Where exactly is the end of the Alpe d'Huez climb?

topcattim

I was there this summer and reckon I found three official finish points:

1) the first one, outside the cafe, with the "Arrivee" banner across the top
2) where the Marmotte finishes, outside the leisure centre on the Avenue des Brandes
3) higher up in town on the Avenue du Rif Nel on the way up to the cable car that takes you up to the Pic Blanc. I spotted what I think was the official timtoo timing stop here.

I've timed myself up it twice, once on a general ride, stopping outside the cafe, and once on the Marmotte. While I didn't trouble Pantani's record, it would be interesting to know if either of the places where I stopped the timer were where he finished. Whereabouts does the TdF finish?

ded

Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hxuw4YL3Pw I reckon that is the top finish (which is what the signs claim, that the top one is the "official" TdF finish). If you watch the video, you can see that the 1km to go banner is actually just before the café/water trough banner...

CumbrianMan

I understand that it is on the Ave du Rif Nel.

You come up the Route du Signal, turn right just after the bucket ski lift (opposite Grandes Rousses hotel) onto the Ave de l'Etendard, straight on over the roundabout, to the end, and turn left onto the Rif Nel, and the finish is up there a bit on your right.
I'm sure that's where we saw it, when we climbed up there in 2006.

topcattim

ded wrote:

Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hxuw4YL3Pw I reckon that is the top finish (which is what the signs claim, that the top one is the "official" TdF finish). If you watch the video, you can see that the 1km to go banner is actually just before the café/water trough banner...

Wow, he was really shifting :shock: he was going so fast he only just made it round the last corner.

Yes, it does look as though the official finish is then the highest one - shame, I only drove, not rode there!

badback

Mind me asking what time you did up alp d'huez, and what pantini did it in? am planning to do it next year and need some parameters to go by. Cheers

Will Young

In the 'Grimpeur' time trial the day after the Marmotte this year, the fastest rider did it in around 45 minutes give or take a few mins. I did in in 1hr 15 the day before the Marmotte and in 1 hr 28 in the Marmote itself. So the speed you get up it depends on what you've got in your legs when you get to that awful first ramp at the bottom of it. In the marmotte most people grovelled up it at around 5mph or less!

malcolmfrost

Timtoo, who hire timing chips at the bottom have 2 finishes, the "Mythique" the TdF finish on Av d'Etendard and "Vieil" which is by the bars etc next to the Office d Tourisme with a podium to have your photo taken on.

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ded

badback wrote:

Mind me asking what time you did up alp d'huez, and what pantini did it in? am planning to do it next year and need some parameters to go by. Cheers

If you're asking, 1hr 19min in the Marmotte, about 1hr 7min a few days before. Both very hot! On the day of the Marmotte I HAD to stop to have a drink about 2/3 of the way up. And both to the Marmotte finish, so add 3min(???) to compare to the Pirate , who I think did it in 36min or so :shock: (with an inhuman red blood cell count I believe... :evil: )

topcattim

badback wrote:

Mind me asking what time you did up alp d'huez, and what pantini did it in? am planning to do it next year and need some parameters to go by. Cheers

Difficult to give paramters without context, and I often wonder whether the times quoted on here are typically posted by the faster riders, while the more average ones are more hesitant about saying what they did.

But for what its worth, I'm an average sort of rider who did my best to train for the Marmotte, and am 41. I went up in 1h 22 a few days before the Marmotte and 1h 26 on the day. According to the timings on the Marmotte, this put me just outside of the top 1/3 of people in my age group on the day on the climb itself. Overall on the Marmotte, I finished pretty much in the middle of the group, 2829 out of 5280.

So I reckon that means that an average Marmotte rider would expect to get up the Alpe in about 1h 20 to 1h 30, at the end of 100 miles of hilly riding. Question is, though, how typical are Marmotte riders of the people that climb the Alpe, and how much has the day's riding already taken out of them.

term1te

I think the key is to keep a steady pace, the first few bends are the worst. If you are still breathing at La Garde, you'll be fine to the top. Don't push a big gear unless you have to, if you have 27 or 28 on the cassette, use it, and try to stay in the saddle as much as possible.

The times quoted from the Marmotte come at the end of the race. If you haven't already gone over the Glandon, Telegraphe and Galibier, your legs will be a bit fresher and most people would have got a better time. With a good warm up and no Galibier, I recken I could have knocked 15 minutes off my Marmotte time, especially if you are hitting it early morning when it has to be a bit cooler.

inaperfectworld

Doesn't anyone carry on up to the lake (Bessan i think) there's a restaurant and a view down into the next valley

airwise

I have done yes - over the Col de Poutrans at 2000m. It's so quiet up there - long may it remain so.

Will Young

How do pick up the road that takes you up there? I must admit to believing that d'Huez was the end of the line

bahzob

Will Young wrote:

How do pick up the road that takes you up there? I must admit to believing that d'Huez was the end of the line

Check out this link from a fun climbing site http://www.cycling-challenge.com/alpe-dhuez-five-different-rides/

Little known fact is that the hardest way to Alpe D'Huez is not up the 21 virages but start at Mizoen and go via Col Sarenne. Evil double digit sections and then, once you've got to the col and think it may be easy downhill afterwards no.. because it goes down then up again. And the road is "sketchy" to say the best.

If spending more than a day there recommend the purple route west, lovely ride along a balcony road with some great views

Re times: well a claim of fame of sorts is to have been in top 100 up the Alpe in this years Marmotte in 65 mins. Especially pleased with this as unlike the other 99 I had previously climbed the Glandon twice. (By bike and then by foot, following puncture/fall on descent and subsequent trip sans velo to casualty at bottom of descent)

inaperfectworld

Will Young: after reaching the top of the Alpe d'Huez climb there is a loop; assuming you are going round the loop anticlockwise the first road off the loop is to the Col de Sarrenne (road was closed in september last year when I went) and the next road off takes you up to Col de Poutran and then on to lac Besson where the road ends.. I recall it didn't seem obvious, it looks like it goes up to ski appartments, but it soon becomes clear if you carry on. I didn't find it hard but I did take the Alpe steadily so had legs in reserve. I was entirely alone and it felt remote , bleak and lonely after the crowds in the village and it was chilly with spotting rain. You also make the 2000 metre mark at the lake; there is a sign on a small building " abri de proprété 2000 metres". it is a rubbish shelter!