Oh that was a tough one! 2.2 km swim in a nice, 17 deg C lake, very clear and calm. Bike course starts off with a long downhill with traffic, then a 12km climb up to La Morte, then a long gradual downhill to the base of Col d’Ornon, where you start a 25 km climb. Short fast technical downhill (bring drop handlebars) and then the hard hot climb up Alp d’Huez. That’s when I started to really feel the effects of the heat and what was to be some dehydration. After a long grind up the 21 switchbacks, where I saw several riders off their bikes exhausted or working off cramps, I started the run – and immediately knew I was dehydrated because of the high heart rate and breathing effort trying to run at a normal half-marathon pace. So I settled into a IM death shuffle and walking parts of the hills and aid stations. Finished with 8:45 (was hoping for under 8) for 7th place 50-54 (or MV3 as the French say). My body was not really ready for the heat after a long cool summer in Germany where I think I only did a couple of rides in the 80s… oh well, I have a goal for next year and a new age group.
Race goods – you’re in France with all of it’s special ambience. Race bads – aid stations on the bike didn’t have a lot of volunteers so you had to stop and refill your aid bottles, not nearly as fast. The run course had some fairly rocky trail sections, and is a lot hillier than what I remembered from last year, when I only had to do one lap instead of 3!
Tips? Road bike with shorty aero bars; don’t use racing flats; wet suit hoodie if you’re not used to cold swims, drink loads (suffer the wait at the aid station if you have to), and tons of endurolytes to avoid cramping (which I managed to avoid but didn’t help the dehydration). Wear a bike jersey for the sun protection and the pockets for a spare water bottle (some aid stations just have skinny water bottles). Drink lots of fluids, especially on the long second climb where it is windy and dry. The short course triathlon is a great option if you want to enjoy a little more of France. Go to the tourist station in Bourg d’Oisan and ask for a great, free bike route book which is in English and has 30 classic bike routes in the region. Here’s a profile of the course and the garmin route here.