Silly Commuter Marmotting

Blonde Cyclist

ketsbaia wrote:

Wowsa. You guys are talking about having had a hard day and you did sub 9hrs/silver standard times.

I didn't think I did too badly when I did it, but was way short of those times. I'm aiming for sub 9hrs next year, which will take a world of training, so grand chapeau to those who thought they had a 'mare and murdered that time.

I didn't do sub-9... Nowhere close (I didn't even do sub-10!) but the times for girls are longer than the times for the boys and I'll gladly take a silver! *If* I did it again, I've learned a lot of lessons and reckon Gold (9hr34 for my category) would be possible. Well done to all the impressive times!

jonginge

My legs have just started to loosen up again.

The early parts of the ride worked out pretty well. I was in the front peloton and had PRs all the way to the foot of the Telegraphe. That climb went OK, too, but a couple of minutes slower than last year (the road surface was mostly chippings and heavier going).

The wheels fell off at Valloire. Cramp started and I had to manage it all the way home. Very frustrating when you know you could be climbing quite a bit faster. Still, somehow managed to be only 12 minutes slower than last year.

@bc What happened to the Merckx? Chapeau for doing a good ride on an unfamiliar bike.

Blonde Cyclist

JZed wrote:

Ah so it was you Blonde Cyclist. I was collapsed at the side of the road watching people coming in and saw a Blonde lady with a TWCC top on. But she had a Scott and was pretty sure you didn't have a Scott, so assumed it was someone else.

What happened to the Merckx?

Umm, long story but couldn't get the headset to re-seat so took it to Mavic neutral service who said the bearing was gone and it needed to go to the bike shop. Left it with them overnight and get a phone call the next morning in broken french to say the "frame is broken" - absolutely devastated. When we went to look the frame was fine but most of the bearing cup was missing and there was no guarantee that it would hold up for the ride. Cue emergency bike hire. First offer was an Allez so it could have been far harder, luckily (?) it was too big so we hunted round til we found the Scott.

il_principe

Chapeau all. Slightly annoyed that I didn't let Jon talk me into it... not annoyed enough though.

jonginge

Il Principe wrote:

Chapeau all. Slightly annoyed that I didn't let Jon talk me into it... not annoyed enough though.

Always next year. With your current form you'd do an excellent time, possibly breaking 7hrs official time (sans Glandon descent)

jzed

Il Principe wrote:

Chapeau all. Slightly annoyed that I didn't let Jon talk me into it... not annoyed enough though.

You would have smashed it.

mr_ribble

All the miles, the nights spent on the turbo and it came down to a mere 30 seconds. Although at the time I didnt we didnt know it, but JZed... I think I have your scalp here.

Arrived on Wednesday and spun up the Col D'Ornon which is a pretty ease 15 ks, but given my biggest climb of the year before that was probably the paltry 2.2k of Box Hill it was a light entree, before the main meal on Saturday. On Thursday I spent the morning eating bread, cheese and cured meats and then set of to drive to Briancon to give the Col D'Izoard a go. JZed and JonG had done it earlier, and when I got a text from JZed saying he had done it in 1hour 15.. I replied saying "me too" even though I was five minutes sloiwer. The mental games had started early. Friday was rest, register and raclette.

I was starting 30 minutes later than most other Wheelers, so it was a bit boring in the start pens but they seemed to get us away quickly and when I guy with mini TT bars on roared past with a train of 50 guys behind, I felt it would be rude not to hop on. Just a case of conserving every watt possible till the Glandon which I felt I cilimbed ok. In my haste at the fed station at the top I managed to fill my bidon with what I thought was energy drink but was alarmed when the fluid was hot. I assumed they had added hot water to aid the dissolving of the powder, but it turns out it was bloody soup. Was a bit salty, but I figured this was a good thing. In an effort to save as much time as possible I grabbed some camembert and baguette and starting to descend, but it turns out trying to eat anything whilst negotiating those hairpins is impossible.

The valley is a ball ache. I had visions of JZed ploughing a huge furrow with 20 five foot two italian guys sitting on his wheel enjoying the tow, much like embankment. Turns out this was oh so true. Onto the Telegraphe, and felt ok but trying to hold wheels of some quicker guys to keep my pace up was taking its toll and I could feel inner quads cramp. At Valloire I just got as much down as I could stomach. The climb of the Galibier is not helped by the km stone posts that tell you the average gradient for the next km is going to be 9%. Just have to get your head down and you know that over the other side you have an hour of going at 35 mph as you come down and then onto the Lauteret. The tunnels were as dangerous as ever, especially as it seemed like someone had forgotten to replace the dud lightbulbs.

I had got to the Galibier in 6h 05m, botom of the Alpe 1h 5m later, so brevet d'or would await if I could get up that sodding hill in a resonable time. The legs were empty, but I overtake a clubmate just after the 21st and I could see he was suffereing. No matter how much pain you are in, you somehow take comfort in the fact that everyone around you is also hurting. Turing round past the Chapel at Dutch, you can start to see where you are heading and and then when I got to Huez, my other half was waiting with the news that a good mate and fellow wheeler was a few minutes up the road. So I just turned myself inside out, but even so I got a big shock when the clubmate who I had passed on 21, was now going past me on the last bend. He soon had 50m on me, but a final big ring smash up closed the gap and I sneaked round him on the roundabout, and just had enough time to zip up the jersey before collapsing in a heap after the finish. Strava put by Alpe time at 1h 14, which was quicker than it felt. I held off doing the Grimpe the next day and instead went up to the restaurant right at the top of the mountain at the end of the track. Didnt have the kebab though!

Kudos to JZed and the other Wheelers for keeping me honest all the way round. The physiology of us big guys makes a tough day harder, but for this week I am going to eat what the hell I want. And I am going to start with some of the 3 kilos of cured sausage that I sneaked into the bike bag on the return journey, given that I didnt have the weight of the 3 kilos of gels I took out.

Green Brompton

Kudos X every mile you rode.

welkman

I am really up for a challenge like this next year. How did you guys get involved? When did you start the training for it? Oh and big congratulations for finishing it, I watch those climbs every year thinking 'could I make it'? Enjoy your beer/sausage, you have earned it!

cjcp

welkman wrote:

I am really up for a challenge like this next year. How did you guys get involved? When did you start the training for it? Oh and big congratulations for finishing it, I watch those climbs every year thinking 'could I make it'? Enjoy your beer/sausage, you have earned it!

You can sign up via the Sport Communication website: http://www.sportcommunication.com/

Entries open in December, I think.

Start training? Hmm. Right now would be good.

Seriously though, you're better off improving your fitness steadily through the autumn and winter rather than getting to January and thinking "Oh poo; better start training."

jonginge

cjcp wrote:

welkman wrote:

I am really up for a challenge like this next year. How did you guys get involved? When did you start the training for it? Oh and big congratulations for finishing it, I watch those climbs every year thinking 'could I make it'? Enjoy your beer/sausage, you have earned it!

You can sign up via the Sport Communication website: http://www.sportcommunication.com/

Entries open in December, I think.

Start training? Hmm. Right now would be good.

Seriously though, you're better off improving your fitness steadily through the autumn and winter rather than getting to June and thinking "Oh poo; better start training."

FTFY

It's a very doable ride. Make sure you've got a few long rides under your belt beforehand, more for the mental aspect than anything else. If you can get a few days in the mountains before the event. Nothing can really prepare you for an hour and a half uphill but knowing that you can and have done it before will make a huge difference on the day.

mr_ribble

1. Buy turbo
2. Set to max. Put bike in highest gear
3. Turn oven on at 200 degrees C
4. Open oven door and place turbo infront
5. Put five yellow pages under front wheel
6. Pedal
7. Three hours later .. stop
8. Eat raw beef

Do this on Christmas day, and repeat daily till July