The Alps - Alpe d'Huez

Wednesday 23rd June 2009 - Ascent of Alpe d'Huez

Statistics

Distance - 45km

Altitude - 6012ft

Ascent - 3737ft (over 14km)

Max gradient - 14%

Avg gradient - 8%

This was the big one ...................... a mecca for cyclists. Even as we cycled from the campsite along the valley floor to the foot of Alpe d'Huez in the village of Bourg d'Oisans, it was like a scene from the movie 'Stepford wives' as all the road cyclists made their way in the early sunshine to one of the most famous climbs on the Tour de France circuit.

Early pain was experienced as you try to crane your kneck upwards seeking out the village of Alpe d'Huez nearly four thousand feet above you to be covered in less than 10 miles.

Marco Pantani set the record for the climb in 1995 at 37 mins 35 seconds. ( The service bus takes 40 minutes!) An enjoyable climb will be a successful result and Pantani can rest easy his record is safe!

There was little or no wind as the first climb approached. Each of the 21 hairpin bends is numbered with the names of previous tour stage winners. Lance Armstrong is the first name on bend 21 for his 2001 victory. ( The bends count down to let you know you are getting closer!)

Alpe d'Huez first featured in 1952 when a local hotel owner convinced tour organisers to visit. It was 20 years before it reurned however has hardly missed a year since.

From bends 21 to 17 the climb is at its steepest at around 12/13% with the distance between bends at its shortest. After bnd 17 the gradient eases to a mere 8 - 10% until near the end.

After bend 21 I was passed by a fellow 'Trekkie' on his 2009 version of the Madone which had been fitted with a triple ring. He is spinning at a rate of knots a 78 rpm long playing record could have been banging our a tune. This does not seem like long term plan.

Mrs Bigman encouraged me to go for it. As I have been looking forward to this particular mountain, I did not have to be invited twice to burn some rubber in a measured way. The guide books advise you should leave some energy in the tank for the later stages. My fellow Trekkie was wound in and soon passed as he continued to spin at Vera Lynn pace. He puts up a 20 yard sprint however this energy is spend faster than a 10 euro note in a french coffee shop.

I opted for the steady cadence and allow the gradient to dictate the pace. The scenery is awesome ............. the road above looks terrifying. You never seem to see the whole story ahead as the road twists and turns keeping the next switchback secret until you have earned the right through gaining the height to tick off another bend. The tree lined route brings a range of aroma including the scent of burning clutches from the regular flow of tourist cars buses and lorries making the climb to the village.

One such driver, of a cement mixer heading down, clearly pursues a pastime of rally driving at the weekends evidenced by the attempt at accelarating out of a corner. Ordinarily this might be interesting to watch on TV however I had a front ringseat and had visions of mounting the Bataglin in a truckers trophy sort of way on the front of his cab. This is the type of road people don't get a chance to learn from their mistakes if they misjudge a corner.

It is a matter of balancing pace with stamina, The guide book states max gradient of 14% however you have no indication of whether you have passed it or whether it has still to come. Around bend number 9 you break out through the treeline and the fruits of your labours are laid out below you as the road twists and snakes spilling itself down the side of the mountain to the valley floor with the village of Bourg d'Oisans visble in the photograph below the cliff face.

As you approach each corner, the previous winners are named. It is surreal to think icons of the cycling world have cycled this bend having already done 150km and doing it much faster. At the village of Huez, 6km from the top, bystanders encourage sweating, panting, cyclists as they pass by with shouts ao Allez, Allez, Allez!

As you passed bend number 3, a professional photographer encourages you to smile in a, this is no problem and I am having fun, sort of way. And then you can return your face to contorted wrinkles resembling the 21 squiggly bends printed on 'Alpe d'Huez - I done it' T shirts. At bend 3, you have just 3 kilometres to go and the ski village is visible above your head. Compared to what you have just climbed, it is nothing. however the past is history and you still have several hundred feet to climb. Close is not success. You just have to focus. As you turn around bend 1 the road reaches up to a 12% gradient in one last effort to beat your will. And then you arrive, passing through a corridor of cafes, on the only flat section for 10 miles and then the finishing line is there before your eyes.

The village is bustling with crowds of fellow cyclists each wearing the same sort of smile from ear to ear. This is a village full of smiley people already re-writing their tale of how brilliant they were on the day they ascended Alp d'Huez.

Mrs Bigman is one of those claiming a personal triumph as she crossed the line to climb her highest ever peak.

What a day.

After suitable refreshments, the decent brings a new perspective, wearing a pemanent ' Am I not brilliant' smile as you pass the ascending kindred spirits.

My climb time was 73 minutes to complete the climb. I am happy with that time but ........................

I will be back to tame this alpine beast.