L'Alpe d'Huez

Today I have done something I have thought about for 25 years, climb L'Alpe d'Huez in southern France. I have seen it in tv cycling coverage since my Mum would copy onto VHS tapes, the daily SBS cycling coverage highlights show and send then to me in Albany in 1994-5.

I thought I was close to achieving this desire when I first arranged with the group of gents who call themselves The Poseurs - all pretention - to come to France and Italy in 2014.  That was not to be for me but they managed to get away and blog their experiences here. http://ridingitaly2014.wordpress.com

So I was able to organise my life and make this thing happen in 2016. Flights booked, accomodation arranged, ride routes sorted, new bike fettled and somewhere in there getting some superficial training to prepare myself for the tour.

Early flight from Perth. Long 14hr flight with minimal sleep, many movies watched and watching the slowly unfolding disaster of the Brexit referendum on the live stream news channels Emirates display.

Nile River over Cairo

Short stopover in Dubai, get into the club couple of beers and a shower, feel human, and another 6 hours around Iraq and Syria across the Med over the Corinth isthmus and the east coast of the Adriatic then over Verona and landing in Milan at 8pm local. Long queue for immigration, another wait at the car rental agency, and we are at the hotel. A final beer for the night, we have been going 26 hours. Good sleep at the Malpensa Holiday Inn and then we pick up the second car and head straight for Le Bourg D'Oisans. Through the infamous turnoff to Frejus near Torino we barrel on regardless. Map here.

24hrs grr

See the usual culture shock of euro car driving. Tolls seemingly everywhere. But a combination of eyes and GPS and attention and some bloody good laughs with Duncan (SuperModel) we make it to Bourg.

near Col du Lauteret

Mikey (Buble Boy) organises the rooms, linen, towels; Glenn (Frodo) and Phil (Kransky Klown) do the shopping for lunch. Lettuce, baguettes, four types of cheese, tomatoes, zucchini, olives, chocolate, beer, red wine, orange juice. We realise we are ravenous.

Bikes. Mine has not travelled well, a bent derailleur hanger, a sacrificial component that is designed to bend instead o the valuable frame when the rear derailleur is hit.  Well it got hit hard, I would not be able to change gears well.  Luckily I thought to bring a spare, and Supermodel had the special torx spanner to replace it. Done, reassembled Im keen.

We are going up there.

L'Alpe d'Huez from my bedroom

Its warm 32 degrees and I probably havent drunk enough water today, but two bottles and a derring do spirit sees me charge up the slope, yes its fricking steep 12km all the way up without respite 1100m of vertical ascent. Sweat pouring into my eyes, just keeping plugging away, I had one stop to take a photo because I wasnt going to stop on the way down.

My GPS beeps after 5km. 33min I laugh, the record for the total ascent by the bike pros is 35 minutes by Marco Pantani. I havent even gone half way!  Ha.

Starts getting cooler and most of my water is gone.  The climb of L'Alpe d'Huez is identified by 21 corners/hairpin bends.  The thirty or so metres in the bend seem a bit flatter so you can relax or strive harder depending on your mood/reserves.  The corners count down and each one is identified by the names of past stage winners of the Tour de France who have won here. Hallowed ground.

The numbers are getting lower and the air is getting cooler. Somewhere between 2 and 1 I take a swig of water that causes a huge coughing fit and a minor vom. I wait coughing and struggling to breathe. My left calf is threatening to cramp, my right achilles tendon is complaining, this may be a problem this trip. Click in and proceed to the ugly town at the top of the Alpe - a ski resort. My left calf goes into a cramp - stretch it out. Wander around, get cold as the sweat cools, some photos and laughs and we descend.

Not very confident in my brakes until I decide I am just not giving them enough pressure especially the front, get more confident picking a line through corners. The air warms up. I am really here doing this. Smiling we roll back to our chalet on the valley floor.

Beers, chat, late dinner pizza with a nice Hermitage. Everyone looks and sounds tired. Been a long two days.

Unfortunately we have had some poor news our fellow Poseur Paul (OberGruppenFuhrer) had his flight from Spain cancelled and he is not getting into Grenoble until Sunday 7.30pm, he loses two days riding.

We don't know where we are riding tomorrow, as Paul was the ride captain, nice sleep tonight, if the rave down the valley finishes soon.

We have done it. Ridden up one of the most challenging strips of tarmac on the planet, imbued with history, and feats of courage a mountain forces you to dig deep within yourself to find what lies at the core. I was severely challenged today and I will be again. Completing something I was entranced by more than half my life ago I find the experience simply wonderful and affirming. Glad I am here with my cycling mates, enjoying their company while they tolerate my sick humour. Good first day!
Le Chef
Night night lovelies.