Marmotte 2014

hatone

I'm doing the week long Trophee de l'oisans events, which includes the Marmotte. Did the Marmotte in 2012 and was a fun but hard day on the bike. Now back for another attempt - been allocated a 'front pen' start so should help me achieve a sub 7 hr time. Throwing in a Alpine training block next month to test form prior to the races... 8)

mf123456

Its a bit of an unknown for me. I've done some smaller alpine climbs, and only ever 1 or 2 in a day, so I can't even begin to guess how long I'll take. I've got a 30T cassette ready in the garage, and if I have to use it to crawl up Alpe d'Huez, so be it! I am looking forward to it immensely!

manxshred

For those of you doing these crazy times (sub 7:30), what time would you normally do for a 100 miler with about half the climbing(2500m)?

mf123456

@ManxShred - you're a repeat offender - how did you get on last year?

manxshred

I didn't have a bad ride, I just took it too easy. My official time was 10:15.
I took the climbs a bit too easy to the extent that my legs weren't even sore the next day. I also took the descents too easy.
Then on the Alpe, the combination of too much time and the heat meant my head went and I just gave up. Only once I got angry with myself did I get going again and flew up the last half of the climb.

I did a 100 miler the other day with 2500m of climbing in 6:25 hence my question to the fast guys.

GJTheunisse

I'm back for another go this year. Bit of a long shot but is anyone driving from Lyon Aiport to Alpe D'huez on Friday and has any carspace available?

mf123456

ManxShred wrote:

I didn't have a bad ride, I just took it too easy. My official time was 10:15.
I took the climbs a bit too easy to the extent that my legs weren't even sore the next day. I also took the descents too easy.
Then on the Alpe, the combination of too much time and the heat meant my head went and I just gave up. Only once I got angry with myself did I get going again and flew up the last half of the climb.

I did a 100 miler the other day with 2500m of climbing in 6:25 hence my question to the fast guys.

I think I'm in danger of doing the same, but there's no way of gaining true experience of a ride with that amount of steady climbing, at altitude, until I get there, and I think I'd rather take it easy and make it, than implode and not make it up ADH. Equally, silver would be nice for a first attempt...

I did 130 yesterday, solo, 3300m climbing in 8:15. Not too dissimilar in pace to your 100. Quite a few of the hills were stupid 20%ers though, so its not ideal training/comparison.

poweredbyidris

My first, so I have absolutely no idea what pace I can sustain, so likely to just be grinding away very slowly and taking the odd glance at the scenery

mf123456

PoweredByIdris wrote:

My first, so I have absolutely no idea what pace I can sustain, so likely to just be grinding away very slowly and taking the odd glance at the scenery

Cingles du Ventoux sounds like ideal preparation though! Enjoy! With that in the tank, I expect to see you pass me on ADH, if you're not already in front. The best I can do in the coming weeks is King of the North Downs, the Dragon Ride, and a couple more century's.

DeVlaeminck

ManxShred wrote:

For those of you doing these crazy times (sub 7:30), what time would you normally do for a 100 miler with about half the climbing(2500m)?

I'm just over (7.35ish) but I did the Fred Whitton (110?) in 7.15, Flat out in the Fens medium (112 miles) in 5.29 and solo training rides of that distance I'd probably average anything from about 15.5mph to about 18.5mph depending on the terrain as most of mine are in the Peak - the only one I logged an average speed for was round Leicestershire at 17.3mph - but I wouldn't be going flat out on a training ride that long.

To be honest if you are riding 100 miles in 6.20 and feel fairly comfortable then I wouldn't be scared of the Marmotte and don't go into it taking it too easy. You need to be pressing on the pedals a little bit all the way round, looking for fast moving groups to tag onto and even making an effort to do so, if one passes you on a descent make sure you stick with it - you will suffer up the Alpe anyway but if you have your gearing right and have done the prep you will be able to keep turning the pedals. I was knackered from about two thirds of the way up the Galibier but I got over the top without slowing too much, found a big group of Italians to tow me to the Alpe and then you just suffer til you finish.

edit - I'm not averaging 18.5mph solo in the Peak over 100 miles in case it reads that way !

Slo Mo Jones

Is there a broom wagon on the Marmotte?

Roman Schoolboy

Yes... speaking from experience the broom wagon is a nice air conditioned coach...with a trailer behind for a fair number of bikes. I was picked up at Plan Lachat and along with others sat in silence as they took us back to Bourg. I must say that i felt a moral victor of the event that year to get as far as i did..... as i can guarantee that no one had done as little training as i (due to injury) or had drunk as much alcohol the night before (to numb the said injury)..!

Slo Mo Jones

Roman Schoolboy wrote:

Yes... speaking from experience the broom wagon is a nice air conditioned coach...with a trailer behind for a fair number of bikes. I was picked up at Plan Lachat and along with others sat in silence as they took us back to Bourg. I must say that i felt a moral victor of the event that year to get as far as i did..... as i can guarantee that no one had done as little training as i (due to injury) or had drunk as much alcohol the night before (to numb the said injury)..!

That's a shame

I'd like to have a go but I wouldn't be able to complete it inside the time limit at the moment, and don't have the time for proper training.

Roman Schoolboy

I'd def still go for it and wouldn't worry at all about any time limits. Just do your own thing at your own pace and as long as you can get to the top of the Galibier then you can at least get back to Bourg. Riding in La Marmotte is too good an experience to miss....

de_sisti

In 2011 a woman in our club went out for a holiday "at the same time" , and with other club members who rode the Marmotte that year. She joined the route very shortly after the start and finished it in a very reasonable time (9 hrs 45 mins). It was a coincidence that her ride and the Marmotte route clashed on the same day. Well rode, I'd say.

sbbefc

whats the time limit?

BenderRodriguez

sbbefc wrote:

whats the time limit?

You need to get to the bottom of Alpe d'Huez by 6.15 pm, so you have either 10 hours and 25 minutes or 10 hours and 45 minutes to complete the 160 km to this point, depending on whether you started in the second or third group. After this they will collect your chip at the bottom and you can ride up at your own pace, but without getting a recorded time. Last year the last rider to record a time finished in 13 hours and 47 minutes, so they must have taken either 3 hours and 30 minutes or 4 hours to get up the Alpe. The first rider to finish completed the whole course in 5 hours 32...

Looking at the times, the Marmotte does seem to be a bit of an exception to most French 'sportives' in that many of the riders who enter are not particularly fit and are just looking to finish, entering because they see the Marmotte as being 'the event to do'. In some of the other Sports Communications events which cover similar terrain the average standard of the riders entering is much higher, so in something like the Challenge Vercors 70% of the field will be finishing within 2 hours of the time of the fastest rider. In the Marmotte only 10% or so of the entries will manage this. One thing is for sure, as long as you are going around in under 13 hours, you won't want for company!

BenderRodriguez

Roman Schoolboy wrote:

I'd def still go for it and wouldn't worry at all about any time limits. Just do your own thing at your own pace and as long as you can get to the top of the Galibier then you can at least get back to Bourg. Riding in La Marmotte is too good an experience to miss....

Problem is the entries closed 6 months ago. Sure, unregistered riders could still in theory turn up, but there are limits on the numbers of riders for a good reason and if an unregistered rider took me down they certainly wouldn't be riding the next year. In fact they might not yet be walking again by then!

Slo Mo Jones

BenderRodriguez wrote:

Roman Schoolboy wrote:

I'd def still go for it and wouldn't worry at all about any time limits. Just do your own thing at your own pace and as long as you can get to the top of the Galibier then you can at least get back to Bourg. Riding in La Marmotte is too good an experience to miss....

Problem is the entries closed 6 months ago. Sure, unregistered riders could still in theory turn up, but there are limits on the numbers of riders for a good reason and if an unregistered rider took me down they certainly wouldn't be riding the next year. In fact they might not yet be walking again by then!

Why is that?

BenderRodriguez

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

Why is that?

I'll reserve my rights in relation to PSI on that one.

Your earlier post implied that it was OK to 'still go for it', even though the entries closed months ago. Do you always recommend joining in with events that you haven't actually entered? Would you just apply this to cycle 'sportives', or do you think that it would, for example, also be 'OK' to join in with a local road race, or perhaps something like the London Marathon?

Edit. I suppose you might have been referring to the possibility to entering via one of the travel companies that have reserved places. Does anyone know of any company that still has places available, for the benefit of those who might want to take this route?

sbbefc

How much is it? And is there a long waiting list?

BenderRodriguez

sbbefc wrote:

How much is it? And is there a long waiting list?

About 80 Euros, and to enter you just need to be quick off the mark when entries open, usually somewhere around the beginning of December.

http://www.sportcommunication.info/web2 ... rophee=128

Slo Mo Jones

BenderRodriguez wrote:

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

Why is that?

I'll reserve my rights in relation to PSI on that one.

Your earlier post implied that it was OK to 'still go for it', even though the entries closed months ago. Do you always recommend joining in with events that you haven't actually entered? Would you just apply this to cycle 'sportives', or do you think that it would, for example, also be 'OK' to join in with a local road race, or perhaps something like the London Marathon?

Edit. I suppose you might have been referring to the possibility to entering via one of the travel companies that have reserved places. Does anyone know of any company that still has places available, for the benefit of those who might want to take this route?

What are you on about, you spectacular cretin?

None of my posts implied that it was OK to "still go for it" in relation to this year. In fact none of my posts imply it was OK to "still go for it" in any year. I asked a question about the broom wagon on the Marmotte and you've for some reason turned it into a question of unregistered riders and would I run the London Marathon without entering, in what appears to be your entry for bellend of the year. And that's without mentioning your cringeworthy threat of violence.

el_vino

Does anyone know if my provisional race licence that comes with my British Cycling Membership will be sufficient or whether I need a full licence (instead of a medical certificate)

stanthomas

It seems the principle they apply is: if you needed a medical in the last 12 months to get the licence, the licence is accepted. Best thing to do is send it off now (scan and e-mail) and then there's time to do something else if Sport Communication decline it.

BenderRodriguez

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

None of my posts implied that it was OK to "still go for it" in relation to this year. In fact none of my posts imply it was OK to "still go for it" in any year.

Ah! Fair enough, I was thinking of Roman Schoolboy's reply to your original post, and things got crossed somehow.

As to 'threats of violence', take a chill pill! I would certainly feel like inflicting violence on someone who took me out in crash and who wasn't registered but I was joking!

By the way, if you truly couldn't get yourself to the foot of the Alpe by 6.15 pm then your pseudonym is very well chosen!

hypster

I'm in with five mates and we've rented an apartment for a week in Oz en Oisans. We've hired a big minibus and are driving down on the Thursday before to give us a day or so to recover from the journey. Three of us did the Marmotte in 2001 and we've all been training hard for the last six months. Two of our group are younger and fitter so are looking to get a Gold medal but I will be happy to get a Silver.

We're out there for a week and will be driving down and doing the Ventoux on the following Monday and then another couple of climbing days in the Marmotte area.

We're hoping to do the King of the Downs ride next weekend (weather permitting) as our final practice sportive before the big event.

Roman Schoolboy

BenderRodriguez wrote:

Slo Mo Jones wrote:

None of my posts implied that it was OK to "still go for it" in relation to this year. In fact none of my posts imply it was OK to "still go for it" in any year.

Ah! Fair enough, I was thinking of Roman Schoolboy's reply to your original post, and things got crossed somehow.

As to 'threats of violence', take a chill pill! I would certainly feel like inflicting violence on someone who took me out in crash and who wasn't registered but I was joking!

By the way, if you truly couldn't get yourself to the foot of the Alpe by 6.15 pm then your pseudonym is very well chosen!

I had assumed that the poster had already entered La Marmotte and was having second thoughts... hence my advice to still "go for it".....

BenderRodriguez

Roman Schoolboy wrote:

BenderRodriguez wrote:

I had assumed that the poster had already entered La Marmotte and was having second thoughts... hence my advice to still "go for it".....

Fair enough! Unfortunately, there are plenty of people around who seem to see nothing wrong with just 'joining in' with the event. See the post immediately after yours for just one example from this thread.

I would tend to agree that anyone who has an entry should start, even if their fitness is not what they would ideally want it to be. As I said, even if you are taking 13 hours to get round you will not be on your own!

By the way, you said earlier that you were picked up by the 'sag wagon' on Plan Lachat, which is just before where the hardest climbing on the Galibier starts (at 1980m of the 2642m). What time was this? Do I take it that it was at a time that meant reaching Borg d'Oisans before 6.15 pm was an impossibility, or were riders just choosing to get in the bus because they had had enough?

Roman Schoolboy

BenderRodriguez wrote:

Roman Schoolboy wrote:

BenderRodriguez wrote:

I had assumed that the poster had already entered La Marmotte and was having second thoughts... hence my advice to still "go for it".....

Fair enough! Unfortunately, there are plenty of people around who seem to see nothing wrong with just 'joining in' with the event. See the post immediately after yours for just one example from this thread.

I would tend to agree that anyone who has an entry should start, even if their fitness is not what they would ideally want it to be. As I said, even if you are taking 13 hours to get round you will not be on your own!

By the way, you said earlier that you were picked up by the 'sag wagon' on Plan Lachat, which is just before where the hardest climbing on the Galibier starts (at 1980m of the 2642m). What time was this? Do I take it that it was at a time that meant reaching Borg d'Oisans before 6.15 pm was an impossibility, or were riders just choosing to get in the bus because they had had enough?

When i climbed in to "the wagon" at Plan Lachat i was at the back of the race amongst a few stragglers. We were informed that it was the "last wagon" making pick ups and even if i had got up The Galibier there was no way I would have made the 6-15pm cut off. I had only done about 200 miles of training due to a back injury and so had had about 6/7 pints the night before with my cycling mate as we thought WTF... we're on holiday we'll just give it a bash... and what will be will be. He got in a wagon at the base of The Telegraphe but i decided to plough on.... About 2k's before Plan Lachat i was so tired that i just climbed off the bike... laid down in the grass and went to sleep... only to be awoken god knows how long later by a French Red Cross bloke in an ambulance asking if i was Ok. I assured them in my finest stiff upper lip british accent that everything was fine and sent them on their way... I then climbed back on the bike and made it to Plan Lachat.... where it did finally dawn on me that i was being silly and had no choice but to climb aboard that last wagon. I had completed the previous year in just under 10 hours which made it a lot easier to accept such glorious failure.... Quite what i was doing climbing off... and going to sleep half way up the Galibier god only knows (luckily it was warm) ....but still raises a chuckle when i think about it...... In comparison i reckon it must be pretty boring to just whizz round the course in 6 hours...!!