Author Topic: Good luck to the YACFers riding La Marmotte (Read 6293 times)

Wascally Weasel · « **on:** 01 July, 2011, 12:18:33 pm »

Good luck all, hope you get good weather in the high passes.

I can't be with you this year as I am too fat. Next year....

peliroja · « **Reply #1 on:** 01 July, 2011, 12:23:18 pm »

+1. It's come around very quickly. Courage!

mattc · « **Reply #2 on:** 01 July, 2011, 01:15:22 pm »

So is it tomorrow?

I'll be in the area for the Etape (I'm chauffeur for the day), thinking about riding the route on Sunday 10th. I stress thinking.

DanialW · « **Reply #3 on:** 01 July, 2011, 01:23:03 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 01 July, 2011, 01:15:22 pm

So is it tomorrow?
I'll be in the area for the Etape (I'm chauffeur for the day), thinking about riding the route on Sunday 10th. I stress thinking.

There's a 150km perm that pretty much covers the route. Rode it in 2007, freezing my nuts off on the descents and dodging vicious thunderstorms.

mattc · « **Reply #4 on:** 01 July, 2011, 01:30:48 pm »

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Might be tricky, as I may not start from Bourg Dwazon.

Interesting description:

Circuit of Galibier
163km cycling event starting from Cheshire. The classic circuit of Croix de Fer, Telegraphe, Galibier and Lautaret, in the French Alps

Must check the maps ...

Wascally Weasel · « **Reply #5 on:** 01 July, 2011, 02:11:32 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 01 July, 2011, 01:15:22 pm

So is it tomorrow?

Yep, always first Saturday in July (afaik).

Thing2 · « **Reply #6 on:** 01 July, 2011, 02:58:25 pm »

Thanks folks!
We'll be starting Marmotte at least. Whether we finish or not is a different matter!
I'm still suffering the never ending cold, although a few days in the sun have been helping. Neither of us is quite as fit as last year either, but at least we have a nice early start time!
Emma

Wascally Weasel · « **Reply #7 on:** 02 July, 2011, 12:06:02 pm »

Noes! It seems like the Things are having mechanical woes

From twitter:

"Looks like we're out of la marmotte. Rim tape fail on Col glandon, and now disc brake pads are disintegrating"

peliroja · « **Reply #8 on:** 02 July, 2011, 09:29:29 pm »

Serious Chapeau to the Things, who "rode back from the dead" to get a Brevet D'Or!

little miss mac · « **Reply #9 on:** 02 July, 2011, 10:14:03 pm »

Crikey! Chapeaux aux Things!!

Wascally Weasel · « **Reply #10 on:** 02 July, 2011, 11:48:32 pm »

Finishing the Marmotte with virtually no brakes

peliroja · « **Reply #11 on:** 03 July, 2011, 03:22:56 pm »

Thing1 has done an incredible write-up, here. I was choking up when reading it! I am In Awe. You two are amazing.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #12 on:** 03 July, 2011, 03:49:04 pm »

Astonishing stuff.

I've had that Thing1 on the back of my tandem.

StuAff · « **Reply #13 on:** 03 July, 2011, 07:24:40 pm »

Phenomenal indeed. I know a few other guys who were there, but I'm pretty sure the Things' effort tops the lot!

thing1 · « **Reply #14 on:** 04 July, 2011, 03:05:58 pm »

Thank you folks for all the support! (here and twitter and whatnot)
I didn't sleep that well Saturday night, just reliving the day over and again in my head. Writing it up (on my phone during the journey back yesterday*) was as much catharsis for myself as opportunity to share the thrill of it with others.

It was... emotional. That really is one epic event, on any day.

(* - I've tweaked it since for typos and clarity, and add the GPS track. I'll probably add photos too when they're available tomorrow).

matthew · « **Reply #15 on:** 04 July, 2011, 03:50:44 pm »

Wow, well done just finishing with those mechanical concerns and delays. Did the organisers at the finish realise what you had had go wrong?

thing1 · « **Reply #16 on:** 04 July, 2011, 05:03:20 pm »

Quote from: matthew on 04 July, 2011, 03:50:44 pm

Wow, well done just finishing with those mechanical concerns and delays. Did the organisers at the finish realise what you had had go wrong?

Nope, with 6000 people spilling over the line it's more akin to a red-cross emergency triage atmosphere than post audax cup of tea and natter.
And my French isn't so good.

The depth of my conversation with the race director was: "Oi matey! This certificate says 'Category: Homme 34. Bronze'. I jolly well think it should say 'Cat: Tandem, Gold'" and he went off and printed us a new one

peliroja · « **Reply #17 on:** 04 July, 2011, 05:08:38 pm »

*still in awe of the Things*

thing1 · « **Reply #18 on:** 04 July, 2011, 06:09:50 pm »

<glow>

Although: I'm currently in a minor rage! Grand Trophee fricking events have put up the results, but listed us as "Homme" rather than "Tandem"

This makes a big difference!

Also they don't seem to have neutralized Glandon descent like last year, which also would make a whopping 2.5hour difference to our time!! But I don't actually care so much about that so long as they correct the above

- I also see they've modified my 2010 entry so I'm now called "JONATHAN EMMA". Cute.

mattc · « **Reply #19 on:** 04 July, 2011, 06:25:35 pm »

You'll have to recalibrate that attitude before you come back to planet Audax

(And well done, epic stuff. You've reminded me to fit some new brake blocks before the weekend ! )

thing1 · « **Reply #20 on:** 04 July, 2011, 06:46:03 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 04 July, 2011, 06:25:35 pm

You'll have to recalibrate that attitude before you come back to planet Audax

Indeed, I thought exactly that as I typed it

It's more one of those "if you're going to publish detailed results to all the world, at least get it right damn it! I paid enough for this timing chip -- and then extra for being a tandem!".
And also: getting the wrong category is akin to being given a 400km brevet when you rode a 600km. (Or maybe, being denied your fixed wheel or AAA points or whatever). As I said, the 2.5 hours time discrepancy I can't get so excited over either way....

Wascally Weasel · « **Reply #21 on:** 04 July, 2011, 11:11:35 pm »

Quote from: thing1 on 04 July, 2011, 06:09:50 pm

<glow>

And bloody well deserved to you both!

Quote from: thing1 on 04 July, 2011, 06:09:50 pm

Also they don't seem to have neutralized Glandon descent like last year, which also would make a whopping 2.5hour difference to our time!! But I don't actually care so much about that so long as they correct the above

The neutralising thing was a bit odd last year - if you were at the slower end of the field (that would be me) istr that your Glandon descent was not neutralised at all. I think it was designed to avoid the crashes and occasional fatalaties that punctuates the early part of the field descending the Glandon in big groups.

thing1 · « **Reply #22 on:** 05 July, 2011, 11:22:44 am »

My understanding was the neutralization applied to all riders, but only with respect to the overall rank-ordering of finishers (i.e. the race).
Your individual brevet gold-silver-bronze was still based on total time including the descent. So - my brevet says 8:36 but in the results rank-ordering I'm 8:04.

Our Dutch neighbour in the campsite last year was unhappy about this, as he punctured on the descent and missed out on his gold by a few minutes (saying he didn't rush the repair knowing he was in the neutralized zone).

I have no idea if they actually stated it would be neutralized again this year, but there were "descente tranquille" signs up which I vaguely interpreted as it being so. <hausser français>

Wascally Weasel · « **Reply #23 on:** 05 July, 2011, 10:39:20 pm »

Quote from: thing1 on 05 July, 2011, 11:22:44 am

My understanding was the neutralization applied to all riders, but only with respect to the overall rank-ordering of finishers (i.e. the race).
Your individual brevet gold-silver-bronze was still based on total time including the descent. So - my brevet says 8:36 but in the results rank-ordering I'm 8:04.

Our Dutch neighbour in the campsite last year was unhappy about this, as he punctured on the descent and missed out on his gold by a few minutes (saying he didn't rush the repair knowing he was in the neutralized zone).

I have no idea if they actually stated it would be neutralized again this year, but there were "descente tranquille" signs up which I vaguely interpreted as it being so. <hausser français>

Oh, ok - then I'm genuinely confused as to the purpose, perhaps because I'm only ever 'racing' against my own personal best time for the Marmotte and don't care about my ranking.

De Sisti · « **Reply #24 on:** 06 July, 2011, 12:32:49 am »

My ride was a disaster. I got to the top of the first climb in 2 hours 16 minutes (on schedule). On the descent I felt cramp in the top of my right thigh. I had taken all precautions to avoid this, like using Nuun tablets and salt crystals in each bidon. The cramp stayed at bay during the long flattish stretch to the base of the Telegraph.

However, by the summit, it was back with a vengeance. Not only at the top of my right thigh, but the top of my left thigh too. This continued all the way to Alpe D'huez. I couldn’t pedal too hard as the pressure set the cramp off again. I had to walk for long periods, as the the mere act of pedalling kept on causing it to return.

I finished the ride 20 minutes outside the cut-off time (there were several coming in an hour after me).

I wish all manner of horrible things to happen to the camera crew on Alpe D'Huez, which
took great delight in filming me when I was in agony due to an onset of cramp, which
forced me to push my bike.

Author Topic: Good luck to the YACFers riding La Marmotte (Read 6293 times)

DanialW