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   

Fred Whitton 2021

Finally, the Fred arrives - applied in 2019, postponed from 2020, postponed from May 2021 until September, but some things are worth waiting for! Being September, that has the advantage that we've trained through the summer. The weather on the day was a tail of two weather fronts - one passing over and finishing soon after 6am, but still raining on the early starters. The second weather front must have caught all, soaking everyone thoroughly, but again passing eastwards leaving clear skies for the later finishers. 

But what time to start? The window is between 6 and 8. Driving to the start (do not attempt to cycle to the start in the dark) it seemed like I had missed the boat as thousands of headlights surged southwards towards Ambleside from Grasmere. I started just after 7, to me this was light and dry - and as soon as the ride turned the first corner up Holbeck Lane you get a good impression of how the climbs between the climbs are going to make up this ride. Looking at the final results, there is clearly a large group of very fast riders starting together just before the 8am start limit, but really there are all abilities starting from 6:30 onwards.  

Really great event, but I won't bother to describe the climbs here. Just to say it's an event I would already like to come back and do again, preferably on a dry sunny day. Despite riding the Nufenen and Gotthard passes the week before, they are far too sophisticated and perfect to be a memorable ride.The Fred instead is brutal, and most unforgettable ride of this year!

112th on the day, 07:14:39

Engadin Ski Marathon - Individual

This year the the ski marathon was a time-it-yourself event, which worked very well for me. You pick up a timing chip in several locations (tourist info in St Moritz for me) , which comes with a useful ski pass holder, and have a week or so in which to complete the challenge. Also an energy bar, more usefully a loipen pass for the day, and finally an unexpected gift at the end of a ski marathon binder to hold the skis together.

This winter was the snowiest in my time in Switzerland, the timing for this event meant another dump of snow had arrived and so conditions were perfect. I had picked up some skills in Engelberg and Goms before tackling this event, and without the holdups at the squeeze points, I was able to knock off 50 minutes from my previous ski marathon time! 

There were plenty of other participants around me for the entire distance, enough to make it feel like an event. Also very unexpected but a nice touch to have an announcer reading out names and time split in Pontressina.

A shuttle bus was laid on from the finish, I took it all the way to La Punt, and after some rest and another gel, I was feeling fine to ski all the way back to St Moritz.

Tour des Stations - Marmotte Valais

With only one sportive this 2020, its a good one in excellent weather. Le Tour des Stations uses quiet roads, that's quite noticeable compared to other events. At times the roads feel closed, but they're not, and you have to expect mountain bikers riding down the final climb especially that super steep gravel section at the start of the 15km ascent. 

7:02:05, 180th overall https://www.strava.com/activities/3883538844

 

Haute Route Ventoux 2019

Handbook