The guys in my LBS were talking about doing the Mega this year, and asked me if I fancied doing it.

Whats it like?

Will a 140mm travel trail bike be OK with some beefed up tyres like dual ply high rollers or summit similar & brakes 203Front & 180rear?

I understand that there are some pedally bits so maybe a double up front with a bash & chain guide?

Also I take it a full face helmet is mandatory, what else is required protection wise?

Cheers

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L51D8oI_1mE[/video]

sorry for the slow starter, cba to search further

I went last year but forgot my helmet on race day which was pants. The top guys will be on 140-150mm rigs but 160+ would be more comfortable. I did the course(Though not at race speed obvs) and the qualifying (great fun) on my prophet with air forks and shock and it was fine but a bit more bounce would make me feel safer. There are a few difficult bits but in the race they’re usually bottle-necked anyway (If you’re in the middle 70% of your race)so you’d be faster walking.
I would recommend a double and bash as in the lower wooded sections there are some steep (But short) climbs in addition to some shallow climbs and flat bits earlier on. I really enjoyed it even if I didn’t get to do the full race.

Cheers Malfish, as I’ve only got one FS bike with 140mm I’d be on that 😀

Seems pretty good value too, considering we’d be going down in a van with the bikes and a car with the other riders.

What is accommodation like down there, costs etc?

Don’t know much about The Mega but ‘summit’ is splet (Or spelled) and pronounced ‘something’ don’t ya know

I think it depends on how fast you want to go 🙂 Heard of people doing it on everything from full on DH bikes to hardtails. I think somewhere 140 and 160 FS bikes seems cover the majority. There’s loads of info out there from people who’ve done it (blogs, posts, etc.)

A full face helmet is mandatory. I think I remember seeing a list of regulations on the mega site somewhere that covered this. Protect knees and elbows too.

Also if you’ve not done it I’d recommend doing uplift days at somewhere like cwm carn in preperation.

I did it last year on a 140mm hardtail with 1×9 drivetrain. It was a little punishing but perfectly manageable.
If I were to describe the riding in one word I’d go for ‘sustained’ – rather than long pedally bits or steep/tech bits, the main thing you will be aware of is the length of the thing – 1.5-2hrs of riding flat out absolutely ruins your arms and legs. There’s plenty of running about in the snow at the top to wear you out, too.

Dual ply tyres and DH tubes are your friend.
An uppy downy seatpost would be handy if you were really going for it, but not really necessary.
A chain guide could save you some aggravation.
Swept back, wound in brake levers will save your arms.

Also, it’s the best thing ever and you should definitely do it.

I’ve never done the race but I rode the track on my hardtail with some marzocchi 66’s and dual ply tires and it seemed perfect for it. Was easily (well not as easy) as fast as my friends who were on dh bikes. I had been riding pleney and similar tracks a few days before hand though, so the lack of massive braking bumps was like a breath of fresh air.

I think in a race situation, a full sus would be ideal because you wont be stopping for breaks and the rear travel will mean you wont be as tired at the end.

Depends on how good of a rider you are though, Im not amazing but at the time I was riding downhill quite a bit. There are alot of not so great riders there who were pushing down quite a few of the upper section parts.

Just make sure you have some decent tires and your brakes are set up nicely as arm pump will be the killer for you I’d say.

Some sort of gravity dropper seat post could make sense, I just rode it with my seat slammed though.

Full face and body armour if you think you need it, I just used a full face and some knee pads at the time (not dead keen on body armour but if you make a mistake when your tired it could save you some cuts and bruises) A standard xc lid would be ok though. Also, some Five Ten impact shoes are useful (or they are on a hardtail) if you run flat pedals.

I think some people reckon a downhill bike is good cos you can over take people on the gnarlier sections a bit easier.

We camped next to the lift station on the big open grassy area, no showers or owt like that though, but there is a bike wash you can have a hose down with.

Fantastic event, raced many Mega and Maxi’s. All the above comments are bang on, for fun the longer 160mm bike does take the bite out of it but for all out fast runs 150/140mm with Larsen 2.35 2 ply tt rear and minion 60a or high roller in 2.35 up front. The Alpe d Huez course has lots of ‘physical’ sections so interval training sessions will help with laying down the power on the flat and climbs. Get out in the snow now as you will need to be quick up top to avoid the traffic. It’s all about qualifying well if you want a result on the day. Quali course is about 22min for front runners and is an all out sprint effort, main event takes them about 45 – 55 min depending on the course lay out and conditions. Get there early and get used to riding at altitude. If you fancy a skills and training session before the event drop me a line, always happy to help.
Clive.

did it last year, prophet with dhx air, 36 floats and 2.35 maxxis advantage,

booking opens 3pm french time on monday

Have ridden it 3 times now an as “EuroClive” says 160mm+ is nice going, the 3 years i have dont it on 140mm bike with 140mm froks which i found fine, i also had the DH bike with me which was fun to ride but very hard work.
The qualyfier is the race most people like, just go out have fun an enjoy, im going for the DH race this year on the wednesday then have fun on the mega. 😛

I’m planning to try and get a place on Monday when signup opens. Probably will plan to ride it on an SC Blur LT with 36 Vans up front.

Mega Avalanche / Alpe d’Huez, FRANCE
09 Jul 2010 to 11 Jul 2010
UCC Organization – Avalanche Series
ABOUT

The Mega Avalanche is an annual downhill cycling event that starts at the 3320m high ski station Pic Blanc, above the alpine towns of Alpe d’Huez (1850m) and Le Bourg-d’Oisans (701m) and finishes at Allemont (720m). It is an event that any cyclist can enter and usually takes place in July.

It begins in snow and travels across a glacier to a black run which takes the riders down to Allemont. It is one of the longest downhill races in the world travelling down 33km (20 miles) of mostly black run downhill.

To compete in the Mega Avalanche, competitors must have a full-face bicycle helmet, suitable for downhill cycling, and suitable downhill body armour to protect them from any impacts they may receive from falling off. To qualify for the main event the competitors must first complete the 15km (9 mile) qualifying course after which if they finish in the allocated time and position they will be allocated a place on the starting grid for the race.

It begins with a mass start (all of the competitors begin at once), which often results in many of the competitors falling over due to sliding into each other because of snow.

The route is open to cyclists all summer and can be reached by a short trip in two cable cars from Alpe d’Huez, however this route is only usually attempted by experienced riders.

Check out avalanchecup.com for more information

I keep meaning to get over there on my patriot. Anyone know if the route is rideable the rest of the year?

I guess my Epic 2011 evo wont be ‘man’ enough!? 120mm front and 100mm rear. Would love to do it though.

As others have said 4/5″ is perfect though people do it on all sorts. To be honest unless you are intending to win you’ll have fun on any bike (within reason, Tesco special excluded). The track is not difficult, just long and therefore knackering.

There’s no camping in ADH other than next to the lift in a dusty field with no facilities. If you’re doing down that route I’d camp at the site down in the bottom of the valley at a place called Allemont. The bloke that runs it is a friendly fella, it’s a nice spot, not expensive and there’s a pool along the road. It’s also well served by busses with bike trailers so you’re not cut off. The race ends there as well.

It’s a great event and I can’t recommend it enough. I was there for the first time last year and I’ll be back!

Registration is open, and I got a place – did anyone else? Anyone up for an STW meet up in the week before the race?

no up to 2000 entrants this year, was it 1200 last year?

Think it was 1600 last year and 1200 the year before. Each start has 400 people in it. Last year there were 4 starts.

Best thing ever, the Mega qualifier run was probably the best ride I have ever been on, it is impossible to describe, it can only be experienced.

To start with, ignore those who say the track is not difficult — there is some serious technical riding involved; I would say if you can ride the Fort Bill red downhill run comfortably on the bike you are planning to use, then go for it (it’s not in the same league as the Fort Bill world cup track, but it is harder than any UK trail center black run I have been on).

Dual ply tyres and a chain device (dual ring) are a must (the course is littered by people who ride single ply tyres fixing punctures and folk without chain devices, like Tracey Mosley, breaking their drive trains). I would also recommend full body armour, mine has earned its keep.

I personally would not choose to do it on 140mm travel bike, I was glad for being on a bullit with 180 fork front. That is not to say it can’t be done (plenty of folk do it), or that it will not be enough fun (everyone I met there was having immense fun, regardless of bike), but it is very punishing both on the rider and the bike.

The scale is impossible to imagine until you do it … start training early, ability to hold onto the bars for 1.5h downhill is critical.

Oh, and the race is nothing like just riding the track — in the training you look at what lines to ride and what not, but just about the one thing you can be sure of is that in the race is you will not get to ride your chosen lines at any of the most difficult sections.

But yeah, an awesome event …

Yep qualifier was the best period of time I’ve had on a bike it was fantastic the track is very fast but reasonably technical too. Make as many places up as you can in the first 5 minutes though as overtaking is hard. Top tip is to say you’re sponsored. My friend said he was (he works part time at the bike shop rides in their colours etc) and got put next to Fairclough and Blenkinsop on the front row! I just said I was an amateur and got put back in 175th of 200 : (.
I built it up as being super difficult before I went out but found the mega course fine. The qualifying track has a few sketchy bits but they’re good fun and won’t be ride able on race day due to bottlenecks.
Oh and I was expecting a higher level of mincers than was actually the case.

I think BC race license is also helpful in getting a good qualifier place (I got second row, well out of my league). There were some bottlenecks, but IIRC, I only walked about 15 yards in the qualifier and about 30 in the main race. 🙂

All booked on for us.

Couple of Mega first timers, although we both race a lot of DH, just never actually got round to doing this. Criminal really.

Need to sort out some accomodation too, probably looking to stay in Alpe d’Huez. Having never ridden there any tips for locations near the lifts? Have made the mistake in the past of chalets a long way from the action!

As Brycey said, I think best place to stay is Allemont — you get a free bus in the morning to the lifts from the campsite, and at the end of the day, you get to ride back down the Mega track right into the campsite. Plus there is swimming pool right next to the campsite …

Should have said – no camping for us, looking for a self catered chalet.

AdH is pretty compact, so any chalet in the town should be OK; but staying there means that after the race you will have take a bus and then a lift and then ride down from the lift to the town … There is suitable accommodation also in Oz Station I think (where the qualifier finishes).

i used ust tyres with tubes inside, i reckon that stopped me getting pinch flats as i was only using 2.35 ignitors,

TAKE A SPARE MECH HANGER OR TWO !!!!!

i sponged mine on day 1 and was limited to 38t at the front and the bottom 4 rings on the cassette as it was that bent the mech moved into the spokes if i shifted any higher, which made the climbing sections suck

are they changing the track this year?, i hear they are,

it was a dustbowl in 2010, pack the swampthings just incase 😀

From a few years ago now, but here’s headcam of my complete qualifier run, starting from dead last of the last heat (only got a place very last minute)

I’ve got footage from the mega main track up there too.

Did it last year on my Yeti 575 with RS Pikes. Was fine but i wished for Fox 36’s. Big tyres will be also be your friend. IIRC there was a few people on Stumpys doing it as well.