May 15 - l'Alpe d'Huez
Today rode out to & up one of the most celebrated climbs in the Tour de France--l'Alpe d'Huez. I'll post a full report but in the meantime there are loads of pictures here and here
Ok--here's the long version.
May 15 - Alpe d'Huez
Alpe d'Huez is one of the most famous climbs in France, regularly featured in the Tour de France (in 2005, it was done as a time trial, i.e. cyclists on their own, racing against the clock) and I felt compelled to ride it. Unfortunately it's about 45-50km each way from Grenoble--some people posting on the Grenoble cycling site took the bus out there, others stayed in Bourg d'Oisans, right at the base. Late on the night of the 14th I decided to ride it straight from Grenoble, since acc. to the Lonely Planet there's enough of an uphill from Grenoble to BDO that it looked like it should be easy coming back. Unfortunately I got so busy thinking about the ride I didn't get to sleep until late.
The ride got off on a high note (haha) when the guy in front of me on the bike path going out of Grenoble, riding his pink girl's bike, lit up a joint & wafted pot smoke back at me for a k or 2.
Unfortunately after that it was all diesel and no dope. Unlike the Vercors and Chartreuse rides, the landscape here isn't agricultural or pastoral...there are beautiful mountainsides but the Romanche river valley itself--where the road went--has been heavily developed for hydro power. Further up it seems to be all winter tourism...which means lots of trucks in the summertime, fixing roads, building and repairing condos, etc., trucks with not only diesel but loads of gravel that sprinkle a fine dust behind them. I could see why people would take the bus out.
The road also climbed up the valley...barely perceptibly to the eye, but steep enough that it made me feel slow and tired...at one point I thought seriously about turning around and trying to salvage the day with an afternoon ride up to Vercors again. The sky was a bit overcast, too, and the only spot in the area where they had predicted showers was the Oisans massif...i.e. exactly where I was going.
But at the turnoff to Bourg d'Oisans, I picked up a tailwind, & the gradient might have changed as well--the riding certainly got easier and more pleasant. There was also just more to look at--I realize how much of cycling for me is tied up in the aesthetics--when there's a lot to see it's easy not to notice if the ride isn't so comfortable. Trees lining the roadway, fields & houses, etc. Still, I was feeling a bit tired & wasn't sure about doing the climb.
There is some summer bike tourism, it seems, but maybe it's a bit early in the season. There were signs here and there for the World Mt. Bike Championships being held in Les Deux Alpes -- also off this road -- later in the summer. But a couple of the big cols of the TDF are still closed -- Col de Croix de Fer off to the side of this ride, and Col du Galibier further along -- there are some pictures of the snow and snow removal here. I took some shots of the signs but they're not here...
Back in 1992, I went into the dentist's just hoping to get some antibiotics for a little infection around one of my wisdom teeth & instead got the tooth yanked out. That's kind of what happened with Alpe d'Huez. I followed the signs for ADH, thinking there would be some kind of marker for the start of the actual climb or something, then realized I was on it & decided to climb a few of the numbered hairpins to check out the view, see how I felt, etc. After #19 or 18 (of 21, numbered from 21 to 1 as you ascend) it was clear to me that there was no way I could turn back...so up I went. I knew from reading descriptions of the ride that the steepest sections were at the bottom.
I found the climb much easier than the Col du Granier two days before, even though I think it was longer and overall steeper--partly because it had some pretty flat sections where I could chill a bit (since I hadn't realized when I started, & I still had a long ride home ahead, I wasn't timing myself or going for speed--I think it took me around 1:15, or about twice the record) and partly because of the numbered switchbacks giving a clear sense of progress and breaking it up into manageable portions.
Most of the painted signs in the roadway were worn off from last year, but the "Go Lance" sign just after switchback #11 was still clear. I remember reading that he rode this climb over and over again in preparation for the time trial, and I can see that knowing the course really well, exactly what to expect when and where would be a great help.
The sun was bright but there were occasional cool breezes--on a hot day in July it would be less pleasant, I'd guess. There were also streams of water running off the mountain into draining ditches on the sides, so I figured I could douse myself if I got really hot.
There are signs coming into the town of ADH indicating the TDF route but then it got a bit confusing...I kept going up through a tunnel, thinking I might officially be "done," but then a TDF sign came up saying 1km to go...compared to the last few ks of the Col du Porte (in the rain, two days ago...), this was pretty easy going--by this point the road was lined with (closed) business and ski lodging (and occasionally the tops and bottoms of chairlifts) & the gradient was much easier than it had been lower down.
Eventually the road ended at an empty parking lot in back of a ski lift with lots of old, dirty snow and gravel. Somewhere in the final k I'd missed a turn but around the other side of the parking lot I found all the old TDF paint on the road & located the end.
I spun down the hill into the ski resort and had two Oranginas and a big plate of fries at one of the only open businesses in town. At one point--this is the one picture from the day that I really wish I had--a golden retriever who looked (and acted) exactly like Buttons came up and begged for my food.
From there on it was all downhill, literally, but the ride was fun...the descent of ADH couldn't have taken more than 20 minutes, even descending conservatively with all the switchbacks. And the ride from Bourg d'Oisans back to Grenoble was clearly steeper than I'd thought--I was going around double the speed I'd been going on the way up.
I took a little detour in Vizille, to see the chateau there, which is when I realized I'd lost the camera. I'm pretty sure I know where it is--at a little settlement called Gavet where I had to wait for a traffic light set up b/c of road construction work--I reached into my pocket and grabbed something to eat & probably knocked it out. Anyway travel insurance or homeowner's should cover it & thanks to digital cameras I only lost that day's photos.
The chateau itself was down a long road lined with beautiful old oak trees, but in a bit of urban planning I'd associate more with Waterville, Maine than France, there was a big paper mill on one side, dampening the effect of the view a bit. Actually a lot of this ride reminded me of the uglier parts of the mountains in western Maine, or the view of Mt. Washington (NH) when the steam train is spewing out black smoke--it's an intrinsically beautiful landscape, but in a lot of spots it has been developed without much regard to aesthetics.
If I were to do this again (and honestly I can't wait to), I'd probably stay in Bourg d'Oisans--given my limited time, it didn't make sense to devote a morning or afternoon to travelling out there, esp. given that several of the cols were still closed. Alternatively, from Vizille I saw a road to Grenoble via Uriage--the town where I was the day before with the car show. That route would replace about 18k of the trafficky road out of Grenoble but might add some climbing...I think it'd be worth it though.
In the end it came to 131 km or about 81 miles, which makes it my longest ride of 2006
Ok--here's the long version.
May 15 - Alpe d'Huez
Alpe d'Huez is one of the most famous climbs in France, regularly featured in the Tour de France (in 2005, it was done as a time trial, i.e. cyclists on their own, racing against the clock) and I felt compelled to ride it. Unfortunately it's about 45-50km each way from Grenoble--some people posting on the Grenoble cycling site took the bus out there, others stayed in Bourg d'Oisans, right at the base. Late on the night of the 14th I decided to ride it straight from Grenoble, since acc. to the Lonely Planet there's enough of an uphill from Grenoble to BDO that it looked like it should be easy coming back. Unfortunately I got so busy thinking about the ride I didn't get to sleep until late.
The ride got off on a high note (haha) when the guy in front of me on the bike path going out of Grenoble, riding his pink girl's bike, lit up a joint & wafted pot smoke back at me for a k or 2.
Unfortunately after that it was all diesel and no dope. Unlike the Vercors and Chartreuse rides, the landscape here isn't agricultural or pastoral...there are beautiful mountainsides but the Romanche river valley itself--where the road went--has been heavily developed for hydro power. Further up it seems to be all winter tourism...which means lots of trucks in the summertime, fixing roads, building and repairing condos, etc., trucks with not only diesel but loads of gravel that sprinkle a fine dust behind them. I could see why people would take the bus out.
The road also climbed up the valley...barely perceptibly to the eye, but steep enough that it made me feel slow and tired...at one point I thought seriously about turning around and trying to salvage the day with an afternoon ride up to Vercors again. The sky was a bit overcast, too, and the only spot in the area where they had predicted showers was the Oisans massif...i.e. exactly where I was going.
But at the turnoff to Bourg d'Oisans, I picked up a tailwind, & the gradient might have changed as well--the riding certainly got easier and more pleasant. There was also just more to look at--I realize how much of cycling for me is tied up in the aesthetics--when there's a lot to see it's easy not to notice if the ride isn't so comfortable. Trees lining the roadway, fields & houses, etc. Still, I was feeling a bit tired & wasn't sure about doing the climb.
There is some summer bike tourism, it seems, but maybe it's a bit early in the season. There were signs here and there for the World Mt. Bike Championships being held in Les Deux Alpes -- also off this road -- later in the summer. But a couple of the big cols of the TDF are still closed -- Col de Croix de Fer off to the side of this ride, and Col du Galibier further along -- there are some pictures of the snow and snow removal here. I took some shots of the signs but they're not here...
Back in 1992, I went into the dentist's just hoping to get some antibiotics for a little infection around one of my wisdom teeth & instead got the tooth yanked out. That's kind of what happened with Alpe d'Huez. I followed the signs for ADH, thinking there would be some kind of marker for the start of the actual climb or something, then realized I was on it & decided to climb a few of the numbered hairpins to check out the view, see how I felt, etc. After #19 or 18 (of 21, numbered from 21 to 1 as you ascend) it was clear to me that there was no way I could turn back...so up I went. I knew from reading descriptions of the ride that the steepest sections were at the bottom.
I found the climb much easier than the Col du Granier two days before, even though I think it was longer and overall steeper--partly because it had some pretty flat sections where I could chill a bit (since I hadn't realized when I started, & I still had a long ride home ahead, I wasn't timing myself or going for speed--I think it took me around 1:15, or about twice the record) and partly because of the numbered switchbacks giving a clear sense of progress and breaking it up into manageable portions.
Most of the painted signs in the roadway were worn off from last year, but the "Go Lance" sign just after switchback #11 was still clear. I remember reading that he rode this climb over and over again in preparation for the time trial, and I can see that knowing the course really well, exactly what to expect when and where would be a great help.
The sun was bright but there were occasional cool breezes--on a hot day in July it would be less pleasant, I'd guess. There were also streams of water running off the mountain into draining ditches on the sides, so I figured I could douse myself if I got really hot.
There are signs coming into the town of ADH indicating the TDF route but then it got a bit confusing...I kept going up through a tunnel, thinking I might officially be "done," but then a TDF sign came up saying 1km to go...compared to the last few ks of the Col du Porte (in the rain, two days ago...), this was pretty easy going--by this point the road was lined with (closed) business and ski lodging (and occasionally the tops and bottoms of chairlifts) & the gradient was much easier than it had been lower down.
Eventually the road ended at an empty parking lot in back of a ski lift with lots of old, dirty snow and gravel. Somewhere in the final k I'd missed a turn but around the other side of the parking lot I found all the old TDF paint on the road & located the end.
I spun down the hill into the ski resort and had two Oranginas and a big plate of fries at one of the only open businesses in town. At one point--this is the one picture from the day that I really wish I had--a golden retriever who looked (and acted) exactly like Buttons came up and begged for my food.
From there on it was all downhill, literally, but the ride was fun...the descent of ADH couldn't have taken more than 20 minutes, even descending conservatively with all the switchbacks. And the ride from Bourg d'Oisans back to Grenoble was clearly steeper than I'd thought--I was going around double the speed I'd been going on the way up.
I took a little detour in Vizille, to see the chateau there, which is when I realized I'd lost the camera. I'm pretty sure I know where it is--at a little settlement called Gavet where I had to wait for a traffic light set up b/c of road construction work--I reached into my pocket and grabbed something to eat & probably knocked it out. Anyway travel insurance or homeowner's should cover it & thanks to digital cameras I only lost that day's photos.
The chateau itself was down a long road lined with beautiful old oak trees, but in a bit of urban planning I'd associate more with Waterville, Maine than France, there was a big paper mill on one side, dampening the effect of the view a bit. Actually a lot of this ride reminded me of the uglier parts of the mountains in western Maine, or the view of Mt. Washington (NH) when the steam train is spewing out black smoke--it's an intrinsically beautiful landscape, but in a lot of spots it has been developed without much regard to aesthetics.
If I were to do this again (and honestly I can't wait to), I'd probably stay in Bourg d'Oisans--given my limited time, it didn't make sense to devote a morning or afternoon to travelling out there, esp. given that several of the cols were still closed. Alternatively, from Vizille I saw a road to Grenoble via Uriage--the town where I was the day before with the car show. That route would replace about 18k of the trafficky road out of Grenoble but might add some climbing...I think it'd be worth it though.
In the end it came to 131 km or about 81 miles, which makes it my longest ride of 2006
posted by Derick at 3:17 AM
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