Experiència d'Aran

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 406m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 31% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 1237m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 8.4km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 25.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–2.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 2.3km–18.6km · Descent of 406m averaging 18%. Plus 2 more climbs and 1 descent. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Work · 18.6km–25.3km · Climb of 1083m, high point 2206m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Home · 25.3km–31.7km · Descent of 1237m averaging 19%. 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 2100m+. With 66m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 42% downhill and 21% flat. The longest climb runs 6.7km at an average 16.2% grade (1083m of vertical). The longest descent runs 6.5km at an average 19.1% grade (1237m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 41.6% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 36.7% over 0.3km. Surface: 60% trail, 19% road, 15% smooth, and 7% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 50.8 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 5.7km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 28 of 100), with 34% 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 8.4km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 25.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 6.1–8.4 km · 406 m D−, -17.5% · 23.3 km ahead → control
• 14.5–18.6 km · 334 m D−, -8.1% · 13.2 km ahead → your pace
• 25.2–31.7 km · 1237 m D−, -19.1% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 12°C to 22°C, with around 17°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 24%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 2% of days around this date.