on drops or on hoods !! You only have to look at some riders who cannot control a bike to remove a water bottle to take a drink or to get food out of pocket, I would be more worried about riding next to those in a mass start event than someone in control on the hoods.
As poster above said, ride in the position you feel most comfortable and in control.0 -
None of the descents on the Marmotte require that much in the way of sustained sharp braking on steep ramps. It's horses for courses debating hoods versus drops. Bear in mind that if you want to descend quickly then drops are better and you'll need more control and braking power, but if you're sitting up using the hoods then your body will act as more of an air brake and you'll need to scrub off less speed going in to the corners because you'll be going slower to begin with.0
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I dont quite get all these comments about breaking power when descending.
I dont know about most people, all I can say is about my descending, but the only time I use the brakes is prior to cornerring and even from high speed it is easy to brush off enough speed to corner safely when on the hoods. Maybe some riders brake too hard and too late and to be honest if you have to break using the amount of power some people are suggesting your not going to be in full control of the bike and if you try to corner whilst braking that hard you will be in trouble.
I always brush off the speed before corenering, usually feathering the brakes before the bend.
The only time I have ever used full power to brake is in case of emergency if something or sowmeone runds in front of me, and even then I can manage this from the hoods.
I have several videos of me descending at high speed on long descents maybe I will post them and I can be told where I am going wrong 0 -
Then keep doing what you've always done I don't really care. Maybe you should put flat bars or bull horns on your bike if you never use the drops- might save a bit of weight.
I know I'm faster and more in control on the drops.
This bloke seems to agree
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA0 -
" but I did the MArmotte and did every descent on the hoods, the descent you mention I hit 67mph once and 63mph twice and the tunnels were very bupy but not a problem "
I reckon all them bumps must have done something to your speedo, 67mph sitting up on the hoods ? - sorry I don't believe it... I have clocked 61mph going down Fleetmoss into Hawes, which is a lot steeper than any part of the Galibier descent, and I was as flat as I could be on the top tube..0 -
Drops v Hoods?
It's a no brainer for me. Drops everytime, especially on a long Alpine descent. Bend your elbows and you'll lower your centre of gravity considerably. This will stabilise your bike and give you more traction. You'll get a more powerful braking action no matter what anyone says.
On the hoods at 67mph in The Alps?? I've tried for 10 years to go over 100kmh and acheived this only twice and I'm pretty good going downhill.
I get gripped watching our guests descending The Ventoux and our local cols at speed on the hoods. I've also seen more than one rider come off (including one broken collarbone) when they hit a small bump and a hand flew off the hood.
Take care,0 -
Beautiful to watch. See him moving his body weight around the bike like a Moto GP rider? Impossible on the hoods.0 -
Still no sign of my dossard, and no sign on the website of my registration.0
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^^^^^^^^^
Just got an email with my dossard at 445pm today (Monday)0 -
In the 4000s this year, around 1500 further forward than last year. Not that it'll make much difference!0
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Mine came today. I got given 157, exactly my finishing position last year. The best bit about the first pen is that you can park your bike there, go for a coffee in the adjacent Cafe de Paris (needed if you've just descended the Alpe), and avoid the mad rush down to Allemont that you get from the second pen.0
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I am not really bothered if you believe me or not, you cannot compare the speed you will get on a short steep UK climb to a long alpine descent. I have been down descents in wales 33% and you wont go over 15mph so what would that say? The Alpe descents are generally longer but less steep but long stretches where you need no brakes for a long way so if you get aero you dont need brakes and you pick up speed. On parts of the descents I was in a tuck position with hands at centre of bars.bam49 wrote:" but I did the MArmotte and did every descent on the hoods, the descent you mention I hit 67mph once and 63mph twice and the tunnels were very bupy but not a problem "
I reckon all them bumps must have done something to your speedo, 67mph sitting up on the hoods ? - sorry I don't believe it... I have clocked 61mph going down Fleetmoss into Hawes, which is a lot steeper than any part of the Galibier descent, and I was as flat as I could be on the top tube..
There are not many descents in UK where you will get near the speeds you will on continental descents.
Pick descent and maybe I will come join you for a ride and we se who gets down first probab;ly me with the extra weight I have after christmas :? Hmm that will attract more responses now about heavier guys going faster downhill 0 -
glad your not bothered 'cos I still don't buy it ( 67mph down the Galibier ), unless you went all Continental and switched to kph? . For your info, the road from Fleetmoss in the Dales down to Hawes is pretty long and straight & 25% gradient- whereas most Alps descents have loads of hairpins and are not that steep. You can't get a real high top speed due to all the hairpins.. I think 50/55 is attainable in the Alps but not much more, I have been up & down most of the popular/famous Alps climbs & I have never got much over 50mph on any of the descents ... I don't think I have ever seen 67mph clocked when the Tour goes down there either ..anyway - don't want to hijack this thread with a dispute about top speeds and braking...
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