The better half allows me one trip away, would be hard beat the marmotte as a challenge / experience. Tempted to sign up again 
I naively had a 53/39 and 11-30 thinking it would be ok given I’d ridden the martatona with that twiece. My hips, glutes and wrists felt like someone had taken an iron bar to them by the Galibier summit!
Amazing how I felt so good cresting the Telegraph and was reduced to a grinding mess half way up Galibier
Feel like i’ve got unfinished business so deffo want to sign up again!
I’ve never riden 53/39 so can’t imagine what it’s like, but I know for sure I deffo don’t want to be on that next time 
Ahhh, so it was mid Galibier where yours went a bit pete tong! I started to feel it as soon as I got onto the Telegraphe - This meme came to mind
(Not sure how to multi quote hence multiple posts - please someone let me know if it’s obvious lol)
Sadly my rear mech will only take a 32. I could possibly get away with a 34 but until i bought it and tried messing with the b screw i wouldn’t know!
On the PC to multiqoute you just highlight each post and it comes up ‘Quote’; if you are using an app I think its the same but its easier for me with a mouse 
I think I had a 34/50 with an 11-29 cassette fitted and I was glad I can remember the 39/53 (11-25) was a right drag up Scotlands Alpe Du Huez (the Cairngorm) at the end of the Cairngorm 100 up the real Alpe it would have been 
I wasn’t going for a time, only to finish and make the cut-offs, so planned to take it as low-power as possible most of the ride. Running a small chainring of 34 and 11-36 cassette - the best ratio I can get on my bike - made spinning up hills as easy as can be.
In my naivety I thought Galibier wasn’t much climb beyond the top of Telegraphe so, feeling good, pushed quite hard up the second half of Telegraphe… only to discover the terrible truth after the descent to Valloire 
I super-fed myself gels in the run up to AdH but that wall of heat was too much. After the first 3 corners I had a (not unwelcome) deflated rear tyre, and after pumping that I think I stopped to drink and cool down 5 or 6 more times. Friends said garmins were registering 42-43 degrees on AdH. I remember thinking on the grind up what a great ride it had been but that I’ll only ever do it again on an e-bike… but by the time I finished I was already looking forward to doing it again (next year, I hope), but fitter, lighter and faster. I did 10:18 I think but could have optimised a lot by not stopping for chats, having my breaks in the neutralized zones. Also I found the descents too much fun to not power through the neutralized zones.
So here’s a little report about my La Marmotte.
Was allowed to take place in the 1st “competition” section of about 400 riders at 7 o’clock in the morning. Luckily we got there in good time and we were about position 30.
First up Croix de Fer, the plan was to drive up there nice and quiet, but somehow that doesn’t really work. I had 34x28 as the smallest and I soon sat on it and kept driving a bit faster than I liked. The fact that everyone passed me by didn’t help either. Arrived at the 1st village even more caught my own rhythm. After the reservoir comes a bit of descent for the last part from Glandon to top CdF. I got into my rhythm there and started to overtake riders again. Time stood still on top of the CdF, so i took the time to piss, fill water bottles, eat a snack and continue. Calm down the descent because there was nothing to gain anyway. Col du Mollard went well, although you noticed that it was starting to get warm… the end was quite irregular, but it was still possible to keep driving. I did notice that there were already a lot of cramps there. Probably all started too hard. The descent was neutralized again and just before the time started again I saw a person next to a car waiting with water bottles. Stopped and asked for water. With that the bottles are filled. That would save me a stop later. Every hour a 1-2 gel went in and had 80 grams of carbs in the bottles. That went pretty well and my stomach kept everything inside well.
After the descent of the Mollard we had to go through the valley for 15km. There were 2 riders in front of me that I couldn’t just ride to, so I looked back to see what happened, there was a nice group with about 15 riders and after a couple of seconds, they already passed. That worked out well and before we knew it we were at the foot of the Telegraph. During that climb I noticed that things started to get better and better. I started picking up more and more riders, while I didn’t run over myself.
On top of Telegraph passed the aid station and went straight to Valloire. There a little longer off the bike, piss, drink, put in a gel and continue. Oh yes, also stretched the back, because it was starting to get a bit stiff. Then my worst moment of the day on the Galibier, on that long straight “runner” towards Plan Lachat. I just couldn’t get into it, was just grinding on the slightest gear and really thought, fuck that Alp and go straight back to our apartment. 
After Plan Lachat you turn right over a bridge and the Galibier actually really starts and amazingly it really started to get better there. Apparently at 66kg I have more of an advantage when it goes towards 9-10%, so started overtaking riders again. The power did go down considerably, but that was probably due to the altitude. I also had that experience in the dolomites above 2000m. Filled bottles again just before the top at the care and continued immediately.
The descent of the Galibier runs wonderfully and after Lautaret I saw a group ahead of me, but you don’t drive there on your own. At the back came 2 riders who really flew down like a comet, picked up there and rode to the group. We were now again with about 15 riders, 5 worked very well together and head over head we drove to the foot of the Alp.
The first corners of the Alp went well, but after that I got a bit over the boil. I got short off the bike and at the water point I got a bowl of water over me. After Huez it started to turn nicely again and finally came up in 1h13. Good for a net time of 7h46.
I am perhaps most satisfied with the fact that I did not get a cramp, that was different at the GF Schleck June 4, so I was a bit afraid of that. Next time I want a lighter gear than 34x28, because with 60-70 rpm it was grinding on the Galibier and Alp. 
Thats the Marmotte boys!! And then crossing the line saying, never again. The next day you already make plans for next year ;-).
I am doing the Otztaler next week. Two years ago my strava post was: “been there done that”…and yet, we are there again. And I am sure on the last monster climb I will say to myself…WTF am I doing here
2024 thread here
@stino77 Let us know how the Otztaler goes. How it compares to Marmotte? I wouldn’t imagine it would much more difficult? Always wanted to do it but September put me off as weather could be rubbish. Is the July date permanent or just changed this year?
Indeed, normally it is at the end of August. So why they changed this, no idea. About the race, It went ok. Got my goal within 10seconds and finished in 9h59.50 so… ;-). (ride time 9.41) Must be happy. But due to the warm weather it was another hard edition. The first part of the Timmelsjoch was mentally brutal.
About Marmotte vs Otztaler? Otzatler is normally seen as the hardest cyclo. If I use my own expieriences…In Otztaler I ride 1h30 longer so, this has an impact. Also, Alpe d’huez is 13k? Timmelsjoch is 28k! That is almost double. So when you are crushed before this climb, it could be a veryyyyy long climb. But in general, how hard it is, it depends also on other factors as form, fueling, weather, goal, …
But both are hard races. Alpe d’huez is no joke in La Marmotte. But Timmelsjoch, yeah man…that is 2h30 of climbing…
Also the level of the participants in the Otztaler is higher then in Marmotte.
The Oetztaler looks just super Brutal, the Timmelsjoch seems to be a monster, at least there seem to be some steps in there… Considering the Altitude of nearly 2500m that climb could really break you if you went a bit to hard in the beginning.
There are various hard cyclos in the alps and I think each of them have their own challenges. Looking at the 2 I’m doing this year the Tour de Stations is a bit easier then the Marmotte (145km 4800m), but has some really nasty climbs like Thyon 2000 and Coix de Coeur in it and August in Valais means it can easily get really hot. The alpenbrevet is 200km and 5000+m, but the climbs aren’t as steep for the most part, on the other hand they are loooong and High altitude with, The Nufenen is 23k at 5.7% but the 40k before are already a Drag up the valley. Being at the beginning of September temperatures should be better but it also can be pretty cold and rainy…
Honestly I would like to do them all at one point and include the Maratona into that and then there are interesting ones like Alpenchallenge, Engadiner Radmarathon, Schwarzwald super and so on.
