Madness of the Marmotte Articles / La Marmotte - 174km cycle, 5180m ascent Date: Jul 07, 2009 - 11:35 PM Warning this report rambles madly and goes on and on, a bit like the Marmotte itself. If you want to see the route, and what value for money you got for your sponsorship money, just head to this link where you can play the whole route, and watch my heart-rate hit the roof: Click here for the Route Player Then watch the last two videos of us ascending the Galibier, and you'll get some idea of how knackered we were at that point :) OK, back to the story. Flight and hire car delay (which turned into a van, as that was the only thing they had left to fit our bikes), ended up meaning we drove up Alpe D'Huez at about 1am. Our first sight of the Alpe, it certainly was a shocking realisation. It took long just to drive up, let alone cycle it! Friday was spend nervously unpacking our bikes and carb loading with pasta. The Marmotte veterans in our party did little to ease our nerves with tales of past Marmotte exploits!! We registered and got our tracking numbers and race numbers. The compulsory 'genuine' doctors certificates of good health were not even given a glance. Our race plan had been for the Marmotte virgins, me, Roddy and Ross to ride round together if possible. Roddy & Ross had sponsorship money at stake for the Willow Foundation, and I for EveryChild, so our main aim was to ensure we all got over that finish line. Unfortunately a late injury meant Ross had a dodgy knee, and with no idea if his knee would be able to take it, it was not sensible for him to push too hard at the start, so the plan was for him to go at a slower pace on his tod. My old recurring shoulder injury from a mountain-biking wipe-out had played up again after go-karting a couple of weekends ago. Dragging the bike box into work and then to Luton didn't help. Led to a restless night on Thursday. So I spent about two hours doing yoga to ease things up. Worked wonders.Yoga is something I started doing at the end of last year, and I really recommend it. The stretching really helped me during my training. Evening night caps consisted of 'Thé du menthe', apparently the choice of drink for Marmotte champions, but probably listed as 'soupçonnés de drogues' :) Probably one of the few occasions I've been in a bar and not drunk an alcoholic beverage! Last minute prep was Eddie showing me the live video streaming app for my mobile. Unfortunately I didnt have time to spam you all the link, and only had time to update my Facebook status with the link details. So next time you'll know being my facebook buddy has it rewards... sorry for those who tried the official tracking links I emailed before, my understanding is they didnt work too well. The video in this report was streamed live from my Nokia, so video quality jumps around a bit as the 3g network in the Alps was not great. Bed time was 10pm, as we had to be up at 5:30am (yes I know, stoopid athletes and their early start times!) If waking at 5:30 was still a bit of a shock to the system, being a nite-owl, eating breakfast was even harder. But regardless you force food into yourself knowing that you need the fuel later. After breakfast we jumped on the bikes at 6:15 and descended Alpe D'Huez, to the start. This was tricky, as we all had different start times. Me, Dom, and Simon had to sneak into an earlier start pen with the others. This was not without incident. One official grabbed hold of my seat trying to stop me, but luckily with the others also trying to sneak in, he lost his grip and I managed to disappear into the pen. With 7000 cyclists the officials had some job trying to stop this, but it's a bit stupid after all that you cant easily select a starting time with your buddies. Last minute nerves in the start pens. I went off for a quick pee. Three of the others, who shall remain unnamed, disappeared to strike as the "Hand of Ulster*". Quite where they did their number two's is better not explained. *This is a reference to Mr Watson, who could not make to trip. In the week before he got hit by a car on a morning training ride, just near Richmond Park. Usual story, car pulled out of side street without looking, bounce on bonnet ensued. Broke his scapula and some other bones. A real bummer, although Christina will no doubt find it easier to pin him down now. His wit and charm was missed on the trip. At 7:30 we were let out of the pen and streamed down the narrow streets towards the start line. On the start line I got a bit of a shock. Just as I was about to go over a hand grabbed my arm to the shout of 'six mille! six mille! six mille!' My O grade French came in handy and I quickly realised he was referring to my 6032 start number, which indicated I was supposed to start twenty minutes later. The zealous official was waving at some others to help stop me. There was no way I was going to catch up with Roddy in twenty minutes! I wriggled free from his grasp, heard the beep of my timing tag over the start line and pedalled off as fast as I could, with echoes of 'six mille' in the background. The first right turn we had to take, I again heard the officials shouting this now familiar chant, but I was unstoppable. Until heard a siren behind me, which did have me a tad worried. But it was just a paramedic motorbike. So the race was truly underway and we cycled towards the first ascent, which was the dam switchbacks which then led onto the Glandon ascent, nicely warmed up. The ascent went without much incident. It's a 25km ascent, with varying gradient. I had a quick stop at the bottom to take my jacket off, got passed by Ross, who was going fine, and repassed him to catch up with Roddy. We figured the others were in front. We decided to pace ourselves and not go to hard up the first ascent. Took us about 2 hours from the start line to the top of the Glandon. We didnt stop at the hectic feed stop at the top, as we had a van ready for us at the bottom. The descent from Glandon was anything but without incident. Chris summed it up afterwards by saying it was like the "Somme." Bodies were everywhere. The descent is pretty treacherous and it's a narrow road. We passed about 4 crashes with medics at the scene, and right in front of us a man went down. Luckily there was some distance between him and us, and we had time to avoid him and just managed to steer a path through the bits of bike, bottles, computer, carbon, that was flying across our path. We slowed down a little after that... The others even saw some guy who hit a barbed wire fence, not pretty. It was only later we found out that one of our own, TC, was amongst the fallen, having run wide and out of road on a bend. A broken collar bone meant he was out of the race. From the descent to the start of the Telegraphe ascent, it was a 20km slog along duel carriageway at a slight gradient. We tucked into a large group and pedalled away. Our strategy on the flats was to try to get into a group wherever possible and avoid the heroics of riding on the front. Drafting rules! We figured we would need all our energy for the climbs, as proved to be the case! Our ascent of the Telegraphe started fine, but as the day progressed the weather was getting hotter and hotter with hardly a cloud in the sky. It was a long slog but we got to the top in about an hour. We carried right on over the top and started descending, as we had van waiting for us at the bottom of the short descent, before the Galibier climb, or so we thought... We descended into the small town of Valloire, past the official feed stop, but saw no van. Our vans where red and had pink balloons tied on them. Roddy checked the sheet to see at how many km the van was supposed to be along the route, 98km was the approx figure. We cycled 96km and still no sight of a van. Roddy had no water left, and I had one bottle left. Almost we decided to go another 2km to find the van, but then realised there was no way we would be able to get up Galibier with one bottle between us. Thoughts of our cheese baguettes sitting in the van had to be blanked out of our minds. We started on yet another yummie energy bar, and we queued for what seemed like an age at a small water fountain to fill up our bottles. It was a good decision, as it turned out the van had got stuck in traffic, and hadnt got there in time. We carried on. We'd been cycling for 4 hours and 40 mins, and thoughts of baguettes plagued my mind. The climb started gently enough, lulling you into a false sense of security. Then it kicks up, 8% gradient, and the sun was now starting to have its full effect. It was getting really really hot now. We got to what I believe was Plan Lachat after about an hour(!!) of climbing. The sight we were greeted with was an absolutely massive wall of a climb. Roddy almost begged me to stop for a breather. No persuasion was needed! The video below is at that point, I'm not sure if the full scale of the climb is evident. Needless to say what followed was brutal. Mentally, physically, all-encompassingly brutal. Turning the pedals relentlessly, thoughts bouncing through my mind. "Why do I do this to myself?", "Why did I listen to that f%$%er Roddy?", "I am never, ever, ever doing this again", "Is this starting to be a laugh yet Roddy?", "If only I had that cheese baguette in the van", "Is that ice I see on the side of the road ahead?", "How can there be f%^%^ing ice on the side of the road when my head is about to melt?", "Is this agony ever going to end", over and over those thoughts echoed, all the time turning the pedals, thighs burning, pedal, pedal. Glance over at Roddy, he's fighting his own battles... You see the summit towering above you. Look on the gps's gradient profile. Still 3km to go. Mentally break it into 1/2 km chunks, easier right? Wrong. Into the snow line. The gradient gets steeper and steeper, the higher you go 10%, 11%, 12%, on it goes. Are my brakes rubbing? They must be, its so hard going. I reach over and open them up, just in case. No, they weren't rubbing, just keep pedalling. And then all of a sudden you are at the top. A feed station. The video below says it all. Roddy finds a banana. He looks like he's over the moon with a banana. He mumbles something. I stop videoing, go for a leak.Then I find small chunks of ham baguette at the feed station. Manna from heaven. I hand Roddy one. We go get some more baguette. The weather is still hot, but there are clouds in the sky, and dark clouds behind us. We hear the rumble of thunder. Roddy's rain coat he left in the van at the first stop, meaning to pick it up again at the stop which never happened. So we get back on the bikes, and hope we outride the rain. Roddy mumbles there is no way he can go up the Alpe D'Huez. I tell him the legs will get a rest on the descent. The descent from Galibier is a lot less hazardous than Glandon. But still fairly twisty, especially at the start. Roddy again takes the lead on the descent, I follow and try to keep up. It all goes nice and fast. We could go faster, but we agreed beforehand to keep safe and sensible, a few minutes dont matter, getting safely down does. And then panic stations. Some chap in front of me slams on the brakes as we come into a right hand corner. Doing 65km/h I break for the corner, no problems. Until he starts veering out to the left. I shout. I shout more. He keeps veering out towards me. I keep shouting. The guy on my left shoulder starts shouting at him too. But he just keeps coming. The t$$ser. He keeps coming. His back wheel hits my front, I slam on the breaks more. I see my back wheel moving out to the left at a 30 degree angle to the front wheel. The wheels are still touching. I'm screaming now. The guy to my left is English, he's screaming at him too. The other guy is still veering out. I think I'm going to be history. And then he turns into the turn, I somehow stay on the bike, and manage to straighten it. Now I'm behind this t$$sser. It seems like he hasnt noticed a thing. Maybe he has headphones in or is in another world. He's still zig zagging all over the road on each turn. I dont think he's heard of the term 'racing line'. The other guy on my left passes him. I regain my composure. Another guy comes past me. He almost gets taken out by the same zigzag guy. I decide I better get past him, as he's lethal. I pick my moment and zoom past, catching up with Roddy. Looking back on it now I realize how lucky I was to stay upright on the bike. Maybe my mountain biking skills came to the rescue. Or maybe I was touched by the noodly appendage of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and he kept me upright. I did eat a lot of pasta carb-loading in his honour over the last few days after all. Part way down, we stop at our other van, driven by Matt. We finally get our cheese baguettes. Roddy puts on a wind jersey,and we fill our bottles. And then we're off descending again. The total descent from Galibier to Bourg d’Oisans is about 55km. It''s kinda crazy as you have to go through about 7 tunnels. These tunnels are pretty scary, in that they are of varying length and illumination. Or should that be un-illumination. You cant see a thing. My shades are photo-chromatic mountain biking shades that go yellow in the dark, so actually not bad for the dark, but you can only really see the silhouettes of other cyclists in front of you and the lights of cars. No hope in hell of spotting any potholes before you hit them. And you got to keep an eye out for the brake lights so you dont go slamming into a back of a car. We stayed sensible and didn't overtake cars in the tunnels, unlike some! Talking of cars, this was a major problem on the descents. Only a few roads on the whole Marmotte route are kept car free. So you have to deal with cars. On the Galibier descent this is a real pain, as some drivers seemed to treat it as a game where they try and overtake you and then slam on the brakes into the next corner. Just have to get past these nutters as quick as possible. Still, decending beats climbing up Galibier, and it feels fantastic. The last 7 kms starts to level off, but we find a group to cycle in. Apart from one period after we stop to take jackets off. I spot a group coming up behind us, and tell Roddy to slow and let them pass, so we can nip in the back. But somehow he doesn't stick to the plan, and finds himself at the front, with me behind. Luckily it doesn't last too long. We are going fast into the bottom of Huez, and almost miss the next van stop, which is well hidden, backed into a tiny path. I spot the balloon, shout at Roddy and manage to indicate to the group I'm peeling off, and hit the gravel on the side of the road, just stopping in time. Roddy carries on. Did he hear me, I wonder. I start to phone him, but he just took a while to be able to safely get out of the group, and he comes cycling back. No video from this point as my phone battery was almost empty. Roddy took some, I'll add them when I get his files. We eat, take on water and all the gels we need for the last Alpe. It's super hot. 38 degrees Celsius. Get encouragement from Sue. And then on we go. Only 14km, 21 hairpins and 1141m of altitude gain to go, gulp. Roddy sais he wont be able to get up Alpe D'Huez without stopping. We agree to stop on switchback 10. There are 21 in total. Ten takes a long time coming! I can safely say, that already before we even get on with this last climb, I have never, ever sweated as much in my life. 38 degrees, and we stupidly assume that it will get cooler as we get higher. The mountain side is like a cauldron of heat. It just doesn't get any cooler. The sun is glaring at us with her full intensity. The first turns are brutal and 12% in places, and it seems to take forever to get to the next turn. But we keep a steady pace, and pass quite a few people. Around us many are walking or sitting on the wall. We dont get passed by too many other cyclists, which makes me feel better. I'm starting to gag on my energy drink. I dont know if I'm getting dehydrated or over-heating, because my head feels like its ready to explode, it's so hot. I just cant take any more sweet energy drink or gels. Someone hands me a cup of water as I ride by, I drink a bit, and pour the rest over my head. Very refreshing. Roddy laughs and throws his at me, but misses my head, and soaks my shorts. Very refreshing. Slowly but surely we get to turn ten. We sit on the wall in the shade, for longer than planned... And then back on the bike. We get to turn eight, and realise we should have stopped there because there is a water stop. We stop to drink and pour water over our heads to cool down. It works a treat. I throw a whole bottle of energy drink away, because I cant drink it anymore. Replace it with water. On we go. The rest is a bit of a blur, just switchback after switchback, pedal pedal. Try to take my mind of things by reading the encouraging writing graffitied on the road. I'm in better shape mentally than Galibier, as my legs feel fine, and I know it's the last climb. Roddy doesnt seem to be. We keep going. It's so hot. I pass a girl who asks if I want water over me. I say oui oui, and almost get a heart attack as she pours water over me. It's iced!! Merci mademoiselle. We carry on, slowly the top comes into view, and then we are at the last switchback. We keep going, and pass under what we think is the finish line. Well its is a massive banner with Finish on it. We shake hands as we ride under it, and then spot a sign saying another 1km to go. Bastards. Apparently it's the Tour De France finish sign. We carry on, cursing. We speed up, sprint finish, crowds cheering, we laugh and cross the line together. Done. Ten hours fifteen minutes. Silver medal time. 17.1km/h average speed. 66.2 km/h max speed. Average heart rate 139 bpm. Calories burnt 8,048 C. Hardest thing I've ever done. Never again. But maybe... It just leaves me thank Roddy for talking me into this craziness with his "It will be a laugh" line. Thanks also to John, TC and Mike for the organising. Thanks to the guys at Geoffrey Butler Cycles for helping this novice with the great Plant X bikes. And of course Dee for putting up with all the training rides! Also thanks to all the spectators at all points along the route. It really made the occasion, and the encouraging support was fantastic. Lastly thanks to all generous sponsors who managed to help me exceed my target and raise £2,138 for EveryChild, with hopefully a few more late donations to trickle in (hint hint) This article comes from Jansz.Com http://www.jansz.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.jansz.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=87