Talk some sense into him, please.

ademort

Ihave a colleague who is just in the process of buying a road bike via the cycle to work scheme.As of the second week of April he will be the proud owner of a Bulls Harrier. My colleague is overweight, smokes and likes a drink, (the drink likes him too)He wants to take up cycling after being told by his G.P. that he needs to lose weight and lead a healthier life. He is only 31 but looks much older.Here is the problem, my colleague has set a goal for himself and on the 5th of June he is planning on going to France for the weekend and the aim is to climb Alp duez. Now, i am no Doctor or specialist but have cycled for the last 30 years on an almost daily basis so this is OMHO but my mate is totally unprepared for such a climb. He does no sport at all, this is his first road bike and he will have a maximum of 8 weeks to get in some sort of shape to climb this mountain. I have tried to tell him that it is bloody hard work and a challenge for any cyclist, but for someone like him it will be almost impossible and may do him more harm than good. Will somebody on the forum please back me up on this as i genuinely fear the worst if my colleague goes ahead with his plan.On the other hand, if anybody does think it,s possible then please convince me as he wants me to go with him. Ademort :?

markos1963

If I was you I would bet him £100 to see who would reach the top first. You're onto a sure fire winner. And while you're at it check he has got proper medical insurance as I think he is going to need it.

L'Alp Duez, just about the toughest challenge any rider can give themselves and your friend thinks he can do it on 8 weeks training with no previous form? Where do you work? An asylum?

mclarent

I'd bet him £1000 you could walk up before he could cycle up.

jibberjim

ademort wrote:

on the 5th of June he is planning on going to France for the weekend and the aim is to climb Alp duez. Now, i am no Doctor or specialist but have cycled for the last 30 years on an almost daily basis so this is OMHO but my mate is totally unprepared for such a climb. ... but for someone like him it will be almost impossible and may do him more harm than good.

So assuming his GP has ok'd him to do some exercise, it's probably not going to kill him. So he's unlikely to succeed, is that going to put him off trying again, or is it going to convince him to carry on his 8 weeks training and do another years training to try it again next year?

I'm sure it would be good if you could switch him over to a more realistic goal, but failing at it may not be a bad thing.

blu3cat

I agree with jibberjim, switching him to a more realistic goal would be a fantastic move. Success is likely to motivate him more now and maybe it could be sold to him as a stepping stone to the mountains next year.

What about dragging him to the nearest decent sized hill, and get him to go up and then come down and then climb straight back up again. See if he lasts an hour!

Alternatively could you put him on an exercise bike / turbotrainer on a serious resistance setting to simulate the difficulty of a climb and at least give him an idea of what he may be getting himself into?

These might bring the challenge into sharp focus..

nmcgann

Spoilsports! Let the guy have a go and see how he gets on. Either success or failure could spark off a serious cycling obsession.

I'd suggest some seriously low gears though - hopefully he's buying a triple, or at least a compact with a 27T (or 29T if campag) cassette.

Neil

Chicago Dave

why are you killing his fun?

yea,he'll probably fail,but great things are never achieved by setting goals low...

let him go...see all the kit,smell the smells,and feel the life.
it'll pump him up,and make him train like a lunatic,
so he can go back and conquer

sheesh,what a spoilsport

richa

markos1963 wrote:

L'Alp Duez, just about the toughest challenge any rider can give themselves

sure, its a tough challenge. But it's not that hard.

An unfit man, 8 weeks of training and a 30-27 bottom gear should make it up in a couple of hours.

mgcycleguy

.... dont worry it will never happen... I always think its really funny, how non-cyclists always think cycling is sooooo easy, not like "proper" excercise like running a (or should i say walking half of it) marathon.... they look at your bike and say, ooww isnt that saddle painful... !.... when you answer no, not at all, what is painful is the agony of your lungs screaming and your muscles burning, turning your body inside out with pain, but still you push on trying to reach the top of the next crest, thats what really hurts, the saddle you get used to....

Anonymous

Let him do it, when he has a heart attack you can put his bike on e bay and make a tidy little sum. Also you will look phenomenal dropping him in the first 500m.

Seriously, take him out just a gentle meandering climb and let him find out how a car flattens out roads, people just dont realise the difference.

Good luck.

celbianchi

RichA wrote:

markos1963 wrote:

L'Alp Duez, just about the toughest challenge any rider can give themselves

sure, its a tough challenge. But it's not that hard.

An unfit man, 8 weeks of training and a 30-27 bottom gear should make it up in a couple of hours.

I agree, if on the day all he is doing is riding from bottom to top then with low enough gearing he'll get up. I have ridden the area and D'Huez more times than I can remember and you really do see all types pedaling up D'Huez.

If he were attempting to do D'Huez after say the Glandon or the Galibier, then he'd struggle, but I'd bet he can get up D'huez on it's own on 8 weeks training.
Then when he does, the sense of satisfaction will drive him on to get fitter, go back next year and knock 30 minutes or more off his time.

APIII

Agree with the previous poster. It is a hard climb, but not impossible, even for a non cyclist. As an example, a girl I knew rode up it last year on a borrowed bike, not having ridden one for years. It took her 1hr 45mins. As long as there's a suitably low gear on his bike, he should be ok.

markos1963

celbianchi wrote:

RichA wrote:

markos1963 wrote:

L'Alp Duez, just about the toughest challenge any rider can give themselves

sure, its a tough challenge. But it's not that hard.

An unfit man, 8 weeks of training and a 30-27 bottom gear should make it up in a couple of hours.

I agree, if on the day all he is doing is riding from bottom to top then with low enough gearing he'll get up. I have ridden the area and D'Huez more times than I can remember and you really do see all types pedaling up D'Huez.

If he were attempting to do D'Huez after say the Glandon or the Galibier, then he'd struggle, but I'd bet he can get up D'huez on it's own on 8 weeks training.
Then when he does, the sense of satisfaction will drive him on to get fitter, go back next year and knock 30 minutes or more off his time.

I would agree but if you look at the profile of the proposed rider is it likely he is going to stick to an intensive training plan for 8 weeks after all these years of inactivity? It sounds like he's doing it on a whim and not as part of a major lifestyle change.

Shavedlegs

A user on here called Guinea lost a ton (almost literally) of weight and climbed Alp D'Huez.

He was never out of Richmond Park. I don't how long it took him, but I suspect a year. Plus his commitment to diet as well as cycling was second to none. He didn't under estimate the challenge and was very determined.

He now clocks up 3 laps in under 60 minutes.

He could probably help your friend with advice.

nasahapley

Chicago Dave wrote:

why are you killing his fun?

yea,he'll probably fail,but great things are never achieved by setting goals low...

My sentiments exactly. Before my holiday in the South of France last year a friend I went with, who also likes a drink and a smoke and had never ridden a bike in anger, said she was going to cycle up Ventoux (I'd been harping on about it for months). I didn't say she had no chance, but I did try to disuade her as I knew she doesn't take failure too well. To cut a long story short she did it. She didn't do it quickly, but she did it all the same (without cheating and stopping at Chalet Reynard either!), which made me look a bit silly. I don't see why this chap can't do the same if he's got a low enough gear and the will to do it; cycling up hills isn't necessarily difficult, it's cycling up them quickly that always is.

bobtbuilder

let him find out how a car flattens out roads, people just dont realise the difference.

One of the truest things I've read.

Nelson Longflap

Gut feeling says that he'll be fine and you should let him go for it, but then I'm not a cardiologist. 10 weeks isn't a long time to allow yourself to go through the train-recover-train-recover cycle. You could maybe give him a condition (and in so doing explain your not unfounded fears of a potential heart attack), that you'll accompany him if he gets more specific advice. No advice, then he's on his own. GP's aren't really cut out for this IME; mention cycling to them and they picture you going for a 5 mile potter along the lanes of a Sunday.

How about http://www.liveperson.com/experts/healt ... ardiology/ or somesuch?

Another (more obvious) idea is to take him to the steepest, longest hill around, tell him to ride up it, and then drop it to him that the Alpe is x times as long, and that as it's been there for a few million years, it's likely that it'll still be there next year, so there's no hurry. And going to France in the summer to ride a bike is one of life's pleasures, mountains or no.

jairaj

I think from a health point of view he'll be ok. i.e. he'll just get out of breath and not be able to go any further, don't think he'll get a heart attack or something. But what i'm afraid of is that he won't complete the task, realise exactly how hard the task is and become demoralised and unmotivated and giving up cycling all together.

I think you need to show him some local hills and hopefully he'll realise to take it in smaller more manageable steps which hopefully won't demoralise him. Also just to be on the safe side have a word with a GP to make sure.

vermooten

RichA wrote:

markos1963 wrote:

L'Alp Duez, just about the toughest challenge any rider can give themselves

sure, its a tough challenge. But it's not that hard.

+1

It's not like it's steep, and even if he takes all day then good for him. Plus he can have a fag and a pint when he reaches the top.

I suggest that you cheer him on, tell him he's beginning a new life of wonderfulness (i.e. cycling) and support him in any way you can.

guinea

Shavedlegs wrote:

A user on here called Guinea lost a ton (almost literally) of weight and climbed Alp D'Huez.

Thanks for the mention.

I lost around 12 stones with The Alpe as my final target.

I did it. I've now climbed it about 6 times now. Done Ventoux, Galibier, Deux Alpes, Croix de Fer. On the 2nd of May I'll be there again.

FYI, http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12568706

ademort

Thanks for some interesting and varied points of view, however i must add the following information before we go any further. My colleague was going to purchase a bike on the btw scheme last year and take up cycling as a hobby. It,s taken him over a year to finally go and order a bike and that was only because his G.P has told him he needs to lose weight and change his lifestyle. I,ve listened to his big mouth and contsant comments for over 12 months of about how easy it is to ride a lightweight racing bike.My colleague gets his bike in April and yet still has not purchased any clothing,shoes, helmet, pump or spare tubes despite the fact that i and several other colleagues have offered to go with him and help in choosing the right gear. He wants to wait till he gets the bike.
As far as taking him up some big hills to see how he manages is concerned, we have a problem. We live in the Netherlands and i can tell you that the nearest hill of any description to us is well over 160Kms away. I have offered to help him out with a training programme for 8 weeks, and he does seem quite keen, however i still do not believe for a minute that he will complete this climb.Whatever happens we are going down to France in June to do the climb and if he makes an attempt then we will see just what happens, i am def taking my camera and will post piccies afterwards. Ademort

guinea

Ok. In my opinion this can be done.

He has 8 weeks.

He needs to get used to the bike being able to cycle hard in and out of the saddle. Being able to push hard in both positions helped me.

There are no hills in London. For me to get up Alpe D'Huez I had to replicate the effort required but on the flats. I did this doing laps in Richmond Park. I timed myself and did it again and again, training almost every day. I did 30 miles + 8 miles commute every day.

I would have an easy first week cycling most days for an hour or so at slow speeds until the bum/soft tissue pain goes. The next week I would find a circuit that he can loop. 20 miels is an ideal total. This was 3 laps of the park for me. Set a time at the begining week and try to beat it by the end. Cycle every day at steady speed. He'll need bike time.

From the 3rd week on he'll need to train harder. Hard laps 5 times a week. By weeks 4 and 5 the times should be flying down.

The key is to be able to go hard for an hour. There are no rests on the Alpe so the fast laps should include no freewheeling. Keep the pressure on.

I could average 20mph+ for an hour after following similar training and flew up the hill.

mclarent

wow, impressive!

I'll be interested if he really has the motivation to keep that up.

ademort

guinea wrote:

Ok. In my opinion this can be done.

He has 8 weeks.

He needs to get used to the bike being able to cycle hard in and out of the saddle. Being able to push hard in both positions helped me.

There are no hills in London. For me to get up Alpe D'Huez I had to replicate the effort required but on the flats. I did this doing laps in Richmond Park. I timed myself and did it again and again, training almost every day. I did 30 miles + 8 miles commute every day.

I would have an easy first week cycling most days for an hour or so at slow speeds until the bum/soft tissue pain goes. The next week I would find a circuit that he can loop. 20 miels is an ideal total. This was 3 laps of the park for me. Set a time at the begining week and try to beat it by the end. Cycle every day at steady speed. He'll need bike time.

From the 3rd week on he'll need to train harder. Hard laps 5 times a week. By weeks 4 and 5 the times should be flying down.

The key is to be able to go hard for an hour. There are no rests on the Alpe so the fast laps should include no freewheeling. Keep the pressure on.

I could average 20mph+ for an hour after following similar training and flew up the hill.

hI guinea
i,ve read your story and well done that is great stuff, but i am sure you approached all of this with the right attitude and a will to succeed.I very much question my colleagues will to succeed and his determination to win. My colleague has no idea that i write on this forum and of course no idea that i have posted this request to talk some sense into him. On Monday morning i will show him this thread and above all let him read your story and i hope it has a positive effect. If your story doesn,t help then nothing will.Next week we book our hotel for the weekend so will let you know where we are and if anybody wishes to do the climb with us then they are more than welcome. The bike arrives in April so will keep all informed as to my colleagues training, i cannot wait to be honest. Ademort

chuckcork

ademort wrote:

I,ve listened to his big mouth and contsant comments for over 12 months of about how easy it is to ride a lightweight racing bike.

If its that easy I'm sure he would have no problem with hopping onto it (when he gets it) and going off for a nice easy 100km spin.

The attitude should last for about 10 minutes into it...

jhop

Let him have a go and as others say with low gears and a few breaks he will make it.

Surely the issue is time, fitness and ability.

Must of us on this forum couldn't live with the slowest of the pro riders BUT we can have a great day doing our best and whilst we might typically beat your mate by an hour or two who is to say it won't be the start of a real interest in cycling for him?

I have cycled in the high mountains with riders of different fitness levels and often the last one struggling to the top of a col ages after the first is just as, or even more ecstatic than the first.

mozwyn69

you will see all sorts of shapes and sizes riding up the Alpe on any given day in the summer. Yes its a killer at the end of the Marmotte or if you busting a gut going for your best time but taken slowly with suitable gears its well within the realms of even moderatly fit riders.