ALPINE ASCENTS

Widely recognised as the most mountainous triathlon in France, the Madeleine Triathlon is no easy feat. After spending four hours tackling the course, Anne-Sophie knows this all too well. Here’s how she got on…

-  ANNE-SOPHIE PIERRE

After a long 13km descent, I reach the bottom of the second climb and it hits me all at once; heat, hunger and fatigue. The next few kilometres are tough, every pedal turn a battle, my muscles aching and my positive mindset nowhere to be found. I think about giving up and walking up the rest of the hill, but I remind myself that if it’s hard for me, it’s hard for everyone. I owe it to myself to finish. Anyway, if I stop, how would I get to the top? I have no choice but to just pedal on. I pop my last gel, hoping for an instant boost of positive energy. It kicks in after what feels like a lifetime, but I get to the top in a somewhat decent physical and mental headspace. I did it.

I’m Anne-Sophie, a newbie triathlete who now dedicates over 20 hours per week to training. I got into triathlon after being bored of just running and quickly fell in love with the sport and its community. I moved away from England to join a team in France (where I’m from), where I finished university online and trained on the side.

I’ve done a few hard and mountainous triathlons since the start of the year, but nothing like the challenge I was about to take on. The swim in the Madeleine Triathlon is the only flat section you’ll see. Starting from the ski town of SaintFrançois–Longchamp, 90mins from Grenoble, it’s known as the most mountainous triathlon in France, with a 53km bike course that has 2,200m of elevation gain, which is spread out over two difficult climbs. Both climbs contain numerous long stretches of riding with gradients reaching between 11-14%. The result is a unique atmosphere where no one is focused on speed, but just on getting to the top.