GRV 100M

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Steep 34% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• 807m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 610m 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 mountain, save your quads on the descents until 84.3km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 109km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.7km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.7km–16.8km · Climb of 1102m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 16.8km–66.3km · Descent of 807m averaging 10%, descent of 335m averaging 9%, climb of 1355m, high point 1877m. Plus 1 more climb. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 66.3km–109km · Descent of 1614m averaging 9%, climb of 906m. Plus 1 more 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 109km–120km · Descent of 610m averaging 6%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 39% of the distance is uphill, 44% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 16.8km at an average 6.6% grade (1102m of vertical). The longest descent runs 18.0km at an average 9.0% grade (1614m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 39.8% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 25.9% over 0.9km. Surface: 58% trail, 26% smooth, and 15% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 167.1 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Pic du Comte (1154m), 15.6km from the start. The course also passes close to Mont Ventoux (1910m) and Serre du Pestrin (428m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 21.9km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 57 of 100), with 37% of the load in the first half: 3 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 mountain, save your quads on the descents until 84.3km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 109km.
• #1 · 16.8–25.2 km · 807 m D−, -9.6% · 94.6 km ahead → control
• #3 · 42.5–46.2 km · 335 m D−, -9.2% · 73.7 km ahead → control
• #2 · 66.3–84.3 km · 1614 m D−, -9.0% · 35.5 km ahead → control
• 91.8–94.5 km · 299 m D−, -10.9% · 25.3 km ahead → your pace
• 109.1–119.8 km · 610 m D−, -5.7% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Results

415 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Andy Symonds (Great Britain) in 13:07:13. Women's winner: Jennifer Lemoine (France) in 16:28:06.