Marmotte 2013

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Comments

  • Marik
    Marik Posts: 40
    Was going to ask if anyone had some magic last minute training tips :?: I did the Bealach (Applecross) hill 4 times yesterday, felt pretty wrecked, but horrified to find that's only half the Marmotte climbing, and much less than half the distance. Praying for cool weather, cool breezes, and punctures for the broom wagon.
  • Leroy42
    Leroy42 Posts: 78
    Jebus, whats with all the calls for cool weather etc. I bloody well have to train in cold, wind, rain and for 11 months 364 days of the year. I'm going all the way over to the fecking Alps, to climb Aple D'Huez and you guys want it cool.

    Bring on the heat. Sure it will make it harder but isn't that why we all signed up for? If we wanted easy we'd have stuck with the Dragon or something.

    Be careful what you wish for. A few years ago the top of the Galibier was closed to the race as the weather was so bad, I would be devastated to have put in all this effort and then not be able to at least fail myself!!!
    So this little yellow braclet makes me a better cyclist?
  • jsutty
    jsutty Posts: 27
    I agree, I deal much better with the heat than the cold, and it would mean we don't have to lug around arm warmers/gilets/waterproofs etc.
    Was starting to panic that my training isn't sufficient. I can definitely go far enough (weekly rides are up to 200k), but its whether I can climb that's the big question. I guess it's the same for most of us Brits. Any climbs we've been on are of the short, sharp variety, and boy am I sick of those! Also worried about speed... I know that you can take your time, but it would be nice to make it for the 6pm cut off time.
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    Wait til the night before - nerves really will set in then ! If you are in a group it's easy for a kind of mass hysteria to set in inflating the task ahead into something more than it is. In a funny way that's part of the fun though.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • NUFCrichard
    NUFCrichard Posts: 103
    Leroy42 wrote:
    Bring on the heat. Sure it will make it harder but isn't that why we all signed up for? If we wanted easy we'd have stuck with the Dragon or something.

    Be careful what you wish for! I went out for a 2 hour spin yesterday evening when it was 32C and sunny, if it is that hot on Alpe D'Huez it will not be fun. The long term forecast says 21C on the 6th of July... with thunderstorms!
  • ransos1
    ransos1 Posts: 34
    Having managed some half decent times in sportives this year (Somerset Gran Fondo, Le Terrier and Great Western) I'm now at the point where I think I can make it round the course, barring mishaps. For a 10 hour time, you would need to average only 11mph, so my strategy is going to be "hare and the tortoise" for the climbs, making full use of very low gears. I really do think a significant part of the challenge is in our heads - I just don't know how my brain will cope with the idea of climbing for a full 2 hours!
  • nevman
    nevman Posts: 1,611
    To calm these NOMS (nervous of Marmotte syndrome)I had an operation three weeks ago and you will pass me on 'the hill' at some point.Enjoy a great day whatever the weather,time,lack of training etc.I am always humbled by the Dutch riders.Rumour has it they train secretly at night in multi-storey car parks.
    Whats the solution? Just pedal faster you baby.

    Summer B,man Team Carbon LE#222
    Winter Alan Top Cross
    All rounder Spec. Allez.
  • gavinbay
    gavinbay Posts: 144
    Where exactly do you all start from in Bourg itself ?

    Just that a couple of us are cycling down from Lautaret having left the van there and we want to avoid you all prior to your 07:00 onwards start as we then go on and do Glandon & Galibier but then at Lautartet go back down to Serre getting the van later.

    It's the heat that does me in too, last year in the Etape was doing well until the last climb when temps went mid 30's got to within 13km of the finish and bailed coming back down!

    So tomorrow finally looks warm, so up early for 100 mls from Worthing up to do some North Downs hills!
    Cycling Routes in the Hautes Alpes Serre Chevalier Briancon
  • jsutty
    jsutty Posts: 27
    Damn, multistorey car parks, why did I not think of that!?

    Yep, tomorrow could be good for acclimatising. See you in the North Downs Gavin (i'll be the red faced one)
  • caledonian1
    caledonian1 Posts: 62
    Dont know where all of you live but here (Aiberdeen) it is forecast to peak at 17C tomorrow so hopefully it will be that on the day too.....

    last year I trained in the cold and pishing rain thinking it would be nothing like that during etape du tour acte 2....to my surprise it was a wee bit like that on the hill tops and i saw several people in foil blankets shivering (not that i found it cold though) I heard many dropped out with the cold all the same.

    training has been fine....trying to do a long ride of over 100 miles every saturday (making this weekend the last one) did the Snow roads at the end of May and at 301km with heaps of climbing (but not as much as Marmotte) it gave me the confidence boost i needed. A stone lighter than last year...well almost.....given up trying to eat carefully now. So hopefully that will help too
  • Marik
    Marik Posts: 40
    Does the 6pm cut-off time apply even if you're end of the queue starting? Too bad if it's the desperados at numbers 7000+ who miss out on vital minutes.
  • ransos1
    ransos1 Posts: 34
    Marik wrote:
    Does the 6pm cut-off time apply even if you're end of the queue starting? Too bad if it's the desperados at numbers 7000+ who miss out on vital minutes.

    Looking at the times recorded for last year, it can't be 6pm unless they've changed it.
  • jsutty
    jsutty Posts: 27
    Sorry to scaremonger...
    I know that there used to be a 6pm cut off time at the BOTTOM of the Alpe. You can still continue after this, but they'll take your timing chip, so you'll only have an unofficial time. So, that's around 10 hours to get to the foot of the Alpe, even for late starters. Should be do-able, right!? RIGHT!?
  • Marik
    Marik Posts: 40
    So how long to get through the start if your number is near end? Could you lose half an hour?? Any chance of creeping up the start line - how strict is control?
  • Tom Butcher
    Tom Butcher Posts: 3,830
    I don't think your number seeds younapart from puttingnyou in one of the three start pens. It doesn't take long to cross the line though so I wouldn't worry. The cut offs are not that tough if you have trained. I would fear a bit for those that haven't or those carrying several stone excess weight simply because of the climbing but for most of us finishing really isn't an issue if we avoid crashes or mechanicals - it's just how fast and how much it's gonna hurt.
    it's a hard life if you don't weaken.
  • The Sooper
    The Sooper Posts: 9
    I had a bad time last year with insufficient fitness plus a mechanical that held me up both at the start and during the event (front derailleur cable snapped inside the shifter and wouldn't budge, lesson learned about pre-servicing the bike). I started amongst the last 100 riders and went across the start line mat at around 0815. In the end I reached the feed station at the bottom of the Alpe at around 1845. As I went to leave at 1900, the marshalls stopped riders in front of me from crossing the timing mat. Others ahead had just sneaked through in front of the cut-off. I was still able to ride on of course, along with others, reaching Alpe D'Huez just before 2100. No time recorded here, in fact my electronic certificate records my time when I reached the bottom and therefore credits me with a Gold time for the event!
  • barrybridges
    barrybridges Posts: 420
    From previous experience, they are pretty brutal about it - pulling you over and cutting your timing chip off. Some try and dodge/weave past them but it's difficult to do so.

    10 hours sounds like a lot of time...but believe me it's not!
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    Yet on their youtube video that fella who looks just about ready to passout comes in at 12:47
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • The Sooper
    The Sooper Posts: 9
    itboffin wrote:
    Yet on their youtube video that fella who looks just about ready to passout comes in at 12:47

    As I say, last year they started stripping timing chips at the cut-off at the bottom of the Alpe at around 7pm.

    If you crossed the start line at say 0745, and dipped past the cut off before 7pm (don't assume this time will apply this year, because I think the instructions say 1815 for the cut off) and then took a further 2 hours to climb the Alpe, you'd have recorded a time of 13hrs 15min, minus the nullified descent from The Glandon.
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    In case the rest of you haven't seen the recent flooding problems in the Pyrenees its looking pretty bad, I dont know yet if this is effecting the Alps in the same way but right now some of the premier mountain stages in July look at risk.

    Hopefully the worst is over and not too much more damage will be caused. Terrible just terrible.
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • gingermagician
    gingermagician Posts: 326
    What's happening in the Pyrenees at the moment is horrendous. Bareges has been hit awfully according to reports - a large chunk of the town has basically been washed away, apparently.

    I was riding for a week with some clubmates in the valley that runs south from Lourdes a couple of weeks ago and the snow was pretty backed up even then - weather was great for the first time in a while and the rivers were raging. Obviously the consistently warm weather plus some rain has now combined into a 'perfect storm' scenario.

    Hopefully all will be well in the Alps, but really feel for everyone down there in the south...
  • gavinbay
    gavinbay Posts: 144
    Just been speaking to my mate a mountain guide in La Grave, just down from the Col du Lauraret, last three days 37 degrees and today chucking it down big time, such are the mountains.

    Flooding tends to happen far lower down in the valleys as the melt waters run down - Bareges (I was there back end of Jan trying to ski but too much snow at times) is still quite low down but in quite a tight valley and there the river would have no where to go apart from burst its banks, also Cautart is bad as well, and then even lower down, worst still, Loudes itself, plus remember the Pyrenees had more snow this year than anywhere else in the world !

    Famous last words but should not be an issue for the Marmotte, though have to acknowledge I'm no expert on the Maurienne valley, but it is far wider than the likes of Bareges.

    Did 165km yesterday tackling the likes of Barhatch and Whitedown some of the steepest and toughest hills in South of England in what I thought was warm temps, then you hear that it was 37 degrees in the Alps ! And yesterday a lot of my ride was in the shade, in the mountains once you're above the tree line there is no shade even on North facing slopes :(

    Strava track log http://app.strava.com/activities/61427307



    And literally this email just came in from some friends who have a hotel in La Grave and I do their website.

    Also have to chase some dutch clients that left this morning who did sent me pictures of them on the top of the galibier with tons of snow, but haven't received them in our inbox yet (sent from their phone while I was watching...weird...). The Galibier is now open, as of yesterday evening 18h00
    Cycling Routes in the Hautes Alpes Serre Chevalier Briancon
  • manxshred
    manxshred Posts: 295
    Does the Marmotte have live internet tracking of the timing?
  • airwise
    airwise Posts: 248
    GavinBay wrote:
    Famous last words but should not be an issue for the Marmotte, though have to acknowledge I'm no expert on the Maurienne valley, but it is far wider than the likes of Bareges.

    The melt water is almost at the same level as the road on the way from the Lauteret to Bourg. It's due to snow on the Galibier this weekend.
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    Unbelievable the amount of destruction

    http://t.co/KyLGb5Ha1u
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • gavinbay
    gavinbay Posts: 144
    airwise wrote:
    The melt water is almost at the same level as the road on the way from the Lauteret to Bourg. It's due to snow on the Galibier this weekend.

    Don't quite agree with that statement, the road from Lautaret to Bourg is well above the Romanche river most of the way, the only possible area that they are worried about is about 3km below La Grave where if it were to flood it could be an issue.

    They also have two artificial damned lakes to contain & control the melt water as well !!!!!

    I do know this area rather well, have an apartment 16km from Lautartet and spend a lot of time out there, though to be sure when I was there from March to beginning of May there were avalanches and slides in areas that usually are very safe, and one never can really trust weather and conditions in the mountains!

    This is a great little vid from Davidof who posts on here when they did Galibier on the day it opened
    http://youtu.be/p6GKMOgb0Og
    Cycling Routes in the Hautes Alpes Serre Chevalier Briancon
  • airwise
    airwise Posts: 248
    I'm only saying what I saw. I drove it three days ago as I have many times. I've never seen the water that high in all my years.
  • gavinbay
    gavinbay Posts: 144
    airwise wrote:
    I'm only saying what I saw. I drove it three days ago as I have many times. I've never seen the water that high in all my years.

    But where are you "alluding" to?

    The river only runs along the road for a few kms below La Grave at Les Freaux, and that is what I mentioned as being the only possible place.

    Sorry I'm being pedantic but you do infer that the road from Lauraret runs all along the river which it simply does not!!

    This is a picture of my mate crossing said river couple of years ago after we ski down off the Girosse Glacier and tackle the big couloir(s) Girosse and Orcierre ending up down near the Grand Clot tunnel.

    P1040669.jpg

    Anyway I'll let you know when I drive out next weekend - they have the Galibier closed to traffic Thurs 4th July 09-12:00 and the Izoard on the Tuesday - so some good warms up, though I'll pass on the Granon on the Friday as that is brutal and I'll leave that to another day as I'm out there for seven weeks :lol:
    Cycling Routes in the Hautes Alpes Serre Chevalier Briancon
  • airwise
    airwise Posts: 248
    Right.

    WHERE THE WATER RUNS ALONGSIDE THE ROAD, it was really high earlier this week.

    How's that?

    Granon is a pussy really. It's France afterall. Still, there's no traffic on it at anytime so being closed is a bit of a waste isn't it?
  • gavinbay
    gavinbay Posts: 144
    This is the full list of Cols Reserve if out a week before

    But with the Marmotte on Sat maybe a good idea to taper, so don't aim to do them all, such as the Granon on Friday :)

    Though good for acclimatisation !!

    Montez en toute sécurité les cols des Hautes-Alpes

    Les Cols Réservés est un évènement organisé depuis 1997 par le Comité Départemental du Tourisme, en partenariat avec le Conseil Général des Hautes-Alpes, qui propose aux cyclistes sur route de monter les cols des Hautes-Alpes en toute sécurité, c’est à dire sans véhicules motorisés.

    Lundi 1er juillet de 9h à 12h : Col Agnel
    Mardi 2 juillet de 9h à 12h : Col d’Izoard (fantastic to approach from the Queyras side through the Casse deserte)
    Mercredi 3 juillet de 9h à 12h : Col de l’Echelle
    Jeudi 4 juillet de 9h à 12h : : Col du Galibier
    Vendredi 5 juillet de 9h à 12h : Col du Granon

    And if your legs are ok on the Sunday there is the Luc Alphand sportive
    http://www.cyclo-lucalphand.com/accueil.php?lang=en
    Cycling Routes in the Hautes Alpes Serre Chevalier Briancon

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