Clothing for la Marmotte

forestnot1

Hi guys,

I'm riding la Marmotte next weekend. I'm looking for some advice as to what clothing I should wear for the event.

Looking at some forecasts looks like should be dry and fairly warm except for the climbs which look like will be cold and possibly wet.

Obviously clothing choices will be important as don't want to too much or too little so advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

forestnot1

Hi guys,

I'm riding la Marmotte next weekend. I'm looking for some advice as to what clothing I should wear for the event.

Looking at some forecasts looks like should be dry and fairly warm except for the climbs which look like will be cold and possibly wet.

Obviously clothing choices will be important as don't want to too much or too little so advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

DiscoBoy

Sounds to me like SS jersey with a gilet and arm warmers weather.

RichiePortly

I rode the Etape in 2012 and will be again this year, and I plan to take a waterproof gilet and arm warmers, along with either glove liners or long finger gloves for the descents. Although it gets colder as you climb, your effort should keep you mostly warm, and on the way down you need protection from the chill of travelling at 35mph+! Once you get to the bottom of the descent it will be warmer and you can take off the warmers and gilet.

DeVlaeminck

Take a good range of stuff to France so you are prepared and make your choice the day before when the forecast should be pretty reliable. If it's nailed on hot then a packable rain jacket as insurance is enough. Assuming you do some climbs in the lead up to the event that'll give you a feel for the temperatures at the tops of the passes - it can still be shorts and t-shirt weather on top of the Galibier on a hot day. On a cold and wet day of course you will want full winter gear - I think it was the etape a few years ago where people had to be rescued because of cold weather on the Galibier.

caledonian1

I would agree with DeVlaeminck...no harm taking all possibly sets of clothing to France and deciding the night before what to carry. I would say a gillet and arm warmers would typically be sufficient.
I did Marmotte last year and it was a horrible experience for me in the heat....think it was around 39C in the valleys...so much so I was really dehydrated and ill...got medical attention on Galibier and finally gave up at the foot of the Alpe and made my way to first aid again.

I also did Etape Du Tour in the Pyrenees in 2012 and it was a lot colder...but gillet and arm warmers were enough...however I think 2000 out of 5,900 starters did not finish due to the cold on the Cols....I only knew it was that cold when I saw people shivering in foil blankets at the bottom of Tourmalet....I had trained in incredibly similar conditions on the Lecht, Gairnsheil and Glenshee

Seeing mixed forecasts at this stage...personally I want cool and to be honest quite like the rain as it is so refreshing

hypster

It may be a cliche but you can literally get four seasons in one day in those mountains even at this time of year. I'm doing the Marmotte again this year as well and the last time I did it in 2001 there was snow piled quite high at the side of the road at the top of the Galibier even though it was 30 degrees in the valleys. I think from memory some stages of the TdF have been cancelled or shortened in the recent past over the Galibier due to snow falling at the pass.

I'm out there for a couple of days before the race so will see what the general weather is like and weather forecast for the day before making any final decisions about clothing. If the weather looks reasonable I will probably wear a short sleeve jersey with arm warmers first thing and either a thin gilet or a thin rain jacket depending on whether rain is a possibility.

It is quite likely you will be sweaty on the climbs but the wind chill factor on the long, fast descents can be quite severe so it's preferable to carry something to put on at the top of the climbs. The best advice is to use thin layers that you can take off if things do get a bit hot or even put back on if the weather goes the other way!

The early start is liable to be a bit chilly and some people go to the start covered in a bin liner that they rip off and discard once they get going. I guess this is useful if you are staying in Alpe d'Huez and have the descent to get to the start.

Good luck and have a great ride.

charlie_potatoes

Got back a couple of days ago. There is still some snow on Galibier but not much.
I wore short sleeve and took a thin rain jacket for the descents.
We had one rainy day on Madeleine but it wasn't overly cold.

aw1808

I rode the marmotte route 2 weeks ago . It was roasting hot and 35c climbing the telegraph and the Tarmac was melting and then 4c at the top of the galibier with a hail storm and thunder and lightning and rain.

I took a lightweight jacket that packed up and full length gloves for the descents . Others in our group took arm warmers and gilet . I was a bit cold descending the galibier in the rain but soon warmed up and bearable .

I wish I had taken knee and arm warmers with a gilet instead but long gloves was the best thing I took.

lee_d_m

If it's anything like last year you won't need a lot. The only time I was cold was waiting to start, and within 10 minutes of starting the arm warmers were off. It was baking even at the top of Galibier and I remember wishing that the warm wind on the descent was just a bit cooler so I could cool down.

I surely hope it's a bit cooler this year. But as others have said, just take everything with you and watch the forecasts as you get closer to the day.

term1te

I road the Glandon and Alpe last week, it was hot, 35C most of the way up the Alpe. That said, when I did the Marmotte a few years back there was a fair bit of snow at the top of the Galibier and the later riders got soaked by a thunder storm, but the Alpe d'Huez was at least 35C. I used a mid-weight short sleeve top with arm warmers and packed a light weight gilet (which I didn't use). I'd look at the weather forecast the day before and decide then. There could be a lot of standing around at the start in the cold morning air, a lot of people were wearing plastic bin-liners, which they ditched just before the start. Good luck and enjoy the views.

stueys

aw1808 wrote:

I rode the marmotte route 2 weeks ago . It was roasting hot and 35c climbing the telegraph and the Tarmac was melting and then 4c at the top of the galibier with a hail storm and thunder and lightning and rain.

I took a lightweight jacket that packed up and full length gloves for the descents . Others in our group took arm warmers and gilet . I was a bit cold descending the galibier in the rain but soon warmed up and bearable .

I wish I had taken knee and arm warmers with a gilet instead but long gloves was the best thing I took.

We must have ridden the same day! Harley Davidson's coming up Telegraph?

Wide range of weather, I had a very light wind jacket with arm warmers and was freezing for the first 10k coming off the Galibier. Knee warmers would have been nice but they would only have been used for that 10k, so probably the right choice clothes wise.

cougie

I've been in July when the tour skipped the telegraphe and galibier due to the awful conditions.
Gilet and armwarmers sound a good idea but at least travel with extra kit just to give you options if the weather turns.

hatone

You definitely need to come fully prepared, no doubt.

If it's anything like today's La Vaujany event weather, it would be a very miserable experience... Driving rain and streams of water running the down mountain... Lots of people as pulled out as a result.

BenderRodriguez

Latest forecast for Borg D'Oisans on Saturday is 9 -17 degrees with scattered storms (which will be most likely in the afternoon) and a 60% chance of rain. Friday and Sunday are much the same, so there is a good chance the weather won't be too good. Come prepared!