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It was touch and go whether we would even get to France for the World Marathon Champs, as problems with our car nearly put paid to the trip. However by Thursday afternoon Andy and I were packed up in a rental car and on our way, for my first ever chance to wear the mighty Silver Fern, in what would turn out to be my best performance of the season.
We finally arrived in Oisans on Friday morning after driving through the night. Oisans is home to the famous Alp d’Huez, among other Tour de France cols, and Andy got straight on his road bike to do a bit of exploring while I took a nap. Friday afternoon and Saturday were spent doing “tune-up” rides and pre-riding the first parts of the course. I was lucky to bump into GB rider Liz Scalia up at the race start in a ski village called Les 2 Alps, or I never would have found the start of the course. The village was full of DH kids riding the chairlifts, and no-one seemed to know there was even a race on that weekend!
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Sunday was race day, and I rode up from the hotel by way of a warm-up. After the heat of the Transalp I was ready for blazing alpine sunshine, but the season seemed to have turned, and it was barely 5°C at the start. Our race started at 11:45, with the men starting at 12:30 so it was still a bit quiet as we lined up. Everyone was wearing arm warmers and some girls had full winter kit on.
The start was a series of short, steep climbs up through the skifield and over a ridge into the first descent, which I’d pre-ridden on Saturday (after much searching) and knew what to expect. The descent was very steep singletrack with switchbacks, and much more technical than I was used to from Continental courses, which suited me fine. I hit the bottom of the valley 20 minutes later, well up in the top 10, and managed to stick with a couple of Swiss riders up out of the riverbed and into the first proper climb.
Climbs in the Alps are unlike anything in the UK. An average col takes between 1½ and 2 hours to ascend, and this one was no exception. Liz caught up with me about 45 minutes into the climb, and the two Swiss girls tried to hold her wheel, but to no avail. Liz is a world class climber and steadily rode away. I could see another rider up ahead whom I recognised from the Transalp, a German National Team rider called Katrin Schwing. Kate and I had come tantalisingly close to beating Katrin and her partner on a couple of stages in the Transalp before they pulled out, and away from the stifling heat I was sure I could beat her. I pushed on, and steadily closed the gap.
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The cold was a blessing in disguise, as I had started the race with just one 500ml bottle and, two hours into the race, there was still no feed zone in sight. I caught Katrin just before the top and we stayed together over an undulating plateau. It was cold and misty, and I was glad of the company! I got a bottle of water from the neutral feed at the top – they were offering all sorts of things in different languages but “water” was the only word I recognised so I opted for that. The neutral feeds even had a cheeseboard on offer, but apparently it was only the marshals on motorbikes who were eating it.
The next descent down off the plateau was even steeper, another twisting singletrack, but this time laced with goat tracks and ditches, which you could use to cut the corners and straight-line the trail if you could muster the nerve. Katrin and I took turns cutting each other up on each bend, until she took a crazy line and ended up in a rut. I straight-lined down and opened a gap, then didn’t look back.
The final sprint for the line!
In the next feed zone I was pleased to see Mauritzio, Liz’s husband, who had one of my own bottles and a Powergel for me, just in time. Andy and Mauritzio were sharing the feed zone duties, as it was impossible for one person to get to each feed zone in time. I caught up with Liz again on a rolling technical section, along with a Czech rider who had also overtaken me on the first climb. We fumbled our way over some unrideable rock falls before climbing again, more steadily this time.
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The middle 30kms or so of the race was hard-packed skifield roads, and it was bitterly cold, on the climbs as well as the descents. We ended up dropping into Alp d’Huez village, to the amazement of the numerous roadies, who must have been wondering where the heck all these mountain bikers were coming from! Another short road climb took us up out of Alp d’Huez to a turning, where the women traversed to the final descent and the men continued on another short loop.
The final descent was unreal. It started with rolling singletrack through tussock, dropping onto an open, loose skifield track. There were deep drainage ditches everywhere and nothing was marked – this was marathon, not XC, and riders have to look after themselves! The course then levelled out for a way before dropping into the final section, another steep singletrack forest trail, with fast, swooping corners, slippery mud and tree roots. My hands were numb to the wrist, and I could see nothing but a blur of trees, but I could hear my brakes squealing from both ends of the bike so I knew they were working.
I caught Liz near the bottom of the trail and we rode together into the final 10km. The last 2km was an obstacle course in and out of Bourg d’Oisans, with ramps and boulders put there for spectator amusement. It was good fun, and a real lift for the spirits. I even found the energy to sprint to the line, although at that stage there was no-one to sprint against.
Liz was less than a minute behind me, and we finished 11th and 12th. It was a better result than I had ever expected and I knew I had ridden as well as I’ve ever ridden. We stayed to watch Gunn Rita Dahle pull on another World Champion’s jersey, before Andy and I headed back to our hotel for a bottle of champagne and a well-earned rest.
Photo’s thanks to Jenn’s coachwww.pattersontraining.com check his website for the other female riders he coaches.
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The Course (by Bex)
Where better place to hold the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championship race than in the heart of the French Alps surrounded by Haute category climbs made famous by the Tour de France? The 2006 Marathon World Championships were held in the Oisan region in the mountains surrounding Les 2 Alpes and Alpe D’Huez on Sunday 13th August amidst cloudy skies, mist and temperatures in the single digits, not a classic alpine summer’s day to be sure.
For non-championship riders there were two courses on offer, the 100km course with 2900m of vertical climbing and 3800m of descending finishing at the pretty town of Bourg d’Oisans (717m altitude) just like the Pro’s copurse. Or the shorter but still tough 50km course, both were fast and technical and proved rideable even with the inclement weather conditions. Both routes consisted of miles of singletrack and rough track descents starting at the glacial ski resort of Les 2 Alpes at 1650m altitude.
The Championship course
Starting at 1650m altitude and huge valley to cross to reach Alp D’Huez on the other side, you’d be forgiven for thinking that a descend would be in order but the racers were sent up a serious lung busting climb to over 2000m before being allowed any respite. From the Barrage du Chambon (1046m) the trail headed upwards across the high altitude Plateau d’Emparis before descending to the small village of Besse en Oisans. The trail then headed back up the mountain side on the way to Auris en Oisans to the second of four supply points with technical assistance. A couple of km on the road gave tired legs a welcome rest before the route headed up and over to Alp D’Huez with stunning views of the cloud filled valley below.
Descending from Alp D’Huez to Oz en Oisans along narrow singletrack and tight and twisty woodland trails, slippery in the wet too, the course then headed Villard Reculas at 1500m altitude. This was the last technical support and food stop at the 80km point before the final descend into the Bourg D’Oisans valley and through the pretty mountain town to the finish!
If you ever get chance to ride in this area do not turn it down, there are cable cars to get you to the top of the mountains or part way up leaving your legs fresh to explore further, routes are well marked and the trail maps good too, there are DH and freeride courses as well as hundreds of miles of singletrack XC riding, plus at Les 2 Alpes there is a North Shore style bike park too! Enjoy!!
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