Marmotte 2017

The Marmotte 2017 is one of the great cycling challenges and unlike the Etape du Tour, which alters its route every year, the Marmotte has stuck to the same 174km route, scaling the Col du Glandon, Col du Telegraphe, Col du Galibier and the Alpe d’Huez in one leg wilting day, year after year since 1982 (excepting the 2015 rerouting…). As a result it is extremely popular with both first time entrants and returning riders who have unfinished business with this brutal sportive.

For the Marmotte 2017, Le Domestique Tours are extremely excited to be offering both seven and three night options, based out of our high spec chalet situated in Alpe d’Huez, just a short walk from the official Marmotte registration and finish area and of course, the shops, bars and cafes of Alpe d’Huez. In addition to our first class accommodation, location, fully supported recce rides and professional chef prepared meals, our Marmotte 2017 riders will also benefit from our private feed station perfectly located on the Galibier, allowing riders to forego the chaos of the open access feed stations.

Our seven night package is perfect for riders who wish to acclimatise to the mountains ahead of the Marmotte, completing four days of fully guided and supported riding, including a full recce of the course route over the course of two days, while our three night package is perfect for those with minimal time available, with the focus solely on the sportive.

Full breakdowns of our two room types can be found in the FAQ section below.

Whether this is your first attempt, or you are a regular, the Le Domestique Tours Marmotte 2017 package provides everything you need to ensure success on the day.

And if you want a pro’s perspective on the Telegraphe and Galibier, you can read all about Nathan Haas’ experience of them from the 2014 Giro d’Italia by clicking here.

“I would just like to say I had a great weekend at the Marmotte, the guides made us feel very welcome and were very
helpful. I would 100% recommend you guys to anybody”
Mark Carter – Marmotte 2016
“Just to thank you and the LDT team for looking after us over the last few days. We had a great time and enjoyed the Marmotte – despite the rain and pain”
Stefan Stone – Marmotte 2016

Le Domestique Tours – Let us be your Domestique

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Dates & Prices

30 June - 3 July 2017 3 Nights - Eves Room - Twin Share SOLD OUT BOOK NOW
30 June - 3 July 2017 3 Nights - Eves Room - Solo Occ SOLD OUT BOOK NOW
30 June - 3 July 2017 3 Nights - Standard Room - Twin Share SOLD OUT BOOK NOW
30 June - 3 July 2017 3 Nights - Standard Room - Solo Occ SOLD OUT BOOK NOW
26 June - 3 July 2017 7 Nights - Eves Room - Twin Share SOLD OUT BOOK NOW
26 June - 3 July 2017 7 Nights - Eves Room - Solo Occ SOLD OUT BOOK NOW
26 June - 3 July 2017 7 Nights - Standard Room - Twin Share SOLD OUT BOOK NOW
26 June - 3 July 2017 7 Nights - Standard Room - Solo Occ SOLD OUT BOOK NOW

Itinerary

Day 1 - Collection from Geneva

After meeting the LDT team at Geneva airport at Midday, we'll transfer into the heart of the Alps, arriving at our chalet on Alpe d'Huez in the early afternoon. After settling in we'll build the bikes and ensure everything is in perfect working order and enjoy a welcome dinner prepared by our dedicated professional chef.

Days 2 - 5 - Fully Guided and Supported Rides

Fully guided and supported rides taking in the highlights of the incredible Cols surrounding Alpe d'Huez, together with completing a full recce of the Marmotte route over the course of Days 3 and 4 to ensure you know exactly what to expect on the day.

Day 5 - Three Night Package Collection from Geneva

Those opting for our three night package will meet their LDT guide at Geneva airport in the early afternoon, before transferring to the chalet and settling in for the days ahead.

Day 6 - Marmotte Registration

Today we'll take the short walk from the chalet to the Marmotte registration area to sign on, collect your race packs and pick up some last minute souvenirs and kit from the pre-race exhibition. In the evening we'll talk riders through race day strategy, feed station bags and answer any other questions you may have.

Day 7 - Marmotte Race Day

The big day has arrived. The LDT team will be available as early as riders require, preparing a full range of breakfast options to ensure you are perfectly fuelled for the day ahead and ready in plenty of time, avoiding the panic of a coach ride to the start or a woeful continental breakfast. We'll see you at our private feed station on the Galibier and of course for a celebratory dinner that evening.

Day 8 - Return to Geneva

After a well earned lie in riders enjoy a lazy breakfast, before we depart the Alpe to return for the early afternoon flights back to Geneva.

FAQ

  • What's Included?
    • Airport transfers to and from Geneva based on late morning arrivals and a lunch time departure.
    • Three or seven night’s accommodation in our chalet as per the selected accommodation option.
    • A maximum group size of just 16 riders ensuring that you receive a highly personalised service the opposite of the mass participation operators.
    • Breakfasts and Dinners each day prepared by our own in-house professional chef. Breakfast includes a full continental spread along with our own specially designed muesli and porridge options which are perfect for fuelling long days in the saddle, along with superb quality coffee to give your mornings the boost they need. Dinners are three courses and based on local regional French classics that have been adapted by our professional chef to offer everything a cyclist needs and are accompanied by 1/2 bottle of wine each night per guest.
    • Fully guided and supported riding on pre-Marmotte riding days, with riders being accompanied by both an on the road guide rider and a fully equipped support vehicle which carries all your spare clothing and other items together with providing full refreshment stops and mechanical support. Our pro level supported riding service is known throughout the cycling tour world as the industry leader, ensuring that all our riders have to focus on is turning the pedals and soaking in the incredible atmosphere of the Alps.
    • The Alpe shuttle service at the end of each day (the shuttle will depart from the car park at the bottom of the Alpe at a pre arranged time each day) other than the Marmotte itself.
    • A digital album of stunning photography to document your Le Domestique experience.
    • Full Package Travel Regulations compliant financial failure insurance coverage which protects the funds paid by you to Le Domestique Tours, ensuring peace of mind when booking with us.
    What's Not Included?
    • Marmotte entry
    • Lunches
    • Travel insurance
    • Additional alcohol
    • Flights
    • Incidental expenses/purchases
    Kit
    • The mountains can be extremely fickle and it is therefore difficult to predict the weather on any tour. Please therefore ensure you have a mix of kit to cover hot through to cold, along with wet weather. A definite must for packing is obviously a wind/waterproof gilet or jacket and full finger gloves, which are a good idea for the descents and mornings. Arm and knee warmers are also great as they are easy to adjust on the fly and help us keep things moving on the road. We also recommend that you bring your full wet weather kit in case we encounter any particularly poor weather.
    • We have a tool kit with us which contains the usual allen keys, pedal spanners, chain whips, cassette tools, chain splitter, track pump etc etc which guests are welcome to use throughout the tour. If you have any unusual bits on your bike such as proprietary bottom brackets or older/Campag group sets then you may want to bring your own specific tools as we can’t guarantee that we will have the correct tool in case of disaster. Due to their fragility we are unable to provide a torque wrench and therefore recommend that you bring your own if you require one for assembling your bike.
    • We recommend that you carry at least one spare inner tube along with a mini pump/co2 and a multitool with you at all times as a minimum so that if you do suffer a mechanical we can quickly take care of it. We have supplies of threaded Co2 canisters which you are welcome to borrow for the duration of the tour and either return unused, or if you do have to use them we charge £2 per canister.
    • The Marmotte route take riders through several poorly lit tunnels, which require all bikes to be fitted with front and rear lights and we also regularly encounter low visibility due to low cloud or fog, so please ensure that you have both front and rear lights with you (simple LED commuting lights are sufficient). Failure to carry lights can result in a fine from the police and also risks drivers not seeing you, so please do not forget to bring/use them.
    Supported Riding
    • One of the main benefits of choosing Le Domestique Tours, is our pro-level supported riding service, which is an integral part of all of our packages. However, unless you have ridden with us before, it can be difficult to understand the benefits of this service, so for more information please follow this link http://35.179.97.42/what-is-supported-riding/
    • We do not enforce an average speed requirement during our tours and will always strive to allow riders to cycle at their own speed (our support policy gives us the ability to provide our incredible supported riding service for 99% of the riders on our tours), however if there is a large speed differential between you and the rest of the group, we may require you to depart earlier/later, miss extended stops or in very extreme circumstances, complete sections of the route in the LDT support van. Equally, if you are an extremely fast rider in comparison to the others in your group, or someone who does not like to stop during the course of your riding, we may have to adapt the level of support that we can provide for you. If you are at all concerned about your ability level (whether quicker or steadier than average) prior to signing up to this tour, please contact us in advance of booking and we will provide further guidance.
  • Fitness and Gearing
    • Guidance on training for the Marmotte can be found on our training blog pages, while we also offer a full range of bespoke coaching options through Le Domestique Training.
    • While some riders do tackle the Marmotte on a standard double chainset (53/39), we generally recommend that riders opt for a compact chainset (50/34), accompanied by a 27T or 28T rear cassette. This gives a good spread of gears to cover most eventualities and ensures that you have a low enough gear to keep the pedals turning. Some riders do utilise triple chainsets, however in many circumstances this does not provide a lower gear than the ratios suggested above.
    The Marmotte with LDT
    • LDT riders gain full use of the private Le Domestique Tours feed station situated shortly after Valloire on the Galibier on the day of the Marmotte. The feed station is perfectly placed for riders to avoid the large queues at the open access feed station in Valloire and will supply a range of Torq nutrition products, homemade energy bars and snacks, salted potatoes, Coca Cola, water, mechanical assistance and moral support. LDT riders may also leave a bag with us to be transported to the feed station that contains their own personal supplies/spares/clothing, which will be available on the day.
    • On our full week package fully guided and supported riding will be undertaken during which we will complete a full recce of the Marmotte route, giving riders a chance to tackle the iconic climbs of the Marmotte ahead of the big day.
    • On Marmotte day we will be offering a full breakfast as early as riders wish unlike many hotel based operators.
    Standard Rooms
    • We have worked extremely hard to offer a balance between a high standard of accommodation and a keen price point and feel that our offering for the Marmotte 2017 is the best available on the market.
    • Our standard rooms are en-suite, situated on the second floor of our chalet with full height ceilings, large windows and in certain cases, a small balcony – a typical standard room is pictured in the Itinerary slides.
    • Each room contains two twin beds and an en-suite shower room and toilet.
    • In keeping with chalet style accommodation, the bedrooms are not huge, however they do comfortably accommodate two riders and there is ample space in the two communal sitting room/dining areas for socialising and relaxing.
    • Each room can be occupied on a solo occupancy or twin share basis, allowing those that value their privacy or wish to have some extra space, to have that option.
    • Riders travelling alone but opting for a twin share room will be allocated a room mate by the LDT team.
    • Some rooms also contain bunk beds however these will not be occupied during the tour.
    Eves Rooms
    • We have worked extremely hard to offer a balance between a high standard of accommodation and a keen price point and feel that our offering for the Marmotte 2017 is the best available on the market.
    • Our Eves Rooms are en-suite, situated on the top floor of our chalet with sloped ceilings and dorma windows.
    • Each room contains two twin beds and an en-suite shower room and toilet.
    • In keeping with chalet style accommodation, the bedrooms are not huge, however they do comfortably accommodate two riders and there is ample space in the two communal sitting room/dining areas for socialising and relaxing.
    • Each room can be occupied on a solo occupancy or twin share basis, allowing those that value their privacy or wish to have some extra space, to have that option.
    • Riders travelling alone but opting for a twin share room will be allocated a room mate by the LDT team.
    • Some rooms also contain bunk beds however these will not be occupied during the tour.
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MARMOTTE 2016 - LET US BE YOUR DOMESTIQUE

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