Alpe D’huez triathlon & Tour de France (french Alps)
Back in Markham after spending 3 weeks in france…
As part of my business and pleasure, i went in Alpe d’Huez to participate a cycling camp, preparing the Alpe d’huez triathlon end of July.
1 week prior to the tri, the tour de france was stopping by and i had the chance to view the racers cycling up the famous 21 switchbacks of the Alps d’huez climb. Was great, yet not as great as it was when i was a kid….lot’s of people but not as popular as it used to be. I guess the doping issues/troubles around cycling have caused lot’s of dammges in people interests for this sport.
Anyway…My plan - before heading there- was to enter the long distance race (2.2k/115k/22k) but i quickly realized that with only the Muskoka tri and Perterborough 1/2 IM races i participated before, i didn’t load enough mileage on the bike…especially no mountain at all. therefore i signedup for the short distance triathlon. It consisted of 1.2k swim in the freezy (16oC!) water retention of a dam, then a 30km bike ride that includes the tough & famous Alpe D’huez climb, and finally a 7km run at the top of Alpe d’huez (2000m), a mix of road and trail runs.
the race went well for me. Fiish in the middle of the pack, as usual. Just a little bit of cramps at the exit of the swim, probably due to the cold water. I practiced the climb before so the bike went as expected. Run was also fine even if i didn’t really enjoy it as the trail was quite unstable and hilly.
The particularity of the triathlons in france is that they start in the afternoon (for the short distance races) so our race started a 2pm. The temperature was around 32oc with no wind. This affected may triathletes biking up the switchbacks.
Overall the experience was great. I recommend this race for athletes sekking something differents than the flat races we have around here. This suggests though that you ride a road bike with at least a compact crank or triple. YOur fast and shiny tribike will be useless there!
Dave Smith said,
August 28, 2008 @ 12:55 pm
I would like to attend some events in France between October and December. These may include Triathlons, marathons, road bike races, mountain bike comps - any ideas where I can find out suitable events?
John Yip said,
August 28, 2008 @ 3:50 pm
Laurent - I can only imagine what it felt climbing in the Alps with not enough mileage on the legs. I can also see how absolutely stunning it must be to do a tri at that location. 16C cold? Come on?! Tell the guys who did the World Champs that 16C is cold! lol
Laurent Saugrin said,
August 28, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
Well John, perhaps next year you’ll get a package from me to try the tiathlon there. But with such a fitness or yours, i’ll enter you into the long distance race!! also you’re right about the water temperature… sometime i forget that in a warm 16oC water, a tatooed canadian will dive without wetsuit!!! i think i best get use to the cold water temperature if i go to Escape of Alcatrez next year, anyway….
Dave, at this time of the year, it’s much likely the off season in france. Not sure you can find a lot of races, except perhaps in the south along the french riviera. If you read french, go to www.guidathlon.com. A friend of mine keeps the calendar up to date with all the tri, duathlon, raid races, run+bike events. Now ff you want, i can look around for you and keep you posted