Megavalanche UP & DOWN by Maël Feron
Written by: Maël Feron
Bike: Claymore 29er
What if you pedalled to the start of the Megavalanche… and then raced it?
This year, Deviate rider Maël Feron set out to climb from the valley floor in Allemond to the Pic Blanc start line (3,300 m) overnight—no lifts, no shuttles—then drop straight into the mass-start chaos. He finished 4th overall.
Why Up… and then Down
The idea came to Maël early in the year, sitting in a Strasbourg cinema during the Tous en Selle bike film festival. He wrote it down in a “video projects” note and let it simmer while training and planning ramped up: turn the Megavalanche into a complete, human-powered loop.
“I wanted to race Megavalanche my own way, and it often means pedaling … a lot”
The Ascent (UP)
Route: Allemond (finish line) → Pic Blanc (start line, 3,300 m)
Key numbers: 37 km • +2,600 m • 7 h 30 moving time • Start at 00:00
The first objective was simple on paper and hard in reality: leave at midnight from the valley, thread the 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez, and keep going into rougher, steeper ground. The final push crosses the glacier on foot, with crampons and bikes in hand, climbing two steep snow walls before dawn.
“Halfway up the glacier I thought: this is actually stupid and also exactly why we’re here.”
The Race (DOWN)
Start grid: 500 riders • 9:10 at the top of the Pic Blanc’s ice wall
Descent stats: 22 km • −2,600 m • 40 min for the fastest runs
Cold air, thin oxygen, and a very awake rider. Strangely, the all-night approach turned out to be the perfect primer.
Full activity on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/15022237806
“It sounds weird, but the climb was my warm-up. I dropped in lucid, calm, and completely in control.”
Making the Film
A project like this needs two athletes: the rider and the person behind the lens. Téo Level, a BMX lifer turned filmmaker and long-time friend of Maël, rode e-MTB through the night with two batteries for the paved and mid-mountain sections. Above that, both ended up pushing—bikes, camera pack, and all—where motors don’t help. Téo carried ~20 kg of camera and safety gear through freezing wind and blowing snow to keep the story alive.
“There’s no one I trust more than Téo to suffer with a camera and still frame it right.” - Maël Feron
The Bike & What We Carried
Maël rode his Deviate Claymore, the bike he trusts when things get rough. No weight-weenie tricks: DH tires, an insert in the rear, 180/165mm travel. Suspension set for comfort and control over a 40-minute run. Priority was to be able to race down the mountain.
Protection the same as an enduro race: full-face, knee pads, and a chest piece from POC. Just what he trusts.
On his back: a small Ergon pack with water, a few bars, and real food (bananas, dates, purées), plus a thermal layer, a shell, thin gloves, and a survival blanket. Crampons went on for the glacier, no drama, just practical.
Fuel came from CookNRun most of the night, with easy, simple snacks in between. For staying awake, he leaned on a local “Trip Tonic” (spirulina, guarana, acerola, ginger)—nothing fancy, just something that works.
“I didn’t want to change my habits; I kept what had been working all year.”
— Maël Feron
“Honestly, the film was a trigger. Without that documentary plan, I’m not sure I’d have rolled out at midnight in those conditions. But I also know I wouldn’t have finished without a personal need to push myself. The camera gave the project a date and a frame, the inner drive gave it meaning. One got me to the start line, the other carried me to the finish.”
Would You Have Done It Without the Camera?