This e-book is offered to you by MarmotteCyclo.NL Afvallen: To lose weight One kilogram weight loss makes you go faster for about 1% on a mountain with a gradient of 5%. The steeper the mountain, the more Newton’s laws and his friends (gravity!) play a role. As an indication: on a mountain with a 10% gradient, one kilogram weight loss produces a time-saving of 1 kilometer per hour. Do make an effort to lose weight, but moderate and direct the way how! A heavier cyclist often seems to climb slower than a lighter one, but that only is partially true. The power a cyclist can deliver indeed is directly related to bodyweight, however only at an unchanged fat percentage. In general he then has thicker en larger muscles. So pay attention: the more muscle mass the more power; more fat doesn’t mean more power, it only means ballast. Bourg d’Oisans Bourg d’Oisans is a little village in the Oisans-region in the Grenoble district, on the route from Grenoble to Briancon. It is surrounded by several well known mountains, you probably know from the Tour de France. It is located at the base of the Alpe d’Huez. To the west the N91 and the D526 lead you to the Col du Glandon/Col de la Croix de Fer. In southern direction lies the Col d'Ornon, and to the east the busy N91 leads to La Bérarde, Les Deux-Alpes and Col du Lauteret/Col du Galibier. On the first Saturday of July it’s all starting from here: Bourg d’Oisans is the starting place of the Marmotte. Take into account that, although the temperature is comfortable in July, it can get cold on height. It also rains quite regularly, meaning chance of snow the higher you go. Cadans: cadence It is merely utopia to think you can overcome giants like the Glandon, the Telegraphe, the Galibier and the Alpe d’Huez, with your low-lands little resistance, and this even at one day, unless your name is Lance Armstrong or Marco Pantani. 1 Hence the advice to equip your bike with a compact or a triple. See deze pagina op MarmotteCyclo.NL and further on at the character ‘T’ for more information regarding this topic. It is important to get into a nice rhythm quite soon; you’ll have to find the right cadence. For many climbers this means approximately 10 revolutions per minute less than on the flat, which results in about 70-80 rpm. The power climbers among us may take on 60-70 rpm. Duurvermogen: endurance The fundament of each training period should consist of endurance training. This provides in build-up endurance and improvement of the ability to recover as well: the following training incentive can be given sooner and with more intensity. An endurance training should be executed on about 65-75% of your maximum heart rate. Endurance is no more than the ability to maintain your starting performance for a longer period. Endurance can be improved by exercise in many and long training sessions, meaning for 2 hours or longer. In the early phase of your preparation you will carry out many d1 training sessions (extensive, quiet endurance training), that further on in the season gradually interchange with d2 training sessions, giving a training incentive that makes the maximum performance level approachable. After this you can optimize by even more intensive incentives, that finally should lead to the ultimate shape on M-Day. Eten en drinken: food and drink Good nutrition is very important; among triathletes nutrition is called the fourth part not without reason! Eat at the latest 1.5 till 3 hours (personal!) prior to your heavy training or race, and provide yourself with easily digestible food like white sandwiches with marmelade. Make sure that, during the heavy training or race, you take in the maximum of 60-80 gram carbohydrates per hour, by sports drink, gel or bars, to keep up your performance level. Preferably drink 1 large bidon per hour and also do not forget to drink a lot the day before the race. After finishing your training or race it is important to complement with carbohydrates as soon as possible; at this time your body will pick them up easily. Fiets: Bike In the choice of a bike it is of utmost importance to pick the right size: this concerns frame size, width of the steering wheel, length of the steering pens, saddle adjustment and so on. Besides this it is important to decide how much money to spend. For a beginner it may be a good decision to consider a used bike. However, in the correct size and well fitted. Beneath a body weight of 80 kg often is chosen for a carbon or aliminum frame, above 80 kg steel or titanium. Also relevant are the wheels (stiffness) , with which group the final assembly takes place, and whether it will be Shimano or maybe Campagnolo. 2 Last but not least one has to choose for the right gears: later on in the mountains these will determine whether you can carry on your ride or have to walk. Hundreds of pages have already been filled with the answer to the question: compact or triple?; see onze website. It remains a matter of feeling and moreover depending on degree of training, experience, does one climb on power or flexibility, and so on. Goud: gold The ultimate dream of many cyclo riders is to achieve gold in the Marmotte. What does this actually mean? All the contestants of the Marmotte are categorized in groups, depending on various criteria among which gender and age are the main. These categories ensure that anyone can battle on his or her own level to achieve the highest attainable: the brevet d’or. On the basis of finishing time and the other criteria, each rider receives a golden, silver or brass diploma. For example a man aged between 18-29 may take slightly less than 8 hours to complete his race for gold. While a woman in the category above 50 years gets gold with a finishing time just under 10 hours. The ones that do not make it to the finish line, but do reach the Alpe d’Huez, are rewarded with the diploma Marmotton. Hongerklop: hunger knock: “the knock” Acute form of hunger due to lack of carbohydrates in the body. Everyone knows those images during the Tour de France of a cyclist who suddenly cannot go any further. Or those of a marathon runner who ‘gets hit by the man with the hammer’ after 33 kilometers. This phenomenon is often caused by eating and drinking too little in relation to the effort one delivers. To prevent ‘the knock’ during the Marmotte one has to appear at the start fully loaded with carbohydrates. So fuel up with carbohydrates, meaning eating lots of pasta. During the race make sure from the beginning, you do not only burn carbohydrates but also burn fats. How? By preparing yourself with long slow training sessions in order to train your fat burning. Also keep in mind; do not start too fast and keep eating (gels, bars) and drinking (carbohydrate drink) on the go. Indoorfietsen; indoor cycling In the cold northern winters it is no fun to conquer the elements and look up the fresh air. Although the knucklebones among us will cry out nothing beats a ride through the cold and rain. Consider training inside; either on the hometrainer, or on the Tacx. If only for not to catch a cold! De Tacx is a device that’s worth talking about. Put your bike in a kind of standard and start pedaling, that’s it. In the year 2000 computer electronics were first connected to this training device. Information such as cadence, heart rate, speed and power appear on your screen, while competing with your “friends” around the world via the computer, or riding virtual courses like The Tour of Flanders and the mountains of the Marmotte. 3 In your garage or attic you can conquer the Alpe d’Huez, while watching the course and all the relevant information on your screen. A nice way to spend some time on a cold Sunday morning! Jonge deelnemers: young participants It is an unfortunate fact that few young participants appear in a ride like the Marmotte. Although opinions vary about how (un)healthy it would be under a certain age. Not only in cycling, even in other much effort demanding endurance sports, most participants are 30 years or older. For example in running and the pre-eminent endurance sport the triathlon, one notices that specifically the veteran categories become more and more popular, while the younger age categories show little growth. On the one hand understandable, given the fact that young people exercise sports less and the Marmotte requires a lot of discipline and effort. On the other hand it is a pity, given the many possibilities long distance cycling has to offer everyone, regardless age. To challenge yourself, struggling on a rough mountain, facing the elements of nature. Probably some mental and physical hardness is required to handle it all, let’s keep it at that. Kampioenen van de Marmotte: champions of the Marmotte After the early years with some French and Belgian winners, several Italians have followed the succes of Laurens ten Dam. In 2009 Bert Dekker again succeeded after his victories of 1997, 1999 and 2002. In 2010 and 2011 Michel Snel won the title, a dutchman who runs the sport hotel Le Gros Chêne in the Vosges, and who represents the Veltec team Granfondo.