Trail Tour

Race strategy

Run easy on the first mountain, then go all out on the second.

• 1139m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 31% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• All downhill to the finish: go all out!
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 23.1km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 30.0km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.9km–12.9km · Climb of 778m, high point 2091m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 12.9km–30.0km · Descent of 1139m averaging 11%, climb of 684m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 30.0km–35.0km · Descent of 289m averaging 6%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line.

Course

The course climbs 1800m+. With 45m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 49% of the distance is uphill, 36% downhill and 15% flat. The longest climb runs 12.9km at an average 6.0% grade (778m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.3km at an average 11.1% grade (1139m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.4% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 24.2% over 0.8km. Surface: 79% trail, 12% road, and 5% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 52.1 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 3.5km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 25 of 100), with 35% of the load in the first half: 1 descent deserves a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 23.1km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 30.0km.
• #1 · 12.9–23.1 km · 1139 m D−, -11.1% · 11.9 km ahead → control
• 30.0–35.0 km · 289 m D−, -5.7% · 0.0 km ahead → free

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 12°C to 22°C, with around 16°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 29%.