Avg ride times up & down Northern Alp Cols

nunowoolmez

Hi all

I have got a trip fast approaching in the Alps & will be based near to St Jean de Maurienne. I am aiming to tackle several of the 'big ones' which will be very close by. Col de Telegraph & Col de Galibier, Izouard, Croix de Fer.

If i can i'd like also to do Alpe D'Huez, Col de Glandon & Col de Madelaine. It would just be handy to know what kind of (average) ride times up & down i'd be looking at. I know i probably might not be able to do them all but it's good to have ambition!!

Cheers all

andrew_s

How fit are you?

Last time I paid attention to such things (on an RGA ride), I found I climbed at a fairly steady 600m height gain per hour, more or less regardless of how steep the climb was. At the time, I was pretty fit for someone who doesn't race, and I was carrying camping luggage.
Unladen, Alpe d'Huez took me 1.25 hours for 1050 m of height gain

DavidCr

An average ride time? not sure what that is but here goes.

The Telegraph is possibly 45-75 mins depending on the rider. It begins as a steady climb but eases off as you approach the top. Around 12kms long.

To tackle the Galibier you will first need to go over the Telegraph followed by a short descent. It is difficult to put an average time on this, it is 17km(?) but the altitude affects people differently. The bottom half is okay but it ramps up from Plan Lachat and can be tough going for the final 8kms. Maybe 1hr10m - 2hrs from Valloire.

Alpe d'Huez is not that close to St Jean de Maurienne if you intend riding there and back. The climb itself around 55-90mins.

Col de Glandon is around 20km from the Maurienne side, it is an okay climb until you reach the final 3km with averages gradients of 10%,11% and 10%. I have done it a couple of times but can't remember timings, I think around 1hr20m - 2hrs. You could continue up to the Croix de Fer from there, a short climb.

The Col de Madeleine from that side is a tough climb, it is a steady grind up through the middle of the climb, maybe 1hr20m - 2hrs climbing.

These times are clearly very approximate and plenty of riders climbing faster and even more riding slower, you know how you ride and will have to decide for yourself where you belong. How is that for a clever little disclaimer?

If I am trying to estimate times I tend to halve my ascent time to get an approximate descent time. Obviously this is far from accurate with many variables but it is easy to calculate.

nunowoolmez

awesome, that's a great help, cheers guys. I am fairly fit but could certainly be fitter. Work commitments stop me putting in the ride time i would like. did the Fred Whitton in 8ish hours with energy still in the tank so was happy with that as a first timer. did the Evans King Of The Downs 113 miler in very hot conditions & did that in 7 1/2 hours so happy with that. Got the Dragon Ride coming up so this will all be miles in the legs for the Alps really. I am certainly no racer but i can maintain a steady 16mph average over pretty lumpy terrain. I do like the climbs though, so can't wait for the cols! Those times you have mentioned David are atleast times i can aim towards & give me an idea of the rough times i can think about.