Hi All,
I got a few queries about the Roc D'Azur over the past few weeks and put together the following responses based on my experience over the past six years. Plenty of others have been there too - chip in / correct anything that I have got wrong. If there is something I have not covered, post up below.
Getting there:
Aer Lingus / Ryanair to Nice Airport
Make sure that you book your bike onto the plane when you are making your booking. You will need to check beforehand if there is space for your bike as AL say that they only take about 10 per flight. I’m not sure how true this is but that’s what it says on their website so check there is a space before you book / pay for your seats. You can’t book your bike bag in online with AL – you have to do that over the phone. AL land in Nice earlier in the day which is useful if you are flying in on the Wednesday and racing on the Thursday (more on this below – see Registration).
Getting there and Where to Stay:
There are plenty of accommodation options. Where you pick will depend, mainly, on whether you use the train to get from Nice to St Raf or use a car, i.e. can you walk to your accommodation from the train station in St Raf or Frejus? The train is handy enough – hop on the tram at the airport, which will take you to Nice Train Station. Plenty of car hire places (obviously). There is a train station closer to the air port but it can be difficult to get on here (i.e. they are full coming out of Nice).
We usually stay in St Raf. It has a nice beach and plenty of places to eat and is quite if you stay a few streets back from the beach. It’s about 15 minutes from the port to the start line in the morning – so you get a little bit of a warm-up. If you are looking for something for a group, you may need to look a bit further out.
Frejus is much closer to the action, more nightlife (including evening races) and shorter time to the start line in the morning (the marathon has a very early start).
If you are staying in St Agulf or any distance from the train stations you’ll need a car to get there from the airport.
The key features you want are real beds for everyone and safe storage for the bikes.
John D has stayed in a few different places in recent years so he might have suggestions...
Check with the person renting the accommodation whether they have space for the bikes. Also, check when you get there if there is a place/hose for cleaning the bike. The queues for the bike wash at the finish area can be very long (30+ minutes). The accommodation providers are very welcoming of mountain bikers (well that’s my experience).
Races:
Registration:
Starting: If you are ‘racing’, you will want to be in an early wave. Most of the big races have a number of start waves that are separated by 15 minute intervals. The Marathon has about 6 waves with the first away at 7.30 and the Roc D’Azur on the Sunday has 6 – 8. The first wave is away at 9.30. There are usually about 300 riders per wave.
The trails:
This is video shows the start and , roughly, the first 10km of all the races: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePIiQ7HbjBI. The person recording this stays on the right side of the course at the start as people usually try ride the smoother area on the left and end up being stuck in the bunch as a consequence. The person recording this video passes me at around the 4.30 minute mark. You can see the first decent at around 5 minutes.
This gives a good idea of what the start and general conditions / trails are like (for the pros). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xADrdp67aN0
In my opinion, there is nothing that you come across in the Roc that you have not done in Ireland. The VAST majority of climbs are on fire-roads and yes, some of these are steep but those sections are not too long. The XC descents are like those in Djouce/Slade Valley – a combination of loam or shale trails. There are very few roots, drop offs or technical features on the XC trails. Basically, if you do a regular Saturday spin, you will be well up for anything in the Roc. Glenn can give some insight into the Enduro trails.
Feed Stations:
There are feed stations every 15km or so. These have fresh fruit, sweets, gels etc. They will have everything you will probably want. However, the type of gels/energy drinks may not suit you. I had kidney pain at around the 60km mark in the Marathon after drinking whatever energy drink they had a little earlier (never happened before).
Technical Assistance:
There are bike service stations along the route with mechanics who will do their best to get you going should you have a problem. I bring a small kit with a multi-tool, tube, zip ties and gas canisters. I bring the canisters in the bike bag on the plane and, so far, have not been pulled up at airport security.
The finish area:
Make sure to get your beer and tee-shirt immediately after the finish line, then go and eat/drink. I hang out here for a bit as it is generally sunny and warm and you tend to meet anyone that is over from Ireland.
If you have a particular issue with your drive train / wheels / tyres /bike / gear etc., go to the exhibition area after your race and go to the appropriate stand/tent. They will generally sort you out at minimal or no cost.
There is a bike wash area with power washers etc. near the start area. In general you won’t need this but if you have to ride through the sea at St Agulf, you will need to get the sand and salt water out of the wheels / drive train.
Go for a swim
There is a beach at Base Nature which is very nice for a post-race dip/swim on a sunny day J.
Other stuff:
It’s not all about the races. Frejus / St Raf arelovely to walk around and if you have a car you can get down the coast to the uber s****y Cote D’Azur resorts and see if you can spot any Russian oligarchs (there are plenty). Go to the start of the fancy dress races or join in. Or, go down to the beach in St Agulf and watch the tandem racers on the Saturday as you enjoy a drink.
I got a few queries about the Roc D'Azur over the past few weeks and put together the following responses based on my experience over the past six years. Plenty of others have been there too - chip in / correct anything that I have got wrong. If there is something I have not covered, post up below.
Getting there:
Aer Lingus / Ryanair to Nice Airport
Make sure that you book your bike onto the plane when you are making your booking. You will need to check beforehand if there is space for your bike as AL say that they only take about 10 per flight. I’m not sure how true this is but that’s what it says on their website so check there is a space before you book / pay for your seats. You can’t book your bike bag in online with AL – you have to do that over the phone. AL land in Nice earlier in the day which is useful if you are flying in on the Wednesday and racing on the Thursday (more on this below – see Registration).
Getting there and Where to Stay:
There are plenty of accommodation options. Where you pick will depend, mainly, on whether you use the train to get from Nice to St Raf or use a car, i.e. can you walk to your accommodation from the train station in St Raf or Frejus? The train is handy enough – hop on the tram at the airport, which will take you to Nice Train Station. Plenty of car hire places (obviously). There is a train station closer to the air port but it can be difficult to get on here (i.e. they are full coming out of Nice).
We usually stay in St Raf. It has a nice beach and plenty of places to eat and is quite if you stay a few streets back from the beach. It’s about 15 minutes from the port to the start line in the morning – so you get a little bit of a warm-up. If you are looking for something for a group, you may need to look a bit further out.
Frejus is much closer to the action, more nightlife (including evening races) and shorter time to the start line in the morning (the marathon has a very early start).
If you are staying in St Agulf or any distance from the train stations you’ll need a car to get there from the airport.
The key features you want are real beds for everyone and safe storage for the bikes.
John D has stayed in a few different places in recent years so he might have suggestions...
Check with the person renting the accommodation whether they have space for the bikes. Also, check when you get there if there is a place/hose for cleaning the bike. The queues for the bike wash at the finish area can be very long (30+ minutes). The accommodation providers are very welcoming of mountain bikers (well that’s my experience).
Races:
Registration:
- You register online (timeto). The registration is fairly standard stuff. They will, however, ask what your objective is for the race you are entering. This is important as they will assign you a start wave based on this answer. So if you choose the ‘having the craic’ option you will be starting in the later / last wave. This has a number of drawbacks – more on this below.
- You will need to complete a medical certificate (signed and stamped by a doctor) for each race that you upload about a month before the races on the Timeto website. This basically says that you are fit enough to compete. They won’t allow you to pick up your race numbers without this certificate. My experience is that they don’t closely inspect this – obviously they are covering themselves in case the worst happens to a competitor.
- You pick up your race numbers for all races at the same time at the Base Nature (main event site/start/finish area).
- Registration is open from Wednesday – it closes at 19.00 most days. If you arrive in late (Ryanair) and you have an early race start the following morning (before 9.30) you can get someone else to pick up your numbers – they will need some form of ID for you.
Starting: If you are ‘racing’, you will want to be in an early wave. Most of the big races have a number of start waves that are separated by 15 minute intervals. The Marathon has about 6 waves with the first away at 7.30 and the Roc D’Azur on the Sunday has 6 – 8. The first wave is away at 9.30. There are usually about 300 riders per wave.
- You want to be in an early wave and be as near to the front as you can be.
- Being in an early wave means that you are not out riding during the hottest part of the day (13.00+). When it’s warm it is really warm! If you get a late start, go to the registration desk and ask them to move you up to wave 2 (they generally don’t move people into the first wave as this has big numbers to begin with).
- Basically, you can’t be early enough getting to the start line. However, be warned, If you are in the first wave of any of the big races, the ‘Roc Trophy’ riders will be in front of you.
- The RT is a series of five races over five days with ultra-serious racers and those riding for the challenge. Glenn did this last year and he can advise.
- Sometimes being in the first wave with the RT riders can be a disadvantage.
- The start of the races from Frejus is the same. About a 25 meter wide strip for 750meters which then narrows down to a 2 meter wide path – i.e. if you are racing, and you are not somewhere near the front, you will get stuck here – it also means that you are sucking in lots of dust. The next two Kms go over a few pontoons which results in more of the same. This all adds time (about 10 minutes in total). You can see what I mean here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xADrdp67aN0
- Starting on the front of the second wave (15 minutes later) might be a better option as this gives you a chance to ride at your own pace through the first few KMs. HOWEVER, you do risk getting stuck behind slower riders from Wave 1 going down the first big descent (see the first video below – so it’s a case of swings and roundabouts).
- Go with what you are comfortable with...
- Tyre's: I use Icons with no major issues. I run the tire pressure higher than at home (because the trails tend to be dry and hard). about 27/25psi . The trails are a mix of rock, shale and sand/dust. If it rains (and I’ve only seen this once), the rocky trails get slick and the sandy trails get sticky - hopefully it won't rain! If you are buying tyres, it might be worth getting those with a tougher sidewall to help prevent slashes from sharp rocks.
Punctures can be an issue, particularly in the start area. Do not cycle over the grass on your way to the gates where you get access to the start line. The ground can be covered in thorns that will easily puncture tires (and shoes!). Once you get to the start zone, check your tyre's for thorns.
On the rest of the course, punctures are not too much of an issue (i.e. the trails are fairly clean) but there is always a chance that you get unlucky!
The trails:
This is video shows the start and , roughly, the first 10km of all the races: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePIiQ7HbjBI. The person recording this stays on the right side of the course at the start as people usually try ride the smoother area on the left and end up being stuck in the bunch as a consequence. The person recording this video passes me at around the 4.30 minute mark. You can see the first decent at around 5 minutes.
This gives a good idea of what the start and general conditions / trails are like (for the pros). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xADrdp67aN0
In my opinion, there is nothing that you come across in the Roc that you have not done in Ireland. The VAST majority of climbs are on fire-roads and yes, some of these are steep but those sections are not too long. The XC descents are like those in Djouce/Slade Valley – a combination of loam or shale trails. There are very few roots, drop offs or technical features on the XC trails. Basically, if you do a regular Saturday spin, you will be well up for anything in the Roc. Glenn can give some insight into the Enduro trails.
Feed Stations:
There are feed stations every 15km or so. These have fresh fruit, sweets, gels etc. They will have everything you will probably want. However, the type of gels/energy drinks may not suit you. I had kidney pain at around the 60km mark in the Marathon after drinking whatever energy drink they had a little earlier (never happened before).
Technical Assistance:
There are bike service stations along the route with mechanics who will do their best to get you going should you have a problem. I bring a small kit with a multi-tool, tube, zip ties and gas canisters. I bring the canisters in the bike bag on the plane and, so far, have not been pulled up at airport security.
The finish area:
Make sure to get your beer and tee-shirt immediately after the finish line, then go and eat/drink. I hang out here for a bit as it is generally sunny and warm and you tend to meet anyone that is over from Ireland.
If you have a particular issue with your drive train / wheels / tyres /bike / gear etc., go to the exhibition area after your race and go to the appropriate stand/tent. They will generally sort you out at minimal or no cost.
There is a bike wash area with power washers etc. near the start area. In general you won’t need this but if you have to ride through the sea at St Agulf, you will need to get the sand and salt water out of the wheels / drive train.
Go for a swim
There is a beach at Base Nature which is very nice for a post-race dip/swim on a sunny day J.
Other stuff:
It’s not all about the races. Frejus / St Raf arelovely to walk around and if you have a car you can get down the coast to the uber s****y Cote D’Azur resorts and see if you can spot any Russian oligarchs (there are plenty). Go to the start of the fancy dress races or join in. Or, go down to the beach in St Agulf and watch the tandem racers on the Saturday as you enjoy a drink.