Vielha 10K

Race strategy

Short race: go all out.

• Hold your race pace up to the aid station at 4.7km, but stay in control.
• Steep 32% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, and go all out on the final descent from 4.8km.
• Start · 0.0km–2.8km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Work · 2.8km–4.8km · Climb of 472m, high point 1439m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 4.8km–9.5km · Descent of 471m averaging 10%. Kick for the line: give it everything you've got. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end. Hike the steepest pitches.

Course

The course climbs 500m+. With 50m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 50% downhill and 12% flat. The longest climb runs 4.8km at an average 9.9% grade (472m of vertical). The longest descent runs 4.7km at an average 10.0% grade (471m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 27.1% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 32.3% over 0.5km. Surface: 68% trail, 18% road, and 12% technical. Flat-equivalent effort: 12.3 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 1.3km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

There is too little runnable descent to damage the quads: plan the race around climbing and fuelling.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, and go all out on the final descent from 4.8km.
• 4.8–9.5 km · 471 m D−, -10.0% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 19°C to 28°C, with around 19°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 30%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 1% of days around this date.