One of the great things about cycling, as compared to other sports, is access to the "field of play." If you were a Yankees fan (if so, you are dead to me), your ultimate dream may be to step on the field at Yankees stadium, where you could soak in all the history. Well, until they tore it down and built the abomination that took its place. Maybe Fenway Park or Wrigley Field are better examples. In all cases, you can't get on the field without some $$ and serious connections. Not so with the bike. You get to the mountain, and admission fees total only sweat and suffering. Advantage bike!
Before I go any further, this was not a bike trip. It was a trip with bikes.
Now back to bikes and stuff. There are iconic climbs in Le Tour de France that all cyclists, even casual fans know by name. At the top of that list is L'Alpe. Why does it resonate so deeply in the collective psyche of the leg shavers?
L'ALPE HISTORY LESSON
L'Alpe d'Huez is climbed regularly in the Tour de France. It was first included in the race in 1952 and has been a stage finish regularly since 1976.
That first Alpe d'Huez stage was won by Fausto Coppi. Coppi attacked 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from the summit to rid himself of the French rider Jean Robic. He turned the Alpe into an instant legend because this was the year that motorcycle television crews first came to the Tour. It was also the Tour's first mountain-top finish.
Veteran Tour reporter, Jacques Augendre, said:
The Tourmalet, the Galibier and the Izoard were the mythical mountains of the race. These three cols were supplanted by the Alpe d'Huez. Why? Because it's the col of modernity. Coppi's victory in 1952 was the symbol of a golden age of cycling, that of champions [such as] Coppi, Bartali, Kubler, Koblet, Bobet. But only Coppi and Armstrong and Carlos Sastre have been able to take the maillot jaune (this means Yellow Jersey :) on the Alpe and to keep it to Paris. That's not by chance. From the first edition, shown on live television, the Alpe d'Huez definitively transformed the way the Grande Boucle ran. No other stage has had such drama. With its 21 bends, its gradient and the number of spectators, it is a climb in the style of Hollywood.
Hollywood is a great reference here. The other climbs are products of nature, the road slowly winding up above the treeline, hugging the side of the mountain, a natural engineering approach to get to the top. L' Alpe has more urgent goals in mind. Note the average gradient for the first 1.5km of the climb.
This French engineer was in a hurry to get some vert.
End of history lesson!
The trek to Bourg d'Oisans was uneventful. Our priorities slightly varied, but all converged on the mountain. Ticket had located a bike shop and was on a mission to prove he was bigger than his problems. These problems included physical trauma inflicted by his endo, and the lack of sleep associated with travel, the night at the Bastille, and the impact on his sleep from the impact on the Grrrrrnoble pavement. As G. Clooney once said, he was "in a tight spot." The rest of us cyclists (ME, Ullrich, Doc, Yeti and Supergirl) were just trying to shake off the double cobwebs of travel and Grrrrnoble. The remaining crew of JJ (JustJoan - this nickname will soon change), LingLing, and Toni (nickname forthcoming), had plans that included getting us out of their hair, shopping and sampling the local fare.
Ticket was so singleminded that once we arrived in the idyllic little cycling mecca, he failed to notice the path on which he was driving our 9 passenger van was an actual path. NO CARS ALLOWED. He pulled up to the front of the bike shop, parked, chucked the keys at ME and bolted into the shop.
Almost immediately, a local resident began urgently requesting us to move the van. While none of us spoke French, it was clear that this Zone was not meant for loading/Unloading/Parking. The ladies moved some barriers (like a boss), Doc took the wheel, and only one stall later we were parked in a legal parking lot, surrounded by a LOT of cyclists planning to summit to the Hollywood Hill.
Todd had some pretty good luck in the shop, if a $500 repair bill is lucky. They had his part and put his steed in the repair queue. The rest of us wheeled out to warm up. 45 minutes later, and back at the shop. Yeti and his lovely SG had already departed toward the top. Todd had his bike and was ready to roll. So off we went, about to Assault d'Huez. Adrenaline started building as we approached. Pulse collectively quickened. Can't believe it! We are gonna do it! Let's Get it!
Wait. Ticket has to calibrate.
[seconds turn to minutes]
Ok here he comes! Let's do it! Here we go, it's gonna be tough but.....
Ticket has a flat.
Snakebit. His tire was thrashed. Sliced across the entire width. WTF???
As Toni would say, it could have been worse. There was a bike shop right there.
At this point, we said our goodbyes to our fornlorn companion. Climbing, after all, is a very personal thing.
FINALLY. THE CLIMBING PART.
It seemed pretty hot, though my Garmin has the temperature between 72 and 85 the whole way up. There were literally over a thousand cyclists either ascending/descending the mountain. The scene was a complete circus, if you went to a circus to experience suffering.
21 switchbacks. All of them numbered in reverse order, to remind you that you were not done. The first 2kms are at 10% grade, as previously mentioned. I went out too hot. Rookie move. Not sure if it was the bad start strategy or the lack of sleep, but I just didn't feel primed for the suffering necessary to achieve optimal results. Poor ME.
The climb was every bit as hard as imagined. The first 2km gut punches you to reality, recalibrating goals and ego simultaneously. The way up was a blur of sweat, suffering and switchbacks. Doc reeled me in right before Dutch corner, and I just couldn't get back on the remainder of the climb. Check out The Doc giving La Rouge Nerple to an innocent bystander on the Dutch Corner. Hilarious! This video was captured by the Yeti, who was waiting for his spunky bride to round the turn. Well done Yeti!
Of our group of six climbers, only one (Ullrich) managed to take the exact TdF route to the top. The rest of us were either waylaid at Viel Alpe, or took a wrong turn after Viel. Regardless, all of us did 21 Switchbacks, and managed to congregate at the top for a little celebration.
The trip down was akin to a victory lap. The winner, wrapped in his country's flag, serenading the crowd all the way around the track. Here is some visual evidence...
Before I go any further, this was not a bike trip. It was a trip with bikes.
Now back to bikes and stuff. There are iconic climbs in Le Tour de France that all cyclists, even casual fans know by name. At the top of that list is L'Alpe. Why does it resonate so deeply in the collective psyche of the leg shavers?
21 switchbacks, all numbered for your reading pleasure
L'ALPE HISTORY LESSON
L'Alpe d'Huez is climbed regularly in the Tour de France. It was first included in the race in 1952 and has been a stage finish regularly since 1976.
That first Alpe d'Huez stage was won by Fausto Coppi. Coppi attacked 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from the summit to rid himself of the French rider Jean Robic. He turned the Alpe into an instant legend because this was the year that motorcycle television crews first came to the Tour. It was also the Tour's first mountain-top finish.
Veteran Tour reporter, Jacques Augendre, said:
The Tourmalet, the Galibier and the Izoard were the mythical mountains of the race. These three cols were supplanted by the Alpe d'Huez. Why? Because it's the col of modernity. Coppi's victory in 1952 was the symbol of a golden age of cycling, that of champions [such as] Coppi, Bartali, Kubler, Koblet, Bobet. But only Coppi and Armstrong and Carlos Sastre have been able to take the maillot jaune (this means Yellow Jersey :) on the Alpe and to keep it to Paris. That's not by chance. From the first edition, shown on live television, the Alpe d'Huez definitively transformed the way the Grande Boucle ran. No other stage has had such drama. With its 21 bends, its gradient and the number of spectators, it is a climb in the style of Hollywood.
Hollywood is a great reference here. The other climbs are products of nature, the road slowly winding up above the treeline, hugging the side of the mountain, a natural engineering approach to get to the top. L' Alpe has more urgent goals in mind. Note the average gradient for the first 1.5km of the climb.
End of history lesson!
The trek to Bourg d'Oisans was uneventful. Our priorities slightly varied, but all converged on the mountain. Ticket had located a bike shop and was on a mission to prove he was bigger than his problems. These problems included physical trauma inflicted by his endo, and the lack of sleep associated with travel, the night at the Bastille, and the impact on his sleep from the impact on the Grrrrrnoble pavement. As G. Clooney once said, he was "in a tight spot." The rest of us cyclists (ME, Ullrich, Doc, Yeti and Supergirl) were just trying to shake off the double cobwebs of travel and Grrrrnoble. The remaining crew of JJ (JustJoan - this nickname will soon change), LingLing, and Toni (nickname forthcoming), had plans that included getting us out of their hair, shopping and sampling the local fare.
Ticket was so singleminded that once we arrived in the idyllic little cycling mecca, he failed to notice the path on which he was driving our 9 passenger van was an actual path. NO CARS ALLOWED. He pulled up to the front of the bike shop, parked, chucked the keys at ME and bolted into the shop.
Almost immediately, a local resident began urgently requesting us to move the van. While none of us spoke French, it was clear that this Zone was not meant for loading/Unloading/Parking. The ladies moved some barriers (like a boss), Doc took the wheel, and only one stall later we were parked in a legal parking lot, surrounded by a LOT of cyclists planning to summit to the Hollywood Hill.
Todd had some pretty good luck in the shop, if a $500 repair bill is lucky. They had his part and put his steed in the repair queue. The rest of us wheeled out to warm up. 45 minutes later, and back at the shop. Yeti and his lovely SG had already departed toward the top. Todd had his bike and was ready to roll. So off we went, about to Assault d'Huez. Adrenaline started building as we approached. Pulse collectively quickened. Can't believe it! We are gonna do it! Let's Get it!
Wait. Ticket has to calibrate.
[seconds turn to minutes]
Ok here he comes! Let's do it! Here we go, it's gonna be tough but.....
Ticket has a flat.
Snakebit. His tire was thrashed. Sliced across the entire width. WTF???
As Toni would say, it could have been worse. There was a bike shop right there.
At this point, we said our goodbyes to our fornlorn companion. Climbing, after all, is a very personal thing.
FINALLY. THE CLIMBING PART.
It seemed pretty hot, though my Garmin has the temperature between 72 and 85 the whole way up. There were literally over a thousand cyclists either ascending/descending the mountain. The scene was a complete circus, if you went to a circus to experience suffering.
21 switchbacks. All of them numbered in reverse order, to remind you that you were not done. The first 2kms are at 10% grade, as previously mentioned. I went out too hot. Rookie move. Not sure if it was the bad start strategy or the lack of sleep, but I just didn't feel primed for the suffering necessary to achieve optimal results. Poor ME.
The climb was every bit as hard as imagined. The first 2km gut punches you to reality, recalibrating goals and ego simultaneously. The way up was a blur of sweat, suffering and switchbacks. Doc reeled me in right before Dutch corner, and I just couldn't get back on the remainder of the climb. Check out The Doc giving La Rouge Nerple to an innocent bystander on the Dutch Corner. Hilarious! This video was captured by the Yeti, who was waiting for his spunky bride to round the turn. Well done Yeti!
Top of L'Alpe!
Of our group of six climbers, only one (Ullrich) managed to take the exact TdF route to the top. The rest of us were either waylaid at Viel Alpe, or took a wrong turn after Viel. Regardless, all of us did 21 Switchbacks, and managed to congregate at the top for a little celebration.
Hey, which one of us is Eric Heiden?
Saskatchewan!?!?
The trip down was akin to a victory lap. The winner, wrapped in his country's flag, serenading the crowd all the way around the track. Here is some visual evidence...
My Brakes are so Hot...
Nobody Leaves Dutchie in a Corner..
We reunited with the non-cycling crew at Bourg D'Oissans. They were in fine form. Got there just in time to join my lovely bride for her first second glass of wine.
Must have been the first first glass...
P-Bombed by shirtless Frenchie...
As documented, the climb and overall atmosphere had a Hollywood feel. The movie depends on the rider. Let ME take some liberty here and assign the flick that best summarizes Alpe day to each of our group...
Yeti - Harry and the Hendersons. There was a Sasquatch, some laughs, and it was all on film.
Supergirl - A League of Their Own. Kimmer ain't no cryer, and there's no crying on L'Alpe!
Ticket - He had a John Cusack, Say Anything kinda day. This sums it up.
Like Loyd, the Ticket is Bigger than his Problems.
Toni/JJ/LingLing - Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion - These ladies just had fun. Put that on a Post it.
Ullrich - Die Hard. Ullrich thinks he's Bruce Willis. But come on, he's definitely Hans Gruber.
Herr Doktor - GoldFinger. Because, you know. That's his name. And he was pretty cool all the way up, just like James.
ME - Gallipoli. Like naive, loveable, patriotic, and ginger Archy, I thought I had Steel Springs. Turns out, not so much.
NEXT POST: HILLS TO BRIANCON
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