La Marmotte Experience

[Morganite]

La Marmotte
After arriving on Thursday and coming up Alp d”huez in a bus knowing this was the finish this was going to be hard. So on the morning alarm goes off at 4.30 am, looking out the window and it is pouring with rain, 5am for breakfast and there is a lot of worried faces, leave the hotel at 6am from Alp d”huez to the start which is in Bourg d’Oisans, by now the rain had stopped down though the famous 21 bends the roads are wet, thinking I would be coming back up here in 11 hours with 100miles in my legs. So to the start my number was 645 so I was in the group that set of at 7am, I have to say it is very well organised considering there was 8500 riders. 7.10am we started to move all of a sudden we were off, the first 10 miles is flat to the bottom of the Glandon to the top is 6200ft above sea level which is the first Col of the day, this climb is 13 miles which took 2hrs, at the top my seat was playing up so some adjustments were needed. The decent off the top was neutralised due to someone being killed a couple of years back so the next 12 miles did not count towards the time, I have to say it was pretty hairy coming down off their, it was single track, marshals on all the bends slowing people down, one of the amazing things was the number of punctures people were having coming down due to the braking, the rims getting hot then causing the inner tube to puncture. One person said they counted 80 people stopped. Then across a flat section and the next in was the Col du Telegraphe to the top is 5057ft above sea level at the bottom 50 miles in all going good, this climb is 7.3 miles long ave of 7% 1hr15min to the top of this. Then you drop down a few miles to the start of the Col du Galibier to the top is 8500ft above sea level this one is 11 miles long an ave of 7%, this was the hardest of the day every km sign you passed the % ramped up and by the top they were saying 10% 2hrs this climb took. So I worked out from the bottom of the Telegraphe to the top of the Galibier 21miles took 3hrs 50min, this was bloody hard, next was a decent to the bottom Alp d”huez which is basically 30miles downhill with a lot of tunnels, rolled in to the feed station just before 5pm at the foot of Alp d”huez, the temperature was 93f it was boiling hot, 8 miles to go 21 bends, how hard could it be 2800ft of climbing left? On the way up counting the beds down as they are numbered, the number of people walking and sitting on the side of the road they were everywhere. Bend 1 comes in to sight been climbing for 1hr 45min now this is the top, never been so relieved to see this, and cross the finish, Helen was there to give me a wave.
Official time 10hrs 52min, 108 miles 15772 ft of climbing, a great event will do it again next year.
The best time of the day was 5hrs 41 min, not sure of the slowest, but people getting back to our hotel at 9.30pm only just finishing

[The Slinky Otter]

Good right up Huw. SOUNDS BRUTAL!!!! Well done, brilliant achievement.

[mikeyf]

That’s FANTASTIC Huw, an amazing effort, Da iawn!!

[celia]

Well done Huw, looks awesome 🙂

www.ltrcoaching.co.uk
Love The Rain, Live Your Dream

[Roger]

You’re wetting my appetite….well done mate!

[Sweaty Eds]

Bloody Hell Huw, well done mate, a fantastic achievement.

[butcherboy]

Hi Huw… this is Jan.. Andrew left his forum signed in – silly man!!

Well done…fantastic effort… you did well to finish – I would have enjoyed the first 10 miles and then stopped!! Apparently his Lordship is doing it tomorrow! x

[oneeyedscarlet]

What a great experience- well done HUW !

 

I feel knackered just reading about it !!

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