FRANCE · SPORTIVE

LA MARMOTTE TRAINING PLAN.

La Marmotte is the original European mass-participation Alpine event — 174km from Bourg d'Oisans over the Glandon, Télégraphe, Galibier and finishing on Alpe d'Huez. 5,000m of climbing in one day, four giant cols, and a culture that treats it as the amateur Tour de France stage.

174 km·5,000 m climbing·7-12 hours·July

THE OVERVIEW

WHAT THE MARMOTTE ACTUALLY IS

TERRAIN

Four giant cols stitched together by valley transitions: Glandon (early), Télégraphe-Galibier paired in the middle, Alpe d'Huez as the summit finish. 174km point-to-point feel with a Bourg d'Oisans loop. No flat — every kilometre is climbing, descending, or transitioning between the two.

WEATHER

Early July in Bourg d'Oisans starts cool and exposed at the 07:00 start (8-12°C in the valley) and turns brutal across the day. The Maurienne valley regularly hits 35°C+ between km 60 and km 130, then the Galibier summit at 2,642m can be 4-8°C with cloud or wind. The base of Alpe d'Huez at 16:00 in 38°C heat is the day's defining temperature problem.

FITNESS DEMANDS

WHAT YOU NEED TO ARRIVE WITH.

MINIMUM FTP

3.2 W/kg

to finish, well-fuelled

COMPETITIVE FTP

4.0 W/kg

to ride the day on your terms

ENDURANCE

12-15 hours/week peaking 12-16 weeks out, with at least three 5-6 hour rides that include two sustained climbs of 30+ minutes each. One ride with 3,500m+ of climbing in training is the floor — not the ceiling. Sea-level riders should find altitude exposure in the final 2-3 weeks if logistics allow; Alpine riders should ride the actual cols once before race day.

WHY THESE NUMBERS MATTER HERE

Marmotte is climb-density limited and altitude-limited. 3.2 W/kg with the right gearing and disciplined pacing earns the bronze medal time band; 4.0+ W/kg holds the silver bands and rides Alpe d'Huez at sub-threshold rather than survival pace. The Galibier above 2,400m costs amateurs 8-12% of sea-level FTP — pace on power, not on the climbers around you.

CLIMBING DEMANDS

THE CLIMBS, IN ORDER.

5,000m of climbing across 174km — that's 29m per kilometre, denser than Étape and only beaten in this cluster by the Maratona. The shape of the day matters: Glandon early, Télégraphe-Galibier paired in the middle, Alpe d'Huez as the summit finish. The valley between Galibier descent and the Alpe is the hidden test — tailwind, baking heat, 50km of rolling tempo on legs that have already done two HC cols. Then the Alpe arrives. Pace is everything.

COL DU GLANDON

KM 25-50

21.7 km·5.1% avg·11% max·1108 m gain

First HC climb. 90 minutes of sustained effort. Pace at 70-75% FTP — the riders who attack the early ramps of the Glandon are the ones grinding 50rpm on the Alpe four hours later.

COL DU TÉLÉGRAPHE

KM 75-90

11.9 km·7.1% avg·856 m gain

First half of the Télégraphe-Galibier pair. Sustained 7% for 60 minutes. Eat through it; do not race it. Galibier is still ahead.

COL DU GALIBIER (FROM TÉLÉGRAPHE)

KM 95-120

17.7 km·5.5% avg·12% max·1245 m gain

2,642m summit. The upper third sits above 2,000m where altitude bites — power drops 8-12% for the same heart rate. Pace on watts, accept the HR drift, and eat on the climb rather than wait for the descent.

ALPE D'HUEZ

KM 160 — SUMMIT FINISH

13.8 km·8.1% avg·13% max·1100 m gain

21 hairpins after 150km in your legs. Pace on a wattage ceiling and ignore the carnage around you. The first four hairpins are the steepest — settle in, ride sub-threshold, and let the bend numbers count down rather than chasing the riders around you.

EXPECTED FINISH TIMES

WHERE YOU'LL LAND.

Use these bands to set a realistic goal. Pick the band closest to your current fitness — not the one above it. Pacing a band you haven't earned is the fastest way to a back-half blow-up.

FIRST-TIME FINISHER

10-12 hours

FTP 2.8-3.2 W/kg, 10-12 hours/week, longest ride 5 hours with two sustained climbs.

BRONZE MEDAL TIME

8:30-10 hours

FTP 3.2-3.7 W/kg, 11-13 hours/week, multiple 5-hour rides with 3,000m+ climbing, gut trained to 90g carbs/hour.

SILVER MEDAL TIME

7-8:30 hours

FTP 3.7-4.3 W/kg, 13-16 hours/week, sustained 30-minute threshold blocks, altitude exposure 14+ days pre-race.

GOLD MEDAL TIME

5:30-7 hours

FTP 4.3+ W/kg, 16-20 hours/week, racing background, sub-threshold for 60+ minutes at altitude, sub-2% body fat margin from race weight.

Ask Roadman about your Marmotte target →

12-16 WEEK TRAINING FRAMEWORK

HOW THE BUILD ACTUALLY GOES.

Four phases shaped around the Marmotte. Aerobic base, structured build, peak block, taper. Volume and intensity move in opposite directions on the way to race day. Skip a phase and the day rides you, not the other way round.

BASE.

WEEKS 16-13 · 10-12 H

Build the aerobic engine the rest of the plan sits on. 80% of your time in Zone 2 — conversational pace, nose-breathing, no Strava ego. The mitochondrial density you build here is what carries you up the back half of the Galibier.

ANCHOR SESSION

One 4-hour Z2 ride per week, fuelled from minute 30, on rolling terrain. No structured intervals.

LATE BASE.

WEEKS 12-9 · 11-13 H

Aerobic volume still rules but tempo work enters the plan. Long ride extends to 5 hours and starts including sustained climbs. This is where event-specific climbing fitness begins without compromising the base.

ANCHOR SESSION

Tempo sandwich — 2x20 minutes at 76-88% FTP inside a 2-hour Z2 ride. Once a week, paired with a 5-hour weekend ride that includes a 30-minute climb.

BUILD.

WEEKS 8-5 · 13-15 H

Threshold and VO2 work layer on. One threshold session, one VO2 session, one 5-6 hour ride with event-specific terrain. FTP should climb here — if it isn't, recovery is the gap, not effort.

ANCHOR SESSION

2x20 minutes at 91-105% FTP, plus one 4x4 minute VO2 session at 106-120% FTP. Long ride mimics the Glandon-Galibier shape: two sustained climbs of 30-50 minutes inside a 5-hour day.

PEAK + TAPER.

WEEKS 4-2 · 9-11 H DROPPING TO 6-8 H

Volume drops 20-30%, intensity gets very specific. One full Marmotte simulation — 5 hours at goal pace with the climbing density you'll meet on the day. Then taper. The fitness is banked; the job is to shed fatigue without losing sharpness.

ANCHOR SESSION

Marmotte simulation — 5 hours with two sustained climbs of 60+ minutes at 75-80% FTP. Final 10 days: shorter rides, race-pace openers, full rest before travel.

WEEK-BY-WEEK PLANS

HOW LONG TILL YOUR MARMOTTE?

Six weeks-out windows, each built around the demands of this course. Pick the one that matches your window today. The framework is free; coaching makes it personal.

16 WEEKS OUT

BASE PHASE

Aerobic foundation. High volume, low intensity. Don't skip this.

12 WEEKS OUT

LATE BASE

Bridge phase. Volume still rules, but structure begins.

8 WEEKS OUT

BUILD PHASE

Structured intensity enters. Threshold + VO2 max work.

4 WEEKS OUT

PEAK PHASE

Event-specific sharpening. Volume drops, quality rises.

2 WEEKS OUT

TAPER

Sharpness is banked. Now shed fatigue.

1 WEEK OUT

RACE WEEK

Don't do anything clever. Eat, sleep, show up.

FUELLING STRATEGY

EAT LIKE THE DAY DEMANDS.

Eight to ten hours of riding with 5,000m of climbing makes Marmotte a carbohydrate problem at the limit of what most amateurs can absorb. Target 90-110g carbs/hour from the gun — gels every 25 minutes plus a bar at the base of every climb. The gut has to be trained for this; first-time 90g/hour at the Marmotte is how riders end up vomiting at the base of Alpe d'Huez. Hydration scales with the heat: 500-600ml/hour in the cool opening sections, 1L/hour through the Maurienne valley, electrolytes in every bottle. The feed at the Glandon descent is your first real refill; the Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne feed at the base of the Télégraphe is the day's most strategic — eat real food, refill bottles, leave inside 15 minutes. Caffeine gel at the base of the Galibier and a second at the base of Alpe d'Huez. The riders who finish strong on the Alpe are the ones who fuelled the valley between Galibier and the Alpe; the riders who walk are the ones who 'didn't feel hungry' on the Maurienne descent.

PACING STRATEGY

RIDE IT IN THE RIGHT ORDER.

Pace La Marmotte from the Alpe backwards. Every watt spent above plan in the first 100km is a watt you will not have on Alpe d'Huez. Glandon at 70-75% of FTP — that's a heart-rate ceiling, not a feel. Through the Maurienne valley between Glandon and Télégraphe, sit in groups; drafting saves 25-30% of your output and keeps you below threshold while still moving fast. Télégraphe-Galibier paired at 72-77% of FTP — the Télégraphe is not the workout, the Galibier upper third is. Eat on the Galibier descent; the cold and the 30-minute downhill are your one real recovery window. The 50km valley to the base of the Alpe is the day's hidden ceiling — heat, tailwind, fatigue. Hold tempo, don't hammer, drink on a timer. Hit the base of the Alpe with a full bottle and a clear head. Settle into 75-80% FTP for the first four hairpins; ride the gradient, not the riders. The summit is the win — pace to get there, not to outdrag your neighbour.

EQUIPMENT ESSENTIALS

WHAT TO BRING. WHAT TO LEAVE.

The kit choices that change the day. Most DNFs at this level trace back to gearing, hydration storage, or layers for the descent — not fitness. Sort the kit and the training does its job.

GEARING

34x32 minimum, 34x34 if you have it. Walking Alpe d'Huez is fitness management for under-geared riders. Test your gearing on a 10% local hill at the end of a 4-hour ride before you commit.

TYRES

25-28mm, fast-rolling but durable (Continental GP5000 S TR, Vittoria Corsa Pro). Tubeless preferred for descent puncture margin. Pressures 10-15% lower than your usual road event for the heat-soaked tarmac on the Maurienne descent.

DESCENT KIT

Gilet stashed in jersey + arm warmers in the back pocket. Even on 35°C valley days, the Galibier summit can be 6-10°C with wind. Clear lenses for cloud or shaded hairpins; tinted lenses are useless on the Alpe descent in low afternoon sun.

BOTTLES + FUEL

Two bottle cages — minimum 1L total capacity. Carry 8-10 gels and 2-3 bars for in-effort fuelling between feed stops. The climb to Alpe d'Huez is 60+ minutes from the last refill; arrive at the base with a full bottle and a caffeine gel in the pocket.

SUN + HEAT

Reapply sunscreen at every feed — Alpine UV at 2,000m plus an 8-hour day burns skin twice. Light-coloured jersey for the Maurienne valley. Salt tabs or electrolyte mix in every bottle once the heat lands.

COMMON MISTAKES

DON'T DO THIS.

Patterns we see at the Marmotte every year. Each one has a fix that costs nothing — except the discipline to actually use it on the day.

MISTAKE

Treating it like a normal sportive

FIX

La Marmotte is the original Alpine event for a reason. Train on sustained climbs of 30+ minutes, ride at altitude in the final 2-3 weeks if logistics allow, and build at least one 5-hour ride with 3,500m+ of climbing in the legs before race day. A 100-mile flat sportive prep does not transfer.

MISTAKE

Going hard on the Glandon because the legs feel fresh

FIX

The Glandon comes inside the first 50km when you're rested, the temperature is mild, and the road is full of stronger riders. Sit at 70-75% FTP, ignore the surge, and bank the legs you will need on the Alpe four hours later. Marmotte Gold goes to riders who pace the Glandon, not the riders who race it.

MISTAKE

Underdressing the Galibier descent

FIX

Even on a 35°C valley day, the Galibier summit can be 6-10°C with wind. Gilet stashed in the jersey is non-negotiable; arm warmers stuffed in the back pocket save the descent. Riders who shiver down the Galibier arrive at the base of the Alpe cold and underfuelled — both are fixable with kit.

MISTAKE

Choosing 11-28 gearing because 'I climb fine at home'

FIX

34x32 minimum. Many finishers run 34x34. Alpe d'Huez at 8% with 150km in the legs is not the same gradient as the same climb fresh. Walking the Alpe is more common than the official photos show — most of those walkers chose 11-28 cassettes at sea level and discovered the difference at hairpin 7.

MISTAKE

Skipping the Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne feed because you 'feel fine'

FIX

Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is the day's most strategic refill point. Top up bottles, eat real food, take 10 minutes. The Télégraphe-Galibier pair has no useful feed and the climb to Alpe d'Huez is 60+ minutes from the next refill. Riders who skip Saint-Jean run dry on the Galibier and bonk in the valley below the Alpe.

STUCK BEFORE THE EVENT?

FIND OUT WHY YOUR FTP HAS PLATEAUED.

The Plateau Diagnostic is a 5-minute assessment that identifies the specific reason your training has stopped producing results. Built for riders 35+ who have been doing the work but watching the numbers stall. You'll get a profile-matched recommendation in your inbox.

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GO DEEPER

THE READING THAT BUILT THIS PLAN.

Curated long-form pieces on the methods and mistakes behind the framework above. Pick the one that addresses the gap you actually have right now.

DEEPER READ

Altitude Training for Cyclists

The Galibier above 2,400m costs 8-12% of sea-level FTP for unacclimatised amateurs. This guide covers what's possible in 2-3 weeks pre-race.

DEEPER READ

Why You Get Dropped on Climbs (and How to Fix It)

Pacing, cadence, and the mental game on long sustained efforts. Useful framing for the Galibier and Alpe d'Huez specifically.

DEEPER READ

Carbs Per Hour: Fuel Like a Pro

Marmotte demands 90-110g/hour for 8-10 hours. Most amateurs ride below the gut's actual ceiling — this is how you train it up before race day.

DEEPER READ

Heat Training for Cyclists

The Maurienne valley regularly hits 35°C+ between km 60 and 130. Heat acclimation in the 14 days before race day is worth more than any aero gain.

DEEPER READ

How to Taper for a Sportive

Two-week taper protocol that arrives at the start line fresh, not flat. Most Marmotte DNFs trace back to a final block trained too hard.

DEEPER READ

Jack Burke on Pacing Alpe d'Huez and the Stelvio

How a Strava KOM-holder paces the Alpe — wattage discipline, fuelling on the climb, and the mental game on the hairpin count-down.

DEEPER READ

Polarised Training: The 80/20 Approach

The training distribution that builds the aerobic depth a 5,000m climbing day requires. Anchored in Professor Stephen Seiler's research.

ASK ROADMAN

GOT A QUESTION ABOUT THE MARMOTTE?

The Marmotte doesn't have a predictor course yet. Ask Roadman directly — Anthony reads every question and replies with event-specific advice.

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FAQ

MARMOTTE TRAINING, ANSWERED.

What FTP do I need for the La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes?

How long should I train for the La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes?

Most riders benefit from 12-16 weeks of structured preparation. 12-15 hours/week peaking 12-16 weeks out, with at least three 5-6 hour rides that include two sustained climbs of 30+ minutes each. One ride with 3,500m+ of climbing in training is the floor — not the ceiling. Sea-level riders should find altitude exposure in the final 2-3 weeks if logistics allow; Alpine riders should ride the actual cols once before race day. If you have less time, the 8-week and 4-week plans still produce a meaningful result on the right starting fitness.

What's the typical finish time for the La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes?

Amateur finishers cover the full range. First-time finisher: 10-12 hours; Bronze medal time: 8:30-10 hours; Silver medal time: 7-8:30 hours; Gold medal time: 5:30-7 hours. The difference between bands is climbing fitness and fuelling discipline more than flat speed.

What's the biggest mistake riders make at the La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes?

Treating it like a normal sportive. Fix: La Marmotte is the original Alpine event for a reason. Train on sustained climbs of 30+ minutes, ride at altitude in the final 2-3 weeks if logistics allow, and build at least one 5-hour ride with 3,500m+ of climbing in the legs before race day. A 100-mile flat sportive prep does not transfer.

How should I pace the La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes?

When does the La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes take place?

The La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes typically runs in July. Count back from your event date and pick the weeks-out plan that matches your window.

WANT THIS BUILT AROUND YOUR FTP?

PLAN MADE FOR YOU, NOT FOR THE AVERAGE.

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