LEPAPE Marmotte Granfondo Alpes 2021

175km 5000m elevation
Official Time 7 hrs 44 mins 29 seconds (342/1928)
/ strava
FTP 315 73kg
Didn't start until 7.26am (gps troubles), so that's why it's so quiet at the beginning, caught back up to larger groups on the Glandon. Struggled hard on the Galibier with elevation and nutrition.
00:00:00 - Start
00:29:25 - Col du Glandon
01:55:11 - Col du Glandon descent
02:27:06 - Saint-Jean to Saint-Michael
03:12:22 - Col du Télégraphe
04:03:43 - Col du Télégraphe descent
04:12:20 - Col du Galibier
05:36:43 - Col du Galibier descent
05:49:54 - Alpe d'Huez
The event takes begins in Bourg d'Oisan and takes on the Col du Glandon, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier before arriving back in Bourg d'Oisans and finishing at the summit of Alpe d'Huez.

[@bogolina]

Well done mate....loved the video....really helps to see the route like this. Thanks

[@brianbooth4435]

Epic ride, CHAPEAU! Nice sprint at the top of Alpe d'Huez. I followed you on the rollers in the frozen cold of a Canadian winter over 4 sessions to complete the ride (I skipped ahead on some of the downhill). I'll do it again, and again, and again.... until the snow melts and I can get back on the road.

[@martinjaen]

Thank You. I have watched the whole video, in several days, at normal speed, to see what the ports are like and how your effort of cadence, watts and speed has been to get an idea of how I should train. I have participated 10 times in the Quebrantahuesos of Sabiñánigo, in the Pyrenees, but apart from El Portalet, there are no passes comparable to the Galibier and the Alpe D'Huez. Very grateful for your work and good for all that day,

[@BikeRacingWithoutMercy]

Hi Ronan ! This is a great feature length movie of the day ! It was amazing of you to say hi on the way up the Alpe, I was really struggling by that point ! But what a strong series of climbs you had! Kudos ✊ and see you at another event 👍

[@ronanl]

Thanks Phil, was struggling badly too but bumping into you gave me a boost to push on to the finish. Hope to see you again sometime

[@KwiggleBike]

Hi Ronan, thank you so much for these great insights including speeds and steepnesses. Fascinating ride you made. This helps me a lot in deciding if this could be a challenge for me and my Kwiggle.

[@eliashafiane4910]

félicitation et magnifique vidéo !

[@Steprc]

Respect :)

[@geertnoels7041]

I have also participated in 2021, and was half an hour slower. You seem to have started late in the morning shift? Great ride and well managed effort!

[@freequest]

A testament to willpower and endurance. 👍🏿🚵🏿‍♂️🚵🏿‍♂️🚵🏿‍♂️🚵🏿‍♂️🚵🏿‍♂️🚵🏿‍♂️🚵🏿‍♂️🚴🏿‍♂️🚴🏿‍♂️🚴🏿‍♂️

[@ronanl]

Thanks

[@tomfromnewgen]

Nice one Ronan, I did the event too, was good to revisit some of the sections through your video. See you there next year!

[@ronanl]

Thanks Tom, well done on 191st, that's a great result

[@bikybiky78]

Great for indoor training!! thanks for the footage and a hell of a ride.. did you on purpose start later in the morning so you could chase all the way? :)

[@prlato1974]

Nice job!

[@ronanl]

Thanks Pablo

[@marylynn1628]

C’est mon fils. Je suis tres fiere. 💕💕

[@KwiggleBike]

Hi Ronan, this is one of the best videos I have ever seen on KZbin about road bike tracks. May I ask how you got all the information into the video. Is there a special program that does the tracking as well. Congratulations for this excellent video and the impressing performance on the bike.

[@ronanl]

Thanks. The information is all taken from the .fit file recorded on my wahoo bolt during the ride, then using garmin virb to combine the gopro footage with the data

[@WaleedKhan-pe2fu]

Wow this is amazing. I have several questions, if you don’t mind answering? 1. What is the bike you’re riding? 2. What is the camera you’re using and how did you ensure you got enough footage / battery life ? 3. How on earth do you maintain a heart rate of 114 with a cadence in the 90s and power in the 170s???

[@ronanl]

Thanks Waleed. Sure, no problem. Bike was Canyon ultimate, weight around 8kg, camera gopro 9 with 3 batteries that I switched out everytime one ran out. Wouldn't have lasted long enough if I recorded the full galibier descent so I kept it for the alpe. My FTP was around 315 at the time so 170 watts is very low Z2

[@Wyndo185]

THank you for this video! May I ask how you added the course data in the video? (speed, hr...)

[@Tuslareb]

Hi Ronan. Thanks a lot for the very helpful video. I’m preparing for the 2023 Marmotte at the moment and your video helps a lot to get a better understanding of the route and the gradients involved. I was wondering: can you tell me a bit about the food the organisers offer at the food stops? Do they have energy bars / gels / drink? Or is it just bananas and some cookies?

[@ronanl]

Hi, thanks for the feedback. I brought most of my nutrition on the bike in my pockets and top tube bag so i don't remember too clearly what they had at the food stations but I think they had; water, fruit, energy powder, energy bars. After that I'm not sure so maybe someone else can comment if they know. There were food stations at the top of the glandon, valloire just past the village, top of galibier, and bourg d'oisans. Glandon is super busy but worth stopping as its the only food stop where your time is paused, I also stopped at the top of galibier as I was needing a quick break and a sugar boost. There were also a couple of very small stands in between where they just had water which I guess they set up depending on how hot the weather is on the day. You can also check eau-cyclisme.com for some public water fountains along the route, but if you are, keep in mind some of them can be hit or miss so check if they're still visible in Google Street View if you're planning on using those.

[@algeriende20]

Well done 👏 That an amazing ride I’ll be doing it next year , What camera have you used ?

[@ronanl]

Thanks. GoPro 9 with the chest strap. Best of luck next year

[@lorenzschmider5113]

ladies and gentleman..at 1:00:49 lying on the right side on top of the wall: my bicycle tube which I changed at the ultrafondo in absolute darkness and pouring rain. All alone and left behind from everyone else.. but I did it.. ✌🏼

[@CraigHarrison]

Hey Ronan, loving this full event video! It's something I'm interested in doing, but wondered what you had to do for a medical certificate? Did you just need to get something signed from your GP or was there another process?

[@ronanl]

Hi Craig, thanks. I had my membership with the FFC in France but I think a medical cert filled out by your doctor is fine instead. There's a link to download a cert on the official website

[@Savonge]

yhea! 2:26:13 that's me taking my coat off and waiting for some strong dutchmen to work with on the flats

[@joecorfield]

Been watching this video quite a bit (yes, all 7 hours of it lol) turbo training etc as i'm thinking of doing the Marmotte next year. What was your pacing strat, seems you held 260w ish on the climbs? What was your fuelling strat? Any tips for a first timer? :) Thanks!

[@ronanl]

Hey Joe, fair play I wasn't sure if anyone was going to make it through it all 😆 For tips, Mike from "Cycling in the french alps" has a good tips video for riding the marmotte which you should check out if you haven't already. Before the event I was aware of not going too hard on the glandon but with the adrenaline and everybody else going too hard its difficult to resist. Looking at my power I only managed 220 up the alpe so maybe being a little more conservative at the start would've helped. I think I also got slightly carried away on the 20km valley road before the start of the telegraphe. For fueling I just tried to get as much carbs in as I could handle from drink mix and energy bars. If you can train your gut to handle 100grams of carbs per hour you're gonna suffer a lot less towards the end. Important thing I think is just to make sure you have some really easy gears (whatever you think you need, go 1 easier) I had a 34 on the back and used it lots. Riding the galibier at 2500m elevation or alpe d'huez after already riding for 7 hours is no joke. Best of luck for next year. I missed this year after a long break getting married and with covid but am hoping to be back for next year too.

[@joecorfield]

@@ronanl Fantastic, thanks! I'll check Mike out :) Yeah, everything i've read so far has said don't go to hard on the Glandon, but it'll be hard to feel like i'm going backwards compared to others. Guess it'll be worth it later during the day though! Thanks for the tips, much appreciated. Hopefully see you next year! :)

[@jamesunger8433]

Hey Ronan. Thanks for posting your experience at La Marmotte. I'm curious what gears are you running. Smart riding...do your own pace and don't jump out at the start....ride into it.....Great video Thanks.

[@ronanl]

Thanks James. Had a 52-36 on the front and 11-34 on the back I believe. Was thankful for the easy gearing on the alpe

[@boomshine7]

what was the time when you took off, looking for myself, i was super slow :p

[@ronanl]

7.25 I believe

[@jean-marcnicolas7358]

4:03:08 is that a TREK BB90 creaking on the left?

[@schijthoos]

What was your weight at the time?

[@ronanl]

Around 73kg

[@levillarain4254]

Bientôt l'édition 2022 ? j'y serai

[@TheGazavman]

Hard at the end of the Galibier, nobody at the finish ! that's crap, I like you overtake everybody ! what are you late at the start ?

[@favierfrederic2257]

Super Vidéo Merci , il faut vous améliorer en descente , les montés félicitations

[@ronanl]

Merci, oui je descends comme un montgolfière. Trop de zwift n'a pas aidé 😄

[@sebcambiasso8209]

Why did you not start with others riders ? (sorry for my english)

[@ronanl]

Not intentional and my own fault, wasn't prepared and ready to go in time