Climbing Alpe d'Huez

After years of watching the Tour de France, and wondering about the challenges they faced, I got the opportunity, in a very small way, to experience for myself what it must be like to take on a portion of a mountain stage.

Perhaps one of the most famous mountain stages in the Tour is Alpe d'Huez. Its a one way trip, via 21 mythic switchbacks, up to the top of a ski resort town in the French Alps. It has been the setting of many epic cycling battles, and on Wednesday, for my 36th birthday, I got the opportunity to ride to the top!

Clearly, I was riding more for the pleasure / experience, but because I knew many would ask, I used my Garmin to capture the stats on the ride. I rode a ??? mile flat to warm up my legs for the climb. Including that flat, here were my ride statistics.

• Distance: 10.74 miles
• Time: 1:09:42
• Average Moving Speed: 9.4 mile per hour
• Max Speed: 27 (on the flat road warming up)
• Elevation Gain: 3,428 ft
• Avg Heartrate: 155 bpm
• Max Heartrate: 167 bpm
• Calories: 854
• Feeling: AWESOME!!!

Here are the details: Alpe d'Huez by joeporter at Garmin Connect - Details

I love coming around the switchbacks... ticking off the 21, one at a time!

Amazing views

GREAT support and documentation by Debbie (THANKS!)

The view from the top: