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Roadie Advice - L'Alp D'Huez

25 posts & 23 voices | Started 2 years ago by iamsporticus | Latest reply from AndyP

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iamsporticus - Member

hello - help appreciated

I am as fit a MTB'r as you can be in Cambridge LOL

One of my pals from the rowing club is having a mid life crisis and talking about L'Alp D'Huez
Hes a fit bugger and although he doesnt ride he has admired Lance etc etc on the Tour

After too many beers last night I have signed up to a trip with him
The prob is I have no idea what Ive agreed to

Im a good amateur XC rider - in Cambridge.......
I occasionally visit family in Sheffield and take my road bike with me
In the Peaks I can happily do 40km or so with 1200m of elevation
It would be nice to think Alpine passes are better designed than Pindale/Winnats and the rest

Am I kidding myself here?

Better still can anyone give me first hand advice or else suggest a good Peak training ride for tackling Alp D'Huez?
By that I mean is it like Winnats for 40km or else is it more like the ride up through Abney but 4 times over?

Many thanks

Posted 2 years ago #
Nick Scots - Member

It's not that hard. It's only 12-15km and each ramp between hairpins is almost the same grade so easy to pace yourself. The first 2km is tough.

If you can get a triple road bike like me, then it should be easy. Watch ypur speed descednign as it's easy to coast up to 45mph. The hairpins are dodgy if you get them wrong. I did it in 1 and a 1/4 hrs. Taking it 'souplesse'.

Col D'Izoard and the Ventoux are much harder.

Nick

Posted 2 years ago #
marionheck - Member

As above it is not that hard to do, it is how hard you do it that makes the difference. If you can keep your heart rate at about 80% of it's max for jus over an hour then you will be able to get up it.
For training just ride up hill as much as you can for as fast as you can.

Good luck and don't forget to admire the view!

Posted 2 years ago #
finners - Member

I am pretty much in the same boat, but im off to the Swiss alps soon. im going to try a slightly different set up (and change it when im there if it doesnt work). Im using a compact front chainset, long cage rear mech and an xtr mtb cassette to get the gear ratios. im gonna go for it on the climbs and rest on the downhills. also the thought of a cold beer lake side when i get back will keep me going....

Posted 2 years ago #
epo-aholic - Member

Its a very enjoyable climb actually, just pace yourself and you will enjoy it. If your feeling fit they use to arrange race up it daily with a car with a timing clock on it! If you do it on your mtb gearing will be ideal, on the roadbike you'll need the triple as the gradient does reach 14% at some short bits. Get your mat to take pics as they skin you for about 40 euros for a photo! the tough ones are the madelene (35km) and the galibier (almost 30km). have fun!

Posted 2 years ago #
B.A.Nana - Member

Haven't done it myself, but we followed (in a car) my climbing pal, all the way up. We eventually found him shivering in a bus shelter in Alp D'Huez (the car/bike routes split near the top so we lost contact with him near the end). So my advice is to maybe have some extra warmth kit for when you get to Alp D'Huez, which is a few 1000ft higher than the start, so can be much colder.

Posted 2 years ago #
DouglasWaves - Member

Why not ride the Southern Upland sportive - its supposed to be on the highest road in Scotland and not so far away from Cambridge - if you ride it then see you there!

http://www.pumpkinpartners.co.uk/index.html

Posted 2 years ago #
alexathome - Member

on the roadbike you'll need the triple as the gradient does reach 14% at some short bits.

Don't worry, you won't! I did it fine on a 53/39 (albeit with a 27T rear cassette, it took an hour and i'm not very fit or fast! you'll be fine! The ventoux though, the bit through the woods will hurt if you don't have a compact!

Posted 2 years ago #
69er - Member

Alpe d'Huez is a fantastic climb but don't underestimate it. Low gears are a good thing, you don't have to use them but it's not a good feeling struggling on long Apline climbs in your lowest gear. When you hit the first ramp settle in, there's probably over an hour if this to come. If you get fatigued take the wide line around the hairpins for a break.

It's your mate I'd be worried about. He'll probably struggle on the upper reaches if he's not a cyclist...

And go like f£ck on the downhill :-), you've earned it and the road surface is very good. Just make sure your brakes are A1.

I'm doing La Marmotte this year, we will be getting to the Alpe after 99 miles after climbing the Col du Glandon, Telegraphe and Galibier.

Posted 2 years ago #
scruzer - Member

Did l'alpe some years ago and frequently ride in the peaks. My best advice would be to do a 'ride-in' warm up ride! ie do not start from the bottom as we did straight out of the campsite. At least start from Bourge d'oisson (ignore spellings). I will be doing ventoux this year and have stepped up to a compact ch/set. As for similar rides in peaks... Winnats is steeper maybe the hairpins on l'alpe are similar. Mam Tor is more like though its the distance on l'alpe not the steepness i think that counts.

Posted 2 years ago #
Wozza - Member

You'll hurt afterwards but as above its not that hard, I did it on a Spesh Rockhopper without stopping. I didn't really do any training, 10miles a day down the canal to work and then the usual off road at the weekend. I stopped drinking 3 months before, not sure it helped but the beer at the top tastes better than any other!

Posted 2 years ago #
barca - Member

I think Scruzer is refering to it already but for long road hill climb sets I use Edale Road (Mam Nick climb) out of Edale to Mam Tor. Up and down a few times. I have set off with the intention of doing Snake Pass out of Glossop and turning round and going back at Ladybower to Glossop but decided to was too a nice a ride and carried on through Bamford, Hathersage etc.

Posted 2 years ago #
corroded - Member

You'll be fine. Assuming it's summer when you do it the temperature could be the biggest headache (literally). Your mate on the other hand will need all the help he can get.

Posted 2 years ago #
crazy-legs - Member

Alpine climbs are generally very well graded and on very smooth roads. They're just long. TBH you're better off with the highest gear you can comfortably manage in the Alps and churn rather than spin. I don't mean putting it in the big ring but trying to spin up a 15km climb will result in it taking forever. It's all steady effort rather than steep UK climbs which can be taken at a sprint cos they're short.

Posted 2 years ago #
higgo - Member

I've not done it but I've stayed in Alpe d'Huez for a week's mountain biking and we were on the route - one of the chalets on the edge of town. people were going up in road bikes from before we were having breakfast to late in the evening.

We drove up and down the route a few times. In the mornings everyone was fine. In the evenings everyone was fine. In the mid-day, the road was littered with fat Belgians in cardiac crisis trying to find enough shade to sit down and have a cry.

My advice - do it early or late in the day.

Posted 2 years ago #
aP - Member

l'Alpe d'Huez is an OK climb, its just longer than anything you can find in the UK. Big riding in the Alps or the Pyrenees I've found requires a different approach to UK climbing. I rode la Marmotte last year - using 50/34 and 13/27 as I prefer to spin and end a ride with at least a glimmer of a smile rahter than a face in rictus. On the Galibier and Alpe d'Huez it was carnage - there were fat Belgians on C50s/ Time modules/ Lightweight wheels etc etc pushing, slumped at the side of the road, and on Alpe d'Huez a bloke just in front of me suddenly collapsed in convulsions in the middle of the road.
For a good loop keep going through the town and ride the Col de Sarenne before descending to the Lac du Chambon and the tunnels back into Bourg d'Oisans - it's very picturesque.

Posted 2 years ago #
stewrogers - Member

For a good loop keep going through the town and ride the Col de Sarenne before descending to the Lac du Chambon and the tunnels back into Bourg d'Oisans - it's very picturesque.

or after the sarenne go on the back road from le freney d'osains (near lac du chambon) to l'armentier which brings you out on bend 5 of the climb, avoids the lorries on the bourg road, this loop is great in reverse, once youve done the alpe

Posted 2 years ago #
ourmaninthenorth - Member

One of my pals from the rowing club is having a mid life crisis and talking about L'Alp D'Huez

It's only 15km from bottom to top. You're not going to France just to ride less than 10 miles, are you?

Posted 2 years ago #
Nick Scots - Member

I have been there for 2003 and 04 for the Lance show. The unfit folk going up on 2K bikes is true. I wish I had gone back up, in my car, at 3am and pinched one of the signs on the wire chainlink fencing that have the hairpin numbers. The ventoux does not have any KM posts anymore telling you how far,steep and the altitude of the next km is.

I would still say just spin it and enjoy. You can always stay a day or two later and do it again faster.

Nick

Posted 2 years ago #
Smee - Blocked

This conversation sounds familiar. If you add 6 pints of cider each you will end up doing the Marmotte....

Posted 2 years ago #
richpips - Member

if you can get up the first 2 bends, you can do it all.

I rode it with 39 : 23.

Posted 2 years ago #
rhys - Member

Rich, hows you?

The first alpine climb you do is the most difficult one, you just don't appreciate how long they are.
Climb as you like to climb, for me that is spinning with a triple, 55mins for the Alpe. Road club Penzance Wheelers all take the piss about the triple but its there for the alps (usually got the limit screws stopping it dropping on the inner ring)

Posted 2 years ago #
richpips - Member

Hi Rhys, I'm good mate.

Thought I might see you at Mayhem. You riding much ?

Posted 2 years ago #
hughjengin - Member

Having done it, I echo some of above thoughts, it starts steep, the first 4 bends are killers. Its not that uniform, in the fact that the distance between bends is vastly different, so dont rely on that to pace yourself up.
Its not terribly difficult on fresh legs and most would get up on 39/53, but after 100 miles of the Marmotte having done the Glandon, The Telegraphe and the Galibier, its hell !! Despite its legendary status and fame its not what I would deem a pretty or great climb, it seems to exist solely as a modern manufactured wide zig zag sterile road to get punters up to a relatively ugly, charmless, modern manufactured ski resort.
I guess its become famous due to its significance to most tour results, i.e usually comes toward the end of a TDF, and it of course always ends as a mountain top finish due to it basically being a Cul-de-sac (with the exception of a couple of tiny unsuitable roads leading out of town.
If you want awe inspiring, hostile, and downright bonkers I suggest you climb the Galibier (from the telegraphe side) its harder, more spectacular by far more impressive and it feels more like you are climbing a mountain, one of natures beasts.
Its just as historic if not more and a truly impressive achievement. And its not too far

Posted 2 years ago #
AndyP - Member

basically - if you can ride on the road in the Peaks, l'Alpe will be a doddle. Half the gradient of Winnats, just an awful lot longer. If you don't need a compact or a triple over here - you certainly don't over there.

And whilst you're out there, you MUST do the Croix de Fer. Truly beautiful. Bag the Galibier as well if you can, but the CdF is an absolute cracker.

Posted 2 years ago #

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