Introduction
This is my first time participating in this event. I didn't really know much about it in advance apart from what their web page says: http://www.transmaurienne-vanoise.com/
The race is surprisingly cheap: €500 with boarding and one meal per day. And the living quarters are nice and spacious. I have four beds, a kitchen and my own loo.
The stages are split into two locations but it's just a 20 kilometer drive in between so no biggie.
We're racing high up in the mountains. The stages start at 1300 meters of altitude and we cross over peaks way over 2000 meters high.
I was put in the M45 category. Yeah, no M50, and M45 is from 45 year to 54 year olds. And I'll me 54 this year. Lots of youngers to race against in other words.
Race stats
Type: UCI Mountain bike race
Length: 5 stages / days, third stage shorter XCO race
Location: Val Cenis, France
Bike and setup: Lapierre XRM (120mm/120mm suspension) with Maxxis Aspen 2.2" tires (1.5 bar)
Gearing: 32T up front, 10-52T in the back