I'll keep you company on the 12 hour ride Mike. At least now I can blame Paul for encouraging me if it all goes horribly wrong (not that I needed much encouragement - I had earmarked 2010 as the year of doing something ridiculous!).
Happy to contribute towards a Bigfoot Bus or whatever to get there and back, but maybe it's too soon to be thinking about organisation just yet.
Signed up too, though from the FAQ it would appear that initial email confirmation can take 1 - 8 days (1 - 15 at holiday time)! I would be happier if I could see my name on a list, but the payment seems to have gone through OK. Just have to wait a bit. Gallic shrugs all round.
might be worth trying to organise a chalet or something to keep costs down. However from my brief look they're only available saturday to saturday which is no use unfortunately
I have signed up as has a friend of mine Tony Boyle. Will definitely be out on the bike as soon as this weather clears up. Don't want to miss out on the Marmotte again. Hope to get Tony out with us on some of the Saturday rides soon.
Will you be sorting out the accommodation again this year Dave?
Mike
Mike
I will be going with a friend but have not organised anything yet and am also not sure who else from Bigfoot is looking to go. But I will be happy to sort something out once I am clear on numbers etc.
Just checked out the organiser's website. How's this for information:
"Exchanges or purchases of bibs. Danger in the race at any price to get a bib for La Marmotte and despite the closing of entries, some are offered (or even seek) of bibs on any terms, see the shadow bibs by unscrupulous individuals.
We recall that the exchange or purchase of bibs between competitors are prohibited and will not be considered to attend the event. No change of name or ownership will be made even in case of withdrawal or failure.
With a threefold risk: for those who made such payment, the inability to participate under its own name and of having its results.
that of not being recognized victim in an accident caused by one third.
For one who has 'sold' his number, the risk of being implicated in cases of accidents caused by the new holder of the bib and therefore subject to liability. (a bib = name)
Only registered entries directly on our website or from our tour operators and official partners are validated.
Indeed, it is not a simple "transfer" in name or marital status!
The bibs are personal, nominative, are not exchangeable or refundable nor transferable."
I am guessing that what they are trying to say is that you cannot transfer your entry to another rider but I could be wrong!!
Before we all make our ways down to Alpe duez can I was thinking we should have a Bigfoot get together for Lunch on the Friday. Last year we had a great lunch at resturant down in the town at the bottom of the hill. I not sure how many cars etc we have to ferry everyone down and up but hopefully enough. Possibly aim for 1.00pm.
That sounds great ,I was hoping to catch up with you guys either on Thursday or Friday .Andy ,Paul and Dave ,you have my mobile ,put me down for a plus one .
See you next Friday
Dave. I have memories of cycling that road in freezing conditions in May 2008. By the time we had traversed from Aubisque to the Solour and down to the next town, Hugh Webb was suffering from hypothermia and we had to wrap him in a foil blanket whilst pouring hot coffees down his throat.
Mike
Yes, good luck to all. Perhaps my success this week will inspire you. Following my triumph in the HM Revenue and Customs Sports and Leisure South East Region cycling championships last year (I admit, with some help from Jon Bentley) this year I entered the nationals. The event took place on and around the Gower penninsula. Now I'm not averse to the odd hill but the terrain for the course defied all reason. I completed the 80 miles at an average of 10 mph. And came 2nd. If I hadn't stopped to take a picture and then send it via text message of a sign reading "Slow - Fairies Crossing" I may well have won as I was only 3 minutes behind the winner (not an excuse Alberto Contador has ever used I imagine). Anyway, as you are gliding up the gentle 10% gradients of the French Alps know that things could be worse - you could be in Wales.
Apologies; I did not realsie the Marmotte was only 120 miles in the Alps at 10%, and there was i thinking was a tough physical and mental callenge. Looks like nothing when compared to Hugh's ride with the fairies.
Thanks for the wishes guys and well done Hugh. We shall do our best to equal your endeavours.
Just so you know the challenge that lays ahead tomorrow, the daytime temperature in the valleys is 27/28c and 21/22c at the top of the hills.
Mike
As a group we have to consider ourselves fortunate that Hugh Webb is with us here at Alpe D;Huez. Hugh was a late entrant for the Marmotte and was advised by John G that we were staying at the Vallee Blanche Hotel which had spare rooms. Hugh got straight on to the internet and booked himself a room so was somewhat puzzled when he arrived here with John G to find they had no reservation for him. Hugh produced his reservation only to find he had booked himself into Hotel Vallee Blanche at Chamonix, approx 100km away!!
With some gentle persuasion the Hotel here at Alpe D'Huez managed to find him a room and the Chamonix hotel accepted his cancellation.
Apart from that minor hiccup everything is going well and we are all looking forward to the challenge of tomorrow.
Mike
La Marmotte, from a Level 3 point of view
When next you see John Griffiths and Mike Ward pat them on the back for their incredible ride.
La Marmotte consists of riding over 4 mountains covering 174km with 5,200 Metres of climbing and finishing with the 14km climb up the famous L’Alpe d’Huez. If you cannot complete this final climb, then the Marmotton is 160km and 3 mountains. The Rando Marmotte covers the 4 mountain route, but over 2 days, whereas the mini Marmotte starts halfway and takes in the final 2 mountains and 90km.
In these choices, there could be a ride that suits you. But beware of the extreme nature. This is not a sportive, but an endurance test. Five Level3s started - JohnG, MikeW, their two friends and me. Tony, Mathew and I achieved the Marmotton. JohnG and MikeW completed the whole Marmotte. Wow!
Our day started at 6.30am when we dropped down the 1100 Metres of the L’Alpe through the 21 hairpin bends to the town called Bourg D’Oissans for the start. I suffered a blow out on the front tyre at bend 14. Fixed that but noticed how hot my carbon rims were from braking. On bend 16 my back wheel broke in half. I picked up the bike by the saddle, jogged down the mountain and tried to hitch a lift as 2,000 riders swept down to the start. A Dutch couple put my bike on their car. At the base I ran to the bike shop in town and hired a bike. I changed my pedals, saddle, bag, Garmin mount, timing chip and pump, grabbed a spare tube, found the centre of town where the band was playing, chucked the bike over the barriers, jumped on and managed to just get across the timing mat before the cut-off, following 8,500 riders. The hire bike was too heavy and wrongly geared for this event with European brakes - the front on the left and the right lever for the back. But hey, I was in it.
On descending the first mountain the back tyre had a blowout, this time through red-hot aluminium rims. Fixed that and let air out from the front to cope with the pressure at altitude. A couple of Dutch girls gave me a spare tube. On the 2nd mountain, suffered sunstroke and heat exhaustion. On the monstrous Galibier at 2,650 metres a thunder storm erupted and on descending was overcome by hypothermia.
Stats were a ride time of 10 hours; covered 160km, burnt 8100 calories and drank 10 litres of fluids.
The hotel, half board and staff were all 5 star. All rooms had a balcony with stunning panoramic views of the Alps in the clear hot weather. On the Friday before the event, lunch together with the Bigfoot racing group and their families in La Romanche restaurant was a treat.
Not for the faint-hearted this one. To put it in context from a Level 3 perspective, it was like doing one month’s worth of Saturday morning climbing in just over half the distance. In one long day.
Mike and I had home advantage in that we were able to ride our own bikes – what a tale of triumph over adversity from Hugh. For me it was 10h 53 in the saddle and 12h 52 in total. Some of the time off the bike was spent stretching out muscles that were getting really tight and waiting for my aching rib cage to recover before I could do the next few kilometres.
We had a great support team who were present at three places along the route which meant that we had our own goody bags waiting for us – both food and extra clothing if we needed it, especially for the descent down Galibier. They were also there at the foot of the Alpe to strip our bikes and our pockets of any non essential items to help us deal with that final ascent. Fantastic job.
Did I enjoy it? I’ve enjoyed the fact that I’ve done it and in retrospect I would answer yes to that question. It’s things like the speedy Bigfoot guys out on their balcony overlooking the final run in cheering me in as I finally made it around 8:30 that makes a difference. Also the people in the bars applauding the stragglers like me as we rolled across the line and the general encouragement from people along the route. There was also a great sense of camaraderie along the way, such as the cheery wave from our new mate “Sheffield Steve” from the hotel as he glided by and, from my perspective, fellow Welshies responding to the jersey (yes, I was wearing THAT one, as did a few others as it turned out)!
Andy, Paul (both 7h20) and Dave (7h40) will no doubt tell their own stories, but what fantastic achievements. Guys – it was great to share the experience with you in our own way.
Would I do it again? I’d do each of the climbs again, and even some other mountains, but no more than 2 a day. I don’t want to get that close to the point where I have bitten off more than I can chew again.
We were warned that the mind can play strange tricks on us as we go through the pain. At one point I was wondering whether this ride would “cure” me of cycling. It hasn’t. After all, I’ve now got a brand new jersey that I am looking forward to showing off!
That's one hell of a story Hugh. Just a thought, but would it not have been easier to put the rear wheel from the hire bike on your Wilier? Please don't tell me the Wilier got damaged!?
Congratulations to all the Bigfoot Marmotteers, sounds like an incredible and eventful day. Looks like Hugh especially had a day he will never forget. It did surprise me that you had to hitch a lift after your “mechanical” as I thought that you got a complimentary mechanic and support car with every Willier purchased?
The results have been published. Unfortunately they do not include the time to descend the Glandon which would be about 25 minutes according to my times.
They passed me going up, they passed me going down and frankly I am astonished that there was anyone still behind me at the end. I finished 5,093 of the 5,206 on the list. I'm just pleased that the timing chip worked so that I can prove I did it!
After quite of bit of looking I found me on Page 92 , position 4959, with a time of 11hrs 37min so it appears they have automaticaly added 20 minutes for the untimed Glandon descent as my certificate gives me a time of 11hrs 57mins.
Like John, I am well pleased with the result:-)
I'm still just a little gobsmacked by Hugh's epic story. It sounds like it should be made into a feature film. Well done to everyone, Its great to see that the long hours of training paid off. I'm now not sure whether La Marmotte ought to be on my list of "cycling things to do before I die" or to avoided like the plague. Steve
Last year I had cramp in every muscle fibre of both legs at the top of the Galibier and at the finish. I also bonked on the easy part of the Galibier after going too hard up the telegraph. That left me initially vowing never to put myself through that much pain again so I had a couple of ideas to counter that
Do more hill repeat training to try and get my legs used to grinding at a slow cadence
Fit a larger sprocket at the back to increase cadence at low speeds
Change nutrition strategy to use non-caffeine gels in the middle of the ride as energy top ups
Ride the first half of the ride at a sensible effort
I spent the 2 weekends before going out doing hill repeats on Toys and fitted a 11-29 cassette so I had a big range of gears for climbing and descending. It left a couple of gaps when riding on the flat but there’s very little of that so I thought it a good compromise. With that in mind I thought an 8 hour target was achievable, maybe better if things went well.
We went out a week early with families in tow and I did a couple of spectacular training rides earlier in the week. The Col De La Madeleine was tackled from both sides at high pace and is a brute, 2 days later we did the Col De La Croix De Fer (Same as the Glandon ascent at the Marmotte but with an extra 2.5Km at the top) and then returned to cycle up the alpe. These both went really well and left me feeling quietly confident.
To the day itself, there was the usual frantic start and the great feeling of riding in a massive peleton at speeds up to 30mph. Onto the first climb the Glandon, this time round I was determined not to go too hard in the early part of the race so I would have plenty of strength left at the end. I didn’t let my heart rate go above 160 for the first climb which is in my endurance zone. It was frustrating at times watching riders go past me but it was worth it in the long run. The Glandon passed without incident and then onto the descent. Last year I didn’t enjoy this at all but a bit more practice and this time I was much more relaxed and enjoyed it far more.
The accepted advice for the 15 miles of rolling valley road is to hide in the back of a big group and save your energy. However I found myself in a group of about 10 riders doing “through and off” at about 23-24 mph. I was quite happy to do some work for a good cause. Eventually we hit the foot of the telegraph, last year I bombed up here, this time round again I sat back and didn’t let my heart rate go above 160. It’s a steady 8-9% pretty much the whole way up and I felt reasonably good still. I was stopped by a temporary traffic light at the top which was being enforced by police so no chance of sneaking through there. That took about 5 minutes but c’est la vie. A quick descent into Valloire and straight away you’re hit by a 9% gradient and you’re on the Galibier.
I stopped at the feed stop to refill water and grab a piece of salami and onto the main event. The first half of the Galibier looks flat and isn’t. It’s a steady 8% and again I was keeping my heart rate in check. This was the point I bonked last year but everything was going well this time round. I passed the time chatting to a London Dynamo rider. After you reach Plan Lachet the madness begins, the gradient rears up to 9-10% and you climb up a sheer cliff wall, I finally decided it was time to “let loose” a little and allowed my heart rate to creep up to 170. This part of the climb seems to go on for miles, you can see the top for ages. I was definitely starting to feel a little less sure of myself now but no major drama. I reached the top with 5:20 on the clock and feeling ok. Last year I hit it at 5:30 and was slowing down drastically.
A quick stop at the support to grab a couple of bottles and gels, ditched my arm warmers and onto the descent. The first part of the descent on the Galibier itself is great fun if you’re in the mood. There was some water run-off where you had to be a bit careful but a good time was had. On to the Lauteret and the first few miles are still pretty quick. After the descent started to flatten out there was a really strong head wind and I was with just one other rider and was beginning to think it was going to be hard work to make good progress. At this point a group of about 5-6 riders flew past so we both put in a huge effort to get on the back. This was a good strategy and I managed to sit on the back of this group all the way to the bottom. Flying through the tunnels in part of a group at high speed was very exhilarating. The group splintered just after the bottom and I was in the back half so we had to do some hard work to catch up to the front again.
Finally the alpe, I was feeling ok and stopped at the bottom for a piss. At this point I still harboured thoughts of flying up at the pace I had earlier in the week but as soon as I hit the first ramp at 12% in the searing heat I realised it was a case of survival. I had lasted pretty well up to this point but not a lot left in the tank now. I ditched my helmet at the support and crept up the climb. The heat was immense it seems to bounce off the roads back at you. A bottle containing just water that I had in my support bag helped a lot though. I ended up briefly chatting to a guy who lives in Sevenoaks that I had chatted to the previous year. He knew Dave Churchill and had heard of Andy Colvin’s reputation. I was beginning to really struggle now and stopped before bend 7. A rider from the group I was descending the Galibier with came past and shouted encouragement to me which really helped. I got back on the bike and pushed on. I started to recover a bit and the gradient eased a little. I knew I was going to make it now without having to stop again. The hairpins counted down surprisingly quickly. Onto the last flat section, but it in the big ring and gave it everything I had to sprint to the line. My wife and daughter were waiting with a cold can of coke J
Finished in 7h 41 according to my Garmin an improvement of 53 minutes and I didn’t get cramp. Goals achieved.
Will I do it again? I think 7:30 or even 7:20 is achievable but the amount of work in training and on the day to get that is a little daunting. With a 8 month old daughter I’m not sure about the wisdom of trying to commit that much time to training so I will have to seriously think about it.
The rest of the day was enjoyed watching the riders stream past our chalet. I think anyone who comes and attempts this is a hero, John, Mike & Hugh have shown you don’t have to be in the fast group to do this. Every cyclist should look to get this on their palmeres at some point.
It was F ing epic , over the last two years I forgot how tough the ride is .Well the mountains soon lost there rose tinted shine ,as each of them smashed my legs ,mind ,body and soul.Any one that has ever done the Marmotte has my full and up most respect ,regardless of time .Its the f,ing daddy of bike rides .
The basic plan was that we would race down to the base of the Glandon ,eyeballs out .Trying to stay together until the bottom of Alp Dhuez.Stopping at the top of the Glandon for water ,then again at Valloie for food and water.
That's how it played out sort of ,the drop down from the Glandon back to sea level was one of the highlights.With Tob and myself both motorbike track day veterans ,it was knee down and see you later .As the Gendarmerie waved for us too slow it down ,we waved back and shoot off down the mountain .Jumping from group to group and leaving everyone in are wake.No one came past us and we put some serious time into small light climbers that had left us on the climb up.
Boring bit along too the Telegraph ,a bit too slow really with no one willing to work the front ,ourselves included.
Telegraph went on and on with the sun getting hotter and hotter.Both still climbing well at this point ,but Tob starting to show that he could go faster.Over the top and onto the feed station at Valloie.French bread with cheese and ham ,banana,orange ,fruit gums and some nuts ,right lets go.
Onto the Galiber where we bumped into Mark Cope almost straight away ,he had started half hour in front of us .So I knew we had either blown it by going out from the start to fast ,or we were going well and a gold time was on .As the climb wore on ,my legs wore out and Tob started to pull away from me .The extra 11 kg I was carrying kept us apart until later in the day.
The climb just goes on and on with not one chance to rest your legs,even at 2 k the summit seemed so far away.Up through the cloud and rain onto the summit bathed in sunshine and snow.Had a quick look for Tobs bike at the summit feed station and could not see it ,so I rode straight over onto the 25 mile down hill tear up.Taking my life in my hands ,corning at 40 or 50 MPH down a mountain.It was ucking ace ,never to be forgot.I cant really do that part of the ride justice in text ,so I wont.
As I arrived at the bottom of the alp ,I pulled in for a cold Coca Cola and a gel.The time was about 7 hours so I thought I should piss a gold time which is under 8 h 50 min.I got up the first 3 ramps when I think the the wheels came off .Heat ,in the very high 90s, no shade ,toasted legs and one very large alp hit me in the face like a train .I just didn't know what I was going to do I could hardly move and couldn't think straight .If our hotel had been at the bottom of the alp ,I would of turned and gave up .Thoughts like ,I'm not going to make it this year ,but don't worry you can come back next year and get your gold time started running through my head.I heard running water and thought of Andy F soaking his crash helmet in the cold water two years ago. I filled my bottles from it ,then poured it over my head .It was like a lightning bolt,jolting me back to life ,almost.
The water shocked me back in too reality ,I sat down and removed my crash helmet and then under vest .With a slight breeze blowing ,I was waking from my over heating nightmare.
I clipped in and then found Toby sitting on a wall on one of the next ramps.He was not looking good ,I shouted his name and when I was with him again used my cold water too wake him from his heat coma .
The rest of the climb is a bit of a blur , there were people laying ,crying ,pucking at the side of the road the whole way up.I knew the only way to end this pain fest nightmare was to get it finished.
When at last the finished arrived ,Tob and I put an arm over each others shoulders and completed the ride together.
We found a small piece of shade behind a vehicle and lay in it for a while before going to collect our official times .
8H.47M GOLD.
Job done ,there's no platinum or titanium times .Gold ,that's as good as it gets and we had ours .We then went to one of the bars just near the finish and downed large amounts of beer and red wine as other finishers flooded the town .The feeling is one I will never forget ,as we sat there talking the day over with other riders and each other.
Would I do it again ,never say never.
It is an amazing experience ,that type that only happens maybe once or twice in a life time.Its not good or bad ,just an amazing day not to be forgot ,and too ride it with my best buddy made it even more so.
Sorry this is a bit late, but I have been very busy over the past few days. I have had important things to do like drive to Provence, settle into our Gite, go for a swim in the pool overlooking the vineyards, go for beautiful bike rides through the Provence country side with our Gite owner Mathieu (who used to live in Coventry and was a cat1 rider), visit Mount Ventoux (will ride up it tomorrow, Friday). I am actually writing this by the pool entertaining Sam and having my 2nd cup of coffee for the morning. It is a tough life but someone has to do it. Highly recommend http://www.romarins-gites-cairanne-provence.com/ for cycling and lazing around.
Firstly I have to say Hugh you are my hero and inspiration. A lesser man would have tossed the towel in at the wheel exploding bit. Next year I will drive you down to the start and we will sneak you into the elite pen.
I was lucky enough to earn myself a start in the elite pen this year for the Marmotte and after a fast (thanks to Paul) decent of the Alpe we parted ways and I was off to hobnob with the elite and celebrities of the Marmotte. I ended up being about 3 bike lengths off the start line and settled myself down on the stage next to a guy from Kingston Wheelers (who now lives in Switzerland) and on the other side of me was this guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christophe_Agnolutto no less than a Tour stage winner and winner of the Tour de swisse.
The start was amazing. Chasing the lead car with 50 – 60 guys around you, and the 7000 odd behind, at around 40 – 50 kph was exhilarating, I guess it is the closest I will get to now what it must be like to ride in a pro peleton of 180 plus riders.
I was able to stick with the back of the front group for a couple of km up the Glandon where I then ended up in a good group including Kingston Wheelers friend for the rest of the climb. I felt pretty good over the top of the Glandon (early days though) and we were given a time check of 3min behind leaders. Down onto the valley road our group was 20 strong and we quickly caught another group of 20 which then caught another even bigger group, so I did not have to do an ounce of work and was able to tick along at 20+ mph and eat although maybe not quite enough.
Onto the Telegraph and I was feeling as comfortable as could be until the last km where I thought hang on there is something wrong here. I eased of a bit and got myself over the top and had a quick bottle refill and comfort break and hoped the decent would sort me out. The first section of the Galibier is not much fun at the best of times, your legs have just done nothing for 10min on the decent and then they have to kick into gear and get you up about 3 km at 10%. I dragged myself up this to the next feed stop and grabbed some more water and an orange and pressed on. I must not have eaten enough on the valley road because I was really feeling rough now and was wondering what the hell was going on and was I even going to be able to finish. However, there is no easy way of getting home so it is keep going or ring a taxi. I had a quick stop, got my head together and pressed on and dragged my sorry arse up the Galibier.
Down the other side I was in a world of pain and self doubt. My feet were hurting from the pressure on them all day, my shoulders and neck were sore from bending over all day, I could not get any power out of my legs every time a group came by I could not get up the strength to tag on and I still had the alpe to go. As it flattened out a bit I was able to get some food in and drink some more and groups were not going past as fast and there was a bit of a head wind, so I was able to eventually get on the back of a group. I ate some more and amazingly started to feel good again and my confidence came back and I was still on to match or slightly better last years time, just that “hill” at the end to get up and I was home.
Compared to last year the Alpe was almost a joy. I hit the bottom feeling good and passed most in the group I was in and managed to keep a good pace up most of the way, don’t get me wrong it was still bloody hard and the last 6-7 bends never come quick enough. However, they eventually do and you drag yourself up to the most beautiful sign of “1km to go” and then the finish line and the cheers of the patient wives and daughters and son.
The first 15 minutes after you think never again and then before you know it you are planning how you can better your time next year, and more importantly staying ahead of the ever closer Paul Nixon. You then have some food a couple of beers and sit and watch thousands of riders climb the last stages of the alpe and be inspired by the efforts of so many people of all shapes and sizes and bikes who complete or even nearly complete this epic ride.
It was great to see JohnG ride by (even if he was wearing a Welsh flag) and as Paul has mentioned to be completely blown away by the guy with one leg and one full arm.
I am now, after a few days rest, am looking forward to the Etape, and more epic stories from the members of this great club.
My bike is OK. When the bike hit the road, two teeth were lost from the big chainring and the rear mech broke in two which is why I couldn’t get just a swap wheel. The tubular wheels have done 5,000 miles and are 1 year old. The owner of Fast Forward Wheels in Holland has agreed to replace them. They have developed a new coating for the braking surface over the carbon which helps dissipate heat.
Thanks for the reports. All different and very entertaining.
Nothing tops Hugh's determination, doggedness and spirit. Awesome.
It's an event that can't be anything other than epic. I think that these reports show that La Marmotte is not beyond anyone - but almost beyond everyone and therein lies the pleasure of empathy and appreciation of everyone else's experience.
The question is not just "would I do it again?" but "am I glad I've done it at least once?" - I'm sure the answer to the latter for most people is yes. And the definite "no" to the former will change the closer to December we get when the entry opens :-).
I would be great to have more Bigfooters at the ride next year. I'm sure between us we could organise a terrific trip. It's a must have on the palmares.
Great write ups from the others here. I’ve not said much about the actual ride as yet, so I thought I would give a further insight into this for anyone around the level 3 standard contemplating joining the Marmotte club in future!
After a pleasant start, my first experience of cycling up a mountain was a good one. Col de Glandon was long (20km), but staying within my limits as recommended meant that I got to the top with no real bother, though I was aware that I needed to treat my legs to a good stretch out once I got to the top. Passing by a waterfall was great as I felt the cooler air – shame there weren’t more of them. Hung around for a short while to refuel before my first experience of cycling down a mountain. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be, perhaps because the descent had been “neutralised” as mentioned by others. Got down in about 35 minutes.
In the long stretch to the foot of the Telegraphe I found myself at the back of a 20 mph group which was just right for me – still feeling that I was riding within myself at this point, though I periodically had to speed up to catch the back of the main group when some splintering took place. I was expecting to get up the Telegraphe in much the same way as the Glandon. But it was hot now as the sun was getting to its strongest (i.e. the sun that the fast boys were now very soon to be experiencing on the Alpe!) and half way up the 12 km climb I had to stop for a while and stretch out. I could really have done with some water to pour over me at that point. I managed the second half without a further stop, but by the time I reached the top I felt all in. I thought that I would have no chance of tackling the Galibier which was next up. After another reasonable rest here it was time to go again.
Short descent into Valloire and then to Galibier. Well, this is where the stops got more frequent. Stopped once at the 10 km to go point and again at the 8 km point I think. It was around this point where I made the mistake of looking to my right and seeing the wall that we would have to tackle. Didn’t take a photo here, but that image is seared on my mind forever! The scenery on the ride is amazing, it’s just the sight of the road that we would have to travel on that spoiled it! I stopped another couple of times before reaching the top, each time willing myself on past a few more bends before I bowed to the inevitable. I got my second wind on that brutish top part of the climb, spurred on by the rumbling of thunder from the next valley and the thought that I might not get to the top before 4:30 pm. This was important because we were warned that we needed to complete the Galibier by then if we wanted to get to the foot of the Alpe by 6pm, at which point we understood that timing chips were removed from participants so that they would by marked as DNF even if they subsequently go on to the top. It would not be the end of the world if I did not get an official finish time, but being so close I was certainly going to give it a go. Had to get up and then off that mountain.
Descent was enjoyable, though I found that my rib cage was aching so much that I was unable to breathe deeply for a short while. That passed, though it was uncomfortable. I did not have the guts to go faster than 40 mph, but thought that I should get to the Alpe with 10 minutes to spare. Then horror! The road started going uphill a bit. Not much, but 6 pm was suddenly under threat. For the first time on the ride I started to push hard (rather than just suffer) and the 5 km run into Bourg d’Oisans was hard work with no one to share it with. Arrived at the foot of the Alpe bang on 6 pm. Mission accomplished, though as it turned out there was no one ripping chips off so I would have been OK. Still, I was taking no chances, so rather than hang around at a feed station, which is what I really needed to do at that point, I made sure I got over the timing mats and away from anyone who looked like they might want to take the chip from me. I was ready to plead my case though “mais monsieur....”
Onto the Alpe. Here’s a tip for those who didn’t like the heat bouncing off the walls – an evening ascent is far more civilised! Stopped probably 5 or 6 times on this one. Had it been the first climb of the day I would have managed it (I did the Glandon OK after all), but stopping at bend 20, 18 (for the support vehicle), 13 and then a few more I can’t remember. Each time it was to just rest aching limbs, take a drink and a gel (I didn’t really drink enough through the day I think) and share a tired joke with others who were prepared to make eye contact at that point. One final stop just before the run in so that I could at least give the pretence of finishing strongly rather than just fall across the finish line. I then did the last stretch to the accompaniment of the Tour de France theme music which I thought was very amusing – turns out it was Hugh trying to ring me!
The Maratona next year might be an interesting ride to consider for those fancying a different challenge to La Marmotte. There a write up on the event on CycloSport (not as well written as the ones here!). The event has closed roads and helecopters follow the riders as it's broadcast live on Italian TV. They also have Coke at the feed stations which I know will keep a certain Bigfooter happy.
The course contains not as much climbing as La Marmotte but still over 4000m and there's very little flat to speak of so it sounds like a tough bugger in it's own way. http://www.maratona.it/info/2010-courses/en/
Congrats to JohnG who cycled La Marmotte for charity and raised close to £1,000 for his chosen charity http://www.napac.org.uk/ where Pete Saunders is the Chief Exec. Pete was a pro racer and is recognised in Bigfoot rides wearing his retro caps and tops.
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