Marmotte 2017

gavinbay

BenderRodriguez wrote:

So, the Meteociel forecast for La Salle-les-Alpes gives a more accurate picture of the weather at Alpe D'Huez than the Meteociel (and Meteofrance) forecasts for Alpe D'Huez itself? I hope you are right as I am supposed to be riding on Sunday!

Think we're at cross purposes

If it were me for Sunday I'd check Metociel for various locations for Sunday to get a clearer picture an understanding eg Valloire which is similar to here and 73300 which is Maurienne valley.

I'm off up my local hill, Granon which is shut to traffic from 08:00 - 10:00 (Cols Reserves) and currently covered in dense cloud but still dry, hopefully

BenderRodriguez

GavinBay wrote:

If it were me for Sunday I'd check Metociel for various locations for Sunday to get a clearer picture an understanding eg Valloire which is similar to here and 73300 which is Maurienne valley.

Yes, a very good idea given how localised the weather can be in the mountains. It does look as though the weather won't be too bad for most of the route, but I have a feeling that the ride down to Bourg from the Alpe for the start is going to be a pretty cold, miserable experience.

BenderRodriguez

Some short-term weather forecasts for the route:

http://www.meteociel.fr/previsions/3999 ... d_huez.htm

http://www.meteociel.fr/previsions/1323 ... oisans.htm

http://www.meteociel.fr/previsions/2752 ... rienne.htm

http://www.meteociel.fr/previsions/27568/valloire.htm

Bourg-d'Oisans is at 724m and the predicted temperature at 8 am is 15 degrees, so perhaps 17 degrees by 10 am. The summit of the Glandon is at 1924m, so given the expected cloud cover the summit temperature can be can be expected to be around 9 degrees, less if the top is cloud free.

Valloire is at 1400m and the summit of the Galibier is 1250m higher, so given the thick cloud that is also predicted the summit is likely to be around 7-8 degrees colder, meaning by mid afternoon it will it will still be only 3-4 degrees. If the top is clear of cloud it will be colder still.

The meteofrance site gives a similar picture:

http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-m ... huez/38750

http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-m ... sans/38520

http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-m ... enne/73140

http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-m ... oire/73450

ugo.santalucia

I think you are all overthinking it and at the same time gambling on the weather forecast, which in the moutnains is extremely unreliable, after all that's the very nature of mountains. If it is uncertain, you will need an extra layer, a light wind/waterproof and some waterproof gloves... at the very least... it's a matter of finding the space for them. Uncertain, cool weather means you can probably get away with one bottle, and fill the other with stuff, as long as you know where you can refill your bottle.

gavinbay

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I think you are all overthinking it and at the same time gambling on the weather forecast, which in the moutnains is extremely unreliable, after all that's the very nature of mountains. If it is uncertain, you will need an extra layer, a light wind/waterproof and some waterproof gloves... at the very least... it's a matter of finding the space for them. Uncertain, cool weather means you can probably get away with one bottle, and fill the other with stuff, as long as you know where you can refill your bottle.

Good points, though know it's obvious but difference in cooler weather and subsequent hydration needs is amazing.

And know I'm being a tad pedantic, but if it's a cloudless sky it will not necessary be colder, as the height / angle of the sun at altitude, the heat of the direct sun will be quite welcoming to warm you up on the descent, why do you think we use sun-scream in January?

Weather today is grim, 12 degree and I can't see the Galibier / Lautaret encased in cloud, and it's now lashing it down.

Yesterday rode up the Col du Granon 2,413 (without a bottle) in grim conditions for the 17th time and managed a PB (last one was back in 2011) so cool temps can be advantage (though more to do with weight loss & training) though very cold on the descent with Garmin showing 8 degrees so wind chill far colder.

Tomorrow Izoard is closed from 08:00 - 10:00 so a quick blast up it and temps forecast in the valley at 4 degrees with sunshine so I'll report back with what it was actually like and how warm the radiant heat of the sunshine made it feel at the top :?

gavinbay

Think I said on the page before that I fully expect to see snow Friday morning above 2,500m.

This is straight in front of us this morning, Sommet de l'Eychauda 2,659m, similar height to Col du Galibier. Snow level looks to be around 2,400. Going autumnal clothing for ride up the Col D'Izoard 2,360 now though hopefully sun will warm things up quickly. Temp in the valley here at 1,400 6.5.

Forecast for Sunday I reckon could not be better, maybe a bin bag for the descent from ADH in the morning if you have to but then looks good.

rc856

Hope you're right about Sunday!

Drove down from Geneva yesterday with heavy rain and it's been raining a lot up AdH.

davidof

RC856 wrote:

Hope you're right about Sunday!

Drove down from Geneva yesterday with heavy rain and it's been raining a lot up AdH.

Should be OK on Sunday but with a cold north westerly wind and some cloud on the mountains.

cougie

Is there tracking online for this ?

DeVlaeminck

Hope all on this thread have a good ride and enjoy the day.

Cougie, I don't think so unless they've introduced it in the last year, there wasn't in 2015.

cougie

That's a bit rubbish of them. Mate's Garmin live signal gave up the ghost ages ago.

Good luck everyone !

briantrumpet

:arrow:

BenderRodriguez wrote:

GavinBay wrote:

that forecast is what we use in the winter (ski randonnee) as well as in the summer (hiking / cycling) for the Galibier sector and we get used to interpreting it as best as we can.

So, the Meteociel forecast for La Salle-les-Alpes gives a more accurate picture of the weather at Alpe D'Huez than the Meteociel (and Meteofrance) forecasts for Alpe D'Huez itself? I hope you are right as I am supposed to be riding on Sunday!

A Meteociel aside - I'm unconvinced about all their forecasts - I think their computer modelling for specific locations fails to take into account localised (but predictable ... if you know the areas) variations, which are of course fairly dramatic in mountainous areas. I generally go for La Chaine Meteo these days. But all the French forecasters suffer from poor data resolution, I think - as far as I can tell the weather stations they take data from are too widely separated (for instance, in my area, I think it's just Valence - Montélimar - Gap) for them to make reliable predictions about localised weather patterns.

diplodicus

Great day. The weather was about as good as it could be, got very cold off the descent from the Galibier but once I had a coffee and put more clothes on at the Lautaret it was all good.

Hope you all had a good ride

rc856

Hardest day I've ever had on the bike.

Probably didn't help that apart from some turbo sessions at the start of the year, I'd only ridden 400 road miles since March.

Really cold and misty up the Glandon which made for a scary descent, a bit windy along the valley before the Telegraphe which wasn't too bad.
The Galibier was just a 4mph slog but the descent was great once it widened out on the Lautaret.

Along with 2 mates, we made the cut off by 10 mins and we then changed our minds to ride up the Alpe.
Another long slog for me but felt ok.

Collected my diploma to then be told that all the medals had gone!!

Might not be important to others but I like to collect the medals from events.

Everyone else ok? Anyone else come home without a medal

fenix

Mate got silver only to be told they were out of medals - that's a bit p*ss poor isnt it ?

I've never done an event where they didn't have a medal for me when they should.

davidof

Well done to everyone who finished. The medals thing is shit, you could just go and ride it whenever you fancied. It is like getting a kick in the balls on arriving at the finish!

BenderRodriguez

briantrumpet wrote:

...all the French forecasters suffer from poor data resolution, I think - as far as I can tell the weather stations they take data from are too widely separated (for instance, in my area, I think it's just Valence - Montélimar - Gap) for them to make reliable predictions about localised weather patterns.

All the forecasts got the conditions on the Alpe wrong - It felt like it was in the high 20's by mid afternoon, not 9 degrees! That said, it felt about as cold as was predicted on the descent from the Glandon and the Galibier.

This year I was just treating the event as a day out on the bike, mainly because I have been suffering from extreme fatigue for several months and so was doing well to get out on the bike once a week, then a week before the start I was told that my thyroid gland isn't functioning properly and was put on a course of levothyroxine.

It took me eight and half hours of riding time to get round, 45 minutes longer than I the last time I did the same route, but I wasted a shed load of time stopping to put clothes on and off. With my thyroid issue the cold kills me so I was descending wearing 3 tops, a goretex jacket, overshoes, leg warmers hat and ski gloves, then having to strip off and pack everything away in my saddlebag as soon it the road went up again as I was over-heating. I don't know how those coming off the Galibier in shorts and a windbreaker survived!

To be honest, I enjoyed the event more this year than in previous years when I have always let my ego get the better of me, spending all day chasing targets, only stopping for water, riding myself into oblivion on the Alpe and feeling that if I didn't get under 8 hours than I had failed.

I hope everyone else had as much fun!

Pity that some who wanted a medal didn't get one, but they don't bring enough for everyone knowing that many prefer a t-shirt or (like me) 10 Euros back in exchange for their chip.

ugo.santalucia

BenderRodriguez wrote:

This year I was just treating the event as a day out on the bike, mainly because I have been suffering from extreme fatigue for several months and so was doing well to get out on the bike once a week, then a week before the start I was told that my thyroid gland isn't functioning properly and was put on a course of levothyroxine.

To be honest, I enjoyed the event more this year than in previous years when I have always let my ego get the better of me, spending all day chasing targets, only stopping for water, riding myself into oblivion on the Alpe and feeling that if I didn't get under 8 hours than I had failed.

.

1) You should get checked for Hashimoto disease. The first indicators are a high TSH and low T3 and T4. It's an autoimmune condition and it's becoming more common, like all auto immune conditions.

2) Sounds like you are becoming wiser and you should probably look at Audaxes instead. I gave up on sportives, as I lost the motivation to aim for any particular time. It seems utterly pointless to speculate over 15 minutes under or over a particular time in the context of a full day on the saddle. After the last Etape du Dales my mate was almost embarrassed to ask me how it had gone, seeing I finished 15 minutes over 8 hours and I almost had to justify myself for not putting enough effort... :roll: :shock:

vimfuego

Yeah same here - got silver but no medals. The queue for a "diploma" was mental too so I just gave up & went had a beer instead. At least you can print the diploma out from the results page on the website.

I'm chuffed to bits that I did it & gave it all I could (9h 05). Starting in one of the later waves the Glandon was basically a long procession, not much room anywhere, but at least the roads were closed. Complete scrum at the top, so I didn't bother getting food, just topped up the bidons and grabbed a coke. Wore everything I had on the descent (sleeveless base, jersey, fawesome, light rain jacket, full finger glover over mitts) and was still shaking like a leaf on the way down with the cold. Glad that bit was neutralised, though it didn't stop a couple of prima donnas from whining about the delay by shouting at everyone to get out of the way then caning it off down the descent (get over yourselves FFS). Anyway, much warmer at the bottom, so stripped off a few layers & joined a group off to the Telegraph. Bit of a slog that bit, but lots of wheel sucking all round & we made it without undue effort. Filled up on liquid again at the bottom & started the climb, which was much clearer than the Glandon - no problems to the summit of the Telegraph - stopped for food at Valloire, which was much more civilised than the Glandon stop. Took on bread, cheese, salami & fruit as well as those jelly sweets (the Etixx stuff tasted foul to me) & hit the Galibier. Heck of a slog. Really cold & windy by the top. legs suggesting that they felt like cramping (as a fair few others already seemed to be experiencing) so I knocked the effort back and span up - still sweating like mad, went through two 750ml bidons on that climb alone. Major scrum at the top (morons stopping in the middle of the road at the summit) so just took on water and began the descent having layered up again. WOW - what an awesome ride from there back down to Bourg D'Oisans!! Probably a combination of feeling more confident with descending & there being far fewer lunatics about trying to pass you any which way, but I had a pretty free run all the way down past the Lautaret & managed to get into a small group for the trek along the valley. Took on provisions at the final feed at the bottom of Alpe D'Huez & rested up for a few minutes. It was about 27 degrees when I started the climb - not majorly hot in the grand scheme of things, but I was really feeling it on that final climb. Had to stop in the shade a couple of times to take my helmet off & chuck some spring water over my head to cool down. Long story short, every kilometre felt like 5, but there was no way I wasn't going to finish. By the upper slopes there was lots of roadside support which was great - then finally, the town & the finish line was in sight. I hit the tunnel and launched a blistering attack (which lasted all of 5 seconds) before thinking better of it and settling for a "sedate" attack over the last few hundred metres - better to soak it all in and wallow in the achievement.

Wasn't focused on a time at any point because I really had no yardstick for what I could do in that sort of terrain, so I just settled in & enjoyed it as best I could. So really chuffed with a silver time (and just the 3 and a half hours behind the fastest time in my age category ).

Think we lucked out with the weather overall given the forecasts in the days beforehand. Well done to all that finished it.

frasermcampbell

I was passed by guys in short sleeves and bare arms coming off Galibier summit. They were going crazy fast and were surely crazy or tough as hell

pete_d-2

Well I'm living proof that you can only sort-of blag La Marmotte. It was my first attempt, and I ended up missing the 18:30 time cut at the bottom of the Alpe, but frankly I was in no state to do another 1000m of climbing so was happy to catch the bus at that point. After doing far too little training, probably about 5 hours a week since the start of the year, I realised that the only way to make a half decent job was to ride very sedately on the climbs and to be very careful to eat and drink enough, and that was what got me over the Galibier and back to Bourg.

I would agree with previous posters that the weather was actually pretty kind to us, compared to the cold rain that was forecast, although it did mean a lot of stopping to adjust layers before the descents. There's no way I'd have wanted to tackle the 50kph+ down from Galibier to La Grave without long fingered gloves, a shell and arm warmers, but once in the valley it was like a sunny summer's afternoon.

Despite not finishing (and taking nearly 3 hours to climb the Galibier with a few stops), I found it an incredibly satisfying experience and event. I now know what sort of training I need to get to the end in a reasonable time, and never having ridden anything in the high mountains before, am much better mentally equipped to deal with a long climb at a sensible heart rate and effort. I'd recommend anyone considering the 2018 event to give it a go, but perhaps do a few more km a week than I did :-) Massive congratulations to those that finished.

itboffin

well done all, i really hope you all enjoyed the experience and will be back again

bendertherobot

I'm in next year, having wimped out this year.

narbs

Did anyone see the guy doing in on a Brompton, number 3---. He was at the bottom of the AdH climb as we were descending back to our apartment. Massive respect for getting that far, never mind finishing.

narbs

bendertherobot wrote:

I'm in next year, having wimped out this year.

Be careful who you go with, some shady tour organisers out there.

DeVlaeminck

How did Ai-1 get on in the end after all the discussion on here ?

I did have a look at the results and someone of the same name is listed with a respectable finish of about 10:30ish - assume that is you/him ?

ALawson

Hello All

I did it in 9hr 21, which brought my milage for the year up to 2k km. The Glandon was pretty easy, annoying my PM broke on the Saturday, so rode on HR and a mate next to me who had power. We over took a fair few people and kept a good steady pace up there.

Descent of the back was clear visually the whole way with a bit of traffic. Put coat over arm warms and kept knee warmers on. Good group work to the bottom of Telegraph although there was a crash where the train tracks go over the road. We were going faster than most of the groups so had to jump across the gaps between groups (oh how we would regret that later).

I think at this point I had only drunk 500ml of fluid. Telegraph was a nice climb, general levels of craic had dropped with not much talking. Feed station at the base of Galibier was where I found out I had left by Electrolyte tabs at home. So had to refill with the free stuff. Who would have thought that red berry Gin Seng gels were the foulest thing on the planet!

Galibier was pretty brutal and the place I was targeting, I got dropped by mated who got to the sumit 15mins before me. At this stage arm warms were tied to the bars and knee warmers were still on. I was still hot regardless of the low temperature.

The top 500m of Galibier was cold, stopping at the summit was pretty frezzing. Whilst most fully suited up, I descended with arm warmers. Most people kept their speed down, I don't think I was overtaken all the way down to Borg. Averaged 41kmh which was a little slow. I beat the cut off by 2hrs, and overtook a mate.

AdH was the most painful hour and half on a bike ever, I missed the feed station at the bottom in Borg. I nursed my final 1/2 a bottle until turn 16 or wherever the taps were. It was then a case of liberally pouring water down my back and drinking.

Riding to the start and then back down and half way to L2Alp brought the total for the day to 225km and 5300m. Huge day.

As others have said, the weather I thought was pretty perfect.

davidof

ALawson wrote:

Hello All

I did it in 9hr 21

Dontcha just love it when a plan comes together. Well done.

ALawson

davidof wrote:

ALawson wrote:

Hello All

I did it in 9hr 21

Dontcha just love it when a plan comes together. Well done.

Well quite, I knew from training in Tenerife that high heat is my main issue, so the lower third of AdH at 32 Deg was as expected quite grim after 185km and 4k m climbing. My mind is made up to give it another shot, hydration didn't got to plan and it would be nice to know how much lower back pain was due to that or general lack of core condition and weak glutes.

My mate who is a 5 or 6 time sub 10hr IM athlete said it was the toughest ride he ever did, he had to stop and stretch cramp out for 20mins, still finished in 9hr 5.

I put the lack of drinking down to getting carried away with the whole event. Bit like doing ride London as a first century a few years ago. Forgot to eat and drink. Best ride London at 4hr 20 was rigorous eating and drinking every 20mins.

We drove down Friday and back Monday, knowing what its like now it will be a week trip next year. We managed it 10hr from Calais to Borg both ways with no car problems, other friends who left 06:50 Friday (they didn't get on the train) only got down to L2A at 7pm Saturday!

fenix

Ai_1 wrote:

I'm estimating 12:30 to finish.

Come on Ai_1 - how did you do ?