trip to the alp d'huez

[simon.r]

Stayed here a few years ago and I'd recommend it: http://www.camping-piscine.com/ We were with Keycamp (or similar), staying in a static caravan. There's a lovely flat ride along a river to Bourg D'Oisans, virtually at the base of Alpe D'Huez.

 

[reacher]

thanks , i think your right its the steepest part thats marked as the gradient , all booked now so all i have to do is train hard , compact it is then , better to be on the safe side going on what your saying , i'v tried the two set ups on very small climbs here and its certainly a good way to tackle hills ,

 

[jdtate101]

I'm going out for the Marmotte and will be taking a 50/34 with 11-28. I suspect the 28 will only get used at the end of the day on Alpe D'Huez, but it's my get out of jail gear.

 

[reacher]

we are going to do the galibier as well , the bike came with a compact 50x34 and a 12 x 25 , which i will be taking off after the trip to fit a standard chain set , i tried the 25 out on a few climbs , its a very easy gear , evan on a 15 to 17 %

 

[reacher]

having said that it looks a very hard climb now i have looked it up , compared to the alp d'huez how much more difficult approx would the galibier be ?

 

[thom]

having said that it looks a very hard climb now i have looked it up , compared to the alp d'huez how much more difficult approx would the galibier be ?

Depends on which you approach. If you go up the Lauteret from Bourg d'Oisans, that is a long steady if slightly uninspiring ride to the Lauteret. After that you turn left and it gets more spectacular and harder for around an hour, with the last couple of km to the Galibier's top quite hard. Have lunch at the Lauteret cafe and it'll be great though - in fact, the existence of the cafe at the Lauteret is one thing to bear in mind in if the weather looks variable.
Going from Valloire, I think the Galibier is harder, much harder if you include the Telegraphe too.
There are great reviews of the cols here : http://www.cycling-challenge.com/map-of-french-and-swiss-alps-cycling-climbs/
with profiles, pictures etc.
There are also nicer rides around Bourg d'Oisans than the conventional route up the Alpe in my opinion.
Going up the Col de Sarenne through the nature reserve and descending to Alpe d'Huez is great. Riding the balcony route above the river is cool, as is going up the other side of the valley (which is really quiet).

Enjoy - I always rode around there with a compact even though the roads rarely go over 9%. The point is they just keep on going - spinning is your friend.
The first ramp of the Alpe is the steepest - just go dead slow up it and the next few until you are warmed up - you won't regret the feeling of having power to spare later on.

 

[oldfatfool]

we are going to do the galibier as well , the bike came with a compact 50x34 and a 12 x 25 , which i will be taking off after the trip to fit a standard chain set , i tried the 25 out on a few climbs , its a very easy gear , evan on a 15 to 17 %

ime even 25% gradients for 200 - 300 yds are a lot easier than 6~9% for 19km

 

[lulubel]

ime even 25% gradients for 200 - 300 yds are a lot easier than 6~9% for 19km

That's true, but it's where gear selection (and available gears) becomes so important. With the right gear, 6-9% for 19km doesn't need to be any harder than riding on the flat for the same amount of time.

 

[theloafer]

+1 for what thom says.... Depends on which you approach. If you go up the Lauteret from Bourg d'Oisans, that is a long steady if slightly uninspiring ride to the Lauteret. After that you turn left and it gets more spectacular and harder for around an hour, with the last couple of km to the Galibier's top quite hard

did this one in 2009 awesome climb stunning view once you take the turn at Lauteret a few pic are in my albums i missed out on doing alp d'huez

 

[Ride The Legends]

You can fly to Geneva and catch a bus to Grenoble, there are 4-5 of them (http://www.aerocar.fr/en/schedules-fares/grenoble/). From Grenoble bus station there are buses every 2 hrs approximately to Bourg d´Oisans, which is at the foot of the Alpe d´Huez. I would recommend you stay there, it is a nice village and straight at the foot of the Alpe, great cycling atmosphere, plus it also allows you to climb Les Deux Alpes (you have to ride 7 kms to the foot of the climb from Bourg) and La Croix de Fer (20 kms to the foot of the climb from Bourg), or even to venture a bit further to Lautarets, Galibier or La Madeleine. Bourg d´Oissans is really the best place to stay. The Alpe d´Huez itself is quite a hard climb, but not the hardest. Probably the very first kilometer is the worst in incline and also because it is totally straight. Because you have the 21 hairpins, that helps break up the climb and makes it easier to climb. We climb the Alpe in our tours (http://ridethelegends.com/), normally after the Telegraphe and Galibier, but we are going there next in 2014, 2013 we are doing only Pyrenees (http://ridethelegends.com/routes/)

 

[Ride The Legends]

On the Galibier vs Alpe d´Huez, the Galibier is not too bad from the Bourg d´Oisans side. Because you climb Lautarets before, it is very long, but the real hard climbing is only the last 8 kms, when you turn left at Lautarets. I would say the Alpe is maybe slightly harder. The Galibier is a different story from the other side, though, specially from St Michel du Maurienne. If you start there, you go up Col du Telegraphe and Col du Galibier, which are linked by a 2-3 kms descent which is only really enough to drink and eat, and the whole climb is 32 kms. It is brutal, much harder than the Alpe d´Huez (of course, how hard depends on how fast you go and on your gear selection, but that length of climb with that incline is very hard anyways. Pedro Delgado, Tour winner in 1988 and the top climber of his time, considers the Telegraphe/Galibier as the hardest climb in professional cycling. Of course, Galibier is much higher than Alpe d´Huez, so you also have to contend with much thinner air, which adds to the difficulty. The views from the top or Galibier, specially toward Lautarets, and the descent on either side, make it worth getting to the top, though! You can read a bit of analysis of these climbs on this page: http://ridethelegends.com/routes/#tabs-1