Marmotte 2014
Comments
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hypster wrote: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.
How did you get on in the King of the Downs? The weather was awesome, and I had a great day out. A mate who was local extended our ride by taking us up an extra climb of Leith, and and extra up Ranmore, so we clocked 130 miles. The first loop was good, as none of the climbs were too typically British, but the the second loop, and notably Yorks Hill, although good fun, was definitely not transferable training for a few hours at 5-10%! Average speed was good, felt ok throughout, and I'm feeling a little more confident about La Marmotte.0 -
I also did KOTD. Good ride & nice weather! I think climbs like 'The Wall' replicate the steeper sections at the top of the Galibier & the start of the Glandon, & of course the beginning of The Alpe. If you can sit in & tap out in comfort on gradients on The Wall & some of the others, it bodes well. Just glad there will be nothing like White Lane or Yorks Hill on the Marmotte!! I'm doing the Dragon Ride on Sunday which will have more alpine like climbs to get a nice rythhm on.0
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I noted the gradient on The Wall at the time, and meant to go back and check my stats on Strava - thanks for the reminder. You may call me names for this, but I fitted my 12-30T cassette for the first time for this ride, and I used the 27 and 30 a couple of times (including on the wall), but in doing so, I remained seated (except on the daft hills), and kept my cadence up. On that usage, I'll be keeping it on until after La Marmotte, although I fancy swapping another ring out for an 11T for La Marmotte - I need to pick which one.
I'm also doing the Dragon on Sunday and was hoping for a day like last year, although the forecast doesn't look too good. Rule #5.0 -
Not long now. How is everyone's training going?
I haven't had the best last few weeks (colds, stomach bug and the IOM TT), but am still feeling pretty good.0 -
Not too bad, took a while to recover from Dragon Ride so didn't do a whole pile last 2 weeks, going to give the Wiggle Long one a go this weekend - if there are any other Marmotte entrants there and you would like to join me please PM me as I'm solo, I'm aiming to complete Wiggle in 8 hours or just over. After that I'm just going to do some sub 1 hour blasts perhaps on the Turbo to "sharpen the saw"0
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I'm feeling in pretty good shape & the form is certainly there for me. I have kept on top of my training & have focussed on not much else, so I feel ready. Just a matter of keeping the form there til the day, & staying healthy!0
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The signs are not good - headset bearing's suddenly seized, two broken spokes in 2 weeks and a hub needing a rebuild.
Might just hide under the duvet until it's all over :?0 -
mf123456 wrote:hypster wrote: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.
How did you get on in the King of the Downs? The weather was awesome, and I had a great day out. A mate who was local extended our ride by taking us up an extra climb of Leith, and and extra up Ranmore, so we clocked 130 miles. The first loop was good, as none of the climbs were too typically British, but the the second loop, and notably Yorks Hill, although good fun, was definitely not transferable training for a few hours at 5-10%! Average speed was good, felt ok throughout, and I'm feeling a little more confident about La Marmotte.
We all finished quite comfortably and good form for the Marmotte. We sent our two Goldies off ahead in a faster moving group and they managed a total time of 6:45 and that was including missing a turn at one point so they did an extra 3 miles. The Silvers came in a couple of hours later but we had a problem with one of the group's brake levers and was stopped for over 30 minutes trying to sort that out. Hopefully that is fixed now for the big event but you never know, anything can happen.
We've been doing 100+ mile weekend rides including sportives like the KotD for a couple of months now and another couple of midweek ride and are feeling quite upbeat about the Marmotte. Less than two weeks to go now and the excitement is starting to build. Anything but rain will suit us!0 -
Hypster - you probably already know but if you are doing Ventoux make sure you take in the Gorge du Nesque road - descend to Sault and then back towards Bedoin along the minor road on the north side of the gorge.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0
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DeVlaeminck wrote:Hypster - you probably already know but if you are doing Ventoux make sure you take in the Gorge du Nesque road - descend to Sault and then back towards Bedoin along the minor road on the north side of the gorge.
I suffer from acrophobia i.e. fear of heights. I have ridden on a road opposite the Gorge du Neque to Sault with a friend who knows the area and recommended I avoided the Gorge road because of my phobia. We started at Bedoin and rode round to Sault and did the Ventoux ascent that day and it was around 40 deg C at the time!
I know people who have recommended that ride but having looked at it on Google Maps road view I don't think I would make it round. Thanks for the heads up anyway.0 -
I'm also planning a route for Sunday morning as I will be in Alpe d'Huez till Monday morning.
I'm thinking of down the Alpe, across the valley to the Col d'Ornon, then maybe take the D210/D219 back down to Bourge d'Oisans, then back up the Alpe.
Does anyone know what the D210 road is like as there isn't much info out there on it.0 -
On Sunday morning a couple of nice routes for you;
1. La Berarde from Alpe d'Huez - This is an out and back dead end but it takes you into the heart of the mountains and is well worth it - http://www.mapmyride.com/fr/vaulnaveys- ... -285227979
2. La Morte and Ornon loop - http://www.mapmyride.com/so/beledweyne- ... te-75538740 -
hypster wrote:We all finished quite comfortably and good form for the Marmotte. We sent our two Goldies off ahead in a faster moving group and they managed a total time of 6:45 and that was including missing a turn at one point so they did an extra 3 miles. The Silvers came in a couple of hours later but we had a problem with one of the group's brake levers and was stopped for over 30 minutes trying to sort that out. Hopefully that is fixed now for the big event but you never know, anything can happen.
Similar here. We were happy with a moving time of 7:45, but we clocked up an hour of stops including a mechanical like yourselves. The faster riders seem to keep stops down to less than 10 mins for the whole day, but we only managed 1 quick feed stop, the others not so fast - something to improve on. Also, have to allow for the obligatory photo on top of Galibier :-)
Anyone know how a 140 mile Dragon compares to La Marmotte? I know the climbing is much less, but it is an extra 30 miles. Either way, I'm feeling positive as I was still riding strong at the end.0 -
mf123456 wrote:hypster wrote:We all finished quite comfortably and good form for the Marmotte. We sent our two Goldies off ahead in a faster moving group and they managed a total time of 6:45 and that was including missing a turn at one point so they did an extra 3 miles. The Silvers came in a couple of hours later but we had a problem with one of the group's brake levers and was stopped for over 30 minutes trying to sort that out. Hopefully that is fixed now for the big event but you never know, anything can happen.
Similar here. We were happy with a moving time of 7:45, but we clocked up an hour of stops including a mechanical like yourselves. The faster riders seem to keep stops down to less than 10 mins for the whole day, but we only managed 1 quick feed stop, the others not so fast - something to improve on. Also, have to allow for the obligatory photo on top of Galibier :-)
Anyone know how a 140 mile Dragon compares to La Marmotte? I know the climbing is much less, but it is an extra 30 miles. Either way, I'm feeling positive as I was still riding strong at the end.
Yes I was also wondering this. I finished on 08:05 moving time on the Dragon, 06:58 on the KOTD, 07:15 on the Fred Whitton & 06:50 on the Wiggle Long One. Pretty pleased with all those times but still daunted by the amount of climbing to do & the long drag across the Maurienne Valley to the Telegraph which will really sap energy. Oh well, just gotta give it a real go & see what happens I guess! Looking forward to it any way, & at least we can be thankful for decent road surfaces!!0 -
nunowoolmez wrote:mf123456 wrote:hypster wrote:We all finished quite comfortably and good form for the Marmotte. We sent our two Goldies off ahead in a faster moving group and they managed a total time of 6:45 and that was including missing a turn at one point so they did an extra 3 miles. The Silvers came in a couple of hours later but we had a problem with one of the group's brake levers and was stopped for over 30 minutes trying to sort that out. Hopefully that is fixed now for the big event but you never know, anything can happen.
Similar here. We were happy with a moving time of 7:45, but we clocked up an hour of stops including a mechanical like yourselves. The faster riders seem to keep stops down to less than 10 mins for the whole day, but we only managed 1 quick feed stop, the others not so fast - something to improve on. Also, have to allow for the obligatory photo on top of Galibier :-)
Anyone know how a 140 mile Dragon compares to La Marmotte? I know the climbing is much less, but it is an extra 30 miles. Either way, I'm feeling positive as I was still riding strong at the end.
Yes I was also wondering this. I finished on 08:05 moving time on the Dragon, 06:58 on the KOTD, 07:15 on the Fred Whitton & 06:50 on the Wiggle Long One. Pretty pleased with all those times but still daunted by the amount of climbing to do & the long drag across the Maurienne Valley to the Telegraph which will really sap energy. Oh well, just gotta give it a real go & see what happens I guess! Looking forward to it any way, & at least we can be thankful for decent road surfaces!!
Not done the Dragon Ride but have done the Fred and The Marmotte and I thought the Fred was harder. Less climbing but it's so steep it drains you mentally, and the descents are so hard you don't get to rest. That said, when I did the Fred (2013) the weather was pretty horrendous.
Those times above are very good, and as long as you pace it right and fuel up OK you'll have no problems. Though judging by the number of people cramping up last year you might be advised to bring some Zero tabs if it's going to be warm.0 -
Last year the Fred took me 20 minutes less than the Marmotte - plus you've got the neutralised descent of the Glandon to add on to that too so given that they are a similar distance I'd say the Marmotte is a harder event. My Fred time was about the same as yours nuno if that gives you some kind of guide what you might do in the Marmotte.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0
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DeVlaeminck wrote:Last year the Fred took me 20 minutes less than the Marmotte - plus you've got the neutralised descent of the Glandon to add on to that too so given that they are a similar distance I'd say the Marmotte is a harder event. My Fred time was about the same as yours nuno if that gives you some kind of guide what you might do in the Marmotte.
Based on this, an assumption of 30 mins down Glandon, and hypsters set of times, the Marmotte could be very similar to the Dragon in timing. That's very encouraging, as that would put me well ahead of my silver medal target. I guess there are plenty of variables on any given day though, riding in groups, temperature/weather, and having to tackle ADH as the last part of the day rather than a trundle through Port Talbot.
Speaking of medal times, are these accurate?
http://www.sportcommunication.info/web2010/epreuve2.php?langue=2&trophee=128
They sound lower than previous years that people talk about, is that because the Glandon descent isn't included?0 -
Thanks DeVlaeminck & Shmooster, reassuring words there. I think I will be ok if I am sensible about it & not get carried away...0
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mf123456 wrote:Speaking of medal times, are these accurate?
http://www.sportcommunication.info/web2010/epreuve2.php?langue=2&trophee=128
They sound lower than previous years that people talk about, is that because the Glandon descent isn't included?
I'm assuming that is the case. Don't forget though the route changed some years ago, it used to go over the Croix de Fer and down the descent there when I last rode the Marmotte in 2001. They changed the route due to road works on the Croix de Fer descent I believe and never went back. I think the Croix de Fer descent is more hazardous as well which may well have been another reason for not changing back to the original route.
The change has also had the effect of lengthening the route a bit from the bottom of the Glandon descent to the bottom of the Telegraphe i.e the Maurienne valley section.0 -
I don't know if anyone will find this useful or not but I created a spreadsheet of target medal times for the main sections of the Marmotte. It's just factored from one guy's 2008 times that I found in a document I downloaded called marmotte guide.pdf. If you Google "Marmotte guide pdf" you should find it if you are interested.
The medal times at the bottom of each column are the ones from the official Marmotte website.
I'm 58 years old and in group F and will be taping a cut-down copy of my times to the top of my stem to let me know if I am on schedule at each section point. I'm aiming for a comfortable Silver medal rather than trying to kill myself going for Gold.
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Looking at the 2009 Marmotte info sheet (funny the things you keep), gold times were reduced by 36 mins and silver times by 44 mins to account for the untimed Glandon descent.
And they also chopped a bit off the top of l'Alpe d'Huez. It used to finish higher, in the same place as the Tour, but now turns off to the sports centre.0 -
Great info - I'll be taking those times with me, and tearing them off my bike when I realise I'm nowhere near them at the top of Galibier.hypster wrote:I don't know if anyone will find this useful or not but I created a spreadsheet of target medal times for the main sections of the Marmotte. It's just factored from one guy's 2008 times that I found in a document I downloaded called marmotte guide.pdf. If you Google "Marmotte guide pdf" you should find it if you are interested. Cheers. 0 -
hypster wrote:I don't know if anyone will find this useful or not but I created a spreadsheet of target medal times for the main sections of the Marmotte. It's just factored from one guy's 2008 times that I found in a document I downloaded called marmotte guide.pdf. If you Google "Marmotte guide pdf" you should find it if you are interested.
Fantastic document - thanks
Best of luck next week!0 -
mf123456 wrote:
Great info - I'll be taking those times with me, and tearing them off my bike when I realise I'm nowhere near them at the top of Galibier.hypster wrote:I don't know if anyone will find this useful or not but I created a spreadsheet of target medal times for the main sections of the Marmotte. It's just factored from one guy's 2008 times that I found in a document I downloaded called marmotte guide.pdf. If you Google "Marmotte guide pdf" you should find it if you are interested. Cheers.
One thing anyone using my chart needs to make allowances for is the untimed Glandon descent. If you leave your computer timer/Garmin running then your will effectively have that period of time in hand. Alternatively stop your computer timer on the descent.
Best of luck to everyone and have a great ride.0 -
Chaps, my boss has just said I can have his entry. First, do I have to change the entry to my name, and if you do, how do I (if at all)?
Thanks!0 -
ollie51 wrote:Chaps, my boss has just said I can have his entry. First, do I have to change the entry to my name, and if you do, how do I (if at all)?
Thanks!
Assuming you are not trolling. This is from Sports Communication's web site:Echanges ou achats de dossards. Danger!
Dans la “course” à tout prix pour obtenir un dossard pour La Marmotte et malgré la fermeture des inscriptions, certains se voient proposer (ou sollicitent même) des dossards à n’importe quelles conditions, voir des dossards fictifs par des individus indélicats.
Nous rappelons que les échanges ou rachats de dossards entre concurrents sont interdits et ne seront pas pris en compte pour participer à l’épreuve. Aucun changement de nom ou de titulaire ne sera effectué.
Même en cas en désistement ou d’impossibilité.
Avec un triple risque :
pour celui qui a effectué un tel paiement, l’impossibilité de pouvoir participer sous son propre nom et d’ avoir ses résultats.
celui de ne pas être reconnu victime en cas d’accident provoqué par un tiers.
pour celui qui a ‘cédé’ son dossard, le risque d’être mis en cause, en cas d’accident provoqué par le nouveau porteur du dossard et donc de voir sa responsabilité engagée. (un dossard=un nom)
Seules les inscriptions directement enregistrées sur notre site ou auprès de nos Tour-opérateurs et partenaires officiels seront validées.
En effet, il ne s’agit pas d’un simple “transfert” de nom ou d’état-civil !
Les dossards sont personnels, nominatifs, ne sont ni échangeables, ni remboursables, ni cessibles et notamment pour des raisons de:
responsabilité juridique
assurance RC,
contrôle des licences et certificat médicaux,
adhésion personnelle au règles et règlement de l’épreuve et de l’Engagement Cyclo Durable,
attribution dans les vagues de départ selon les résultats établis,
responsabilité vis a vis du titulaire officiel du dossard, et des tiers,
reliquat ou solde de paiement à effectuer,
invalidité ou inexistence réelle du dossard,
revente d’un même dossard à plusieurs concurrents,
responsabilité et contrôle fédéral (suspensions, exclusions pour dopages ou autres motifs disciplinaires).
From the regulations that you agree to when you enter:REGLEMENT CYCLOSPORTIVES ET GRAND TROPHEE
Article 5 : ASSURANCES
Responsabilité Civile : Les organisateurs ont souscrit un contrat qui couvre leur Responsabilité Civile ainsi que celle des participants engagés, pour les dommages matériels ou corporels qu'ils pourraient causer accidentellement à des tiers ou se causer entre eux. Elle ne prend effet que sur l'itinéraire officiel et pendant la durée de l'épreuve, pour des participants régulièrement inscrits et contrôlés au départ et jusqu'à l'arrivée, les feuilles de pointage des contrôleurs officiels ou tapis de chronométrage faisant seule foi.
Article 13 : L'inscription est personnelle, et irrévocable. Elle ne peut être ni échangée, ni cédée, ni remboursée. Cette inscription donne droit à l'attribution nominative chronologique d'un numéro de dossard. Les participants inscrits après la date limite partiront en fin de peloton. Les dossards prioritaires sont attribués par l'organisateur dans la limite des places disponibles. Les inscriptions par Internet bénéficient du délai légal de réflexion et donc de rétractation de 7 jours (LRAR)."an original thinker… the intellectual heir of Galileo and Einstein… suspicious of orthodoxy - any orthodoxy… He relishes all forms of ontological argument": jane90.0 -
ollie51 wrote:Chaps, my boss has just said I can have his entry. First, do I have to change the entry to my name, and if you do, how do I (if at all)?
Thanks!
You can't, you either have to ride in his name (as has been pointed out before probably invalidates any insurance the event has if you crash) or wait til next year. It might be worth asking them nicely though they can only say no - you could offer to pay them again for the entry they are a business after all.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
For those riding the Marmotte next week, a couple of entries that I saved from Dave Lloyd's old website. A warning, as if it were needed, not to under-estimate the Marmotte!
LA MARMOTTE ... DAVE'S STORY
15-07-2007
The Galibier
I had begun my "rebirth" as a cyclist about 2 years ago in the winter of 2005, when Sportactive asked me to coach at their prestigious Training Camp in Majorca with Sean Kelly. I had been keeping fit and was delighted to accept their offer. I realised I needed to get "bike fit" again , however, and got stuck into some serious training. Well, I loved it and realised how much I had missed the bike. I got reasonably fit for the Camp and when I was there everyone was commenting on how fit I was, how well I was climbing and descending, and why didn't I race again. I came home with great morale and , although I didn't want to race again, I really needed something competitive to get my teeth into. I had heard of something they called "Sportives". These seemed an ideal way to channel my new found enthusiasm, so I enetered a couple. Well, what an eye opener ... I LOVED them and I have ridden over 20 events since that that first one. I know they aren't supposed to be races, but, come on, they can be competitive up at the front. I was always well placed, time wise, and was fastest in quite a few. So I started to look for a bigger challenge and La Marmotte seemed to fit the bill. This went over the Croix de Fer/ Glandon, the Telegraph, Galibier and the Alpe d'Hez to finish. All climbs I had ridden as a pro and climbs that suited me really well... Or so I thought!
So the plan began in 2006 and I was going to ride it then, but problems with my car on the way to the airport forced me to miss it. No worries, I would make this my main aim for 2007 and really get in great shape for the ultimate challenge. I got big miles in on my favourite Welsh climbs and was getting stronger and stronger. The UK Sportives were hard, but I was flying in them by now.. "Bring on La Marmotte"! The hotel was booked and 4 of my athletes were going to join me for the 2007 "campaign". Now, gear choice wasn't a problem as I had been climbing the side of houses on my 39/25. I had had a special light Carbon bike made to measure and built by Terry Dolan and all was in place for me to storm the event! Some people were questioning my choice of gear, but, come on... I had ridden every Sportive on this gear and I had been over these climbs when I was a 24 year old Pro with TI Raleigh and in those days I only had a 42/25 or similar. It was no problem then , so what's the big deal?
The day soon arrived and Wayne Girdlestone flew out with me to Geneva where we were to get a hire car to take us to our hotel at the top of the Alpe d'Huez. Here we would catch up with my other athletes, Rich Chapman, Jane Kilmartin and Graham Hindle. We arrived the day before the event in order to register and recce the Alpe. To this end Wayne and I rode down the Alpe, did a short ride on the flat and then back up the Alpe to see how the bikes were and to check the gears etc. My gear seemed ideal, and I was climbing like ten men. The scene was set, and the weather, although a bit iffy the day before was forecast to be beautiful for La Marmotte day!... GREAT!
The big day dawned and indeed the weather was fantastic. We made last preperations, got our kit sorted, food and drink on board and descended the Alpe d'Huez for the start. I was lucky to get a great start number of 255 out of 8,000 starters, so I would be at the front of the event. My first misgivings were when I looked at the top riders at the front on the start line! Most were on compact chainsets or even triples. What was this all about? You don't need gears like that for a 107 mile blast over four climbs. OK, there were 18,000 feet to be negotiated, but that would be a doddle on 39/25 surely!? We were due to start at 7am and as soon as the start hooter went it was bedlam. The front guys were down the road at 35 miles per hour and racing for the foot of the Croix de Fer/ Glandon. I stayed with the pace and we were soon on the first climb. The group disintegrated very quickly and I was at the front of affairs. I was climbing with ease and topped the Glandon in the front group. The descent of the Glandon was a bitch. It was so technical and dangerous.. No wonder two guys were killed on this last year I thought! But I decended well and after a short respite in the valley, we were on the Telegraph/ Galibier climbs. By this time , I was beginning to notice just how damn hot it was, but I was drinking and eating and all seemed to be working fine and dandy. I sailed up the Telegraph, catching some more riders who had "escaped" on the flat after the Glandon. Now we were on the Galibier and the start was really shallow and easy, although VERY hot. I wasn't stopping at any feed stations as I had enough to get me to the finish on board. All was looking great.
As I was getting further up the climb, it was baking and the last 6 kilometres were REALLY steep. I was beginning to find 39/25 a tad heavy, but, no matter. I was sitting down and occasionally getting out of the saddle on the steepest parts to keep the momentum going. No-one had passed me on the Galibier and as I got to 1 K to go, I looked at my watch and realised a time well within 7 hours was easily do-able. After this monster , all I had to do was fly down the descent and then rip up L'Aple d'Huez... I was 150 metres from the top of the Galibier now and feeling fine... THEN, what's this? Without any prior warning I got full on cramp in both my Quads and could not turn another pedal. I was devastated! How was this happening? Some one pushed me over the top and I couldn't get rid of the cramp! I spent the whole of the Galibier descent stretching my Quads and freewheeling. I lost SO much time and the cramp wouldn't go away. People were catching me hand over fist and my morale was taking a severe hammering. Eventually my legs did ease off a bit and on the flat to the Alpe, I came around a bit. I got into a group and worked well with them. I now had the Alpe d'Huez hanging over me like my worst nightmare, as I knew I was going to cramp again. Still, I started the climb on the 39/25, sittting down and getting into a slow, but manageable rhythm. More riders were passing me and , by now I was counting down the kilometres and corners to the top. My legs were OK , but I wasn't even breathing heavily and I was SO disappointed. Then with 5 k's to go, BANG, it happened again. Full on cramp in both Quads. I had to get off this time and stretch my Quads. The thought occured that I was going to have to walk the last 5 k's to the top. NO WAY ! I got back on the bike , and to stop the cramp occuring again , I rode the rest of the climb out of the saddle and eventually crossed the line in a time of 7.28.39. I have never been so relieved to see a finish line as the one on top of L'Alpe d'Huez. I was completely shattered and very disappointed with my ride. I had thought a ride inside 7 hours would have been a piece of cake for the "great" Dave Lloyd.
After a while I came around and wasn't so hard on myself. I had made a BIG mistake. I thought I was the "old" Dave Lloyd, when,as a 24 year old pro, I would have flown over that course with absolutely no problem at all. But, I'm NOT 24 years old any more. I am 58 years old and 39/25 is just much too high a gear to get through that course at my age. I also found out after the event that the temperature on the day had been 39 degrees. Nothing can prepare you for that! THAT WAS MY REALITY CHECK !!
But, am I downhearted? No way, I will be back next year with my Compact chainset installed and that 7 hours will be blitzed.. I may be an old fart now, but there are still challenges, and I will NOT be beaten. I just have to realise I am not 24 years old any more and use a gear I can handle next time. The good thing is ... THERE WILL BE A NEXT TIME, and I am loooking forward to it already!
LA MARMOTTE (TAKE 2!)
I’m nervous ! It’s 4.30AM on July the 4th 2009 and here I am in an apartment at the top of the L’Alpe D’Huez about to wake my buddy Steve Henson who has come with me as a Marmotte “virgin” to ride probably the most prestigious Sportive in the World, and I’M NERVOUS ! How ridiculous is that? I’m practically 60 years old and I rode this thing two years ago and made lots of mistakes and now I’m back for a second try to get under the “magic” 7 hours and I’m nervous!!
I first rode this crazy event in 2007 and I got cramp, big style, on the Galibier which ruined my ride, and put paid to any hope I had of breaking seven hours, which is the target I had set myself. It was my own fault, as I’d overgeared and the temperatures were in the low 40’s and I can’t function at those temperatures. But it had been a lesson in realising I wasn’t the 25 year old super climber I used to be and I just had to make allowances for my age at some point in my life!
I had hoped to come back in 2008 and “blitz” seven hours, which I knew was within my capabilities if everything was in my favour and the heat wasn’t so intense. BUT, I had one of the most horrendous crashes in my life at my training Camp in Denia in the March of that year and , I started back much too early with my training for the Sportive Season. My injuries were bad with a triple fracture of the Radius and a very bad back injury. I had also lost a stone in weight from the crash Trauma and was in no fit state to ride La Marmotte that year…In fact I was in no state to ride any Sportive that year, even though I did… Typical Dave Lloyd… All or nothing .. 100% or nothing. Why on earth I can’t do as I tell my athletes, which is common sense, I will never know and my long suffering wife, Chris had told me over and over again I was doing far too much without giving my body a chance to heal !! But it’s always a case of do as I say and NOT AS I DO with my coaching. Compulsive obsessive comes to mind !! But I simply love this bike sport of ours and I simply love riding the bike. Even at my age, setting myself targets in the Sportive world gives me immense satisfaction and I still get a huge buzz from a Sportive I know I have ridden to the best of my abilities…..
So, 2008 was pretty much a write off and I spent most of the year trying to put the stone in weight I had lost back on and get myself in good condition for 2009, when I would make La Marmotte the major goal of the year and finally get under that 7 hour “barrier”.. To this end , I had persuaded one of my athletes, Steve Henson to ride it with me. Steve had had a Cancer scare in 2008 and had part of his stomach removed. But he is a tough guy and a great bike rider and was Cancer free now and riding his bike as strongly as ever…(He is also great company, so there was method in my madness too!!). We planned the logistics of our trip, and were going to go out on the Thursday this year, to give us an extra day to acclimatise to the heat and get bedded in at the top of The Alpe. We had booked an apartment right by the finish line and booked the flights and were going to hire a car from Geneva Airport, where we were flying to. Everything was in place…. I had even got myself a brand new bike for the occasion and it was a beauty. A hand built Dimar-HBM with Lightweight Wheels and a Campag 11 speed group set which gave me the 27 sprocket I needed to get me up the Galibier without too much of a struggle.. As I said, I was over geared in 2007 with a 25 sprocket and couldn’t get used to a Compact Chainset, so compromised on the 27 sprocket, which actually worked out really well in the event…. Steve and I had also ridden my Mega Challenge two weeks before La Marmotte and the White Rose Challenge the week before which both proved IDEAL preparation….
So, on Thursday the 2nd of July, off we flew from Liverpool first thing in the morning and got into Geneva at around 9am… We had no real difficulty in hiring a small people carrier to get both our bikes and our suit cases in, and off we went to L’Alpe d’Huez. The apartment took a bit of finding and we had to then hire linen for the beds and go to the Supermarket to get stores for the two days and for the all important breakfast for the morning of La Marmotte…
Steve was just blown away by the scenery and the Alpe itself and just couldn’t wait to get out on the bikes and ride up this legendary climb.. Off we went down the Alpe , into the valley with spectacular views all around. It really is a stunning place and Steve was agog… We probably went too far, but you tend to get carried away with the place a bit and we decided to turn round when we realised we had been out for a long time, and retrace back up the Alpe and back to our apartment… I was amazed by how many Brits were out there and how many recognised me.. Shouting “Come on Lloydy” and such like !! One of my athletes (Bart Glover) over from Ireland passed by on the climb in his hired four by four with his wife and he shouted encouragement.. I heard him say to his wife “ Just look at that guy go, and he’s not even breathing heavy!!” I must say, I still get a buzz from little things like that and it makes me feel hugely thankful that I was blessed with some talent to excel at something I love!! So the first day came to an end and I got a call from a very old friend of mine from Sweden (Hakan Persson) who invited us out for a meal that evening, so we had a very pleasant end to the day with a nice meal and great company and talking BIKES!!
The Friday dawned with beautiful blue skies and , as usual, I was up EARLY, much to Steve’s disbelief ( he said something like that anyway!!) and cups of tea were made and consumed. A nice breakfast was had and we were out on those bikes again… On reflection, perhaps we did a little too much on this day before the big event, but we both got carried away with the beauty of the area and Steve had worked out a route he wanted to try. I guess we were out for 3 ½ hours altogether and not going too hard, although you always have to finish up the L’Alpe, and the temptation to push on up there is always a problem, as there are so many other riders around you.. YOU DO TEND TO GET CARRIED AWAY !! Anyway, we really enjoyed the ride and we rested in the afternoon and prepared our bikes for the next day at our leisure.. We again had a meal with Hakan and his wife in the evening and the day flew by… We were in bed early after preparing our OH! so important drinks and food for the following day and getting all the clothing etc. we would need and sorted for the “battle” to follow the next morning. Sleep didn’t come that easily for me for some reason.. I had a read and eventually, after calling Chris for the fourth time that day (no wonder my phone bills are ridiculous!) I fell soundly asleep..
And so the day of La Marmotte dawned, and looking out of my window at 4am, I couldn’t see a cloud in the sky and knew it was going to be yet another scortcher… DAMN!! ….. Still, nothing you can do about the weather Dave, just get on with it…. I woke Steve at 4.30 am, (much to his disgust) and we ate a hearty breakfast and took on plenty of electrolytes and prepared for the 12 Kilometre (cold) descent down to Bourg d’Oisans for the 7 am start. I had a very old Dave Lloyd wet top I could discard at the bottom of the climb if I needed to and Steve took a Gilet with him. All the food was placed in the back pockets, a final bike check and a hand shake as we probably wouldn’t see much of each other after the descent as we had different starting “pens”. So, everything was ready and we began the descent (along with 7,000 others) down to the start. The first thing I noticed is that it was nowhere near as cold as 2007 on that descent and I was beginning to worry that the heat was going to prove a problem yet again….
I did my usual kamikaze descent, just to get me in the mood as it’s a VERY safe descent down to Bourg. I also knew I’d need the descending practice as there are some right idiot descenders in the Marmotte, who put their lives (and those around them) at risk… IN A SPORTIVE ??? A final “all the best” to Steve, who had followed my wheel down the mountain and we went to find our starting “pens”.. I had a great start number at 231 and was at the front of the “race”, as I was in 2007.. I knew they would be starting like nutters again and had vowed that this year I would let them get on with it and just save myself for the first climb (The Glandon)… I was lined up with the rest of the “fast men” and someone called to me from the side of the road.. It was an old guy I see on some of my training rides in the Wirral.. We had a chat and he offered to take my wet top from me and let me have it back when he returned home.. That was a bit of good luck and saved me losing my top which I certainly wasn’t going to carry around with me all day.. That’s always somewhat of a problem at that time of the morning.. The descent off the L’Alpe is really cold and you need to have something warm on your chest. You see all sorts of different means to this end.. Bin bags and Gilets and I saw one guy in a full polythene “body bag”… Very odd ! But it’s really important that you keep your chest warm on what is at least a 20 minute, freezing cold descent…
The time to the start was fast approaching, and again, I was feeling nervous. I did have a sort of game plan this year. I was not going to start as fast as two years ago and using my lower gears, I was going to try to spin a bit more up the Glandon and the Galibier and have a something left for the L’Alpe. Anyway, too late to think any more, because.. WE’RE OFF !! Sure enough, they are starting like their lives depended on it and I’m just not going to get involved this year and I can see the front of the group in one long spearhead, flying towards the first of the major climbs, The Glandon… I try to stick to my own pace, but just have to move up a little towards the Glandon as I am getting slightly swamped.. So, I get a bit further towards the front and BANG, we are on the lower slopes of the Glandon and it’s mayhem. Riders are missing gears and weaving all over the road as they are stuck in too big a gear.. It’s like a road block and I have to weave and fight my way further forward , otherwise, I think I have made a big mistake letting them get away early on… But I get past the initial blockage and climb the Glandon reasonably well and feel quite good at this point in proceedings… I must be somewhere in the first 100 or so and things feel good.. The temperature is rising very quickly though as last time I had a Gilet on going up this mountain and no way could I wear one this year.. It was getting HOT already…. DAMN !!
The descent of the Glandon is a bloody nightmare.. It’s dangerous and the field are still packed together and the “idiots” are out in force, trying to descend like Fabian Cancellara with one quarter of the ability to do so.. CRAZY!! I descend at my own pace, which is fast, but I may live to see another day…. The bottom of the climb is even more dangerous as the roads are now open and guys are coming past me on the wrong side of the road on blind bends. Can a Sportive be worth dying for? The answer to some is obviously YES!! I am very relieved to get to the bottom of this brute of a descent and the group reforms and some order is restored.. It’s a big group and they are working well together and all thinking about the next big climb of the Telegraph, followed in quick succession by the Galibier.. MY NEMESIS ! The group is being herded by police outriders and we all keep to the right hand side of the road and things settle down into a good rhythm but the speed is very high.. That’s good as we are probably making some good time on the rest of the field and things will be getting spread out a bit. Things are thus stabilized for a while and then suddenly we are on the Telegraph and the group explodes to bits as the “real” climbers put the pressure on, big style.. I am climbing pretty well and holding my place, but I am not feeling particularly brilliant and I actually make an unscheduled stop at a feed station near the bottom of the Telegraph to take on a bottle of water.. I am starting to feel tired and the legs aren’t working like they should at this point in proceedings… I AM GOING THROUGH A BAD PATCH…. I get over the Telegraph and on the flat bit of road now leading to the Galibier, Hakan Persson catches me and I feel the heat burning me and I start to feel really crap.. I shouldn’t be feeling this bad this early and Hakan shouldn’t have caught me. My morale takes a beating and the sun is outrageously hot.. I am frying (it’s 42 degrees) and Hakan keeps looking round to see if he’s dropping me…..No chance Hakan, I don’t give in that easily. I throw the bottle of water I picked up on the Telegraph over my head and I feel myself picking it up a bit. We are now on the Galibier for real and the road just gets steeper and steeper.. The gear feels fine, but I can still feel twinges of cramp coming on… NOT AGAIN SURELY… but they disappear as soon as they start, as I’ve taken loads of electrolytes and I start to come round.. I try to get into a good rhythm and I overtake Hakan and start to climb the top section of the Galibier much better than the last time I did it.. I AM COMING ROUND !! I am now in a good climbing rhythm and I pick the pace up over the top of the Galibier and don’t stop at the feed station. I have got plenty of food and a full bottle of electrolytes on the bike… But, I really need a pee.. In fact I’m bursting for one all of a sudden… No problem, there’s nobody about at the top of the descent, so the old Pro trick of peeing on the bike stands me I good stead and what a relief that is… No time lost and you can’t beat a good pee when you’re bursting!! Now I can concentrate on getting down the Galibier as fast as I possibly can. I think only two riders come past me on the descent, so that’s good! I also feel a lot better than I did at the start of the Galibier and my morale starts to pick up again.
On the flat after the Galibier, I get into a smashing little group of about 10 riders and we are going through and off at a cracking pace. I now feel really good and am doing my share of the work and things are Hunky Dory.. I had forgotten how far it was to the bottom of the Alpe d’Huez from the bottom of the Galibier, but I knew the roads were good and fast, and looking at my Garmin, I thought a sub 7 hour ride was looking do-able.. All depending on how far it was to Bourg d’Oisans… THEN… catastrophe !! The group I was in came up to a long traffic jam, caused by a huge articulated lorry, with a trailor and then two busses behind that and then a huge string of cars. The roads were good, but very twisty and turny and lots of badly lit tunnels to get through. BUGGER! was the thought I had.. There was no way we were going to get past this lot, doing about 15 MPH when we were up to the high 30’s. The group, however had other ideas and in a long line passed the jam going through a badly lit tunnel on the wrong side of the road.. Completely suicidal . There was no way I was going to follow them, no way. I thought about Chris and Holly and what Chris would be saying (It’s a SPORTIVE!!!!!!) so I let them go and just waited for a safe place to pass. The lorry actually pulled over eventually and let everyone pass, and that was my opportunity to get past the whole queue… But I was now by myself and no way was I going to catch the group. I had lost a lot of time and felt the morale slipping again. I had no idea how far it was to Bourg and I could feel the 7 hour barrier slipping away from me. I kept the pace high though and then a big group caught me all working together really well. As soon as this happened I saw the 20 Kilo to go banner. I checked the time again and realised 7 hours wasn’t do-able. The heat was getting to me again and I was thirsty and a bit “crampy”. I decided to work with these guys as far as the bottom of the L’Alpe where I hoped there was a feed station to take on more fluid. We worked well together and we were soon at the base of the L’Alpe and, thank goodness, there WAS a feed station… I dived into it and got two bottles filled to the top and dashed back to the road and prepared for the final climb up the L’Alpe d’Huez…
The heat was furious yet again , and it was bloody WINDY to add to my woes. This was going to be a really hard climb. “Get into a rhythm” Dave and ignore whatever else is happening.. It’s just you and the L’Alpe now, so flipping concentrate… I was again on the verge of cramp, but nothing came of it. But it was just so hot I couldn’t give it 100% . I can’t function properly in that sort of heat and although my breathing was fine, my legs weren’t responding at all well to the climb. It was now just a battle of wills. I was going to fight and fight until I got to the top of this thing and I just HAD to beat 7 ½ hours, otherwise I would be unconsolable. I was burning up, but thank goodness there were some great people on the climb and I was handed up three bottles of water at intervals up the mountain at different spots, which I just poured over my head trying to get my core temperature down a tad…I was fighting and fighting and trying as hard as I possibly could, but the climb seemed to last for ever. I was catching a lot of guys on the way up though and only two guys caught me, which I took to be a good sign. With 5 K’s to go, I got another bottle of water, tipped it over my head, had a another swig from my own bottle and tried to give it a bit more.
With 1 kilometre to go, I saw it was touch and go if I made it a sub 7 ½ hour ride, so I just stuck it in the big ring and sprinted like a mad man to the finish.. I was amazed just how much I had left in my screaming legs. Had I paced it right, had I taken it too easy in places? Why was I so full of energy now, and not before ?… Just an adrenalin rush I guess ? I don’t know.. All I know is that I was so pleased to see that finishing line and I had done a 7.28.10 on my Garmin, which was confirmed by the clock over the finishing gantry. I had broken the 7 ½ hour barrier! Not only that, I had won my age category and was the fastest 60 year old ever to ride La Marmotte. It was great to be on the Podium again after 25 years away from competition. I KNOW it’s not a race, but try telling that to the competitors in La Marmotte!!! It’s an addictive “race” and you always say “never again” and mean it for about 3 seconds, and then you start thinking of all the places you could have made up time, all the places you lost time… All the “ifs” and “buts”…….
So another Marmotte was over and my mate Steve had done a great 8.52 on his first try. We are already making plans to come back in 2010 and this time I WILL get under that 7 hours (maybe???) … Whatever, we will be lining up on that start line next year, just as nervous and just as keen to do a GREAT LA MARMOTTE!
BRING IT ON !!
Dave Lloyd 12.07.09"an original thinker… the intellectual heir of Galileo and Einstein… suspicious of orthodoxy - any orthodoxy… He relishes all forms of ontological argument": jane90.0 -
Thanks guys, my French isn't good but riding the actual event sounds like a bad idea. I'm going to head over to Bourg, but not ride the event. May start later in the day or something, I know the area well so I can cope.0
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Weather is looking pretty bleak for this. The whole week looks like rain & thunderstorms! Very disappointed :-( It's now going to make this a much harder & more miserable test. *sighs & goes to get wet weather gear out...0
