Les Marcaires

Very nice day in the Vosges, this event being based around the Munster valley and including a decent section of the route des crêttes means the roads are wide, smooth with mostly gentle gradients so no problems with losing water bottles on bumpy descents today. 

I spent much of my time between groups containing ladies battling for the 2nd to 5th spot, each was hoping the mini groups forming would distance themselves from the others, or indeed catch up to the next in front. Catching up rarely happens, only stragglers, so really its all about damage limitation. 

This time I paced it well, knowing the climbs and knowing that the final climb up to le Gashney ski resort is very gentle, yet if you're tired at that stage it will take an eternity. Not so today, I finished strong, and enjoyed the food and beer waiting at the top. - but not for long, it's a chilly day up there!

Time for some Munster cheese back at the maison du fromage, and a bottle of gewurtztraminer from François Bauer in Turkheim for some real souvenirs of the day!

4hrs 40min 49s , 29th in age group.

Cyclotour du Léman

 Finally feels like I cracked this event - though pretty sure the perfect conditions and very large peloton were the main contributors to speeding around the lake at 41.8km/h. 

Some heavy crashes occurred before even reached France. Through Evian and Thonen les Bains the road safety bumps slowed the lead car and disc wheeled riders to a crawl, then the short climb up through Thonen was the only real decider for the lead group. 

 That was most likely good news, as I had found a new maximum heart rate before that point, and the remainder of our loop was ridden at a very consistent pace, most likely due to a triathlon type pulling the front of the group along (apart from up the climbs) 

 Looks like a group of 5 finished together at 4hrs 01, then stragglers from that lead group back to our main peloton of finishers, so in the end I was 49th on the day.

Amazing to easily beat the 4.5 hr challenge, but I know I have been lucky on this event several times now, so I reckon next time it will be a leisurely ride around to Evian, taking photos and coffee en route, with a nice ferry ride back to Lausanne in the afternoon!

4hr 14m.51s

Granfondo Vosges

Registered yeas ago for this event, and finally after those covid postponements I got to ride the Granfondo Vosges. 

Lots of bumpy roads, often narrow at times but there were nice sections on this testing course in the Vosges. Start and finish was the ski resort of La Bresse hohneck.

 Many riders clearly here with the aim of qualifying for the UCI world tour. To do that, you must finish in the top 20 % of your age group. I finished at 36%, and to be top 20% I would have to have knocked 30 minutes off my total time. That was not possible today! 

Very tired on the penultimate climb of the col de Grosse Pierre, but so was everyone it seemed by that stage. 

460th overall.  6hr 30min 48s    27.33km/h    M45 46/126