Marmotte
McCullochE
Posts: 25
I just wanted to record this to encourage others as I've just done the best bike ride of my life - the Marmotte. Well, technically it was the route of the Marmotte, as I didn't do the official sportive. It has to be one of the greatest adventures any cyclist can do - 174km, 5,000m of climbing. Great fun!
To give some context though, I'm not one of an uber cyclists. I'm now 38 and got into cycling about 5 years ago. I typically cycle 30-50miles at the weekend, and perhaps the occasional spinning class. I weighed 15 stone.
The obsession that became the Marmotte started in June 2010 when a couple of us decided to cycle abroad – to do Alpe D’Huez. It was great fun – they say a good club rider can do the 14km climb in 60mins. Well, I managed to do it in 95mins. But it was there that I heard of the Marmotte. It sounded impossibly hard, particularly as I’d never cycled 100 miles on a flat road, never mind over some of the toughest climbs in the Alps.
So, in September 2010 we did out first 100 mile sportive – just to see if we could do that distance. And we did it – is just over six hours. So we knew we could do the distance – the question was could be also do the climbs?
Proper training started in the January. Nothing too dramatic. But going to a spin class once a week and, and going for more regular bike rides (and not just when sunny…). The distance slowly increased over the weeks and months, peaking to regular 60-70 mile bike rides at the weekend. Also, the weight loss started. Over the 7 months, I managed to get my weight down to 13st 8lbs. Still 8lbs off my target, but it would do.
I was also taking my own bike. It is a Specialized Roubaix, with compact gearing (which I was a bit nervous about, as I had done the Aple the previous year on a triple gearset).
My mate John was in better form than me. He has a triple advantage over me – he cycles to work every day, is 20kg lighter than me, and has a slight OCD problem that enables him to throw himself at training. But then again, his wife had their first child in February, so he had his own challenges.
We arrived in France in the first week of September and did a few warm up rides. We did the Alpe again, and I managed to get my time down to 1hr 19mins. And while I’d have appreciated a lower gear set, I survived. My mate John reduced his time from 1hr 15mins to 1hr 6mins (and later managed to get 1hr 1min!). We also did La Bonnette, which is the highest road in Europe. 24km long, but the average gradient is 6-8%, and the scenery was fantastic.
We decided to go for the Marmotte on the Thursday. We noticed that in the proper race, while some completed it in 6 hours, others were taking well over 13 hours. Our hope was to complete it in 11 ½ hours.
We set off at sunrise – 6.40am. We followed all the advice on the Marmotte – don’t get over excited and be too aggressive on Glandon/Croix de Fer. While there are a couple of nasty parts, overall the climb is fine – it’s just long. We stopped a few times (more for photo’s) and got to the top in good time. While I know I can push my heart rate to the high 160’s, my aim was to keep it in the mid-150’s for the majority of the climb.
The descent was good – although there are a couple of ascents that caught us by surprise. We then stopped at a supermarket at the bottom for food and liquid. The flat road to St Michael isn’t great – comparatively busy and with a very slight incline. However, we slipstreamed on the 15km section which helped.
The Telegraph is also a lovely ride. It has some great switchbacks, good views and is a very consistent gradient. Also, with the trees, It tends to be shaded from the midday sun. There is then a lovely 5km descent to Valloire before the attack on Galibier started.
By this time it was late lunch and the sun was beating straight down on us. However, the first two thirds of Galibier are fine. Again, you get fantastic views and the slope is fairly consistent. The last third is, however, brutal. The road then goes into a few switchbacks and the gradient increases to cause severe pain. To be fair, it was over 4 hours since we started going up Telegraph, and I probably wasn’t eating or drinking enough. For the first time I needed to stop and rest for a few minutes before I could complete the rest of the climb. By the time I got to the top my body felt wrecked and I was concerned whether I’d be able to do any more climbing.
We then cycled the 8km down to Col de Lauteret where we stopped for 20mins to rest, eat and drink more water. And to prepare for the 45km descent of Galibier.
The descent is a combination of massive fun with a bit of terror! After over 4 hours of climbing, my priority was to give my body a bit of rest, and to make sure I took on board more food and liquid. However, it is a busy road and we got some strong headwinds so it wasn’t a complete rest. Galibier also has a number of tunnels – some very long and very dark. At a minimum, rear lights are essential.
For some random reason, we’d agreed to have a sprint near the base of the Alpe (as the recent stage of the Tour had). Although I went for it, with my hear rate popping up to 170, I just didn’t have the legs left. Luckily the ‘commissionaires’ gave it to me following an inquiry into John obstructing my racing line.
We got to the base of the Alpe – where we also had a chalet in the local campsite. We got there at 5.40pm. Over 2 hours of sunlight left. After a quick pit stop in our chalet to get more food, liquid, and to strip my bike of any excess weight, the fight continued.
The first four bends of the Alp were excruciating – but having done them, I knew I could do the rest. However, it still took 1hr 10mins just to get to the halfway point. With another 7km left, I started to pick up the pace and we managed to finish the Alpe in just under 2 hours, just as the sun was getting ready to set.
The entire route took us 12hrs 59 mins. The time actually in the saddle was 10½ hours. We then cycled the 14km back down the hill and half an hour later, it was dark.
The ride is utterly brutal – and utterly magnificent. You do have to be slightly mad to do it. But, if I can do it, I reckon any one with a bit of determination can do it. I would be interested to see how I would do in the sportive. We’d certainly stop less often for pictures or to find food and water. But doing it again? You’d have to be mad. At least to do it this year….
To give some context though, I'm not one of an uber cyclists. I'm now 38 and got into cycling about 5 years ago. I typically cycle 30-50miles at the weekend, and perhaps the occasional spinning class. I weighed 15 stone.
The obsession that became the Marmotte started in June 2010 when a couple of us decided to cycle abroad – to do Alpe D’Huez. It was great fun – they say a good club rider can do the 14km climb in 60mins. Well, I managed to do it in 95mins. But it was there that I heard of the Marmotte. It sounded impossibly hard, particularly as I’d never cycled 100 miles on a flat road, never mind over some of the toughest climbs in the Alps.
So, in September 2010 we did out first 100 mile sportive – just to see if we could do that distance. And we did it – is just over six hours. So we knew we could do the distance – the question was could be also do the climbs?
Proper training started in the January. Nothing too dramatic. But going to a spin class once a week and, and going for more regular bike rides (and not just when sunny…). The distance slowly increased over the weeks and months, peaking to regular 60-70 mile bike rides at the weekend. Also, the weight loss started. Over the 7 months, I managed to get my weight down to 13st 8lbs. Still 8lbs off my target, but it would do.
I was also taking my own bike. It is a Specialized Roubaix, with compact gearing (which I was a bit nervous about, as I had done the Aple the previous year on a triple gearset).
My mate John was in better form than me. He has a triple advantage over me – he cycles to work every day, is 20kg lighter than me, and has a slight OCD problem that enables him to throw himself at training. But then again, his wife had their first child in February, so he had his own challenges.
We arrived in France in the first week of September and did a few warm up rides. We did the Alpe again, and I managed to get my time down to 1hr 19mins. And while I’d have appreciated a lower gear set, I survived. My mate John reduced his time from 1hr 15mins to 1hr 6mins (and later managed to get 1hr 1min!). We also did La Bonnette, which is the highest road in Europe. 24km long, but the average gradient is 6-8%, and the scenery was fantastic.
We decided to go for the Marmotte on the Thursday. We noticed that in the proper race, while some completed it in 6 hours, others were taking well over 13 hours. Our hope was to complete it in 11 ½ hours.
We set off at sunrise – 6.40am. We followed all the advice on the Marmotte – don’t get over excited and be too aggressive on Glandon/Croix de Fer. While there are a couple of nasty parts, overall the climb is fine – it’s just long. We stopped a few times (more for photo’s) and got to the top in good time. While I know I can push my heart rate to the high 160’s, my aim was to keep it in the mid-150’s for the majority of the climb.
The descent was good – although there are a couple of ascents that caught us by surprise. We then stopped at a supermarket at the bottom for food and liquid. The flat road to St Michael isn’t great – comparatively busy and with a very slight incline. However, we slipstreamed on the 15km section which helped.
The Telegraph is also a lovely ride. It has some great switchbacks, good views and is a very consistent gradient. Also, with the trees, It tends to be shaded from the midday sun. There is then a lovely 5km descent to Valloire before the attack on Galibier started.
By this time it was late lunch and the sun was beating straight down on us. However, the first two thirds of Galibier are fine. Again, you get fantastic views and the slope is fairly consistent. The last third is, however, brutal. The road then goes into a few switchbacks and the gradient increases to cause severe pain. To be fair, it was over 4 hours since we started going up Telegraph, and I probably wasn’t eating or drinking enough. For the first time I needed to stop and rest for a few minutes before I could complete the rest of the climb. By the time I got to the top my body felt wrecked and I was concerned whether I’d be able to do any more climbing.
We then cycled the 8km down to Col de Lauteret where we stopped for 20mins to rest, eat and drink more water. And to prepare for the 45km descent of Galibier.
The descent is a combination of massive fun with a bit of terror! After over 4 hours of climbing, my priority was to give my body a bit of rest, and to make sure I took on board more food and liquid. However, it is a busy road and we got some strong headwinds so it wasn’t a complete rest. Galibier also has a number of tunnels – some very long and very dark. At a minimum, rear lights are essential.
For some random reason, we’d agreed to have a sprint near the base of the Alpe (as the recent stage of the Tour had). Although I went for it, with my hear rate popping up to 170, I just didn’t have the legs left. Luckily the ‘commissionaires’ gave it to me following an inquiry into John obstructing my racing line.
We got to the base of the Alpe – where we also had a chalet in the local campsite. We got there at 5.40pm. Over 2 hours of sunlight left. After a quick pit stop in our chalet to get more food, liquid, and to strip my bike of any excess weight, the fight continued.
The first four bends of the Alp were excruciating – but having done them, I knew I could do the rest. However, it still took 1hr 10mins just to get to the halfway point. With another 7km left, I started to pick up the pace and we managed to finish the Alpe in just under 2 hours, just as the sun was getting ready to set.
The entire route took us 12hrs 59 mins. The time actually in the saddle was 10½ hours. We then cycled the 14km back down the hill and half an hour later, it was dark.
The ride is utterly brutal – and utterly magnificent. You do have to be slightly mad to do it. But, if I can do it, I reckon any one with a bit of determination can do it. I would be interested to see how I would do in the sportive. We’d certainly stop less often for pictures or to find food and water. But doing it again? You’d have to be mad. At least to do it this year….
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Comments
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Cool. Congratulations. 8)0
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Glad you enjoyed the route and chapeau to you for your efforts - its not easy to train for this terrain in Blighty.
I did all the climbs about seven years ago and after various cycling holidays abroad under my belt I decided to do the Marmotte this year for my 40th with my mate. It was the best day I had on my bike - EVER
I do lots of 100mile hilly sportives and still found this route very hard(the hardest I have done due to the effort in trying to achieve a gold time)
If I go back to that part of the Alps again I tackle the route on my own and take some pics which I did not do due to trying to get a good time.Brian B.0 -
Well done doing it as a Randonee.
I also did the Marmotte this year for the first time and like Brian found it both the hardest and best thing I've ever done on a bike. Riding in Blighty now seems very ordinary.
As for doing it again, the memory of the suffering will quickly fade leaving the good memories behind. I'm already thinking about doing it again in 2012 and now I know I can get round I can see if I can improve on my silver time.0 -
Well done McC - get your entry in for the real thing next year - you wont regret it and the extra riders to pull you along helps.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
Congratulations and a good read.
Two questions: what were the descents like and what was traffic like at that time of year?
thanks0 -
The descents are great. The Croix de Fer descent is fine - took about 40mins - although not the smoothest of roads, and there are a few ascents as I mentioned.
The Galibier descent is very good - and takes about hour to Bourg D'Oisan (although we had strong head winds). The road has recently been resurfaced and apart from the top when there are a few sharp corners, the visibility is good so you can get some good speed up (even if you aren't a good technical descender). The thing to watch out for is the tunnels. Most are ok, but there are some long dark tunnels. We had rear lights and my mate wished he'd taken front lights as well.
The traffic was very quiet. Other than on the road between the bottom of Croix de Fer and Telegraph, you'd see a car once every 20-30mins at best.0
