June 12, 2017
Le Bourg-d'Oisans - Alpe d'Huez - Le Bourg-d'Oisans: Triple Crown
The big day has finally arrived. We summited Mt. Ventoux in 2015, Col du Tourmalet in 2016 and our goal on this trip was to ride the Alpe d'Huez, so today is the moment of truth. I have watched the pros ride this crazy climb on many Tours de France but have purposely not studied its nuances. I want to ride it without any pre-conceived ideas about how it would feel.
The weather is perfect today with a predicted high of 32 degrees, albeit would feel warmer due to the humidity. The climb is largely in the shade if you start early enough, and this is key for an enjoyable ride to the summit. We had a delicious petit dejeuner at our chambre d'hote in Les Sables, then rode the 4k into Le Bourg d'Oisans.
Soon after crossing the bridge over the Romansch river, the climb abrubtly begins. It heads up at a heart pounding 10%-13% for the first few of the 21 turns. Each corner is a minor relief as the road levels on the outside of the turn. Fortunately the traffic is light enough that we can exaggerate the corners and take advantage of the easier grade. The road up is far more treed than we had expected so this provided lots of cooling as we ascended.
As we took a rest on the high side of one of the early corners, I noticed an older gentleman on an old model bicycle resting against the concrete barrier below the corner. My thought was that he really needed the rest, but soon I realized he was being filmed from the rear of a van and was waiting for the signal from the crew to begin riding. We ended up in a lot of the footage as they passed us, then we would pass them and on and on it went. This fellow was no slouch on a bike and we both wished we knew the story and who he was. Maybe Mr. Google will tell us who he was.
About mid-way in the climb, we watched a helicopter hovering overhead pick up sacks of rocks that were being knocked off the cliff by rock scalers as they rappelled off the cliffs high above us. Apparently, this is a regular activity here, as is the sound of ambulances as they tend to all the mountain mishaps. The hospital in Grenoble is nearby and provides excellent care, we learned from another cyclist.
I think we both underestimated the scale of this road and its geology. It's much bigger than I imagined. In fact, at one point I lost sight of David after pausing to dunk my neckband in a cold stream, only to find that I had ridden right past him as he was waiting for me in the shade. He hadn't noticed me ride past either. We chalk it up to being 'in the moment'.
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Nor have I ever appreciated the height of the mountains on either side of Le Bourg-d'Oisans. They are massive and today we had clear views of everything as we rode clear of the treed sections. As we passed each corner, I glanced up to the corner sign to watch the countdown and to see who the record holder was. Lance's name is still posted on many of them. The views became stupendous as we entered the zone of single digit corners.
The sweat had been raining off my entire body since corner 20 so when I reached corner 14, I took advantage of the eau potable and refilled my empty bottle. The slope had eased off to about 8%-9% which is sustainable for longer periods though it requires every muscle in your body from your fingers to your toes to do so. The usual cuckoo birds were absent from the climb today but many of their friends happily sang to us along the way. Cool streams of water trickled down the manicured chutes in the rock walls, providing another source of cool air and water for my neck band. By now, you probably realize this was not a timed climb for us, unlike many of those on carbon fibre bikes who want to record and compare their personal or strava times. This is an iconic climb and we wanted to savour our experience.
After passing corner 0 there's one last stretch to climb and then it levels off to the finish in the ski village. Instead of the traditional summit marker, the road is flanked by commercial businesses and there's a finish line marked with flags. Close by is a podium for victory photos and a fountain of fresh cold mountain water to satisfy the thirst and cool off.
The entire area here is a ski resort so there are restaurants, galleries, condos, hotels and two massive quad chairs at the base of the ski area which encompasses two entire mountain tops. Cyclists have an insatiable need to get their picture taken in front of the summit sign, but in this case there isn't one since the ski resort isn't technically a summit. As a result you see cyclists riding around the roads of the village in search of the sign to be certain they reached the true summit, thoughts niggling that their friends back home will ask for their picture in front of the summit sign. We rode through the village and up the road through the ski area until the road seemed to peter out.
Cycling downhill at 10% and greater is not as easy as it might sound and I have deep respect for the pros who handle it with lightning speed. So, I was pleased to learn of an alternate route off the summit, via a route past the Pas de la Confession and Villard-Reculas, a tiny mountain hamlet.
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It was a gorgeous descent with longer and gentler slopes than the Alpe d'Huez so we were able to free fall quite a bit of it. This is not to say it's any easy climb from this side, but it's a decidedly easier descent. My bike is compact and steady as a rocket on the downhills and it reminded me of Mighty Mouse on his rocket with his cape straight out behind him, on a mission. When I mentioned this to David, he claimed the alter ego Underdog and began singing the theme song at the top of his lungs as we flew down the slope --- never fear, Underdog is here.
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We returned to Le Bourg d'Oisans to attend to some business and research our transportation options for the final leg of our tour, then returned to our home base for a total of 57km today. We had time to relax, compare notes with the other cyclists staying here and even have a snooze before dinner. Anita served us and the other 8 guests a lovely 4 course dinner, family style, on the large picnic tables on the patio. We swapped stories until it was time to retire.
Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 1,138 km (707 miles)
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