Trail Tour

Race strategy

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

• 268m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 1545m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Steep 30% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 7.6km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 16.8km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.0km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.0km–7.6km · Descent of 268m averaging 9%. Plus 1 more climb. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. 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.
• Work · 7.6km–16.8km · Climb of 991m, high point 2091m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 16.8km–38.5km · Descent of 1545m averaging 7%. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 1700m+. With 45m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 48% of the distance is uphill, 43% downhill and 9% flat. The longest climb runs 9.3km at an average 10.7% grade (991m of vertical). The longest descent runs 21.7km at an average 7.1% grade (1545m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 23.3% over 1.3km. The steepest descent drops at 41.8% over 0.2km. Surface: 76% trail and 16% road.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Signal de Villard (1973m), 22.1km from the start.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 4.9km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 28 of 100), with 29% 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 7.6km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 16.8km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 4.6–7.6 km · 268 m D−, -9.1% · 31.0 km ahead → control
• 16.8–38.5 km · 1545 m D−, -7.1% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end