Classic

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 781m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 40% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 2124m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 79.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 92.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.8km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.8km–27.2km · Climb of 761m. 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 · 27.2km–66.7km · Descent of 360m averaging 8%, descent of 277m averaging 12%, descent of 781m averaging 13%. Plus 3 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 66.7km–92.3km · Climb of 633m, high point 1727m, descent of 872m averaging 11%, climb of 873m. 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 · 92.3km–124km · Descent of 2124m 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.

Course

By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 45% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 7.5km at an average 10.2% grade (761m of vertical). The longest descent runs 32.0km at an average 6.6% grade (2124m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 45.0% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 50.7% over 0.2km.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 13.8km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 61 of 100), with 38% 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.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 79.8km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 92.3km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #3 · 27.2–31.5 km · 360 m D−, -8.4% · 92.8 km ahead → control
• #4 · 37.3–39.6 km · 277 m D−, -12.5% · 84.7 km ahead → control
• #1 · 45.6–51.5 km · 781 m D−, -13.0% · 72.7 km ahead → control
• #2 · 71.6–79.8 km · 872 m D−, -10.6% · 44.5 km ahead → control
• 92.3–124.3 km · 2124 m D−, -6.6% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end