Grimpée Cycliste Morzine

larkim

Anyone done this? Thinking about taking part as I'm in Les gets over that weekend, but I'm by no means a proficient roadie. I can average 18mph on an undulating route covering 25-30 miles though. Will 860m of climbing over 15k in the Alps kill me?

(Going by the pictures on the website, I ought to be fine though!)

https://www.morznet.com/events/morzine- ... imb-683317

Dorset_Boy

Go for it.
Have you ridden in the Alps before? It's all about finding your own pace & rythym.
Assuming it goes up the main road and not the Lac Montriond / Lindarets route, then it's not a hard climb, but disconcertingly the hairpins flatten out rather than being steeper than the linking inclines.
Hope it's warmer and dryer at the top than when i rode it on 13th July - 3 degrees at the top and it snowed there that night!

larkim

Cheers, seems a fun thing to have a go at whilst on holiday with the kids.

No, I've not ridden in the Alps before, but I have tried to go for a run there (at 2300m) and got about 200m before I ran out of oxygen! Hopefully with a week of acclimatisation and slightly less altitude I can minimise that aspect at least. Worst comes to the worst and I can take a few breaks on the way up.

I was also thinking of riding down from Les Gets effectively this year's TDF route and then up Joue Plan but think that might be over-estimating my ability and desire to hurt!

davidof

larkim wrote:

Anyone done this? Thinking about taking part as I'm in Les gets over that weekend, but I'm by no means a proficient roadie. I can average 18mph on an undulating route covering 25-30 miles though. Will 860m of climbing over 15k in the Alps kill me?

(Going by the pictures on the website, I ought to be fine though!)

https://www.morznet.com/events/morzine- ... imb-683317

\

On the Morznet website? Morznet is just some website that copies and pastes news items. I wouldn't go too much on their pictures.

The Grimpée is a proper bike race, much like the autumn hill climbs organized by bike clubs in the UK. You will have to check the entry requirements if you haven't already done so. Nearly all require a medical certificate. This is what I found for the Morzine event

Tous les concurrents devront fournir une licence ainsi qu'un certificat médical de non contre-indication à la pratique du cyclisme.

but it would be unusual to have to show a license and a medical cert, normally one or the other is good enough.

The French sometimes run their hill climbs as proper time trials but it is more usual for them to be mass start events. You then find a group you are comfortable with. I think this is the case with this event. The first bunch of riders will probably be climbing at 1500 meters /hour, near pro speeds but you should find a more normal pace nearer the back.

I'm surprised Hinault's time has not been bettered. There are some local amateurs (as well as pros) who would be capable of it. A Micheal Gallego for example.

https://www.strava.com/segments/720259

larkim

Ah, thanks for the forewarning! Perhaps something to research a little more, on the Morznet website it looked more like a novice friendly sportive. Glad I asked, and thanks for the comprehensive answer.

davidof

larkim wrote:

Ah, thanks for the forewarning! Perhaps something to research a little more, on the Morznet website it looked more like a novice friendly sportive. Glad I asked, and thanks for the comprehensive answer.

Send an email to the Tourist Office.

The times seem to range from 38 minutes for the climb to over an hour. I would have thought anyone reasonably fit could do it in a hour or thereabouts.

Valedoc44

More info on this link (P6 et seq)

http://www.avoriaz.com/sites/avoriaz.co ... ais_md.pdf

larkim

Opted for avoiding the race and instead rode solo from Les Gets, up the Route D'Avoriaz main track and then down via Lindarets to meet the family at the lake. Given I'd not ridden a climb beyond 5km before that was enough of a challenge! Took just over an hour deliberately taking it steady as I was riding into the unknown for me.

Glad I didn't try the Lindarets route as my baptism of fire as that looks seriously tough as an alternative route up to the top.

davidof

larkim wrote:

Opted for avoiding the race and instead rode solo from Les Gets, up the Route D'Avoriaz main track and then down via Lindarets to meet the family at the lake. Given I'd not ridden a climb beyond 5km before that was enough of a challenge! Took just over an hour deliberately taking it steady as I was riding into the unknown for me.

Glad I didn't try the Lindarets route as my baptism of fire as that looks seriously tough as an alternative route up to the top.

Well done !

larkim

Cheers! Enjoyed it so much I even did the Lindarets route today, tougher at the section below Lindarets with at least two km over 9% if the signs are to be believed, much more respite after that. Glad I did both sessions though whilst I was in the area. Mountain biking was fun but my bike made it less comfortable than it could have been, whereas the trusty Triban from Decathlon was much more well suited!