Justine Dupenloup: her account after her victory at the Galibier Challenge

Among the women, Justine Dupenloup won the Galibier Challenge sportive on June 13 in 4h12. We asked her a few questions.

Interview by David Polveroni – Photos: All rights reserved

Justine, you won the Galibier Challenge today. Tell us about your race, where did you start? Did you suffer? Heat… altitude…

It would be a lie to say that I didn’t have an objective in mind when I signed up for the Galibier Challenge sportive. This event was special for me because it was when I discovered the Giant of Maurienne a few years ago that my passion for cycling took root. It was here that I realized how much cycling could be a dream machine.

At the start, I positioned myself in the first half of the pen, letting the club jerseys take the lead. I was with Fabrice, a triathlete friend, who was participating in his first sportive. He wasn’t used to mass starts, so positioning myself next to him allowed me to give him some last-minute advice (watch out for the wheel in front, signal obstacles, don’t ride too close to the barriers…) before letting him go to focus on my race.
I knew it was going to start fast, but unlike the Madeleine sportive, there was only a short distance separating us from the first climb. Due to the lack of warm-up, my thighs started to sting quickly, as if they had bitten into a lemon, but my head knew that as soon as the first climb, the pace would slow down. A few minutes after the start, I saw Aline, the third woman on the podium. She was wearing a club jersey and I saw that she could be an interesting opponent. We followed each other very closely on the Orelle climb, both up and down, but I opened up a gap as soon as the Col de Beau Plan. Even though I set a good pace to get ahead, I remained cautious. I didn’t know the Orelle climb or the Col de Beau Plan at all. About ten days before the race, I climbed the Galibier via the Télégraphe, so I had a good memory of the difficult sections, especially the last kilometers after Plan Lachat. I knew perfectly well that I had to keep some in the tank so as not to suffer too much at that moment and in case the other women caught up.

Generally, I didn’t even notice Beau Plan; I found it very pleasant and expected it to be more tiring. I found the Galibier Challenge less demanding than the Madeleine sportive (which is good, as it comes earlier in the season). Indeed, this Sunday there were no segments with double-digit percentages, unlike the Col de la Croix de Fer or the Col de la Madeleine.

Otherwise, some lower back pain (I’m waiting for parts to adjust my bike) and cramps appeared in the Télégraphe despite drinking five liters during the race (electrolytes and carbohydrates). But that’s the game, and we all have our little aches and pains in this type of format. I managed my nutrition very poorly, and for that, I can only blame myself. I forgot to open my bars before putting them in my pockets, and the only thing I managed to open and grab quickly at the two aid stations were the fruit jellies I was saving for the last forty minutes of the race. I was so saturated with sugar that I didn’t know what to do with it anymore. Reaching the summit of the Galibier became complicated from Plan Lachat, but mentally I was prepared for it. I was completely on the left (I ride 52/36, 11/32) and I must admit that I spent some time alone with my bike frame.

Did you specifically prepare for this event, or are you a regular? Are you perhaps considering becoming one? What’s your upcoming schedule?

I started cycling three years ago, alongside running. The year I turned twenty, I notably achieved the minimums for the French 10 km road championships (41 min 47 sec) as well as a third place in my category at the Florence Marathon (3h23 min 18sec).
Since my marathon, I’ve been accumulating injuries during running training, so I decided to dedicate 2021 to cycling and give my body time to recover. I had already participated in sportives such as the Étape du Tour Albertville-Val Thorens, La Scott Cimes 2019, a third place overall in the medium course of the Madeleine sportive 2020, an 8^th place overall at the Alpin Bike grand course 2020.

Also, before taking the start of the Galibier Challenge, I had almost 6,000 kilometers on the clock with a little over 90,000 meters of positive elevation gain. I got back on the bike at the beginning of February after a two-month winter break where I started ski touring (for lack of being able to run seriously and to enjoy our beautiful winter landscapes). I train very often alone (80% of the time) or with friends. After starting my studies in STAPS, I went on to a Master’s in Sociology Research. I focus my work on the sociology of sport and I am currently writing a thesis on the symbolism and management practices of menstruation in high-level sport. In addition to my studies and training, I work part-time at Decathlon, which allows me to finance my sport. Generally, I am lucky enough to be able to organize myself to ride in the morning and study in the afternoon or vice versa.

I would like to thank the volunteers and the organization without whom we would not have been able to pin on a bib so early in the season. I believe that for many of us, it was the first in a while.

I just regret that there aren’t more women registered; it shows that they still don’t dare to take on challenges of this magnitude, even though they are perfectly capable.

The next objective is to discover Gravel in Tuscany during the Nova Eroica race on July 17 with the Wish One team, whose lightweight steel bikes are made in France, to vary the pleasures. Then there will be the Madeleine sportive; I’m still hesitating between the medium and long courses, I’m giving myself a little more time to assess my form. Certainly the Alpin Bike in August as well. Otherwise, I’m planning a great crossing of the Alps by bikepacking for September if my schedule allows.

You can follow my Strava training on my profile @justinedupenloup and my Instagram account @justine_dupenwolf.

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