Megavalanche

July 6th

Arrived at Bourg D’Oisans and found La Camping Cascade with some help from the information centre. We had signed up for the platinum package and so have to sign on at the station in Oz en Oisans, because apparently we’re also racing in the Oz avalanche. This is a lovely wiggly mountain drive past Lac du Verney at Allemont. Luckily the lady at the speaks a little English and says we can’t sign on until Tuesday, but we can sign up for the week long ski pass we’d also paid for. We see a couple of riders coming off the top of the mountain and Gary and Barry get even more excited. Back at la Cascade I meet three guys from Leeds who’re here for the mega and the say that there are doing a ride tomorrow from near the lake. The are driving to the lake and catching a bus from Allemont up to Oz en Oisans for the ski lifts and routes in the area. They said they’d let us know how it went and give us some tips. I was feeling pretty over stimulated from the map reading and navigating, so shut myself away for a sleep and some recuperation. Tomorrow we will probably head out to Les Deux Alps for our tentative first riding in the alps experience.

07 July
Woke about 7 am to torrential rain and went to sleep until 9.30.
We may go shopping whilst it clears. We shopped.

Some time later we set out for Alpe Duez. At the top we spoke to some riders from north London who suggested we could go to the top of Dome des Petites Rousses at 2810 hm, to ride the mega qualifier. We took the télécabine up to the next stop (no name) at 2110 and rode down a track people were calling the 4x. This was excellent, a serpentine bermed hairpin wiggle punctuated with wooden bumps all the way back to the Alpe Duez station. I felt quite nervous at the top because it was the first time I’d worn the full face helmet and was quite concerned about how much peripheral vision I had lost when it was on. It was good to get on the bike after we’d faffed about all morning. We rode this once more and then Gary and Barry wanted to go to the top of the mountain to try the top part of the qualifier. This didn’t quite go to plan. Our instructions were to take a short fire road to the next station, we took a footpath that wended it’s beautiful way around several small lakes, and tough hike a bike sections. Pure Trans alps terrain. I hate this stuff with a passion and usually try to get it over with as fast as possible, but I had to keep them in sight. My regret here is that I didn’t turn back as I felt I should, because it was obviously the wrong way. So I was furious with myself, I didn’t need to carry my bike across rocks, I needed to ride it downhill. Still, an hour later we rocked up at the station only to find a half hour wait before the next car. We grabbed a very nice coffee from the lovely proprietor who was just about to shut up shop. At the top whilst the others had a fag break I went to investigate and play in the snow. I punctured quite soon. We rode the fire road down Barry unwilling to stop to look for the right track. We reached number two, this is part of the mega and was quite enjoyable.

08 July

Go up early to sign on for the practice of the Avalanche trophy. We put our boards on the bikes as no one was allowed on the course without. This was my first experience of a proper full on downhill course. It started on a gentle ramp and immediately dropped into a very steep chute with tight berms, which was ok I can ride this. The next section steepened more into axle deep mud on rounded rocks and was horrible! It was rideable but I felt that I’d only just got through by the skin of my teeth. Next a few more steep chutes and berms, but with more rock under the wheels. Then a flat section which pitched almost vertical downward on a large flat slab of rock with various wheel sized holes and fissures and only a narrow line through. I baulked at this and stopped to look for the way through. At this point Gary came through and rode straight down it! Well done Gary, I immediately followed his line. The rest of the course was steep chutes and berms, all very nice and doable, culminating in a couple of the classic grassy switchbacks with a floaty jump into the arena. Just like on the telly, except there was no one sitting in an inflatable chair and I didn’t skid into the barriers, a la Stephen Peat I’d enjoyed most of the course, it was just the muddy section and the rocky slab that had scared me. I felt that I’d been lucky to get through these sections. And so, hoping my luck would hold, I went straight back to the télécabine and up for another try. The mud and the slab were no easier, though the rest of the course was very nice. At the bottom I saw Barrie, who was pretty shaken up, he said that he’d lost it on the muddy section on his first run. I asked if he wanted to come up with me for another run, but he didn’t. He had the look in his eyes. I knew I had the same look. The ‘Oh my God, I’m in at the deep end and my feet don’t touch the bottom’. Which surprised me as he is the downhiller of the group. I set off for a third run, thinking that I had a mere thimble full of luck left. This time I set off with a group of riders. At the mud (la boue) section the guy in front of me flicked left and rode the rock wall and dropped in at the tail end of the mud section, I followed suit and cleared most of it. Wahey, I think I just traded some luck for skill J On the next sections I moved out to let a few of the faster guys pass on the inside. At the top of the slab we all skidded to a halt and I heard someone shouting chute, chute! At the bottom I could see them picking up and dusting someone off. After a good few minutes the marshal started to wave us through one at a time. As the guy in front was just leaving the slab the marshal waved me through, I popped onto the slab and at that moment the guy at the bottom went over the bars. The marshal screamed at me to stop, but it was too late I was on the slab. I could see him lying across the exit, at this point slomo kicked in and time stopped! I tried to track stand but the bike just moved forward with both wheels locked. So, nothing for it but to try to bunny hop him. I remember hearing my self shouting ‘Coming through!’ and wondering what it would be in French? This motivated the marshal at the bottom, who was suddenly aware that I was on the slab. He grabbed the fallen rider and dragged him to the side as I was lofting the front wheel off the rock step at the end of the slab. Then slomo kicked out and the sound came back on. At the bottom I spotted Gary and Barrie, Gary was holding his shoulder. Oh dear. He’d gone over the bars on the slab and landed on his shoulder. I now realise that Gary must have been the original chute at the top. A quick examination of the shoulder showed a grade one subluxation of his right acromio clavicular joint. We started treatment immediately with cold water and anti-inflammatories. The bike was also fubared, with a broken hose. Practice over. The guys at French Hope were very helpful and would have fixed the brake, but couldn’t let us have any fluid. Barrie took the chance to buy some parts that he’d forgotten.  Back at the car Barrie immediately started to bad mouth them for not having enough brake fluid! 

We decided to go back to Alpe Duez to do the first part of the qualifying course and the second part of the mega for the afternoon. The upper part of the Q course was incredibly rocky and in places didn’t seem to be a course at all! I could see a few areas where I would be walking and where others would crash. The plan was to turn back to the Alpe Duez station and do parts of the mega, but at the top Barrie followed the signs for the rest of the Q, this took us into the next valley. A quick look skyward showed no sign of cable car wires. I stopped Gary to point this out, but we could do nothing but follow, if he crashed somewhere whilst alone….etc

This section was classic alps xc riding tight rooty hairpins leading into off camber wooded sections. We took this very steady because of Gary’s injury. Though  Barrie didn't want to wait. 

At the bottom, we met some other guys and I recognised that we were on the road to Oz en Oisons, a couple of km’s climbing would take us to the télécabine station. Excellent if it was open! It was now well over 30’C and the road was open to the sun. I decided not to hang around in the sun and set out to the top. I caught a guy at the front and we rode together for a while until it got windy, when he sat on my wheel. I sat and spun a low gear, a 35lb bike and five inches of travel discouraged any mashing. I saved a bit for the sprint, but as I approached the top a quick check and he was off the back. The télécabine passed over the DH course we’d ridden earlier, it was now bone dry. I called Gary to tell them where to get off. At the top I waited for 20 minutes when I realised that the télécabine had stopped running, they’d missed the last one. I took the opportunity to ride the twisty 4X track to the Alpe Duez station, where I met Roger, Gary’s friend. Gary had called and asked him to go and pick them up. Gary’s car was here, but Gary had the keys in Os. As our campsite was at the bottom of the road to Alpe Duez I jumped at the chance to ride down the famous hairpins.
I rode back up in the camper with Roger to pick up the others. Then they went up Alpe Duez to get the car, then Roger came back, Gary had left the key in his bag.

09 July

The plan today was to ride down from Pic Blanc at 3330 hm to Alpe Duez station. This is the first part of the Megavalanche. At Alpe Duez we unloaded the bikes and Barrie and Gary had a smoke, I took this opportunity to catch the télécabine to the next station and ride down the 4x course. They were just finishing when I got back. The trip to Pic Blanc took two télécabine rides. The second seemed full when we got there but the attendant pushed everyone closer together and squeezed us in. No one seemed to mind that we had three huge bikes with us. The first three km’s is deep snow and very steep, great fun! On the steepest section, I fell and slid for 400 metres on my backside, I remembered to hold onto my bike with one hand! I got some good pictures of Gary tumbling down the deep snow.After the snow came some fantastic rocky singletrack with a huge drop to the left. Here Gary began to suffer with his shoulder and had to ease considerably. Barrie was struggling a lot on this terrain. After a couple of km’s of this fast rocky stuff, a guy came flying past me, his back wheel fishtailing all over the place. At the next bend I see him climbing back onto the course! I ease and wave him on, I don’t want him behind me . He disappears in a cloud of dust. At the next bend I see him overshoot the course and go off the cliff edge. I stop and look over, fearing the worst. Looking down I see that he’s suspended in the ski netting tangled and wriggling like a fly in a spiders web. I ask if he’s ok, and he pushes a hand through the net, shakes my hand and says ‘Hi I’m Chris’ I laugh and drag him up and untangle his bike. And he’s off again like a loon. Barrie passes me here and says that Gary says push to on. I remount and pass Barrie as he struggles with a rocky drop off. The trail then drops into Alpe Duez via a fast swoopy dirt singletrack. Gary crashes and is in pain, so walks back. Barrie says he went off a drop so hard that he blew his 8'' travel forks. I ride straight to the télécabine and ride up to the next station to have one more go of the 4x track. It's dried out a lot and is a bit lose on the corners.
Barrie wants another go of the 4x so we go up again. Barrie takes the lead and I settle in behind keeping it nice and steady. On the first jump, he comes down a bit hard and squirrels about a bit. I ease back a bit to give me some space if he goes down. No need though as he goes straight off the next bend into the rough. :-)
10 July

Today we decided to ride the second half of the Mega. Gary choose to sit this one out to rest the shoulder for race day. From Alpe Duez the track climbs and then undulates. Now I realise how much I am on the wrong bike. I hang on for Barrie here, he doesn‘t like the undulating nature of the course. We stop a bit longer for him to get his breath back. He goes through as the track turns into the woods and pitches downward with some fantastically tight hairpin bends. Barrie’s technique is quite different to mine. He tends to cut the inside line of the corner, where I swing high. This is fortunate as at the next bend Barrie goes over the bars and I swing high to miss him. I stop to let him come by again, after a couple more hairpins he suddenly brakes hard and stops. There is a large almost vertical bermed hairpin. I shout as I come up to him ‘Go on’ He pulls over and shouts ‘You do it then!’ I squeeze past and see that the exit is a straight run out so as scary as it looks it actually fine,I wait while Barrie walks it. The rest of the ride is great woodsy singletrack with some muddy bits and some stream crossings. We came out in Allemont just below the dam. Note: I had been unable to select granny today, very annoying indeed. A quick look at the bike showed that the gear cable was jamming behind the front mech. How could this happen? A the day before, Barrie had asked me if the bike was ok. I said yes, but the big ring was a little bit hard to select. He said ‘I have a look at that for you’ I said ‘no need it’s fine‘. Some time later I saw him with my bike on the stand! I had a look at the front mech to see why I couldn’t select granny. Barrie had zip tied the front gear cable behind the rear mech and it was stopping the mech front extending fully.

Mega Qualifying:

My start was 10.00 am
Gary was 10.40 am
Barrie was 12.00 am

A nice early start, I was at the depart 2800 m by 8.55 ! And it was freezing, It was almost like starting a race on Everest, with snow all around, the wind whistling through the race inflatables and everyone dressed in brightly coloured wind proofs.
I chatted with a couple of guys from Cornwall and one of them, Vinny, was originally from Redhill!

The start dropped into a series of loose hairpins on a loose fire/access type road. I was in the third row and within metres people were overtaking and crashing. I took it quite steady, not wanting to go down on the rocky stuff. I saw the first puncture after 50 metres. Next we dropped of the rocks into snow. The next second my front wheel dropped into a deep rut and I ‘supermanned’ over the bars into the snow, just as the helicopter passed overhead. There were people and bikes all over the snow, so I ran and remounted on the rocky section. The next section was the bit I was most worried about, but it was no problem as everyone was walking anyway. On the rocky singletrack I was riding ok, not too fast but riding the stuff we hadn’t ridden when previously trying out this area. I began to think that I may get a good time, as I was still in the main front group. Then I went a little bit wide on one bend and had to brake, the guy behind me had nowhere to go and cut inside shouting ‘sorry mate’ . He clipped me and I put my right foot down. A searing pain shot through my knee and I heard myself scream. My knee collapsed and I rolled off the side of the trail dropping a couple of metres onto the rocks. I couldn’t stop myself screaming out whilst I tried to examine the knee. Then I could here myself shouting ‘I’m out, I’m out!’ after a few minutes I tried to stand but the leg kept collapsing at full extension. I dragged the bike up to the trail and decided to roll down before the next wave came through. With the knee flexed, because of the low downhill set up, I could pedal without too much pain. It seemed to be only at full extension when stabilising. The next section was open narrow singletrack so I pressed on. I felt that as long I stayed clipped in I’d be fine. I was at the back of the field now, but started to reel a few people in as this was the only climb and rolling section. The rest of the course was fast steep hairpins through the woods. I pulled back a few places here, because it’s like the North DownsJ. I moved over to let two very fast guys through on the inside of a couple of the berms, I guessed the must have been from the following group. I stepped off the bike to be reminded of the knee and yelled involuntarily. I got an ice pack from the medics and rolled down to the lake to meet Roger. I had assumed it was my lateral collateral and meniscus, but I have no tenderness on palpation of the joint margin or ligament itself. I articulated the tib/fib joint and found the pain :-o

Later Gary rolled up absolutely ecstatic he'd loved it and was still whooping! Barrie rolled up in a similar state saying he'd done the best ride of his life....hurrah! I must admit I'd enjoyed the course in spite of my leg.

12 July

Failed!

Not of us qualified for the Mega, not even the Promo, by a loooong way J Mark Spratt just missed qualifying by one place! But managed a place in the Promo. Those who fail to qualify can do the Mega Affinity, which is a timed ride down starting any time after the main event and before 11.00 am.

The Mega affinity

We awake to loud thunder and rain and the mountains shrouded in cloud. We rocked up to Alpe Duez only to find the upper part of the Mega Avalanche had been cancelled, and would start from the same place as the previous day’s qualifier. So no snow! For me the mega is about the snow, most of the pictures and video show this feature. The mega is riding down the glacier! I am very disappointed to say the least. The mega is stolen away from me. I won’t be doing the Megavalanche after almost a year of looking forward to it.

As we get into the second télécabine I say hi to a chap I recognise from somewhere. And he says hi back. Then I realise it’s Mikey Blue eyes, who we used to ride with in Dorking. We chat on the way up and he’s a lot more into the down hilling stuff now.

At the top everything is being packed away and we’re only just in time. I roll away not really feeling like it and watch the others accelerate away. After the top rocky section as yesterday, the track turns onto one of the xc sections of the tourist rides into Alpe Duez. Here it passes through and over to the same lower wood section that is part of the Megavalanche route that me and Barrie 'rode' a couple of days ago. It starts off with a couple of short sharp climbs. On the first one I change down to granny and the chain throws straight onto the bottom bracket and wraps around. I get off and have to replace it by hand. This happens twice more, at one point I have to turn the bike over and kick the chain out, and I’m furious. The rest of the course is descending now. I think it can’t be the end already, the woody stuff is fun and greasy. I roll down here and start picking people up. I end up behind Mikey and sit with him as he’s always been a smooth rider. Part way he slips on one of the greasy roots, and I roll past on the inside. At the muddy stream I see Gary resting his shoulder, I’m surprised to see him and I’d assumed he and Barry must have finished a long time before. The last berm opens up onto large muddy drop. I try to get off and end up going down head first and sliding on my arm protection. It works!

My computer says 20km., 1 hour 24 minutes. Less than half of the distance of the proper Megavalanche!

I have a look at my front mech and find the stops screwed fully. Wtf! I can only assume that because Barrie zip tied the cable behind the front mech he’d then used up all of the adjustment trying to get the front mech to work. And now the mech was throwing the chain fully inboard.

Although I understand the reasons for cancelling the event, I‘m very disappointed and have nothing to pat myself on the back about.

Epilogue: the mega is a great event, but I think it’s more of an event where I would turn up perhaps a day before and ride it. To me it’s just a raid, a big one, but just a raid, and no different to half a day in the Trans Alp. I enjoyed the riding but after a few days I got bored of the lack of structure and the mega became the focus and eventual liberation, part of my reason for the huge disappointment For the downhill types, there are lifts to everywhere and the chance ‘session‘ the routes, and get a ‘good’ time. The mega sprint is a different matter, this was an out and out downhill course. The fact that I managed three runs impressed Mikey Blue Eyes, as he said once was enough for him. The area is great for road biking and cross country too. If I did return, then I’d want to put in a time up the hairpins of the Alpe Duez. The trails are all cross country ride able, maybe taken a little slower.

Gary and Barrie can't wait for next year. Gary is a natural for this sort of riding. With his background of off road motorbikes, he's fearless and an all round nice geezer. Barrie! I had been warned about Barrie, his grasp on the difference between reality and fiction being somewhat tenuous. BS being the most used phrase :-) What I wasn't prepared for was that he is a complete Walter Mitty By the end of the trip I had come to the conclusion that, if anything he said about himself was remotely true, it was so distorted by exaggeration that the truth was utterly inconsequential. At first this is laughable, after a couple of days it becomes unbearable. Even the guys in the tent next to the chalet were dreading his visits :-) I finally snapped when he got out of the car on the return to my house and urinated in the hedge at the end of the road.