Alpe d'Huez: who's done it and what sort of rider are you?
Ands
Posts: 1,437
One of my targets this year is to climb Alpe-d'Huez...gulp.
I am a wee bit nervous about it. I am pretty fit having always exercised to a reasonable level of intensity. However, my climbing experience is non-existant. (The only 'mountain' I have ever ridden is Mount Dandenong...633m, avg gradient I think is about 5%.) I think I am a bit daunted by it as I have been up it so many times in the car and the first 2 hairpins scare the pants off me!!
So for those who have done the Alpe - or any other big climb - what sort of rider were you and how did you train for it?
Any tips and experiences gratefully received.
I am a wee bit nervous about it. I am pretty fit having always exercised to a reasonable level of intensity. However, my climbing experience is non-existant. (The only 'mountain' I have ever ridden is Mount Dandenong...633m, avg gradient I think is about 5%.) I think I am a bit daunted by it as I have been up it so many times in the car and the first 2 hairpins scare the pants off me!!
So for those who have done the Alpe - or any other big climb - what sort of rider were you and how did you train for it?
Any tips and experiences gratefully received.
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I'm a...erm...bike rider. I didn't train specifically for it first time - I wasn't really into cycling much. Just did a bit of commuting.
Anyone can get up it - training will improve the time it takes to get up it. if you think you're pretty fit, you'll be fine.0 -
Sorry, I meant were you a competitive rider, recreational, etc. ?
The only experience I have in discussing ascents of Alpe d'Huez are with my OH who tells me that it was one of the hardest climbs he's done, and then next day tells me I will be fine. :roll: (I have to remind myself that his ascents are always attempts at beating his previous record, whereas I just want to get to the top, irrespective of the time it takes. )
I guess I am keen to hear from people whose objectives or abilities were similar to mine. 0 -
ah... ok. The first time I did it, I just did a bit of commuting. 3 hours per week, that sort of thing. Bit of mountain biking now and again. And I was 110kg. I just wanted to get to the top. Took me a bit over an hour, bottom gear the whole way.
(I have to remind myself that his ascents are always attempts at beating his previous record, whereas I just want to get to the top, irrespective of the time it takes. )
you will be absolutely fine, as he says. Honestly. Also, you don't need to go anywhere near a hill in training to get up something like l'Alpe. It helps, of course. But if you can ride at a moderate intensity for 90 mins or so, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.
Also - the Alpe is easy, psychologically. You can just tick off the hairpins, look at the names on the plaques, keep yourself going and eat away little chunks at a time. I'd take the Alpe over the forest section of Ventoux any day. That just seems to go on, and on, and on, and on.0 -
and on.0
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What he said. Also remember that the first section is the steepest, it "levels off" from there. Keep a steady effort and enjoy it.0
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I'm a recreational cyclist.
I rode it 3 years ago in 1hr 5 mins weighing 85kg.
I'm going again this year, and hope to break the hour.
As already mentioned, don't go off too hard on the first 3 km and you'll be fine.
No specific training done.
If you have time, take a ride on the dead-end road to La Brerarde (sp?). Simply stunning and not too challenging.0 -
Basic club/ctc/audax rider. Did it for the second time, on this occassion during last year's Marmotte.0
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i'm also planning on doing it in June, and the Galibier. Does anyone know how they compare to the Joux Plane? The JP isn't quite so long but I think the gradient is a little steeper in places with maybe a slighter higher average.
I did that a few times last year and got up in under an hour.0 -
singlespeedexplosif wrote:Took me a bit over an hour, bottom gear the whole way.
That's pretty good0 -
I'm a recreational / sportive rider and I've done it 5 times, 3 of those ascents at the end of sportives. It's hard but no longer psyches me out, the first 5 sections are the steepest it's then case of counting down each hairpin. With suitable gearing and taking your time even moderatly fit riders should get up.Sometimes you have to lose yourself
before you can find anything.0 -
Occasional sportive rider
I did it for the first time while on holiday last year. Hired a bike with a triple and put it in bottom gear and went early before it got hot. Knew I wasn't fit and hadn't ridden anything for a bit, 14.5 stone and therefore took it easy.
Too easy in fact, I felt okay at Alpe D'Huez that I continued on straight through past the sky station up to Lac Besson, I think it was another 300m in height. I did it all without stopping which I never believed I would do.
As others have said once you are past the first part it was just a case of grinding it out. It's all in the mind.0 -
Is that the one heading east, car park at the end, where the river flows down from the valley? I went up there for a picnic last year - it was beautiful. Went in the car (as we had two children) - geeze, I hate those roads with sheer drops off the side!bobtbuilder wrote:
If you have time, take a ride on the dead-end road to La Brerarde (sp?). Simply stunning and not too challenging.0 -
So true - I just need to believe in myself that I can do it!Dave P1 wrote:It's all in the mind.0 -
That's pretty good
1:04 originally. Got that down to 58' since. Still not a patch on 37' but I was only fuelled on Leffe and comte...;)0 -
In the spirit of Greg Lemond - Everyone finds it hard, just some do it faster.
I must say i've never ridden up any mountains. I seriously want to give it a go sometime. Definitely will when I have a career and some money.0 -
Haven't ridden in the Alps but ridden up the Tourmalet from the steep side and slo the Soulor and Aubisque
Think it must have taken me the best part of two hours on the Tourmalet although it was 10 years ago so the old grey matter isn't that clear.
Like everyone else says if you keep things steady and try to keep a steady rhythm then you should be able to get up anything.
Preparation wise I mainly did weekend club runs averaging anything between 50 & 80 miles with a couple of mid-week efforts flung in but nothing different from what I'd normally do.
There isn't really anything in this country that can prepare you for the length of time you'll be climbing on the continental climbs.
Good luck and enjoy yourself.Scott CR1 Team
Bitsa training bike. Bitsa this Bitsa that.......
I'd rather quit than buy from Halfords0 -
Just get the white/gold Orca... You wouldn't dare fail, if you were riding that....
Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!0 -
I would just feign a mechanical problem half way up and claim it wasn't my fault. :Phopper1 wrote:Just get the white/gold Orca... You wouldn't dare fail, if you were riding that....0 -
You could get a triple chainset, or at the least a compact and a nice big rear cassette - a psychological benefit if nothing else!! Just work on a steady pace and don't overcook it. Try some of the fred whitton route in Cumbria as well for training - that'll get your heart rate going!0
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Hmm, I had been thinking about gearing. I have a compact, and I will probably put on a a 12-27. I don't really want to put on a triple (cost) but I guess I will have to see how I feel come July.glenncampbell wrote:You could get a triple chainset, or at the least a compact and a nice big rear cassette - a psychological benefit if nothing else!! Just work on a steady pace and don't overcook it. Try some of the fred whitton route in Cumbria as well for training - that'll get your heart rate going!
When I first got my road bike my husband didn't dare tell me that the bike shop had sent him a 12-23 by mistake instead of a 12-27. I rode for ages, regularly doing hilly ground (including my mammoth ascent of the aforementioned Mt Dandenong!) on a 23 until he finally told me what I had been using. :twisted: I persevered and I guess it made me stronger.0 -
Am glad I wasn't him when you found out . . . . . . .
the triple is a cost issue (chainset and shifters likely) but a good compact \ 27 will work wonders. Good luck with it!0 -
I've done it a couple of times in just over an hour each time , but this was after a long day in the saddle. I'll get under an hour one day. I guess I'm an occasional sportive rider. As has been said the first few bends are the worst, after that it's not too bad. If you are not chasing the clock, take it easy and enjoy the view. If you're there in the summer, go up in the early morning before it gets too hot. Smile at the camera men, then try and find yourself in the photo shops at the top.0
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I am a weekend cyclist well into my 50s and I could not describe my physique as sylph-like! I've cycled Alpe d'Huez 3 times. I have a triple chainset (heresy to the true believers, sorry) with a 27-tooth rear cassete - which gives plenty of scope for recovery when needed. As others have said, the first 3 kilometers to La Garde are the toughest - the first few ramps are pretty daunting. However, due to the fact that the hairpins are flat, the ride is actually quite manageable, and the 21 bends (each numbered) breaks the ride up into segments, which helps psychologically. Unlike Mont Ventoux, say, which seems endless! I am absolutely no expert, but I would advise (a) start as early as possible - it gets very hot and very crowded in the summer. I usually try and get on the road by about 7 a.m. (b) Pace yourself at the beginning. Find a comfortable gear and stick with it. It gets easier after all. There are plenty of very fit people riding there (you may be one yourself) but don't let them set your pace. Its no shame to be overtaken by a boy (or girl) racer. (c) Try and enjoy the scenery - its fantastic. (d) the bike shop in Bourg d'Oisans has a good selection of "victory" jerseys which are usually slightly cheaper than those in the resort. And the caff next door does some epic pains aux raisins.
As to training, thats a difficult one. It is not really possible to replicate Alpine climbs - in southern England anyway. Just get yourself as fit as possible before you go and the rest will take care of itself.
There's a very good website called "grenoblecycling.com" - run by a local Brit called Russell - with a section on AdH.
Good luck.0 -
I am a 15 stone commuter, doing 100 miles a week. Me and a few mates went over for a week last year and I prepped with a few extra weekend 50-60 mile rides in the preceding 3 months. I got one of the time trial chips available from the bottom and made it up in just over 1 hour 10 minutes. I was knackered but chuffed to bits with myself. My racing snake mate who is a little over half my weight did it in 45 minutes, so pound for pound I tell him I was faster;-).
A few days later we did the marmotte route, and I am afraid I did not make it up the Alp at the end, the Galibier had finished me off, a combination of heat and the telegraph just before it.
I ride a triple without shame.
Andy0 -
Just ride it within your limits you will be fine, take a camera and take some pics, lovely views.
Dont do as I did book hotel at the top and have to ride it dailsy for 3 days, even in a strom, that was frightning with the lightning
I like the guys who say they are average riders and commuters and do it in just over an hour That is far better than an average ride
Given the chice of rides below, in the sun was better
Some views from the alp in the marmotte album in my signature below.
Good luck.
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erm.. why u on about climbing, the descending is the fun part...
get a short stem, really wide handlebars and a chaindevice, go to morizine instead and take a chairlift up then rip back down.
you'll be fine 0 -
singlespeedexplosif wrote:That's pretty good
1:04 originally. Got that down to 58' since. Still not a patch on 37' but I was only fuelled on Leffe and comte...;)
I'm told that there's a difference between the length of the climb for the Tour and for the regular TTs that go up it. The Tour stages keep going for quite a bit apparently. Not sure how true this is as I have never been.
Just watched it on TV Scottish and British...and a bit French0 -
Yes, that's correct. The Tour finish is another couple of km on, going up and under the tunnel, round a few more hairpins and into the newer part of the resort.
I will target the TdF finish line, but if I've got nothing left by the time I get to the lower finish line, I'll be happy with that.0 -
so where's the lower finish line? I've only ever gone to the Tour finish line.0
