John and Craig took on Alpe D’Huez

The legendary Alpe D’Heuz, We asked John and Craig what it is like
after their visit.

If you like to climb this should be on the top of your bucket list. Its adrenaline and calm, a psychological rollercoaster from the start and all the time I am thinking of the race effort from the TDF, the fans, the famous bends, the noise, the bikes I pass, the bikes that glide past me, my legs and the beer or coffee at the top. It is simply amazing in every respect and we are glad we had this experience.

I started cycling about 3 years ago just before lockdown and I remember very early on getting hooked on the buzz of reaching the top of a climb. Watching the Tour de France, and the Giro it was hard to imagine the suffering involved compared to our local Bellewstown. I decided for my 40th birthday I would make the effort to climb Alpe D’Heuz along with a number of other climbs in the area but the Alpe was the main feat.
Myself and Craig set off on the 15th of September 2022 with the aim to climb
Alpe D’Heuz on the 16th of September.

We flew direct from Dublin to Lyon.
Rented a car and made our way to Bourg D’Oisans, a  2 hour drive but a
great road all the way from the airport. Comfortable Airbnb and we were set up.
This small village is quiet in September, an ideal time really as the
temptation to be out late is removed and also the temperature is perfect (specially
for us Irish folks anywhere from 10 - 20 degrees). September is the calm before
the ski storm and just after the Cycling madness, most restaurants and bars are
closed shops by 8pm but nothing wrong with this when you know what’s ahead of
your following day.

I remember the morning of our planned
Alpe climb waking up, Breakfast and coffee and looking out the window to see a
blanket of dark cloud and it looked like guaranteed rain. My motivation went
out the window and up the Alpe. We soon realised that one of our bike rental
stores was in the town Heuz which is at the top of the climb so whether we
liked to or not we had to drive the climb, collect a bike and return to our
apartment before cycling Alpe D’heuz. This worked out for the best even though
at the time it seemed like work.

We drove the entire Alpe in first
gear, The first half rained and then it was the bluest sky. We literally drove
through the clouds to one of the best bike stores in Huez. One the way down the
clouds cleared and we got such a lift of energy we could not wait to get on the
bikes - compare this to driving the first 3km up, I thought we were insane.
Driving 11% for 3 km and a further 7km knowing you are going back down to get
on a bike is daunting to say the least.

We got back to Bourg, 3km test with
the bikes and then proceeded to cycle less than 1km to be graced by cycling’s
most iconic mountain, Alpe d’Huez. The climb is 13.2km long with an average
gradient of 8.1%. The climb starts at an altitude of 744m and rises to 1,815m —
a total ascent of 1,071m.

The first 3km sends all sorts through
your head. 11% requires some effort and you are trying to think of 3km of this
and hoping that 8% feels easy afterwards. The bike was incredible and built for
climbing 34 on the front and 34 on the back. You put in the hours training for
this , the sun is shining, the bike is A+ - what can go wrong, keep your head,
keep smiling, it is only 1 hour.. Be Cool

When you have your doubts, you look
for anything to distract you, anything. 

The bends feel like respite, each
one signed with a number as you look for relief on the outside. You know them
all so well from apps like Zwift and Rouvy. They give you a short relief and
then on again to the next, stand up, sit down, count your pedal strokes, chat
to Craig but its not until you get high enough and have the opportunity to look
down that it hits home. The view over Bourg D’Oisans is amazing, looking up is
suddenly amazing. The entire place becomes other worldly and for a bit you
forget about climbing

As the hairpins disappeared the
village of Huez became visible. Riders on their way down yelled encouragement.
The last three hairpins are tough with the gradient at over 10% once again.
Making that final turn into Huez is a relief, an accomplishment and just
superb.

The road through Huez is full of
cyclists, pedestrians, cafes, pubs and the odd bike shops. We had a coffee,
took some photographs on top of a podium and made our way back to Bourg.

We took in a number of climbs that
week including the breathtaking Galibier among many others over 3 days of
cycling.

We went to Bourg d’Oisans to Climb
Alpe D’heuz and I will give it 10 out of 10. It is amazing and deserves all
that the tour sings. I hope to go back soon and would highly recommend it for
all who cycle.

John and Craig.