Well, it's been nearly a week now and 'La Marmotte' has come and gone and the dust has finally settled here at King of the Mountains.

This is a pretty tardy report given that most people who participated have already recovered, got home, unpacked, washed the Lycra and still had time to post the odd forum article, full race report or blog . Still, better late than never.

For those who do not know of  'La Marmotte' , it is one of the best known cyclosportive events in France, and by far one of the most challenging. Taking in the Col du Glandon, Telegraphe and Galibier, it finishes at the summit of Alpe d'Huez. 175km with just under 5000 metres of climbing.

There were 9 riders who set off from King of the Mountains to tackle this monster loop last Saturday morning. Whilst they rolled down to the start line in Bourg d'Oisans, Guy and I filled the minibus up as is now customary for this annual event. Basically we try to second guess every eventuality and pack everything but the kitchen sink; full-on toolbox, track pump, spare wheels, tyres, suncream, chamois cream, waterproof capes, first aid kit, 20 litres of water, energy drinks, 10 litres of Coke, several tonnes of pasta, sandwiches, cakes, oranges, bananas and cereal bars. It's like preparing for a siege! This list does not include the individual riders' bags and bottles with spare clothing and their drinks and gels, etc.

As has become tradition, we set up camp just below the summit of the Galibier on the climb side - often a low point for riders in the race. This year our 9 riders came through thick and fast taking us by surprise. All were in great shape and seemed to be enjoying the ride and scenery, everyone was in great humour. Some looked as fresh as when they had left the chalet in the morning. All were so quick to pit stop and self sufficient that we hardly delved into the cool box of supplies. Fortunately this year there was no call for the toolbox nor the first aid kit.

Interspersed between the 9 riders staying here were loads of other people we knew who stopped for a chat, drink and bite; ex-guests, Russel from Grenoble Cycling Pages (see his YouTube clip here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kldC4Mv_VeM), Craig from Velo Ventoux, Hannah from the Cycling Weekly to name but a few. We also met some lovely 'unknowns' who stopped by and partook in a Coke and a banana or two - including a very cheerful Norwood Paragon rider and a gentleman from Spain who on receiving a cup of coffee from our flask tried to kiss Guy and told him in broken English that there was always a coffee for us in Valencia!

Finding ourselves still in charge of a few dozen cakes, we handed them out to the passing hoards and by early afternoon we were heading off down the Lautaret to meet all on the Alpe.

Back here spirits were very high even before the bubbly, and rightly so as everybody had done incredibly. Two riders came in in just over 7 hours 30, as well as lots of gold standard performances (gold, silver and bronze diplomas are awarded according to time and age category). It was great to hear the enthusiastic tales around the dinner table. Even though on average most people had spent a good 8 hours in the saddle, they still had the energy to stay up and watch the Tour highlights!

Well done to everyone who rode on Saturday.

For photos of the day see our photo album 'Summer 2008' on:http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq

Helyn & Guy
www.kingofthemountains.co.uk