Picture

John and Sheila
  • HOME
  • Tandem Tours
  • Flowery Bikes
  • Postcards
  • Bicycles
  • Wavy Walls
  • Patchwork
  • Blog
  • CNF
    • Cycling New Forest website
    • Lymington Tuesday Cycling website
  • ★ ★
    • West Country Way 1997
    • Sea to Sea C2C 1998 >
      • StoS 1
      • StoS 2
    • York to Harwich 1998 >
      • YtoH 1
      • YtoH 2
      • YtoH overwrite WCW
    • Coventry to Lyndhurst 1998 >
      • CtoL 1
    • Lymington to Holyhead 1999 >
      • LtoH 1
    • Orange to Orange 1999 >
      • OtoO 1
      • OtoO 2
      • OtoO 3
      • OtoO 4
    • End to End + Orkney 2000
    • Auvergne 2000 >
      • A 1
    • Cambridge and Norfolk 2001 >
      • C+N 1
    • Dordogne and Lot 2001 >
      • D+L 1
    • Provence 2002 >
      • P 1
    • Suffolk Circular 2003 >
      • PSC 1
    • Ardèche 2005 >
      • A 1
    • Yorkshire Dales 2006 >
      • YD 1
    • Scottish Western Isles 2007 >
      • SWI 1
    • Manche to Med to Manche 2009
    • Baden-Würtemmberg and Bavaria 2010
    • Sault to Sault + Mont Ventoux 2011 >
      • Diary pre tour
      • Diary Day 1
      • Diary Day 2
      • Diary Day 3
      • Diary Day 4
      • Diary Days 5 and 6
      • Diary Day 7
      • Diary Day 8
      • Diary Day 9
      • Diary Day 10
      • Diary Days 11 and 12
      • Diary Day 13
      • Diary Day 14
      • Diary Day 15
      • Diary Day 16
      • Diary Day 17
      • Diary Day 18
      • Diary Day 19
      • Diary Day 20
      • Diary Day 21
      • Diary Day 22
      • Diary Day 23
    • Brittany 2012
    • Alicante + Pyrénées 2013
    • Alicante + Pyrénées 2013xxx
    • Vercors + Alps 2014 >
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 1
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 2
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 3
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 4
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 5
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 6
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 7
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 8
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 9
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 10
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 11
      • Vercors + Alps 2014 12
    • Germany + Switzerland + France 2015 >
      • G S F 1
      • G S F 2
      • G S F 3
      • G S F 4
      • G S F 5
      • G S F 6
    • Pyrénées 2016
    • France and Italian Alps 2017
    • Provence and more 2018
    • On Tour + Pyrénées 2019
    • Avoiding Covid in France 2020
    • Stay in England Covid Year 2021
    • Paris à Velo + le Tour de France
    • Tour of Britain Final Stage 2015
    • Twinning Trips
    • Weekends Away on Wheels
    • Tandem Rallies
    • Lymington Tuesday Cyclists on Tour
    • Paris Brest Paris
    • Wedding and Honeymoon 2006
    • Wedding
  • frame 1
  • frame 2
  • Germany + Switzerland + France 2015
  • test Germany + Switzerland + France 2015
Day 10: Alpe d'Huez on Three Wheels With Mudguards - TdF HC  1,860m
Picture
It is a pity that “iconic” has been so misused and over-used in the last couple of years because Alpe d'Huez  is the iconic Tour de France mountain stage finish. A TdF HC climb in its own right it has been used in two out of three years in le Tour since it was introduced in the 1960s.

You don’t really go anywhere in the normal horizontal sense of travelling. The climb from Borg d’Oisans to Alpe d’Huez is basically a ladder thrown on the mountainside without a lift offered as an alternative to the ‘stairs’.

There are 21 virages (hairpin bends) from No. 21 at the bottom to No. 0 at the finish. On each is a board with the names of one, or sometimes two, TdF stage winners on Alpe d’Huez and also the height on this bend counting up to 1,860m. Ascent is 1,100m (Sheila wants to go Imperial at 3,575ft because it sounds better).

No gentle start to this one because the hardest part is at the start. Tuesday cyclists who went on our first tour may remember the hill on the Marlborough day that we all walked up (even Determination Mary who went a short way then stalled) – just keep this in mind.

Out of Bourg d’Oisans, round a left hand bend and you slam straight into the climb and rattle down through the gears. This toughest part through the first 5 hairpins has two potential problems. If you don’t make it – game over. If you do make it but are rendered legless then it is still a long way to the top and although instead of being ridiculously very steep the remainder is just very steep, it is probably game over before the finish.

Our tour leader seemed to be incapable of using the st**p word and so had described the climb as a bit grippy on the first part followed by a grippy section on the next part, then some grippy climbing etc etc, with the only variation being to describe one part as “a bit cheeky”.

Anyway we knew all about pacing ourselves and not starting out too fast (joke) and we were going for a personal best. So as we rolled over the start line we checked the calendar. It said Saturday morning, 14th June 2014. We were off. And I ought to mention we had about an hour and a half start on the others.

Grippy the first section certainly was, but we were going well and in a forward direction.

Coming down the mountain and roaring past us were the sports cars on the Coupe des Alpes. Nearly all waved and encouraged us but we were slightly concerned, when the driver and navigator of one open top machine both raised both hands at once to salute us.

Quite a bit of shade, with the mountain between us and the sun on the first half of the climb was welcome. A few brief stops to eat and drink helped us along and Sheila decided a comfort stop was required when we were at the apex of one left hand hairpin.

Reaching Alpe d’Huez with its cafés and shops was great, but the bad news was that we had to carry on through still climbing because the TdF finish is a further 2km on up the Alpe, No matter, with the finish ‘in sight’ we were going well and shifted gear to pick up the pace.

Finally we crossed the line with Sheila, somewhat uncharacteristically, urging John to sprint. We checked the calendar again – Saturday morning 14th June 2014 again. Fantastic. A personal best that could not be bettered. Who wants to get into trivial detail like hours and minutes.

But for the record we finished in 2hrs including stops and we were not caught by any of our group.

Usual photos at the finish, including on the TdF stage finish podium which is left near the Alpe d’Huez finish line. As we had been on a tandem we shared the top step on the podium.

Watched some of our team mates come in then drifted back down to the village for a coffee.

Going back down was as exciting as ever, but we broke it up with photo stops and brake cooling down stops. Almost felt sorry for the steady stream of cyclists toiling up as we shot past in a blur.

Picnic lunch at the bottom then time to say au revoir to our team mates of the past week.

All in all a great morning out. About the same time as a regular Tuesday ride and we had fitted in coffee at the half way point. Just not sure that Lymington Tuesday cyclists would approve of a route variation that is an unrelieved steep climb to coffee?

PS. thought of buying a T shirt but could not see one that was tasteful enough.

Click on any photo to enlarge and scroll through
We seem to be in the right place
It is supposed to be a bit less steep from here?
Still going in the right direction
We might be a bit slow but adding this to the road sign is just rubbing it in
Going well with a smile for the official photographer
Three to go from here
A rather skimpy finish line but the board definitely says Arrivée
Sheila finished too, but it bit later than John
Sheila finished too, but it bit later than John
Arrivée TdF
On the podium - John being put in his place
Sharing the top podium step
Time to relax
Back into Alpe d'Huez centre for coffee
Back into Alpe d'Huez centre for coffee
Back into Alpe d'Huez centre for coffee
Pausing on the way back down
Pausing on the way back down
Pausing on the way back down
Pausing on the way back down
Some views out on the way back down
Some views out on the way back down
Some views out on the way back down

> DAY 11 FROM OUR BLOG and PHOTOS <

Day 1: Col de la Bataille (1,313m)
Day 2: Col de la Machine (1,015m),
Col de Carri (1,215m),
Tunnel des Grands Goulets (1710m long)
Day 3: Col de Preletang (1,267m)

Day 5: Avoriaz (1,800m)
Day 6: Col de la Colombière (1,618m Cat 1)

Day 7: Cormet de Roselend (1,968m  Cat 1)
Day 8: Col de la Madeleine (2,000m Cat HC)

Day 9: Col de la Croix de Fer (2,067m Cat HC),
Marmotte 1 - Col du Glandon (1,924m Cat HC)
Day 10: Marmotte 2 - Alpe d’Huez (1,860 Cat HC)
Day 11: Marmotte 3 - Col du Galibier (2,642m Cat HC),
Col du Lauteret (2,058m)

Day 12: Marmotte 4 - Col du Télégraphe (1,566m Cat 1)
Day 14: Tourism by car from Briançon
Day 15: Col d'Izoard (2,360m Cat HC)
Day 16: Mercantour 1 - Col de la Bonette (2,715m Cat HC),
La Bonette - highest point in Europe by road 2,802m

Day 17: Mercantour 2 - Touring in the Tinée Gorge
Day 18: Mercantour 3 - Col de la Cayolle (2,326 Cat HC)
More about Cycling Events on our other website cyclingnewforest.org
CONTACT US
Picture
BLOG
Picture
Picture

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.