On July 6th, our athlete Maël Féron embarked on a crazy challenge: to cycle to the start of the legendary Megavalanche of Alpe d'Huez, before taking part in it.
An extreme mountain biking event, starting from a glacier at 3300m altitude and finishing in Allemond, 2800m lower in the valley. The start is a mass start: 500 riders launch themselves at the same time, and the first one to reach the bottom wins.
After 7 hours and 30 minutes of climbing, pedaling and pushing his bike, Maël started in the front row on the glacier and finished 4th after 40 minutes of intense descent.
A somewhat crazy project, born from a very simple, but incredibly inspiring idea.
For the occasion, we asked him a few questions…
An idea born in the heart of a festival
The idea came to me last year while attending an outdoor sports film festival. I was inspired by the various athletes and their projects. I don't know why, but I thought: why not cycle to the start of the Megavalanche before doing the race?
My training wasn't specific to this project, but rather a continuous preparation since January for my enduro season. It's mainly based on weight training, road cycling during the week, and enduro on the weekends.
Between suffering and magic, the ascent of the glacier
The ascent of the final snow wall, the top of the "Sarenne" run in Les Deux Alpes, was the most beautiful moment but also the most difficult. The slope is really steep and the altitude is definitely noticeable, but there were only a few dozen meters left before reaching the top of the glacier. What's more, the sun had barely peeked through the clouds and the first riders had just arrived at the top—in short… a great source of motivation!
Nutrition, a key pillar of performance
In this type of endeavor, nutrition is a key aspect of success. Under-nutrition can lead to hypoglycemia, and over-nutrition can also lead to dropping out.
I started by having a good meal around 8 pm the night before, before going to bed. My alarm was set for 11 pm, so I took the opportunity to eat a COOKNRUN porridge , quick to prepare and perfect for starting my challenge off right.
Then, during the climb, I alternated between COOKNRUN bars , which are ideal because of the variety of flavors, and cakes, fruit, candy, etc. I had isotonic drink in my water bottle and in my backpack "trip tonic", the magic drink made with spirulina and guarana to keep me awake when I set off at midnight!
The state of flow: lucidity at the heart of the effort
This challenge allowed me to reach that state of "flow" during the race once again. I still don't fully understand this phenomenon, but after a lot of effort, I often reach this state where I feel clear-headed and truly refreshed. It allowed me to compete among the best drivers at the front of the race!
The next step for me is the block of races with a World Cup and the Enduro World Championships at the end of August.
Desire as the driving force, pleasure as the guiding principle
My challenges always stem from desire and enjoyment, before the idea of making a video about them. When a project truly excites me, it's this motivation that drives me to see it through to the end.
But of course I really like the idea of sharing this in a video… so you'll have to wait a few weeks, it's coming!