Sportive on the Stelvio
Comments
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Roman Schoolboy wrote:On the website it says you must have a license to do the long route... Is this true ?
Yes, it is true, but it was just a process of going through British Cycling and paying a nominal fee. I e-mailed the membership number over and nobody asked for proof on the day.0 -
nunowoolmez wrote:I am off to the Alps for 2 weeks next month with the intention to climb all the classic tour Cols. This will my first time out there so it will be like going into uncharted territory for me, specifically with the sheer length of the climbs. The closest I have come is the climbs featured on the Dragon Ride, but I know they are still small in comparison! I have been slogging my butt off with training & got in plenty of ton or ton plus rides with lots of climbing & have got myself down to 66kg, so I feel I am prepared (ish).
Next year it will the Marmotte & the Santini.
Anyone done both this & the Marmotte? Which is tougher? Or the same?
fear not, you'll love the climbs in the Alps - its true the big ones dwarf anything on the dragon but its not a bad introduction, and that weight will help a lot (I'm 72kg on a good day..)
did the marmotte 2 years ago as my first ever 'big' european sportive, that was tough (just pipped under the gold time so not abad effort) but I'd never been out to the alps before so it was a real eye-opener....they are quite different in that the marmotte has 3 HC climbs plus the telegraphe (cat 1 IIRC) for good measure, its longer (108M approx and more climbing (5,000m) so on paper its def tougher than the Santini (a shade over 90M and 4,000m climbing). But you don't have anything nearly as steep as the mortirolo (or even the Teglio..) on the marmotte and mentally the stelvio was super tough as you know you've got a long, long climb to the finish after a tough slog back up the valley to Bormio. Having said that, doing the Alpe in 34 C wasn't a picnic either !! For me the Santini was tougher but I'm a couple of years older, a few kgs heavier and had surgery on my spine 6 months ago so wasn't anywhere near the same kind of fitness as 2 years ago.
They are also quite different in that the marmotte is a big, big field (3,000+?) so there's always others around to get in a group with on the flat or a wheel to latch onto on the climbs, which helps (apart from the absolute chaos at the feed stations atop the glandon..) but it can get a bit 'hairy' on the descents (esp the Glandon, even though it is neutralised). One of the great things about the Marmotte was the support up the Alpe and the big cheers as you go past the bars as you enter the town. You'll get none of that at 2,500m up the stelvio, unless you count the "bravos" from the riders speeding past you on the descent from the finish....
The Santini only had 800 riders this year and only 220 approx did the long route so it could get pretty lonely on the way back to Bormio (and tough going into a headwind for 30Km on your own - luckily I worked with a mate) and going up the Stelvio it def got really strung out with large gaps (100m+) between riders, so I would say its mentally tougher.
Both are great events, doing the Santini first will set you up well for a good Marmotte.0 -
dommyd wrote:nunowoolmez wrote:I am off to the Alps for 2 weeks next month with the intention to climb all the classic tour Cols. This will my first time out there so it will be like going into uncharted territory for me, specifically with the sheer length of the climbs. The closest I have come is the climbs featured on the Dragon Ride, but I know they are still small in comparison! I have been slogging my butt off with training & got in plenty of ton or ton plus rides with lots of climbing & have got myself down to 66kg, so I feel I am prepared (ish).
Next year it will the Marmotte & the Santini.
Anyone done both this & the Marmotte? Which is tougher? Or the same?
fear not, you'll love the climbs in the Alps - its true the big ones dwarf anything on the dragon but its not a bad introduction, and that weight will help a lot (I'm 72kg on a good day..)
did the marmotte 2 years ago as my first ever 'big' european sportive, that was tough (just pipped under the gold time so not abad effort) but I'd never been out to the alps before so it was a real eye-opener....they are quite different in that the marmotte has 3 HC climbs plus the telegraphe (cat 1 IIRC) for good measure, its longer (108M approx and more climbing (5,000m) so on paper its def tougher than the Santini (a shade over 90M and 4,000m climbing). But you don't have anything nearly as steep as the mortirolo (or even the Teglio..) on the marmotte and mentally the stelvio was super tough as you know you've got a long, long climb to the finish after a tough slog back up the valley to Bormio. Having said that, doing the Alpe in 34 C wasn't a picnic either !! For me the Santini was tougher but I'm a couple of years older, a few kgs heavier and had surgery on my spine 6 months ago so wasn't anywhere near the same kind of fitness as 2 years ago.
They are also quite different in that the marmotte is a big, big field (3,000+?) so there's always others around to get in a group with on the flat or a wheel to latch onto on the climbs, which helps (apart from the absolute chaos at the feed stations atop the glandon..) but it can get a bit 'hairy' on the descents (esp the Glandon, even though it is neutralised). One of the great things about the Marmotte was the support up the Alpe and the big cheers as you go past the bars as you enter the town. You'll get none of that at 2,500m up the stelvio, unless you count the "bravos" from the riders speeding past you on the descent from the finish....
The Santini only had 800 riders this year and only 220 approx did the long route so it could get pretty lonely on the way back to Bormio (and tough going into a headwind for 30Km on your own - luckily I worked with a mate) and going up the Stelvio it def got really strung out with large gaps (100m+) between riders, so I would say its mentally tougher.
Both are great events, doing the Santini first will set you up well for a good Marmotte.
Thanks for this. Really useful comments! I think I will be ok, but I wish we had some decent long climbs (longer than in Wales), which we could practice on!0 -
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