What can I say about this event that has not already been said by many others.
It’s a 174km / 110mile sportive that starts in Bourg d’ Oisans and climbs some of the most famous climbs in the Alps. The first 95miles is a clockwise loop over the Col du Glandon, Col de Telegraph and the big one, the Col du Galibier, before finishing up the Alpe d’Huez. With around 6000 riders from all over Europe competing, it makes this one of the most treasured event to take part in and this year 5 SWRC and 1 ex-SWRC set off to take it on.
Here are their thoughts on the event.
Paul Alderson writes:
After hearing about La Marmotte a few years ago, and its rating as the toughest one day event for amateur cyclists I'd been keen to give it a go. With Trevor's fantastic organising, before I knew it I was entered and the date was okayed by my (always) very accommodating wife. By the time the big weekend arrived, I'd completed over 7700km's of training and racing - my longest training ride being a 224km solo to Bognor Regis and back into a fierce headwind - the distance wasn't going to be my downfall. But with only the Surrey Hills as my training hills, the big mountains were an unknown factor. My weight, due to all my time trailing, and trying not to snack too much, was 5kg less than the start of the year, so that should be a help in the mountains. Also, after riding my De Rosa almost into the ground over the last 8 years,and it having always had a problem with downhills, (I've experienced quite a few speed wobbles on it over the years, so I wasn't feeling exactly confident about descending the Galibier on that bike.), an investment in a new bike was in order. I bought a Planet-X bike, dura-ace equipped and with deep section carbon wheel, very light AND it had a compact chainring - which I would usually turn my nose up at, but for the mountains I had seen many times on the telly during the tour and after seeing pros riding them during the Giro this year, I thought it was probably a very good idea. Our trip out to Vizelle was spent almost entirely driving in the rain,(which didn't help to settle any nerves), and although a long trip, Alan's continuous chatting and his podcast collection kept me well awake, added to this the banter between Tango Lima and Mike Papa, meant that we arrived feeling pretty good.Friday morning - bit more tweaking and double-double checking, and then off to Alp d'huez to register. This was my first time at Alp d'Huez and I'm not sure if was a help or not. Every hairpin seemed as steep as the next, but the start is definitely pretty tough something I thought would be good to remember when I was suffering the next day. The atmosphere at Alpd'Huez was excellent, I was surprised to see so many people cycling up the hairpins the day before the event - surely any training was now too late? Friday afternoon/evening was a time to relax and take it easy, but that wasn't to be, poor Andy managed to lock his keys in his car boot with his cycling shoes- let's just say it wasn't ideal preparation. Nerves as usual the day before a big event meant I got a maximum of 3.5hours sleep, again not great preparation, especially since on Wednesday night I'd worked till 12.30 and was picked up at 5am by Alan. I was hoping that adrenaline would get me through the day.Well the ride was fantastic, the bike felt like it just wanted to go up mountains at speed and I rode well within myself on the first climb of the Col de Glandon. Then I realised something I had always thought was true - I can't descend for toffee, by the time I got to the bottom of the Glandon, I had about 2mm of cork left on my front brake blocks, this meant even slower descents on all the next mountains using mainly my back brakes and reserving my front brakes for possible emergencies or areas where the gradient deserved a bit of respect.Finally I was able to relax a bit when I finally got down the Galibier andrealised that I don't need to worry about saving rubber any more - crikey I could walk down Alp d'huez at the end of the day if need be - I now just had the run in to the bottom of the last climb and then Alpd'huez to do, and my aim of 7hr30 was just about doable. I was in a fast moving group when disaster - a puncture in one of the tunnels. No problem, I'd packed two spare tubes, I'd checked they were in a good condition, fix the puncture and I'd be on my way - only a loss of 10 minutes max...er no. My fancy new wheels don't just use long stem valves, they use ultra long valves! Also, it wasn't just a small puncture, the tube had exploded and blown a hole in the tyre itself. I suddenly thought it was all over. Then I remembered I’d packed at the last moment those stick on patches and an old piece of tyre. With the hole in the tyre patched, the tube patched as best I could, I was eventually on my way again – a 7.30 was out of the picture now. I had about 10k’s to go to the start of the last climb, I think I actually went too quick to the start – I was doing 45km/h going on and off the front with another rider who was wearing a white skinsuit that had UCI protour stamped across his back – possibly a sign that he was a bit better than me. My bottles were almost full at the start so I didn’t stop for any refills. Bang, straight into the climb. The first drag really hits you and by the time you see the board for the first of 21 hairpins you realise you’re in for a long last 13 km’s. This was the first climb were I was passed – on the Col d’Telegraph, I kept myself focused by counting everyone I passed – 350! And no one passed me. On Alp d’huez, I was passed by a couple of Norwood Paragon blokes – firstly Chris Moores and then at around 7km’s to go, Marcus Brueton. Eventually I was in the town, and bang another puncture. Well there was no way I was fixing it, and no way I was going to walk the last kilo. I rode slowly – even slower than I’d been going – and was passed by about 30 or so riders in that last kilo. My final time was 8:10:09, not bad considering everything. Also I was in one piece (just had to get down the mountain again...) My climb up Alp d’Huez was 1:11:09. At the top of the Galibier, I was 528th based on time taken to get to that point, at the finish, after my stop, I was 925th – 400 places lost due to the puncture. There’s only one thing for it...roll on 2009.
Alan Parkinson writes::
I was riding my new (well 2 months old) Scott CR1 bike that has a bottom gear of 34 x 25. I've never really bothered about the debate about what gear to use but on this ride I learnt something. Some were saying use a 27, others swear by a compact chainset. Back in Surrey we charge up climbs but they only last minutes. Here I was in bottom gear for hours. My style is ride out of the saddle and I couldn't change for this event so it was in - out - in - out... etc all day.
Would I survive, who knows!
I decided on a two large bottle strategy as I knew the feed stations can be hectic at these types of large events and I didn’t want to hang around at the first feed stop trying to fill bottles. This worked well for me and I made my first stop at about 50 miles just as we were beginning to climb the Galibier. I had eaten my only energy bar by this time and had to complete the course on what was at the feed stops. I tried a wedge of camembert & baguette, followed by bananas & slices of orange. I did manage to fill my bottles with water only to find that in the adjacent tent they were dishing out an energy drink of unknown origin. Then it was off again with some extra booty, mainly dried apricots shoved up my jersey.
What all of us had agreed on was to take a gillet for the long descents and I stopped at the top of every climb to put it on. The temperatures were bearable on the climbs but in the valleys I striped back to my racing jersey. I noticed that some Spanish riders thought it was still too cold and put on extra clothes after taking off their waterproofs.
The whole event was awsome, hard climbs, scary decents, and always the thought of blowing up in the back of your mind. I didn't stop when I hit the last climb, just rode straight into "the Alpe".
Thanks to the little competition I was having with Trevor I pushed on to the top hoping he hadn't passed me at one of the feed stops. When I reached the village I knew I couldn't have done any better, as my legs told me, that was a great ride.
This was my main challenge for this year and I've really enjoyed the long training rides & events, with the other guys here. This week last year I rode the British sportive from London to Canterbury and finished 42nd from 4000 riders. Here with more fitness I was only 1174th from 6000 riders showing the class of rider that are at La Marmotte.
Trevor Lenthall writes:
La Marmotte – revisited 2008 By Trevor Lenthall.
No Doubt by now you have a good idea of what the Marmotte entails. So, with this in mind I will cut to the chase.
The weather was great, the route – a challenge for any rider.
The Glandon - longer than I remember - but the final 5k – beautiful – a green ridge lined with a couple summits. The descent – as I remembered – scary, lined with punctured riders, the odd car breaking the road closure causing chaos on some of the lower bends – but luckily no accidents this year.
Glandon to the telegraph turn – shorter and easier than I remember – just keep in a group and if you get dropped - keep turning it over and another will soon mop you up.
Telegraph turn to Galibier – Hot!, until a layer of high level cloud blew in to give all riders a break from the sun. Valiore feed – chaos, but beyond – I chatted to a couple guys and before I knew it - I arrived at the end of valley and the zig-zags. To the Galibier col – I knew it was coming and what to expect – all I had to do was to keep pumping the legs and keep the rythmn going - then – relief. The Feed station – grab some food – gilet and arm warmers on and then descend to the Col Du Lauteret – ok!
Col Du Lauteret to Borg – Excellent – nothing like last time – I felt great and found myself easily matching all in front of me – the tunnels, cool and refreshing.
Bourg to Alp D’Huez finish line – Just had to keep it going, corner to corner – rise to rise. Eventually the slope gave way to level ground and cheers – then a final turn and blast to the finish. Final time 8 mins quicker than 2 years ago.
There I greeted Paul and Alan, where we shared our versions or the journey and devoured the free food. As soon a Sabin had arrived, claimed his certificate and finished his food, we retraced our route to bourg and the cars - where Mark was waiting. A great effort by all! And a good show by the SWRC.
Andy Mckie writes:
Friday started well with a bit of bike maintenance and some male bonding on the benefits of a decent torque wrench. However the smile was quickly wiped off my face when after a quick spin to check the bike I went to change my shoes and managed to lock my car keys and even worse my cycling shoes in the boot of car. After hours of calls between RAC, the AA, my wife etc although we got into the car there was no way to open the boot without the key and no way into the boot without a chainsaw. About midnight I bit the bullet and my 16 year old son Mikel was dispatched with the spare on Ryanair flight to Lyon Saturday morning. Fortunately Marcus Brueton from the Paragon managed to buy a cheap pair of Nikes from a tent at finish line at Alp D’huez, fitted cleats for me and arranged to meet me 30 mins before the race on sat morning so I was able to ride the event.
I met Marcus just outside Bourg and slipped on the new shoes-just what you want before an event like this. I started with the Paragon boys Marcus (2nd cat more like elite), Chris Moores (elite cat), Simon Warren (1st cat). Simon led the way up the Glandon at a fair pace. I held his wheel till that village. Then as I made my first decent of the day 2nd disaster. With brakes full on heading into a hairpin there was a long bang as the latex tube in my front tyre exploded and I ran out on the corner. The rim was so hot I could not touch it. With only one tube and many more major decents to come how long before another bang? I was beginning to feel like I should have just stayed home. I went well up the Glandon. On the descent I was braking so carefully on and off in the straights so not have too much speed into the corners as it was game over with another explosion. At one point I was following a wheel when there was a loud bang. I unclipped my pedal applied the brakes and thought well that’s it. To my amazement it was the guy in front. I was still in it. I flew along the valley trying to make up some time. I met up with another Paragon rider Anthony who kindly lent me a tube. I repaid the favor by dropping him-sorry Ants. Up the Tele I went well and felt good-I passed Sabin. Then came the Galibier-the leveler. I felt my legs go at almost the exact same point as 2 years ago. I really struggled up there as I image most people did. I cramped in the last 100 m or so but managed to get to the feed. Down the decent again I took it really easy braking and letting off never getting any speed in the straights. I have never been happier to get to the end of a decent. Along the valley fairly quickly but was thinking of cramping up the Alp so tried to spin it out and drink as much electrolyte as possible. Up the Alp my feet were really beginning to hurt I could feel every part of the cleats on the sole of my feet-there’s no way Lance won 7 tours with these shoes. I scraped over the line in 9 hours 5 min still gold but disappointed not to break my target of under 9. We got back to the hotel to find Mikel waiting with the spare, its good to have family when you need them!
Lessons learned. 1) take a spare key 2) don’t use latex tubes 3) carry more tubes 4) take a spare key
Sabin writes:
The day started the evening before but Andy has already explained that. What a start! How could Andy be in the right frame of mind the following day! The big day arrived and we made our way, a bit anxiously, to our pen. Without even realizing we went under the arch and off. The time 7:36 am. Temperature 10 Celsius. Skies clear. No panic. I was surprised how calmly everyone behaved from the start. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry. I wondered why. I like this I said to myself. By the time I started climbing the Col de Glandon I had lost contact with the rest of our group. All well ahead of me except for Andy who started 20 minutes later. I found the Glandon long and hard and I did not pushed myself trying to save some energy for later. The feeding station at the top was chaotic by the time I arrived. We had to walk the last 40 or 50 metres because of the volume of cyclist arriving at the same time blocking the whole road. I thought most of the feeding stations were unable to cope with so many cyclist. Particularly bad was the water supply. In several places the organizers set up a pipe with taps along it. The pressure was so weak it took a minute to fill up a bidon with ten people holding bidons around it. I think it was on the Telegraph when I heard my name properly pronounced. Andy told me he had had a puncture while riding quite comfortably with his Paragon mates. I quickly told him not to waste time riding at my rhythm and in no time he was out of sight. Up the Telegraph I also saw a cyclist with only his right leg. No prosthetic left leg, no left pedal. That gave me some encouragement! During the whole of the event I was surrounded by cyclist. I was fortunate during the climb of the Galibier because it clouded over. I saw Mark very briefly near the top but I don't think we exchanged more than two expletives on account of the climbs. At the top of the Col de Galibier - a brute of a climb- when I pulled the full bidon away from the tap in the scramble someone knocked it to the ground and I had to get to the back of the queue again. It gave me more time to rest off my bike! I tried to zip up my gillet to decend the Galibier but I could not do it so I threw myself down the slopes with the gillet open flapping in the wind. I tackled all the descends with caution, probably too slow. I was passed by thousands and the odd one that I overtook I am sure he or she had faulty brakes. I was determined not to come back in a wooden box. I thought I felt a few spots then but maybe I was delirious. Through the tunnels, no problema. When it came to take the gillet off I had to stop whereas everybody else was able to do it while riding along. When I finally saw a sign saying 18km to Alpe d'Huez I looked at my watch for the first time. Until then my aim was to survive. Now, a bit too late, I was thinking I could do a decent time. The first 3 or 4 km of the final climb I felt good. Then my brain only registered the kms to the final arch. I could not give up now. I was riding squares. Does that mean that you feel as the wheels are square? To make the climb even harder the sun was now out, beating down, sweat pouring off my big nose, my beautiful club jersey soaking wet... Aaah! Everything was happening at slow motion. The arch looming 100 mt. in front of me beyond a roundabout. Stop the watch! Mission accomplished! Just! Will I do it again? This is like getting married; once bitten twice shy. I must congratulate the other five friends who accompanied me. When you do something like that event you understand better how the pros feel. Certainly for me a day to remember, 5th of July 2008!
Mark Packman Writes:
After a long drive down in the rain the day before, Friday was warm and sunny and we faffed around checking out the bikes, drove to Alpe d'Huez for the sign-on and a preview of the climb awaiting us the next day, and had a short spin on the bikes. That evening should have been calm and relaxing with an early lights-out. It was anything but. Returning from the ride, Andy locked his cycling shoes and car key in his car boot. They proved impossible to retrieve by high-tech means (the RAC man's electronic box of tricks) or low-tech (screwdriver and hammer on the lock). At 10.30pm the car was within inches of a Basil Fawlty-style 'bloody good thrashing' when Andy gave up and Plan B was put into operation - bike racks out and a repacking of the other two cars with our six bikes; Andy would pick up a new pair of shoes from his Norwood Paragon mates at the start the next morning. So late to bed ... and early to rise, thanks to Sabin whose alarm clock was still on UK time so that he went round knocking us up at 4am instead of the planned 5am! It's impossible, for whatever reason, to get a decent night's sleep before these big events. Anyhow, big breakfast, drive to Bourg d'Oisans in the cool sunny conditions, and line up with 6000 other riders for the start. After a few miles we started the 25km climb to the Col du Glandon, a continuous stream of riders snaking up the through the cool forest - it was eerily quiet, no one speaking, just concentrating on the climb. After 2 hours I reached the top and the first feed station; it was chaotic with hundreds of riders, no water and one car trying to make its way through. Tricky descent down the other side and eventually on to the main valley road where groups were forming and we made good speed to the foot of the Col du Telegraph. This is a steady 12km climb at 7%, again ridden in spooky silence and scene of the day's most amazing sight - a one-legged cyclist (I kid you not) - followed by a short drop to Valloire and another feed. Then the big one - 18km to the Col du Galibier. The sheer unrelenting length and effort of this climb really got to me; my legs didn't feel so bad, it was reasonably cool and I was eating and drinking plenty, but I was getting increasingly fed up of the endless slog (the words 'pointless' and 'senseless' were in my head) and I was losing the will to finish. After a brief refuel at the top, the best bit of the ride started - 40km downhill back to Bourg d'Oisans, slowly on the hairpins of the Galibier then fast from the Col du Lauteret down the main road, through the tunnels and past some of the most dramatic scenery of the day. But at the feed at Bourg after 8 hours cycling I called it a day, unwilling to face the hour and half of suffering up to Alpe d'Huez. Not a big deal; a big relief, in fact. The other guys came back down a couple of hours later, having achieved gold medal times. (Incidentally Kingston rider Andrew Bye was 9th overall.) You can tell a lot about your mates in these situations - Paul said he was sorry I hadn't made it to the top, Sabin told everyone not to talk about it, Alan just called me useless! It was a good celebratory meal that night, with the arrival of Andy's son and spare car key rounding it off.
lo itself, Dudley, Bill McCombe, Paul Cannon, Pete Sturton and Dave Pinder tackled the medium course (125km) posting some impressive sub four hour times. Ken Dolman (7hr27min), myself (7hr33mins) and Phil Coney (Melton Olympic) (8hr0min) did the long 200km course. Quite whether Ken and I were five minutes apart all day remains a mystery, Ken says he went well at the start and less well at the end, my experience were vice versa. All I can relate is that the Montello is as bad as ever; only 375m max height but steep, poorly surfaced and inserted the wrong side of the 100 mile point! The other climbs, Boldo (708m), Valmorel (830m) and the Nevagal (1030m), amongst others didn’t seem half as bad. I was quite pleased at lopping 35minutes off my time from last year but this was mainly due to being more efficient i.e. riding in groups, even if they were faster than I’d like, and spending less time at the feed stations and not carrying half bananas from one feed station to the next only to swap them for a new one! The day was topped and tailed with the, thankfully, flat 38mile round trip from Pieve di Soligo (our base) to the start and finish in Treviso, this brought up a total distance for the day of 160miles. 
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