La Marmotte 2008 - succès !
Par Volonté Catégorie de ≺ du 6 jui. 2008 de ≺ : Élever, Cycle, Cyclosportives, Favoris
Nous ne pouvons pas être rapides, mais nous sommes déterminés. Le plus grand tour de nos vies de loin ! Défaut de la reproduction sonore !
Hier, Martin et moi sommes montées la La Marmotte. Avec « L' Etape du Tour » - il est probablement le plus célèbre - et un des plus provocante - Cyclosportive en France. 174 kilomètres (108 milles) et 5.000 mètres de montée verticale (16.400 pieds) !
8.000 cavaliers (! !) et un itinéraire qui a inclus trois élever légendaires de catégorie de hors - Col de la Croix Fer/Glandon, Col du Galibier par l'intermédiaire de Télégraphe, et d'Alpe d' Huez. Voyez ici pour une revue et une carte de l'itinéraire.
Je pense que nous sommes les deux joli heureux avec nous-mêmes ! J'ai décidé qui est aujourd'hui un jour de repos. 
N'importe qui qui recherche le fonctionnaire résulte, ils sont maintenant signalés ici. Si vous étiez dans la course, des photos peuvent être achetées ici et ici.
Je n'ai honnêtement jamais pensé que je pourrais finir cet événement mais mon plan était simple :
- Pas moi-même
- Appréciez le repos s'arrête (nous avons eu au-dessus d'une heure de temps non-mobile)
- Mangez et buvez comme un porc toute la journée (j'ai gagné le poids)
- Permettez-vous seulement d'acheter un Marmotte Jersey si je finissais (la motivation !)
Voici une brève vidéo de nos aventures et puis d'une projection de diapositives.
Nous avons commencé près du dos, et retardons et 8.000 cavaliers ont voulu dire que nous avons tremblé au début pendant presque une heure après l'heure du départ 7am. Perfectionnez le temps pour commencer le tour et il a opacifié plus de pour une certaine nuance plus tard en jour.
C'est un événement véritablement international et j'ai rencontré bien plus hollandais (partout !), La Belgique, l'Italien et les cavaliers du R-U que le Français.
La montée de la belle maintenance de Col de la Croix De était une affaire serrée. Cyclistes partout - mais superbe ! Le dessus de Glandon (l'itinéraire a sauté les 2 derniers kms de Croix de Fer) était un zoo. Obtenir la nourriture et l'eau était travail dur mais chacun était dans de grands spiritueux.
After a hair-raising 20 kilometre decsent and 25 slightly uphill kilometres in the Maurienne valley, we attacked (?!) Galibier.
It is such a beautiful and epic climb. From Plan Lachat, the last 9 kilometres literally go over the Alps. It was cold up top but the last 45 minutes was just an amazing ride.
While climbing Galibier we heard a Marmotte giving it’s distinct warning screech. A propos!
The worst part of the day for me was definitely the 45 kilometre descent to Bourg d’Oisans. It was cold, long, 10 tunnels, some cars, etc. Like down Glandon, several hundred people passed me on the descent and Martin was very nice to wait for me.
But after 2,000 metres of vertical descent, the weather changed from freezing with snow beside the road to a heat-wave.
Climbing Alps d’Huez I felt (surprisingly) great. And I was really excited that I would actually finish. We passed maybe a couple of hundred riders up the hill, some walking, many slouched at one of the hairpins (the strong riders had finished hours ahead of us). But most determined to finish.
Overall, I had far more fun than I expected and it hurt a little less than feared. Epic!
Related Posts
Will is Happiest while cycling uphill. More enthusiastic than talented, his 2008 Challenge is to (again) cycle 160,000 metres of vertical ascent.
Email this author | All posts by Will
Subscribe to Cycling Challenge
un seul mot : BRAVO !
Well done guys; BIG effort. Looks like a classic Slogfest. But whats this? Some sort of video comedy-duo routine developing?
Impressionnant ! Félicitations, et ça donne envie d’en faire une de cyclosportive
Wow, wow, wow — what an accomplishment. Succeeding at the full Marmotte deserves a Chapeau!!
I can’t believe what a day you had yesterday — I remember when doing that course as 3 climbs over 3 completely separate (and non-consecutive) days would be have been seen as big days in their own right. To do all that in one day is just mind-boggling.
You kept saying you were ‘only’ going to do part of the course, but a little part of me doubted…a feeling confirmed when I received your text last night that you and Martin were now full members of the Marmotte brotherhood!
These are laurels you can rest on for the rest of your life……well, at least the next couple of weeks until the Tour d’Enfer!!!
Well done, you two!
Your biggest fan,
Doreen
Amazing effort Will! 5k vertical is awesome. I bet the beer you had after the ride was the best you ever tasted
[...] Blog Post [...]
Congratulations on a great ride, Will. Outstanding accomplishment.
I was just taking to my brother about these very climbs yesterday. A mutual friend suggested his dream trip must include the fabled Belgian pave. We both agreed the classic cols you climbed here are far and away the better choices. And you did them in one day only. Bravo!
Mark
Congratulations from Canada!! I was in Ottawa for the w/e. Tell Martin the streets were closed for cyclists. Very flat by the canal!! But the jazz was good.
Well done and congratulations. I’m very proud of you , s’wonderful. (((hugs you happily)))
Freakin’ Fantastic… and a HUGE CONGRATS to you and Martin!!! Once again you have wowed us with fun video and breathtaking pictures. I really have to get to Euruope soon. The local Tourism board should hire you. By the way… I hope you had a very large beer to celebrate.
Well done, congratulations, and a nice read with good photo’s
Dutchmen everywhere as you said, so even here. I finished just within 12 hours, with also well over an hour of non-moving time. Funny that my best part of the day was your worst: I was in total ecstasy during the descent of the Galibier and Lauteret.
For me the secret of finishing (despite my total lack of mountain cycling experience) was to keep my heartrate under a certain level (in my case 160bpm) And besides that eating and drinking like a pig, both manner and quantity.
Thanks for messages
Hi MOM!!
Elmer: Bedankt and Congratulations: I envy people that can descend. And yes, I am convinced that watching my heart rate and eating/drinking like a pig helped me finish (versus all those guys cramping and collapsed along the route)
Donald:
Our next silly plan is to try the Etape de Tour next year as it is the other very famous event. It basically replicates a huge mountain stage in the Tour de France and next year will be the Alps (as it is in the Pyrennées this year)
There, I gave you 12 months warning - so no excuses. And I could use another domestique
Wow! Nice one Will. Congratulations. Oh and the scenery is gorgeous!
You are insane! Congratulations - you are the most goal oriented person I know. I am blown away by what you are able to acheive little brother! I am so proud of you.
Penny
Thanks for such a great collection of photos and the write up - my only pictures were badly taken on my mobile phone, so these are a great souvenir.
I hadn’t ridden on any real mountains before (the Dragon Ride, I now know, doesn’t count) so I rode it to get round and didn’t have my eye too closely on the time.
I was the toughest and the best thing I’ve ever done sports-wise and an excellent incentive to drop 20lbs and challenge it properly next year.
Massive respect for anyone that completed the course (including me) but those Gold standard riders… wow.
Chapeau monsieur.
I’ve finished 5 L’Etapes, but cracked on La Marmotte in 2007. Go for L’Etape. It’s a logistical nightmare, but every cyclist should do at least one.
Amazing! Congrats Will! This is the same loop I’ll be doing in one week, but luckily, I’ll be doing it backwards from the way you’re doing it. I think I have it MUCH easier.
Bravo Will and Martin!
Climbing all these in 1 day is certainly epic. Congratulations!
Hi Will,
Katy&I just got back from our return Geneva-Menton tandem trip yesterday evening. I’m very happy to see that you guys did not take advantage of my absence to sit down on your lazy butts
But Will, plse stop BS-ing about :
1) My CALF HURTS… Please, we really feel soooo sorry for you. How long has this been going on now? Since our Col du Sac ride in March??? And what have you been doing since??? Riding farther and higher and farther and higher. Leave the load of BS home and you will even ride faster up those mountains.
2) So you feel you are a poor descender???. Another load you better leave home next ride, even tough extra weight helps on the descends. Katy and I descended Glandon on Tuesday on the tandem (which is great for that type of exercise), but it was tough. Bad road surface, many tight turns with little visibility and steep (at least the top part). And you think it is fun to come down there together with another 7998 unknown cyclists Yes, I consider that you can trust Martin :-).
Beware though as if you keep riding on like this you may be bored on the upcoming Tour d’Enfer. Galibier? Done that! Joux Plane? What a bore! Col du Colombier? Oh no, not that little hill again!
OK, I admit, CONGRATULATIONS on the achievement to both of you. I hope we can go for another ride soon and that I can follow you guys.
Hello,
Congratulations
Great site !
A question! Is it possible to link my website?
I’ve got some nices foto’s of la Marmotte 2008
regards Flitzzz Sports Photography
Flitzzz Sport & Evenementenfotografie