Reply With QuoteI'd also like to hear if anyone has experience.
Speaking of light bikes; theres some value in this (Mavic Cosmic with Discs (haven't seen those out and about yet) with Ultegra Group);
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-aero-883-disc/
I’ve just signed up to do this next year for MacMillan. Has anyone done any of the previous ones? What was it like? how much training did you do? Would you be willing to share the pros and cons?
Looking forward to it but at the same time really concerned as to how much training I’ll need to do!
May treat myself to a shiny new, lightweight bike for the trip!
I'd also like to hear if anyone has experience.
Speaking of light bikes; theres some value in this (Mavic Cosmic with Discs (haven't seen those out and about yet) with Ultegra Group);
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-aero-883-disc/
4,000m of ascent over 4 major climbs and a stage length of 169km should tell you what training is needed. Bon Courage!
F.T.F.A.
Have you ever ridden up an alpine mountain? I'd probably have a trip to Annecy and try a few if I was you.Originally Posted by badger1
There is no training in the UK that is similar to climbing these beasts. Riding in the UK allows you to freewheel, on a 8% climb you'll stop in a couple of seconds so you need to be able to keep the pressure on the pedals constantly for an hour.
That said, there is a lot of hype about these mountains. To inject some realism, it's not actually that hard to get up one of these if you are at all fit, you have the right gearing and the weather is kind. I've done pretty much all of the major Tour de France HC climbs and only on Semnoz did I ever have to turn around (I was frozen and couldn't see in the mist). For the record, I am a fatty who is just happy to go up slowly. Very slow round this course will still put you ahead of the broom wagon.
Anyone who's spent a lot of time in the French Alps will have seen all sorts climbing the hills. I saw an elderly couple on a tandem with a dog in a basket 3/4s the way up Ventoux. The difficulty is overstated.
The problem on the Etap is multiple hills. You do need to be fitter for that and have a bum that used to 6 hours in the saddle. I did the Tourmalet and Luz Ardiden on the same day a few years ago with ~2400m of climbing. If you said I had to go up the Tourmalet again to get to 4000m climbed I wouldn't have thanked you, but it wouldn't have been impossible. I was an 18 stone lump. So you can do it easily with the right mental attitude and some miles in your legs.
I think it's more mental that physical. If you can ride at 20mph for an hour on the flat you can climb any col.
Do the miles, ensure you aren't carrying too much belly and prepare for some pain.
On the route the second hill will be the hardest physically and the last the hardest mentally. It's a long old slog when you're tired. The only thing that puts me off the Etape is the point to point nature of it most years. I assume McMillan are going to deal with transfers for you?
What’s the point in doing the etap slowly? Surely you only do this if you want to see quite how good you are compared to the pros? Go out and ride is the only thing you can do.
I’ve not done an etap, but ridden telegraph and gallibier in one go and I can tell you that if you want to go up these hills at a decent pace, it will hurt, a lot. Much more than any uk ride except maybe the Fred Whitton challenge! Do as much training as you can do you get as much out of the etap as you can.
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There will be plenty of groups to ride in...don't get giddy and go off too quickly. Learn what pace you can manage over a long distance and understand what works for you in terms of nutrition and drinks. I know plenty of people who have suffered in the heat in the mountains so if it is h0ot, dial back your effort so you have something for the final climb. Do some long distance rides in the UK ( Audax events are good) and although you can't train for a long climb in the UK you can tell from your heart rate what is sustainable for an hour's effort (which is what each climb will be). Don't forget your descending skills either! Lose weight, be disciplined in your training, keep riding over winter and, most of all, enjoy!!
I did it - not this year but last - Megeve to Morzine. It was hard work but was actually probably one of the easier ones due to one of the Cols (Ramaz) being removed due to a landslide.
It was tough but then I got a puncture at the top of the second col. Repaired it and then promptly got another. This held me up for ages and meant I was pretty much cycling on my own as the group I was in had long gone. All the other people left at this point were quite slow so no peleton action. By the time I reached the toughest climb it was 38 degrees and that made it very hard work.
It's doable but I think I would want experience of riding 10% gradients over a decent distance. Its also a long day in the saddle.
Training wise I did a charity ride a month or so before which was 1000km over 5 days. This definitely helped as I was used to the longer days. I have a house in Morzine so spent most of the summer riding Cols and doing long training rides. Hills aren't my forte though - I'm a heavy bugger. I also did spinning classes over winter which helped a lot - I started the spring being bike fit.
Have you ridden in the Alps before? Pacing yourself is key for me.
I haven’t done it but I have done Ventoux x3 in a day. If your not experienced don’t compete against anyone but the mountains. Ignore speed and heart rate zones, it’s all about your breathing. You will be breathing heavily but it should be controlled, if you are fighting to get a breath as you do when attacking short UK climbs you won’t get to the top. Might be worth getting a compact and 32tooth cassette for insurance.
The advice about fitting a bail out gear is good; my superfit club mates (top 10% amateurs in Fred Whitton, Marmot, Maratona) all use a compact with 32 tooth cassette for long mountain events. However, I'd disagree about ignoring heart rate zones - if you don't have a power meter, riding to a heart rate is still a useful way of tackling endurance events. You do need to understand what factors influence heart rate though - temperature for example.
Practice on hills - long climbs ideally with repeats. Look at your gearing. 53/39 with 11-23 will be no good but 48/36 with a 28,30 or even 32 bottom gear will be of more use. You are losing time on the climbs not the descents.Everyone thinks they are great descenders. I've watched them and v.few are. Deluxe bike and wheels? A comfortable bike with good wheels with an alloy track or discs would be better. If you need to shed weight, look at yourself and see if you can lose a kilo or more. Getout there if poss and ride some of the climbs. Be aware you might be riding in freezing conditions or heat (or both!!). that Glieres climb looks average but may be resurfaced. Col du Romme is steep and the Colombiere is on the harder side straight after. Try and get a week out there or the Pyrenees to understand what you are facing. You could go to Wales and thrash around there but you don't have the altitude.
the advice to ride audax is excellent. 200km ones are ideal bases (fast 100km v.good) as they will increase your endurance and let you understand your fitness/gearing etc
Last edited by mrushton; 30th October 2017 at 11:44.
Thanks everyone for their comments. I realise that this is a massive challenge for me and the training involved is going to be immense. I do have a family friend in Annecy so I may try and get out there in May or early June for a reckie!
The main reason was to raise money for MacMillan but also as a driver to lose weight - running is out and so I guess this is my equivalent of a marathon- although I think it may be even harder for me!
I did Alpe d'Huez a few years ago. If I'd known about Great Dun Fell back then I'd probably have used it for training as it's not too far away from me. As it is now I'm 60 it's on the list to do . . . if my dodgy knee behaves!
You could also experiment with an oval small chainring. It might seem counterintuitive but when your cadence is low you really feel more like your still spinning rather than pushing and pedalling squares.
Jury is out on these but if they work that's fine. A chain keeper seems essential for these. If climbing is a nemesis then a 34 with a 30 or 32 is good. Forget the top end, 46 or 48 x 12 will be fine.
We ride a mixture of steep and long climbs in the NE, and at 60, riding my Rose SL Pro 3000, which is @ 7.3kg with 50/34 x 11-32 11speed Ultegra I can get up anything, so I would think a sub 8kg bike with that gearing and light wheels will be OK for your ride.
Spot on.
The prolonged climbing is something one needs to experience. Even when you would be fit enough in theory, the mental effort is a challenge.
The observation about altitude is a serious one too. When you get to 1000 metrres you really start to notice the reduction of air on longer climbs.
Furthermore, riding slowly will mean a way lower gearing, not making the climbs any easier as it will take as much longer as the gearing is lower; the effort needed remains the same.
Also the day distance combined with the climbs means a long time on the bike. Feet, bum and wrists need to be up to that.
As to the bike, well, not all that important.The (mental) condition of the rider is.
I líve at 850 metres in the mountainous heartland of Andalucia and cycle to/in the Sierra Nevada at time and if I would want to, I would do it in cycling low season with as few cyclist/traffic as possible.
Why not start with some stages of the Vuelta? Way less traffic, shorter and the mountain stages every bit as steep. All with probably better weather.
Col de la Colombiere is one of the stars for 2018, and the climb ranks pretty similarly to Bealach na ba. So that would be one way to train, is climb Bealach then re-do straight back up from Applecross side, or else ride around the headland via Shieldaig and do it again. Depending on fitness Bealach is a 40-60 minute climb, so is really good training for Alps.
Weather might be a wee bit different.... :-)
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