When the inaugural participants stood atop the Pic Blanc glacier in the summer of 1995, they had no idea what it would feel like when 400 downhill racers pushed off at the same time and hurtled across the glacial snowfield. Brake or not? Take your foot off the pedal and shift your weight forwards – or better still, backwards? The only thing that was clear was this: you had to get past the slushy snowfield as quickly as possible so that you could be one of the first to reach the scree slope and then thread your way onto the singletrack. Overtaking would become much more difficult after that. But that’s easier said than done.
The Downhill Marathon remains a cult classic to this day
The countless video clips of the Mégavalanche starts are incredibly entertaining: even professional riders who appear to be in complete control are knocked off their bikes by riders behind them who lose their grip. If one rider loses control of their bike, they’re bound to take everyone around them down with them. These images make it hard to believe that, in this iconic Alpe d’Huez race, the injuries so far have really been ‘nothing more’ than broken bones.
The Mégavalanche winners of the last 30 years
The first Mégavalanche in 1995 was won by the Frenchman François Dola. Over the next two years, his compatriot Fabrice Taillefer proved to be the more skilful rider. Swiss rider René Wildhaber won the race a total of six times and thus still holds the record, before Rémy Absalon claimed the title five times from 2009 onwards.
For more than 30 years now (2020 was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic), the men’s winners have always come from Switzerland or France. Only once has a Portuguese rider been faster: in 2019, José Borges won. However, the course record is still held by the Frenchman Jérôme Clementz, thanks to his superb run in 2013: he completed the 21-kilometre descent, including the uphill sections, in 38 minutes and 43 seconds.
Women have been part of the starting line-up right from the start
The women’s category was dominated for a long time by the French rider Anne-Caroline Chausson, but in 2019 our German ‘Enduro Queen’, Ines Thoma, also secured victory, as did Raphaela Richter this year. Whilst the women initially had to mix in with the main field, they now have their own starting slot after the men. One of the advantages of this is that the snow in the upper section has already thawed a little by then, so any falls don’t hurt quite as much.
To this day, between 1,500 and 2,000 cyclists take part in the Downhill Marathon at Alpe d’Huez every year. The qualifying rounds take place over several days, before only the best riders compete on the final day, starting in several groups. A kids’ category (MEGA Kid) and an e-MTB category have also been introduced in the meantime.
Next race dates: 9–11 July 2027. Information: alpedhuez.com
Have a go at the iconic Mégavalanche route yourself
You can also ride the route just for fun. That way, you’ll soon realise that it’s not really just a downhill ride, but much more of an enduro route with two proper climbs. The latter feel particularly gruelling, mainly because you’re wearing a full-face helmet and quite a bit of protective gear on the route:
- Length: 21 kilometres
- Downhill: 2,715 metres of vertical drop
- Uphill: approx. 150 metres in altitude
The Pic Blanc cable car runs to the starting point at the mountain station at 3,330 metres and ends in Allemond at an altitude of 700 metres. The length of the snow section depends on the melt of the Sarenne Glacier, but measures between three and four kilometres. In the lower section, pathless scree slopes appear time and again, followed by scattered snowfields, until eventually a clearly defined trail takes over, cutting across the alpine meadow slopes.
In places, the bends on the steep slopes run very close to the precipice. After sections of very rocky, rough terrain, the ride becomes more flowing at times, with short, undulating counter-climbs that already take it out of you. On the high plateau of Alpe d’Huez, however, you really have to put your foot down on a flat section and then power your way up a short, nasty ramp to a hill on the opposite side.
The toughest uphill challenge, however, comes at the 15-kilometre mark. Here, you have to climb several hundred metres up a gravel track. This is often where the race separates the wheat from the chaff. Without the pressure of a stopwatch, though, you can of course easily tackle the climb in ‘granny gear’.
In terms of riding ability, you should feel confident on rough, scree-strewn trails. Below the tree line, you’ll also encounter roots and tight hairpin bends on steep slopes.
You can find the GPS tracks for these routes on the popular route portals Komoot and Trailforks.
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor