My ride to/from work is basically flat as a stripper's abs. So I can set the intensity as hard/easy as I want it. Problem is, I usually just have one speed: "Forward". So, when I taper my training up to a race, I generally take the train to work in stead of biking.
Last week, culminating in La Marmotte, is in the books. It's been epic.
We flew to Nice Monday morning, and set off on a 90 km ride North, after we assembled our bikes. That ride was fairly easy, until we hit Col D'Auron (our hotel for the first day was at the summit). It was 15-20 degrees (Celcius) warmer than what we'd had in Denmark for the past few weeks, so everybody struggled with the heat... We had a Coke in Isola Village, about 10 k from the bottom of Auron, in 35 degrees...
Col D'Auron:
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Auron&MountainID=5678
That was a tough nut to crack!
2nd day (Tuesday, 130k) saw us set off back down to Isola Village, and then we climbed Isola 2000 and then further up to the border into Italy, and Colla della Lombarda:
http://www.cycling-challenge.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lombf700.png
Isola+Lombarda was decent enough - we set out early, so it was still relatively cool, and Isola has managable gradients. Lombarda less so
But utterly spectacular!
A long technical descent brought us down into Italy, where we had lunch in Sambuco, which is actually 8 k up the climb to Colle della Maddalena, which was next on the menu. Maddellena is a boring climb, long and not very steep at all.
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Colle-della-Maddalena&MountainID=1907
Basically just a slug-fest, working your way up to the pass that leads back into France.
After descending Maddellena, we came to Col de Vars. That... was a tough SOB.
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Col-de-Vars&MountainID=6473
I cracked a bit with 5 k to go, and decided it was time to head to the van, and relax, considering the menu for Wednesday... Our hotel for the night was a bit after the summit of Vars.
Wednesday (180k) was a long, long day. First climb was Col de Manse
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Col-de-Manse&MountainID=6252
A harmless little bugger, really, aside from the infamy of being the climb where Beloki crashed on the descent in... 2003? and Lance Armstrong rode across a field while avoiding him.
Then we hit a little climb that they'd forgotten to tell us about. Rampe de Motty - 1,3k at 9%, and it just came out of nowhere. That was a nasty little surprise.
Next up was Col d'Ornon. We hit that after about 150k, and that was not quite as harmless
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Col-dOrnon&MountainID=5864
The stretch from La Chalp to the top was really quite tough, but not as tough as what was in store...
http://www.climbbybike.com/profile.asp?Climbprofile=Alpe-dHuez&MountainID=5
We began climbing Alpe D'Huez after 165k, with temps in the mid-30s, at just around 5 pm. That was tough... But I made it up, keeping a steady HR and the lowest gear possible (I wish I'd had a 32 on the back, but the 28 was ok).
Thursday and Friday were basically recovery days, leading up to the big race on Saturday.
Thankfully, I was in the 1st start group, at 7 am. I passed the top of Glandon at about 8.50, quickly topped off my bottles, dropped a saltstick, and then headed to Lacets the Montvenier. My goodness. As you approach the Lacets, it's like driving towards a sheer cliff face, because that's exactly what it is. Glorious, glorious little climb, at about 8-9% for just over 3k.
Next up was Col de Mollard, then a small little descent, then Croix de Fer. Mollard goes through a forrest, and is filled with switchbacks - it just seems to go on forever. We had a depot about 5k from the top of Mollard, where I managed to drink and eat reasonably well. The distance and the heat were beginning to take their toll...
The last 5k of Croix de Fer are murderous. About 9%, after all that climbing, and at that altitude. Still, coming over the summit, knowing we "just" had the descent down Glandon and the Alpe to go was a pretty good thought. Of course, Glandon is filled with climbs even on the descent, so it was a fair bit of work.
We had another depot at the bottom of Glandon, where I sat down for a good 10 minutes, drinking water and dousing myself with more water. It was 43 degrees... (!!!) ... I had a Coke and put another coat in my pockets, then headed the last few k to Bourg, and the foot of the Alpe.
I don't really remember climbing the Alpe, tbh. I remember fragments here and there, but mostly I remember suffering, stopping to douse myself with water whenever the opportunity presented itself (lots of melting water streams, thankfully). I do remember the feeling of seing the finish line, though. I almost cried, I was so happy. My brother had come down with a fever, and thus didn't race, so he met me at the line, sat me down and started pouring coke and water into me. Just over a liter of coke, a bidon of water, and a draught beer later I was able to breathe and think normally.
La Marmotte was easily the biggest physical effort I have ever done. Unlike the usual route, there were almost no flat sections, with little non-rated climbs everywhere. The temperatures were ridiculous, and I think it was more the dehydration than the climbing effort that took its toll.
Elevation/temperature curve:
Goal-line photo:
