[Closed] Transvesubienne 2011

[b]Reflections on The Transvesubienne XC Mountain Bike Race [/b]

[b]Sunday 29/05/11[/b]

The Transvesubienne mountain bike race is a legendary epic held in the South of France and is now in its 19th year. It is billed as one of the toughest cross-country mountain bike one day events in France. The 1000 riders start in three waves, fifteen minutes apart at a ski station called La Colmiane just north of Nice at an altitude of 1500m. The course rises to 2017m and eventually finishes in downtown Nice on the Promenade Des Anglais 85km later. Over the route there are 3300m of elevation and 4800m of downhill. This year was my second attempt at completing the beast and to be honest after failing and bailing last year, it was only really stubbornness that was motivating this year’s entry, rather than a love for the terrain or this particular event.
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The race usually has a fairly prestigious array of elite riders, with last year’s notables being Julien Absalon and Nino Schurter who won it. This year’s field wasn’t quite so elite but still of exceptional quality. The winner usually completes the course in around 6.30 hours. If you can get under 10 hours you are doing well, but most mortals aim at completion only seeing as there is typically a 50%+ drop out rate.

Looking around at the start, I felt a little outgunned on my trusted 29er Singular steel hardtail with 100mm travel forks. 99.9% of the riders were sporting high end 5-6 inch travel full suspension bikes with adjustable seat-posts, with just a smattering of hardtails and two muppets on a tandem.

The start was short and fast down a grassy piste followed by a sharp right and straight up another piste to the high point of the course, a fair bit a which was carrying your bike. The views were amazing with steep drop offs from the edge of the single track. The feature bit of scenery is the Brec d’Utelle which came at 22 km. This is a rugged rocky outcrop which we needed to hike over. On the other side was a steep downhill rock garden section with 20 or so switchbacks. Most sane people walked this bit but there were quite a few adrenaline junkies who elected to ride - which was impressive, although quite a few were wiping out. Then it was down past the place where last year they air-ambulanced a chap out of a ravine he had fallen into with his bike.

After the second rest stop at la Madone d’Utelle there was a mad rocky downhill section which was a killer to walk/run/skate down. I didn’t see anyone ride it and the camera man waiting to snap a mounted rider at the most precarious part seemed quite bored. After that followed what was probably the most enjoyable section of the day - smooth sweeping single track. Then it started to steepen up as we descended down to the second time check at the Pont de Cros. Last year I went over the handlebars on a steep gravelly section above the bridge. I was determined not to repeat the feat this year and was concentrating as hard as fatigue would allow. So instead my wheel caught in a rut five minutes before the scene of last year’s incident and over the handlebars I went. I was lucky - my helmet took the force and cracked, leaving me with just a bloody nose and a bruised forehead and hand.

I made the Pont de Cros with 45 minutes to spare. The next section - the longest climb of the day - was brutal. It was portage (carrying) all the way from 200m to 900m up out of the gorge. It was here that my 40 year old legs started to complain about all the previous downhill walking/skating in cycling shoes and slowly started to cramp. Towards the top of the climb shady trees started to become littered with exhausted riders taking breaks. I was now out of water, my legs were cramping badly and time seemed to be accelerating away from me. It was at this point I decided I’d had enough. I had to constantly remind myself through the fog of fatigue to concentrate. After what felt like an eternity came the short downhill to the third food stop. I made the cut off by a few minutes but had lost my enthusiasm. I had completed 55 of the 85 km in 7 hours 25 minutes. After a short rest I cycled down to Nice on the road to catch the coach back to the start where my car was parked. I was tired but not cycling specific tired. My legs were shot through all the carrying, and running down sections I didn’t want to cycle, whilst my mind was shot from concentrating for such a long time while riding sections I wouldn’t normally choose to ride.

For some reason “portage” (otherwise known as hike-a-bike, carrying or more succinctly a pain in the derriere!) is a popular ingredient of mountain bike events in France. It is not far off fell running with a bike strapped to your back.

I wouldn’t really class the Transvesubienne as a cross-country MTB event as that implies you are riding your bike for most of the time. It is more an extended downhill mountain bike race and wherever there is an uphill section you will probably be carrying, as it is largely unrideable. This was backed up by my Garmin stats - 54% of the race for me was spent under 5 km/h, 24% between 5-9 km/h and only 9% over 15 km/h. My average speed was 7.4km/h. In a word that is tedious! Reflecting on the race on the way back in the coach, I came to the conclusion that the course had been designed to give you no easy kilometers at all. There was very limited fire trail mileage. Even at the end for the last 5 km into Nice the course runs along a rocky river bed to the finish, which must have been a nightmare. I also wondered if the tandem muppets had hiked to the top of the first mountain expecting it to be like a Swiss style event, looked at the single track and the steep ravines and simply turned around and gone home.

Overall I am glad to have given it two goes but I wont be back again, it simply is just not my bag and style of riding. I guess being self employed - where injury is expensive - I have trouble understanding the need to hit terminal velocity on rugged precipitous terrain! The final tally was: one cracked helmet; a pair of shredded gloves; one spectacular over the handlebars dismount; a handful of minor tumbles; countless pedal bashes on the legs and an inability to walk properly for the next week. Nevertheless I enjoyed the challenge and am glad to have been part of it, but will be sticking with the Grand Raid Cristalp / Eiger Bike Challenge style one day events that suite my style of riding in the future. If on the other hand you have just bought yourself a Yeti 575 and like uber-technical, sweaty-palmed downhill experiences - the Transvesubienne is a must-do event.

[url= http://www.avalanchecup.com/raid-avalanche ]www.avalanchecup.com/raid-avalanche[/url]

Peter Griffiths