MGU 168K

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 1305m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Big early climb with 1340m gain. Hold your pace, save your legs for later.
• Final 790m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 110km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 152km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.6km–17.6km · Climb of 692m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 17.6km–87.2km · Descent of 1305m averaging 11%, descent of 474m averaging 14%, descent of 913m averaging 6%. Plus 2 more climbs. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 87.2km–152km · Descent of 1626m averaging 8%, climb of 1149m. Plus 2 more climbs and 1 descent. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 152km–165km · Descent of 790m averaging 6%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 8540m+. With 51m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 42% of the distance is uphill, 41% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 15.8km at an average 7.3% grade (1149m of vertical). The longest descent runs 19.3km at an average 8.4% grade (1626m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 32.7% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 39.5% over 0.2km. Flat-equivalent effort: 262.2 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 26.2km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 73 of 100), with 50% of the load in the first half: 4 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 110km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 152km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 17.5–29.4 km · 1305 m D−, -11.0% · 135.6 km ahead → control
• #4 · 43.6–46.9 km · 474 m D−, -14.1% · 118.1 km ahead → control
• #3 · 71.7–87.2 km · 913 m D−, -5.9% · 77.8 km ahead → control
• #2 · 91.0–110.3 km · 1626 m D−, -8.4% · 54.8 km ahead → control
• 151.6–165.0 km · 790 m D−, -5.9% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end
• Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 14°C to 18°C, with around 18°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 21%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 2% of days around this date.