THE FOCUS RIGHT NOW
SHED FATIGUE.
Two weeks out you're in taper territory. Fitness plateaus or nudges up — you don't lose meaningful fitness in two weeks, but fatigue disappears fast. Short sharp efforts to keep legs awake. Everything else is volume reduction.
THIS WEEK'S ANCHOR SESSION
RACE-PACE OPENERS
60min ride with 3x3min at race pace + 3x1min at VO2. Not training — priming. The efforts remind your legs what fast feels like. Nothing more.
EVENT INTEL
WHAT THE MARMOTTE ACTUALLY DEMANDS
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.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
- ✓Four legendary cols: Glandon, Télégraphe, Galibier, Alpe d'Huez
- ✓Galibier summit at 2,642m — altitude bites the upper third
- ✓Alpe d'Huez summit finish after 150km already in the legs
- ✓July heat in the Maurienne valley regularly hits 35°C+
- ✓Gold/silver/bronze finishing standards — riders chase the time bands
COMMON MISTAKES
- ✕Racing the Glandon in the opening cool air and arriving at the Galibier hollow
- ✕Underfuelling because the climbs feel manageable in the first half
- ✕Choosing 11-28 gearing and meeting Alpe d'Huez at 50rpm
PACING
Pace La Marmotte from the Alpe backwards. Glandon at 70-75% FTP, Télégraphe-Galibier as a paired sub-threshold effort, Alpe d'Huez ridden on a wattage ceiling regardless of heat or crowd. The valley between Galibier descent and the Alpe is the day's hidden test — tailwind, heat, fatigue. Eat through it, do not hammer.
FUELLING
8-10+ hours demands 90-110g carbs/hour minimum, and the gut has to be trained for it. Force-drink on a timer once the valley heat lands — Maurienne in July is brutal. Refill bottles at every feed; the climb to Alpe d'Huez is the worst place on earth to run dry.
KIT
34x32 minimum, 34x34 if you have it. Gilet and arm warmers stashed for the Galibier descent (genuinely cold even on 35°C days). Clear lenses for the descents. Sunscreen reapplied at every feed — Alpine UV plus an 8-hour day is a sunburn waiting to happen.
WANT THIS BUILT AROUND YOUR FTP?
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OTHER PHASES FOR THE MARMOTTE