Riding Alpe D'Huez

Never mind replicating the gradient and altitude, the toughest bit will be replicating Dutch Corner!

Went on a MTB holiday to Bourg d'Oisans back in 1996.

We used to ride up the Alpe do a bit of mountain biking on the plateau on the top and then descend back down to Bourg d'Oisans via various off road routes. We must have rode it eight or nine times in a fortnights holiday.

It's not harder than any other alpine climb. From what I remember the first couple of bends ramp up a bit and from then onwards it's a steady spin.

The gradient's like going from Glossop to the top of the Snake Pass in the Peak District.

The hardest thing to replicate climbing any of the big alpine climbs in the UK is the time that you are climbing. The gradients generally are not as severe, it's just a case of picking a gear and spinning - think turbo training with stunning scenery.

I agree with what most of the people are saying here. You can't replicate the hills in the UK. We just don't have the mountains. The closest thing I've been on while doing the Ride Across Britain was Shapp Fell.

I was in the Pyrenees this time last year, but the climbing is very different (there's a useful article in the Cyclist coming out this month which I will paraphrase). Here we have short climbs of roughly 80-200m. The gradients are usually between 8-20% and so push you into the red zone quite quickly at times. The Alpen and Pyrenean ascents are usually flatter/more consistent. It's important that you can tap out a rhythm on the bike at just under your threshold, so NEVER attack the hills, they will get you. You don't want to burn out on km 1 when you have 14-22km to go. Sit in relax and try to enjoy the view. It's about riding within yourself.

In terms of training, doing Shapp Fell is a good idea if you are up that way. I would otherwise try to make sure you do 1,500m of climb on your rides or so. I don't remember the altitude getting to me, but it's about having the strength/power to just mill the miles out. I didn't worry about my power to weight ratio, but then again I just wanted to get up the mountains.

BIG TIP: temperatures at the bottom and top of the mountain vary massively. You will be hot as hell going up and cold as a polar bears chilly bits going down. You need to make sure you have a long-sleeve windstopper jersey, and maybe some leg-warmers and/or arm warmers. Thin full-fingered gloves can be a boon (nothing too thick, but just to give you protection from wind chill on the fast descents). It does depend a lot on the time of year, but don't underestimate this. Chances are you'll probably stop at the top to take pictures, where you'll get cold, and then get the benefit of super cool winds on descents you don't need to ever pedal on.....if you don't ride with glasses, get some.

I've been to the Pyrenees twice, I did (most of) the circle of death last summer. It is about being able to keep going, the climbs don't let up. It is hard to get the sense of the climbing in the UK, there's nothing like them here, except the very north of Scotland and even then it's still lower. So a 25 mile TT as AndyP suggests is a good equivalent. I'm just starting thesufferfest intermediate training programme, as a way of packing in a bit more structured training mid week. 60-90 minutes of interval training twice a week on a turbo watching UCI races, plus rides outside too. Three sessions of intervals some weeks. I loved it in the Pyrenees, cycling in France is great fun.
I'm off to the Oisans too in August, hoping it'll not be completely baking and I get to do Alpe D'Huez and the Col du Galibier too. Hope you have fun in July

I can remember searching with exactly that sort of question before I first took on the Alpe - it's understandable and the answers that everyone is giving are quite honest - you just cannot find anywhere in the UK that replicates the Alpe......

but you've mentioned the Wizard climb out of Alderley Edge - okay, so having thought about it that's not a bad example - the steepest bits like the first bit of the climb out of the town and the last bit before cresting en route to the Wizard are about as steep as it gets, however, the first 1.5 miles or so are at that level (up til around hairpin 4)

the rest of the climb has a gradient steeper than the majority of the Edge climb but they are manageable if you use the outside of the hairpins to recover a bit - but you'll effectively feel like you are riding up a climb like the Edge for 60 - 90 minutes depending on fitness (plus the altitude plus the heat - it was 85 the first time I climbed)

Finally - okay, it's not an easy climb - get you're gearing right and don't worry one jot about wifli/triples etc (I had a snake like local in club jersey sprint past me with a triple) - you will probably use every available gear you have (quickly) - then it's just a case of finding a rhythm (pedal and breathing) giving in/digging in and keeping going - count the hairpins down (once you're down to 10 to go you are going to make it) and read the road grafitti (then remember how lucky we are to be involved in a sport where for nowt we can share the same sporting arenas as the professionals)

Apart from probably suffering with the heat I think you may be 'pleasantly' surprised. If you can do the steepest of our homegrown mountains, the alpe will provide a welcome change with pretty constant inclines - much easier to get into a good rhythm. Conquor the steep stuff here and the Alpe wont beat you, it's no more than a (very) long (very) hot hill climb.

I'm with Andy P on the intensity side of things. Make sure you can train in zone 4 four a couple of hours and you'll be fine. I did ventoux last year and did lots of hill climbing in the peak district, lake district and exmoor. All those 25%-30%+ hills hurt more than ventoux. I also did plenty of high intensity TT efforts which hurt more than climbing ventoux.

After all that training ventoux was disappointing in both the effort required (a good reflection on my training) and the entire experience (a bad reflection on my choice of mountain - ventoux is such a dull mountain!).

Think AndyP was referring to a 25 mile TT.

I'm desperate to do a proper Alpine or Pyrenean climb. Hopefully this summer...

You don't need to replicate altitude. It's only 1400-odd metres.
You just need to be able to ride hard without letup for around an hour. A 25 would do it.

One other thing to note about trying to replicate the alpe, even hill repeats don't come close due to the respite on the descents

'it's probably impossible to replicate the AdH intensity in the UK'

it's very easy to replicate the intensity and the effort required. Just not the hill itself....

If you do the final one mile of climbing up Winter Hill, from Rivington over towards Belmont direction, 8 times, you'll have done Alpe d'Huez climb distance [about 8 miles] and roughly half the ascent [about 2,500ft].

Or, another way, do it 16 times, and you'll have done the right ascent, but twice the distance.

Of course, the one mile descent/recovery is way more generous than a hairpin breather!

Basically: it's probably impossible to replicate the AdH intensity in the UK. But doing this sort of thing I'm sure helped me with my Marmotte ride. Put 16 stones in your pocket and throw one out each time you get to the top. You will lose count after a while!

3 words
IT WILL HURT!

I tried practising in s Wales taking in the rhigos and bwlch but nothing on these shores will prepare you for your first alpine climb , especially if it's the alpe!

Great Dun Fell is the nearest thing you will find around the NW. Traffic-free and smooth tarmac. Glorious.