Welcome to the Ultimate XC 58 km Race June 18, 2011, Mont-Tremblant

Transcription

1 Welcome to the Ultimate XC 58 km Race June 18, 2011, Mont-Tremblant Following is a description of the 58 km course: This 58 km course will be the same as the one from the previous editions (2009 and 2010) Starting at Place des Voyageur at the base of the pedestrian village, the group will go up Rue des Remparts to Place St-Bernard. There, you will proceed back down to reach the multi-functional trail over a distance of about 500 meters, leading to a beautiful singletrack trail. The next two kilometers wind in and out of the woods toward Versant Soleil. Once passed the water reservoir of the Versant Soleil, you will find yourself on a 4- wheeler trail called the Nord-Sud Trail up to Aid Station 1-3, located six kilometers after the start. At that point you have to climb 1,000 feet. You then proceed for about 200 meters on the same Nord-Sud trail to enter the timber cross-country ski trail, leading back down to the road, therefore descending 1,000 feet. This next section covers 4.5 km to Chemin Duplessis. A sharp left turn on the road brings you to a small fisherman trail leading you down to the bank of the river. There, you will follow an old beaver trail to reach the pump house Mont-Tremblant used to make artificial snow in winter. You then climb back up to the road, take a right turn for about 300 meters, re-entering the woods on your right to initiate the four-kilometer water/swamp section that brings you to Aid Station 2-5, on the Beauchemin ski trail. This is an observation and gathering spot for spectators, easily accessible via the North Side parking lot. This is where you will be allowed to have a drop-off bag. You can now take a break, change, then keep going. You can choose to pick up your camelback now or later, since you will be coming back here. This aid station also presents itself later as Aid Station 2-5, once you ve climbed the mountain and come back down. As you leave Station 2-5, the second time around, it will be mandatory for you to have your hydration system with you, a strategic decision since you will have to climb and descend the entire mountain. If your feet are tender here, they will be destroyed later. A dry pair of socks and running shoes might save the day, since you will NOT come across any other official water section after this one. Aid station 2-5 (km 14.5) Cutoff after 2.5 hours

2 Drop-off bag, 1 st time: Your drop-off bag should be considered an extension of your comfort zone. We will provide you with a white garbage bag showing your bib number on it. We will carry it to the aid station and bring it back to the finish line for you. Some racers use it, some don t. In this race, I think that having some extra food and dry clothes, including a windbreaker, might be a smart choice in case the weather is not so good that day. A dedicated spot will be available at the start to leave your bag for us to carry. After the aid station, you will go down toward the parking lot and reach the base of the Nord-Sud trail again, heading back toward your first aid station that now serves as Aid Station 1-3 (km 19). You will climb again 1,000 feet to get there. Once you get to this station, you will head up toward the summit of Mont-Tremblant by calling on a mix of trails: the Grand Nord trail, the timber/canyon section, then the Grand Brûlé trail. When you reach the top, you see Aid Station 4-9. This is a VERY rugged and primitive trail, and the canyon section exudes a surreal feeling. Aid station 4-9 (km 22) Cut-off after 4 hours Once at the summit, you will descend 2,000 feet back toward Aid Station 2-5, by using a string of 4-wheeler and ski trails. Aid Station 2-5 (km 26) Mandatory Camelback, water bottle or Fuel Belt Drop-off bag access, 2 nd time As you will be coming back here for a second time prior to climbing the mountain again from another direction, extra fuel and goodies might be smart things to have. Leaving Aid Station 2-5, you will cross a suspended bridge that we built especially for you so that you don t get your feet wet right after changing your shoes From there, it is a 8.5 km climb to the summit of Johanssen peak. This is a beautiful trail filled with History. As you move up, you will see steel cables half buried in the ground. These were used, about 40 years ago, to bring skiers up to the North Side summit. It will be imperative to fill up on water and food at this aid station, as the distance to the next station will be of rugged and steep trails. This is the most critical aid station. The race actually starts at this point. You will then start going downhill, make a turn to the right, then ascend 1,000 feet over the next km or so to the summit of Johanssen Peak.

3 Aid Station 6-8 (km 33.5) Cutoff time 6.5 hours after the start Aid station 7 (km 41.5) Cutoff time 8 hours after the start Aid station 6-8 (km 45.0) It is not a formal aid station that you will find at this peak. However, a medic will be sitting at the top of the Johanssen Peak in case you need him. (Just a hint: don t count on having water or food at the next aid station ) At the summit of Johanssen Peak, you will run the ridgeline over the next three kilometers. The ride is up and down between 900 and 935 meters. You will generally go downhill to an open area at the top of the Edge Chairlift. From there, you will reenter the woods to run toward the summit (another beautiful section for the next 1.5 km). You can actually see where you are heading from here. Once you get out of the trail, you will find yourself slightly lower than the actual summit. You will therefore have to climb back up a bit to reach Station 4-9. It S in the exact same spot as Aid Station 4-9, at the summit. Station 4-9 (km 49.5) Cutoff time 10.5 hours after the start From Aid Station 4-9, you will proceed down the mountain toward the village using the Grand Brûlé trail. This is a Mont-Tremblant classic, with spectacular views and a feast for technical runners. This section is 6.5 km to the bottom. The finish line is located at Parc Plage, right on the beach of Lake Tremblant, (at km 58). Time limit on the 58 km is 12 hours Start Times 7am - 58km 8am - 35km 10am - 13km 10:15am - 21km

4 DESCRIPTION The course is awesome. It is 100% designed and was put to the test by 2010 riders and reflects the true personality of the ultimate XC. YES that means PAIN. For those of you who thought the 2010 course had some tough sections that were a little off the beaten path according to your standards, well, we haven t made any changes to it since we believe that what makes this race special and unique is every single portion of the course. Making it to the end knowing you went through every section while keeping focussed on crossing that Finish line is what we want you to be proud of at the end of the day. Please take note that both the 100 km and the 50 km are extremely difficult races. As such they are both invitational and therefore you need to submit your racing credentials in order to be able to register. Because the 100 km is part of the 3-day stage race series, only a limited number of participants will be accepted to race as day racers. Priority will be given to challengers. Whether you are doing the 30 miler or the 60 miler, both courses are designed with lots of elevation gain and as technical as we can find. The 30-miler should take the winner close to 4 hours to complete and the 60- miler should take over 7 hours to complete. The 60 miler course will start on a Private property 25 km away from the base of Mont Tremblant. The 30 miler will start at the Domaine St Bernard 10km away from the base of Mont-Tremblant. Please consult the Map of the course. We also added the 69 km race this year for those competing in the Adventure division, once again, please see the Map for more info on transitions. The start for the 69 km race will take place at Parc de nos étoiles in St-Jovite Do not underestimate this 30-miler; we have left the most technical and most climb for this one. As there is a new wave of extreme bike races around the world such as the Trans Rockies, Trans Alp, Ruta de los Conquistadores etc., the Ultimate XC 60- miler share the same spirit and philosophy. Long and painful. In fact, this race is a good stepping stone between conventional MTB race and those monster races all over the world. Without going through each mile of the course, I can tell you that this is going to be a physical and demanding course. 80% of the course is on technical trails, where rocks and roots are more than common. The final course should have between to feet of climbing. In brief: very technical going up and super technical going down. Even if you have a full-suspension bike, you better start training your triceps now. If you ride

5 a rigid bike, you will most probably not finish your race due to cramping, and if you are one of those hot shots that believe you can do this on a single speed, you will end up walking at least 60% of the course. This is not an ordinary bike race; it has been designed for ANIMALS. If your peers see you as a radical, this race is for you. If you think that it might not be your thing... I can guarantee you that it's not. However, if you are excited by the thought of pain and a VERY long day on your bike, this is definitely for you. Only the super fit and adventurous racers should consider taking part in this race. Otherwise you should concentrate your misery on the 50 km (30 miles) course. For all racers willing to enter the race, we are now accepting your credentials. If you are interested to race in June 2011, you should send your intention to race directly to the race director.