So I'm thinking -- what cool place can I go to and relax from a long, hard, cold, wet, windy season? Ooh -- how about climbing mountains in Europe?! How does this one look?
This is Alpe d'Huez -- one of the most famous climbs featured in the Tour de France. It's 13.8 km long, features 21 switchbacks (but don't worry in Europe the switchback part is fairly flat, in the USA they are really STEEP in the switches), tops out at about 1130 m, and averages about 8%. OK that's kind of steep. There is a famous left hand turn and boom -- you're at 11%. Sounds fun huh?!
Each switchback is numbered (so you can count down your misery) and carries the name of a cyclist who won that particular stage of the Tour (it is always a summit finish as it's too hard/dangerous/narrow for the peloton to descend).
I mean come on -- doesn't that look relaxing? What a great vacation that would be. Blue sky, steep hills, wow.
When I train this winter this is what I'll envision:
But I'm afraid in reality it will look like this, or more likely much much slower and more painful!
http://steephill.tv/2006/alpe-d-huez/etape-du-tour-video.html
Ah -- I love vacation!
My knees and lungs hurt from just reading about this
ReplyDeleteVACATION?? And I'm whining 'cause Jim wants to raft down the Colorado River.
ReplyDeleteRainstorm in Indiana, nothing to it - bring on Europe :-)
ReplyDelete