Racing the Pros and Cycling in the Alps

Sunday 29th June 2008

National championships day... Surely you'd have thought this was an event you'd like to peak for... however it didn't turn out like that for me this year having finally succumbed a cold in the week before this event. This was after Leon having a nasty cough that meant we both didn't enjoy a good nights sleep for near enough 3 weeks prior.

So here I am at the biggest event i'll ride all year completely blocked up and feeling pretty demotivated, even more so by the thought of the 6 hour drive up to Yorkshire. Luckily for me I managed to persuade Dan "Schumacher" Duguid to give me a lift and this instantly meant my journey time was significantly reduced. Team talk in the evening with Rob and Matt having aspirations of a good placing, the rest of the team would help as best as they could.

Early on in the race I was really struggling to breath, my right jersey sleeve and top tube rapidly turning from red to green. About an hour in and i'd finally managed to move up only to see Matt jumping off the front looking certain to get into a break. The road was clear in front of me and I was pretty certain I could make it across that gap, however I hesitated as didn't want the chance of dragging the bunch back to Matt in what looked like a promising move, and so with that hesitation I missed the break of the day, a 17 man break from which Rob Hayles would be crowned National Champion.

The rest of my day was spent hanging on at last man in the peleton whilst riders were being popped from the back from the frightening pace being forced by Millar, Hammond and Stannard. Not the most efficient place to ride as I was having to sprint across all the gaps left by the ailing riders, however with the pace it was also pretty difficult to move up and not many people were willing to give up their place in line.

At the end I could have placed better than my 16th as my legs were still feeling good (although it was always my lungs that were struggling this race), I had actually misjudged the distance thinking we had another lap to ride only to find out we had a couple of kms to go meaning I didn't have an awful lot of time to move up the peleton. Ah well top 20 was a target for me at the beginning of the year and so I was pleased enough to finish and get a minor placing. It was also a pleasure to ride in the same peleton as guys who are finding success in the worlds biggest bike race over in France.

And so to my French adventure..

Monday afternoon after working the morning shift and rapidly throwing a few things in a bag for the journey me and Wouter headed off to the Alps for a spot of Marmotteering.

A long journey to Besse d'Oisan was punctuated with a night in Annecy thanks to Mark and former sigma grease monkey Sam of GPM10. Around Annecy me and Wouter had a couple of great days training including riding the several cols including Forclaz, Croix Fry and Aravis. After spending some time there last year I already know that Annecy really is top location for cycling and these couple of days proved it again.

With the drive down to Besse the weather changed from 30 degrees plus and burning sunshine to 14 and constant heavy rain. Thursday thus meant a shorter ride with all my fellow Marmotteers (from Kingston Wheelers) opting for an off the bike day but with nutty old me heading off down the steep descent to our hotel in order to ride a couple of quick hill intervals right before dinner.

Friday was an easy day up to the Lauteret and back to the hotel, but with a 23 sprocket on and a desire to keep the watts below <250 I found myself track standing up the 6km ride to the hotel, only overtaking George who'd walked the last 3k after shearing off his drive side pedal in the last few hundred metres.

The Saturday, Marmotte day was an early start with me starting in the priority pen after my last years mostly successful sportive campaign. With some 7000 starters I was glad off the start near the front as I knew the fastest guys would all be in this pen, even some riders with their own team cars!

Down the valley goes quickly as a mass of riders occupy the whole road and begin jostling for position. Turn right and we can see where we are going up that bloody great mountain pass, the pace doesn't drop obviously no-one is deterred. The first few ramps the pressure is applied on the group as riders up front stay in their big ring. For the first time a gap appears in the mass of cyclists with a lead bunch of about 400 ahead of the rest. Up the Col du Glandon the pace is now really being forced and coming in surges, most riders realising that there is a long day ahead and accelerations hurt so choose to settle into their own pace. A couple of ks from the top and my team mate Wouter a rather tall Dutch Fella finally succumbs to the gradient and settles into his own pace. Over the top those with helpers quickly grab a bottle from a friendly face and hurtle down the descent. Those without look for the feed station to refill. Here however for the first lucky few are colourful marmotte bottles being handed out, my hesitation whilst I looked for the station however meant a ten second gap to the guy in front has opened and my inexperience in this sort of descending means its inevitable that I fail to close it, eventually catching a few of the more cautious descenders I find myself in a second group of about 8 whilst the front group containing the fastest descenders has headed up the road.

The col du Telegraph is merely a short lull in the 40km climb to the top of the Galibier. A mountain which I bonked completely at whilst riding this event last year. Our group is riding together although as it continues some faces are starting to look wearier than others. By the time we hit the steep bit of the Galibier after some 30 minutes of climbing later its down to 4. I stop at the bottom to refill my water bottles and the other 3 push on up the steep section. I don't panic thinking ill be able to close the 40 second gap that has opened up. However i'm quickly working out my 39x23 gearing isn't going to be sufficient for this hill and legs settle in to a 30 minute leg press session with my cadence rarely exceeding 65. Ouch, i'm now cursing myself for not packing the 27 sprocket cassette I have on my training bike as my Specialized Tarmac slowly inches up the mountain. Still no Marmottes in sight, but still I see the rest of my 4 man group just ahead but I know now it'll be impossible to close that gap as my legs have almost ground to a halt.

Finally at the top my face must have shown visible relief as i'm sure it will do for the thousands coming up the mountain behind me.

The descent from Galibier to the foot of Alpe d'Huez is 50km. A dutch companion from my group had wisely advised me not to try and ride this section alone stating its better to wait for the next group or catch the one in front. Unfortunately this same sage has now disapeared ahead leaving me to ride the next 40 minutes on the drops descending alone, something my lower back will remind me of for days after, I was in no mood to sit up and wait for someone behind.

About 20 minutes from Bourg D'Oisan I finally caught someone, a young french lad who'd been dropped from the group ahead. He was looking tired and his turns on the front probably slowed me down a little but at least it meant I could sit up whilst in his draft and stretch my back a little.

At the foot of the Alpe I tried to put on my show for the waiting crowd as I kept it in the big ring up to and around the 1st hairpin. My companion made an effort to stick with me but here on the Alpe for me it was everyman for himself. By this point I wanted this ride to end and could see the finish in sight. 54 minutes of climbing the Alpe later and with the power was ebbing from my body I was in sight of the timing mat and as I crossed the line was offered a refreshing drink and and some well earned pasta and my day of marmotteering was over.

For 1000s of others the day was just hotting up though and for hours after i'd finished a constant stream of cycle traffic blockaded the worlds most famous mountain for cycling. Riders of all shapes and sizes, from all over the world were busy slowly making pilgrimage to the top of the Alpe so that they could also say they had conquered what is most probably the Worlds toughest annual amateur bike event. Amongst them quite a few familiar faces from the South East smiling and seemingly enjoying their day out.

By not finishing last year I learnt how brutal this event could be and so this year i'm very happy with my 9th place finish, my time a shade under 6 hours and 20 minutes a tough target to beat if and when I decide to return.