La Marmotte

Recently I have been spending a lot of my training time with a group called ‘The Dawn Raiders’ whose ethos is to get up early, train early , get home early, get brownie points at home early (the brownie points part is not guaranteed but everything else is). This principal carries on into many things, one of which was the approach to riding this years big group goal of La Marmotte.

The official event is taking place July 8th, so the Dawn Raiders took it on early. Almost 3 weeks early to be precise. It is said that success leaves clues, so perhaps the experience of The Dawn Raiders Marmotte 2018 may be of benefit to anyone taking on the event late, or on time, or whichever way you might wish to look at it.

Every trip must have a hiccup, that is a given, so much so that on this trip I learned of an ingenious way of approaching hiccups. That of the fcukedup fund. This fund is totally discretionary and can be put to any use whatsoever without remorse. Miss a flight and have to pay Ryanair through the nose, use the fund. Forget your cycling shoes, use the fund to buy a new pair. Crash a hire bike and write off a Di2 rear mech, time to hit the fund.

Our hiccup wasn’t too bad.  It was a notification 2 nights before we were due to fly to Lyon announcing that all of our flights were cancelled. My iPhone battery had died once again after 17 minutes of continuous use, so it was the team ethos of the Dawn Raiders that sorted everything out. Multiple phones were playing hideous elevator hold music waiting on a helpful operator to come on the line. Then once the connection was made whatsapp messages were bouncing around getting everyones details until finally everyone was rebooked on flights to Geneva, the most complicated airport in the World to drive a hire car through, but other than that just a 10 minute longer drive to Bourg d’Oisans.

We arrived at the fabulous Hotel de Milan, right in the town/village centre and across from the main bike shop where Pinarello, Specialized, BMC, Willier and many other mouth watering brands abound. The outside of the hotel looked a bit run down, but inside it is fully refurbished and the apartments that we shared are as good if not better than any 4 star apartment in Mallorca. As could be expected in a location like this there are secure bike storage rooms with tools and workstands, washer dryer facilities and a tandem on display. The owners are very friendly, speak very good english and offer helpful advise to cyclists especially regarding the variance of weather conditions on the climbs.

Day 1 saw us collect the hire bikes from Antoin, then head out for a coffee to return via the Balcony route. A truly spectacular road that places you on the side of a cliff overlooking the valley way down below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkIJr6jFohZ/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkIeyP0lP8Q/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkIHhCyFLen/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

Then came the main event.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkJx58NFxTL/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

A 6.30am start was noted as being a lie in for the Dawn Raiders and it saw us heading out as the sun rose gloriously over the Alpine mountains surrounding us.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMFXWDFeyA/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

A 10km flat section made for a good warm up before the first big one of the day, The Col de Glandon. This 21km climb rises up to a height of 1924m. Even taking into account the starting altitude of 719m that’s a lot of climbing.

First impression was that the smooth roads and the 34 x 32 gear ration were going to make it relatively comfortable and with everyone riding nice and steady that proved to be the case.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMFucElPv1/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

As luck would have it, one of the group injured his back and was unable to ride, so once again in true Dawn Raider team spirit Paul came along anyway and drove a support van for the day, which made a huge difference for the entire group. At the top of the Glandon and everywhere throughout the day he was there with our spare clothing, water and food.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMGLFzF3nT/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

On the way up the Glandon and many times after we spotted these overweight squirrels lurking and skulking about on the mountains. It turns out that they are called Marmotte which is where the event gets its name from.

The decent is quiet tricky and I noticed that it took me a few km to get a feel for that type of descending again. There is very little back in Ireland to prepare you for a 15, 25 or 35km fast descent with sweeping and sometimes very sharp hairpins. In the event itself this is actually neutralised and the clocks are stopped until you reach the bottom. Take it easy and don’t get caught up in a race to see who can crash first.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMF4hxlV8R/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

Next comes a flat section that can be quite windy. We singled out here and rode in Team Time Trial formation with everyone riding at the front for 4 minutes holding 28 – 30kph on the flat, so nothing over strenuous. You need to keep your powder dry for what’s yet to come.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMGfjOFz9E/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

St Jean de Maurianne is the start of the next big climb at 67km in, at an altitude of 465m and you now face the col de Telegraph which summits at 1570m after 93km. We faced a coffee shop, whilst Packie who happened to be wearing a Direct Energy jersey got swept up in the moment and tried to hijack the Direct Energy team truck. We caught him just in time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkKRGiDF98I/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

This was also a good time to stock up on carbs and the pasta that James and Paul had cooked the evening before, along with the fresh ham and cheese baguettes this really hit the spot.

The Telegraph is another giant of a climb, but again, by riding steady and finding your rhythm it is very doable. Always remember that everyone is suffering around you, even if they are not showing it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkKc3U3F5mD/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMGnkbF-ll/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

The summit offers a spectacular view and short sense of relief as a descent that would be long in Ireland after 95k of the marmotte seems like a waste and far too short.

Next up Valloire after 97k at 1430m is another stop and refuel point where bottles are filled from the local fountain (all local fountains are safe to drink from but avoid the streams and rivers as there may be a dead animal 100m upstream.) More pasta is consumed along with a quick cafe au lait and we are off again now facing the big Daddy of them all, the Galibier.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMGv2DlXG_/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

This one is hard. You now have a difficult 100k already done and the legs are beginning to get tired. You need to get over this and still have something in the tank for the grand finale up Alp d’Huez.

A good speed to aim to maintain is between 10 and 12kph. As you approach the snow line there is a cheese shop that sells coke for €2.50 per can. At this point some would be willing to pay €25 so if you feel like stopping do, and take in the majesty of your surroundings. You may never see them again!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMHI-IFqOe/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

Near the top there is a chicken run of a tunnel. Avoid it at all costs and go up that extra bit to the true summit. Your kids will thank you for it because if you don’t you will spend all summer wishing that you did.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMHQXelCUR/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMHZD6lmGK/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

Now comes a fabulous descent. We had a headwind but still rode pretty steady down it. Fast enough to get the adrenaline pumping but not so fast that the heart was ready to burst.

In the back of your mind is always that last climb and you are trying to keep a little in the tank.

Another 15km of relative flat now leads you to the foot of Alp d’Huez and the pain that it holds in store as you begin the climb now with 162km in your legs at an altitude of 719m. In 13k’s time you will be at 1880m.

The first 3 hairpins are the steepest. Ride them easy and don’t try to get them over with too quickly. Your heart beating at 7 or 10 beats too much here will spell disaster further up.

At bend 5 there is a coffee shop where we consumed more coke. Here some meditated, some winced in pain and others stoically contemplated the suffering that lay ahead.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkNeUT2FFCQ/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

From here to the top you just have to grind it out. You can see the finish up ahead but it still looks so far away and so high up. By just focussing on each pedal stroke and getting another 5 meters you will remarkably find your self arriving into the town of Alp d’Huez itself. A momentary sense of relief subsides to the realisation that you still have another 1k of climbing to go.

When you arrive at the finish there is a momentary sense of relief. This then turns into a feeling of accomplishment and when everyone is congratulating each other a sense of camaraderie. This lasts for a while until the next feeling arrives. A feeling of now that’s done, what’s next?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMH9eClMx7/?hl=en&taken-by=thecyclingblog

Barry.

The Dawn Raiders team who took on and conquered the Marmotte were fantastic companions and my thanks and congratulations goes out to each one individually :

Conor, David, James, Kieran, Mark, Niall, Packie, Pat and most importantly Paul the director sportive.