The sooner you arrive, the better. That way, you Will have time to get some climbing in the legs without too much fatigue.
You can not gain extra condition in that pre week. So…Let the legs getting used to the mountains without overdoing would be the best approach IMO.
If I remember right we drove down on the Thursday to Alpe Du Huez (thankfully I was a passenger). Tested our bikes on the Thursday, with a Lac du Verney and back up the Alpe for a meal/drink. Lol I forget how many folk had but light weight me would have had 3 at the most. Our group pace on the Saturday probably reflected that, 9h 40 mins moving (12.5 hours total) we stopped for ages IIRC at a restaurant 3/4 of the way up the Galibier. Its (2013) is the last time I can recall cramping on a bike. I got about 3/4 of the way up the Alpe Du Huez passing hundreds of folk walking. When I thought, sod it I’d already been up in one go they day before and had done 4 other HC climbs beforehand, its OK to get off and stretch before continuing. Doing that wasn’t wise as lifting my leg off the saddle saw my inside thigh cramp. I had to walk to and around the next hairpin before it eased enough for me to continue 
That should be ok I guess. It depends on your aerobic development of you can hold that power. The altitude of the Galibier would also mean that you normally get a drop in power. So also focus a bit in HR. A well-trainer fondo rider maybe can manage 85% on all the climbs and the real strong maybe even higher.
Another tip. Don’t forget It is just one long climb the telegraphe and Galibier. It has a little descend but if you overdue it…you could Blow out later on. Galibier is a mental challenge. The long stretch towards plan lachat is challenging. It is not that steep but the first fatigue is dropping in…and you have to have something left because the harder part Starts from Plan Lachat.
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I’m pretty skeptical of going too hard, I really really don’t want to end up grovelling my way around the later part of the day.
I’ve been doing some rides recently that are 270w for an hour etc, average HR of 140bpm (my max is 187).
My main worry is the heat, i really don’t do well in 30c plus temps being from the UK 
Fingers crossed it all goes ok, but any advice anybody can give will be greatly appreciated 
Your taper seems very modest compared to mine and to most of what I’ve been reading elsewhere. I’m aiming to average 10hr/wk in the weeks leading into Marmotte and below is how I sketched my event-week and the 2 weeks prior.
I must add, where I live it is completely flat and mostly below sea-level. So most of this taper is about adjusting to riding uphill and being at elevation.
Current plan has me at 75 fitness and 70 fatigue on the day of the Marmotte.
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So, the date has been officially announced today. It will be on June 25th 2023 (rather then July 2nd). Registration opens on the 8th of November.
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Red circle around the 8th. AirBnB reserved. Let’s go!
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Thankfully I hadn’t booked flights yet!
Deposit is paid with the tour company - I’m pretty excited for it, going to be a proper day out
Yeah, rebooking plane tickets would have sucked.
I also have payed my deposit for my booking with agency, which luckily includes a guaranteed ticked.
I’m stoked!
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Out of interest, who have you booked through? Wondering if I’m gonna end up waving at you at the airport pick up
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Haha, you won’t. I’ll go there by car from the Netherlands and booked through a Dutch organization. 
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Booked the flights yesterday. Manchester, Brussles, Lyon.
Hopefully no more date changes, and hopefully the bikes/bags make the connection 
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Registrations are up! Lets gooooooo!!!
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Ticket booked wohoo! There is a group of 3 of us signed up and have a small dilemma.
The weakest rider in the group wants the group to stay together and ride the entire course together. I’ve done the Maratona a few times with a finish time of 5:40 and 170th overall. Looking at the Marmotte I would similarly be targeting top 200 and under 7 hours.
The weakest rider has a fondness for beer, drinks almost every weekend and potentially won’t be at the same level as myself and the other guy.
My mindset for something like this is try achieve the fastest time possible and almost treat it like a marathon. I will really struggle to let riders up the road and potentially ride well below my level in order to stay with the group. Personally I would have no issues riding solo or in small groups with strangers on the day given we will be training together for 6 months on a weekly basis. Also if the other fit guy in the group was to go up the road and finish ahead of me I’d have no problem with that.
Weaker guy is not interested in riding alone or with strangers and would regard the day as a disaster if he were to arrive at the finish 30 or 40 mins down on us.
So, am I being selfish or is he being selfish? First world problems 
I should point out he knows my mentality. And I can definitely see his point of view, I won’t be winning any medals with 7 hours so you could argue what’s the difference between a 7 hour finish and 7:45 but for me the buzz is giving everything.
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Aboslutely not selfish. If this is a big goal of yours and you have big ambitions then you should absolutely go for it.
I’m also going with a group of 3. And we all have different goal times. Sure in the months leading up the event we will train together and wait for each other on preperation rides, but not during the marmotte. It would not be fun and wouldn’t do justice to the event. IMHO.
I’m surprised that someone would actually suggest that. Sure, if it is a “regular” non-timed ride you three would do together outside of an organised event, but not during such an event.
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Absolutely not selfish and like Jasper, I’m surprised your friend is even suggesting to stay together. You can drink beer together after the event, 
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Sub 7 is blisteringly fast! That’s over 25kph average.
I’d definitely not wait for anyone if I could do that
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To be honest, if the weakest guy from your group is still going to clock 7:45 that’s a pretty damn good result anyway. Sounds like he’s a strong rider and a big boy so just go together and if he gets dropped on the 1st or 2nd climb then so be it. I honestly don’t understand what’s the deal with people insisting on staying together in a group at all cost, it’s a mass event and there’s always plenty of people around to ride with/chase/overtake/get dropped by.
I did the Marmotte with friends in 2019 when I was at my absolute lowest point, no training whatsoever, my FTP was at 270W at that time @ approx 82kg. Did not expect anyone to wait on me and still had a good time. Maybe the link below will help an average rider with their pacing - it’s not just the Marmotte but also the ride from and back to the accomodation, the official time was 8:29. Point is - that was done at a pretty average w/kg but I managed to hold it in and pace it really well, each climb averaged ~200W (0.75 IF). Sounds low but that was spot on for a long day like this - especially Alpe d’huez was like a battlefield with riders exploding left right and centre, lying on the side of the road or seeking shade. Ironically I was still only 30minutes slower than a 4.8W/kg friend who just went too hard in the beginning and blew up on the Galibier.
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On the flip side I could get sick leading up to the event or training goes bad and wouldn’t expect others to wait on me knowing they trained and want to give their best.
Part of the excitement of a massive event like the Marmotte is mixing it up with riders from other nations etc. At the end of the day we would have 3 sets of war stories at the dinner table.
This expectation of a trio staying together is stressing the group out already out so just wanted get a view if I was being unreasonable.
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Not selfish at all - It’s a big time investment to train for it, and it’s also a big financial investment depending where you’re coming from.
I’m off with a group of 3 others and I’ve already told them i’ll be riding it at my own pace. I’ve got a goal time in mind and it’s what i’m working for.
In other news, I’ve contracted Covid today so that’s thrown a slight spanner in the works…
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