Marmotte with no entry

ddraver

Yo

Me and my buddy planned 2 weeks in France, MTBing and Roading around the Alps. We had planned to do the Marmotte Route on the middle weekend. We had to shift the dates however and by pure chance we that middle weekend is now the same as the actual event. We could do it on a different day but it throws the schedule out and also we can see the benefit of having some groups to ride with on the valley floors

Obviously we would not use the feed stops and (more concerningly) the blood wagon but if we were to ride it that day, would we be allowed? On the last RVV sportive there were people throwing people off the route at certain points but those were on the cobbled climbs that arent usual roads.

What do you reckon?

JoostG

If it is like this, than just ride. It is an open road, and can't see why you shouldn't use it. You don't use the services of the organization, so no need to pay for it. Personally I would ride somewhere else, as I want to enjoy a good ride in the mountains without any hassle (discussions with competitors, organization etc) besides getting up and down.

fenix

I've never been interested in the Marmotte - its a bit of a jolly for Mamils and as such their bike handling might not be the best. Much rather do the same ride on a quiet day.

itboffin

Terrible terrible bike handling I'd avoid if I wasn't already signed up

DeVlaeminck

I've done it 4 times and admit I think it's a great day in the saddle - probably the best I've had in 14 odd years of being into the sport. The whole point of doing it is that 7000 odd are doing it at the same time - I love going out on my own or in a small group too but I can do that any of the other 365 days this year.

nunowoolmez

I did it a couple of years ago & loved it. It really depends on how you want to approach it. If you want to take a steady, non time pressured, easy approach to it so you can enjoy the ride with your mate, avoid doing it event day!

If you want to experience the day as an event & really go for it, with all the other riders etc, you will probably still enjoy it, but you need to be prepared. Will you have enough food? Where will you get it? Where will you stop for water (do you know where the free water taps are across the route)?

I would disagree with some of the comments above though, it isn't your average Sportive, & so from my memory the calibre of rider was pretty good.

You will always have the Mamil element, but you will have those on all these things. I think there is an implied respect for this event so the level of rider is better than average. Just my opinion. I don't know, I didn't really hang around long enough to know any better!

You mainly just need to allow extra caution on the descents where people's handling will be exposed & will pose most risk.

As long as you are prepared for a tough day in the saddle & know you have the strength for it, just go for it & enjoy it!

Remember there is no Wagon to rescue you if you get into trouble!

Grifteruk

I wouldn't see an issue in riding the roads at the same time other than the crowds of other riders being both a help and a hindrance.

If the desire is to avoid what others describe as the MAMIL element and/or poor riding habits I'd think about starting off a bit earlier than the main event and getting some way onto the route before the Marmotte riders start to catch you up. Could be potential to get the benefit in the valley from faster riders or quality chaingangs but avoid the massive groups of slower paced riders which would traditionally be at the back end of the peloton.

buckmulligan

I'm sure this will start a whole bunch of wailing, but I've heard of people offering legitimate spots for sale (although there's no legitimate transfer of places) around Le Bourg d'Oisans in the week leading up to race weekend. If you ask around, you can probably get yourself a number, save yourself any confrontation and ease your guilt in partaking of the food stations etc.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are marshalls out to stop people banditing the event, especially seeing as certain parts are run on closed roads. I believe Alpe d'Huez is closed to traffic until the evening so you might run into trouble there if you don't have a number.

Bobbinogs

Yepp, to be fair to the OP he appears not to be looking for a consensus on the merits of the Marmotte, more a case of saying "Can I ride without formal entry". On some events this is possible (open road marshalls can be fairly chilled) but on other events it is clear that any interlopers will be actively removed. An open road event is impossible to police but I thought the Marmotte was closed roads so it is their rules, but how strictly do they enforce them?

nunowoolmez

The Marmotte is on open roads.

Traffic was almost non existent on the climbs, there was a bit more on the valley road maybe. The most I remember was on the long descent after Galibier & up to the Alpe, still not much tho.

My point to the OP was if he is intending to ride on event day & not use feed/water stops, he & his mate will need to know where he can replicate these. Ie know where the water taps are along the route & where he can get food (shops, cafes etc).

This will obviously apply even if he isn't riding on event day of course lol!

itboffin

There are no closed roads and more traffic on ADH than you'd expect on such a well known event day.

DeVlaeminck

Alpe D'Huez is meant to be closed now but it isn't - on a bike you will have absolutely no fear of being stopped number or no number.

hypster

I've done it a couple of times and if I were there on the day without an entry and wanted to ride I would. There's no way you're going to be prevented from riding the route and even if an official did challenge me I'd ignore him. When I did it a couple of years ago it was quite hot and there were 3 extra water stops not on the official list so I'm not sure if they were provided by the organisers or not.

Personally I'd have no qualms about stopping at any of the feed stops for water if I needed it, it's only water after all. There are several free taps along the route as well if you don't want to stop at the feed stations and shops as well were you can get food and/or water.

mamba80

What if everyone did this? they d be no event.
at the National HC there was some dxxk who rode past the next rider off and went up the climb, yep its open roads but he just got in the way and ignored pleas not to do so, i guess it shows peoples sense of entitlement rather than showing some responsibility.

Personally, its one day of the year, the area is huge, so plenty of other places to ride or mtb - loads of effort goes into providing food and water stops, so i d avoid out of respect for the event and its organisation and what if you wre involved in an accident?

phreak

mamba80 wrote:

What if everyone did this? they d be no event.
at the National HC there was some dxxk who rode past the next rider off and went up the climb, yep its open roads but he just got in the way and ignored pleas not to do so, i guess it shows peoples sense of entitlement rather than showing some responsibility.

Personally, its one day of the year, the area is huge, so plenty of other places to ride or mtb - loads of effort goes into providing food and water stops, so i d avoid out of respect for the event and its organisation and what if you wre involved in an accident?

I agree with this. Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should.

nicklong

I've done the Marmotte twice and both times I've come across riders cycling the route in both directions, and thought nothing of it. What if you were based in St Jean de Maurienne and doing a ride which took in the Galibier? Or riding from Bourg to les 2 Alpes?

The only parts I'd think twice about would be the Départ from Bourg d'Oisans in the morning - maybe start a bit further up the road and get an hour ahead of the Marmotte starters. Or base yourself in Valloire and do the same route but starting / finishing up the Galibier?

Eebijeebi

Sad to see the term 'MAMIL' used on a cycling forum associating the term with being less adept or less deserving to be on the open road. Smacks of elitism.

andcp

mamba80 wrote:

What if everyone did this? they d be no event.
at the National HC there was some dxxk who rode past the next rider off and went up the climb, yep its open roads but he just got in the way and ignored pleas not to do so, i guess it shows peoples sense of entitlement rather than showing some responsibility.

Personally, its one day of the year, the area is huge, so plenty of other places to ride or mtb - loads of effort goes into providing food and water stops, so i d avoid out of respect for the event and its organisation and what if you wre involved in an accident?

they won't do that a this years National HC - we're getting the road closed

fenix

Eebijeebi wrote:

Sad to see the term 'MAMIL' used on a cycling forum associating the term with being less adept or less deserving to be on the open road. Smacks of elitism.

Maybe I should have said novices or beginners?

hypster

mamba80 wrote:

What if everyone did this? they d be no event.

Yeah, like 7000 people are all going to blag the entry and do the Marmotte on the same day. Get real.

hypster

Eebijeebi wrote:

Sad to see the term 'MAMIL' used on a cycling forum associating the term with being less adept or less deserving to be on the open road. Smacks of elitism.

Why do you assume MAMILs are less adept? All the MAMILs I ride with have at least 30 years experience each on a bike. I don't think I can be a MAMIL anymore because I turned 60 last year so I am strictly a SOGIL. We were probably riding bikes before a lot of the young whippersnappers were a glint in the milkman's eye.

I don't like the term MAMIL anyway, it is generally used by lazy people with a distinct lack of imagination who think it's highly witty and probably don't even ride a bike.

DeVlaeminck

Eebijeebi wrote:

Sad to see the term 'MAMIL' used on a cycling forum associating the term with being less adept or less deserving to be on the open road. Smacks of elitism.

I think it's largely self deprecating in that it's mainly mamils who use the term - I don't have a problem with it.

Eebijeebi

hypster wrote:

Eebijeebi wrote:

Sad to see the term 'MAMIL' used on a cycling forum associating the term with being less adept or less deserving to be on the open road. Smacks of elitism.

Why do you assume MAMILs are less adept? All the MAMILs I ride with have at least 30 years experience each on a bike. I don't think I can be a MAMIL anymore because I turned 60 last year so I am strictly a SOGIL. We were probably riding bikes before a lot of the young whippersnappers were a glint in the milkman's eye.

I don't like the term MAMIL anyway, it is generally used by lazy people with a distinct lack of imagination who think it's highly witty and probably don't even ride a bike.

Not me old chap, I was objecting to this -
' its a bit of a jolly for Mamils and as such their bike handling might not be the best'.

mamba80

hypster wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

What if everyone did this? they d be no event.

Yeah, like 7000 people are all going to blag the entry and do the Marmotte on the same day. Get real.

So say the number rose to 1000 blagging riders pitching up? this would nt effect the event at all?

Myself and my GF i dont put on RR's (or help at events like DC) any more because of this sense of entitlement that seems to be more and more common, moan moan take take - but never put anything back in, let alone man a water station or hold a flag.
Tbh main concern would be getting involved in an accident, these continentals, can be quick to law.

But you carry on and keep taking.

pinno

Just bung a 4 figure number on your bike. What's the chances of bumping in to number 4765? 1 in 7000? Though I would say using the facilities en route wouldn't be Cricket.

hypster

mamba80 wrote:

So say the number rose to 1000 blagging riders pitching up? this would nt effect the event at all?

That's never going to happen either, I would be surprised if more than 50 riders turned up on the day and rode without paying.

mamba80 wrote:

Myself and my GF i dont put on RR's (or help at events like DC) any more because of this sense of entitlement that seems to be more and more common, moan moan take take - but never put anything back in, let alone man a water station or hold a flag.
Tbh main concern would be getting involved in an accident, these continentals, can be quick to law.

Sounds like you and the girlfriend have now decided to do what you think everyone else does so please drop the "holier-than-thou" attitude. Seriously though, you can hardly compare an event like the Marmotte to a local UK road race. When it comes to legal action if the person isn't riding the Marmotte (just the same roads) where is the difference if they do it on any other day of the year?

mamba80 wrote:

But you carry on and keep taking.

The OP's query was about whether or not it would be OK to ride the public roads while the Marmotte is on. Clearly it is and nobody is talking about taking any advantage of any of the facilities provided by the organisers of such an event so get off of your high horse.

DeVlaeminck

Most people who are riding the Marmotte will be happy to pay the £50 or so for an entry - it's only really people who find themselves in the area and are too late to enter that are going to ride it unofficially.

pinno

I still have no idea why the OP doesn't pay the £50 and do the thing*.

*Unless I missed something about being sold out.

Maybe he's so tight he squeaks when he walks.

ddraver

If he's honest the OP is surprised the thread is still going, he thought it was answered by post 3...

pinno

ddraver wrote:

If he's honest the OP is surprised the thread is still going, he thought it was answered by post 3...

You never know, this could be the next epic on the same scale as:

Helmets
Mechanical doping
Flappity gate
EzyRider and the case of the mysterious disappearing decals
LA, was confidential and
The random speed/distance target.

itboffin

Would be a total bummer if you'd booked accommodation on ADH and lived on a different planet so not aware of the marmotte