The day started early with breakfast in the hotel at 5am. Nerves were definitely present judging by the amount of time it took me to force down half a baguette. Breakfast out the way and there was no more time to worry about kit selection or things to go wrong, it was time for Mark and I to saddle up.

We were staying in Alpe d'Huez so before we got to the start line in Bourg d'Oisans we first had to descend the Alpe. It was an awesome atmosphere descending down with hundreds of other riders just as dawn was breaking. Not really having any big mountain experience it was a good opportunity to experience a 'proper' descent. I followed the advice i was given at dinner the night before and followed the line of someone that looked like they know what they were doing! To my surprise i soon found a nice rhythm.

Once in our starting pen we had some time to size up the opposition (yeah right)! It was pretty clear that this ride attracts some pretty serious riders. Mark and i played a game of 'spot the non carbon frame' to pass the game, after about 45minutes i won one nil.

The Glandon

Before long we were finally off. Sheltered in a huge bunch the 12km to the base of the Glandon took no time at all. As soon as we hit the climb we settled into a nice steady rhythm consciously keeping our efforts as low as possible, unsure of how we'd react to a 22km climb. Lots of riders were passing us, making it tempting to push harder but we stuck to our plan and kept a steady pace. Finally we broke out of the trees and were soon on the summit, our first of four summits of the day. The feed station provided a bit of excitement as Mark got stung by a bee while trying to fish out a half eaten energy bar out of his jersey pocket. After a cheese baguette and a bit of time to recover from the sting we refilled the bidons and set off on the descent.

I'd read about the descent of the Glandon before we left. The first few km are very steep and technical and have been the cause of quite a few accidents (and unfortunately deaths) over the years. As a result the descent is neutralized from a time chip perspective to try to avoid people taking unnecessary risks. With a hint of apprehension we set off. By now the temperature was climbing and the danger of over heating the rims and bursting tyres was very real. Within the first few km i passed 4 ambulances scooping up crash victims, a chilling reminder of the consequences of getting this descent wrong.

While descending I heard about 5 tyres burst, one being right behind me. Each time there was a loud cracking sound as the tube exploded, followed twice by a worrying shout/scream/whale. Again following a good line was my plan, finding the right balance between riding safely and avoiding braking too much to keep the rims cool. After the first few km the gradient eased a bit and the descent was far less intense, even enjoyable!

The Telegraph

Next up was the second climb of the day, the Col de Telegraph. Again we settled back in to a nice rhythm and just ground away counting off the kilometers to the summit.

After the summit of the Telegraph we had a short 4km descent down to the feed station. This is where it started to go pear shaped. Worried about the Galibier to come I forced down as much food and drink as possible (a cheese baguette, banana, coke, energy drink, oranges). My stomach didn't thank me one bit and as soon as we rolled out onto the Galibier I had severe stomach cramps and felt incredibly sick. All the way up I just felt worse and worse. The temperature was now over 30 degrees and the lack of shelter on the climb was not helping my mood.

The Feeling ill bit / Galibier

I remember reading on some guys blog that La Marmotte doesn't really start until you reach Plan Lachet where the road kicks up for the final 8km to the summit. As we reached Lachet i understood where he must have been coming from. I felt sick, had stomach cramps and couldn't eat or drink anything. Conscious that i hadn't eaten or drank for far too long i couldn't do anything but keep pedaling and desperately not think about the road ahead. I knew if i stopped i'd be toast. I don't know how long that 8km took but it felt like days!

About 3km from the summit we finally saw the top (or what looked like it) which helped motivation to keep pedalling. By now i was in a bit of a state. My mouth was dry as hell and i was unable to think about anything apart from keeping my legs moving. Lots of people were walking by now.

The feed station at the top of Galibier was carnage. Gaunt, grey faced, lycra clad figures everywhere. I didn't need a mirror to see how bad i looked, i just had to look around me. A quick visit to the feed tent rewarded me with a hunk of bread and a quarter of a Camembert (not sure that was top of my stomachs list!). We took quite a while to force some food and drink down, conscious of the fact we had Alpe D'Huez to go and a bit of recovery time on the descent ahead to digest whatever we could eat.

The 45km descent back to Bourg d'Oisans was awesome. Not as technical as the Glandon it was time to have some fun and recover slightly. By now my confidence was high and we managed to maintain a fast pace all the way down, passing lots of riders. The scary bit was the tunnels half way down. All of a sudden you go from bight sunshine to black tunnel (some over 1km long) in a flash. The first one took me by surprise and I didn't have time to pull my sunnies down to the end of my nose. About 100m I thought 'oh i'll be ok, it's not too dark', but it soon got darker and darker. Even when i tipped my glasses down all i could make out as i peered over the top was a car about 100 meters ahead, i couldn't see any of the bikes around me which was quite frankly terrifying! The worst bit is you're still descending and picking up speed. All i could do was hang on for dear life, avoid any sudden movements or braking and hope for the best. Thankfully i reached the light at the end of the tunnel and learned my lesson to get the sunnies down early on the remaining tunnels.

Alpe D'Huez

That's probably the quickest 45km i've ever ridden. Before long we were back at the bottom of the Alpe. A quick refill of the bottles and it started. Still with a dodgy stomach and conscious of the fact the first 3-4km are said to be the steepest, we were keen to get the worst bit over and done with.

It's funny how when your're tired you make some stupid mistakes. I made a cracker......

....very quickly i was suffering big time. Looking down my heart rate was going through the roof. After just a couple of kilometers i was blowing up spectacularly. I was really struggling to stay with Mark at this point and couldn't understand how he was tapping out such a nice cadence. I battled on desperate for this first 4km to be over and the gradient to relent - it never did! Hanging onto his wheel for dear life as we passed quite a few riders I was in a world of pain. I was soon thinking about joining the many riders that had dismounted and were slowly trudging up the Alpe on foot, i wasn't going to make it. Then, on hairpin 17, i looked down and saw it - i'd been riding on the big ring since the bottom! I quickly flicked to the little ring, caught up with Mark and deliriously told him what an idiot i was. I'm not sure he understood what i was blathering on about as by now there was silence on the mountain - deep concentration, no chat, just heavy breathing as everyone was immersed in the private battles to make it to the top. From then on it was a matter of counting down the hairpins and fighting the demons inside until finally we entered the village of Alpe d'Huez.

Crossing the line was a great feeling. Exhausted and feeling sick i was unable to talk for about 15 minutes.

As many had told me, you can't train for a ride like this in the UK. Despite the pain it was a great day and an epic ride. If you want a challenge this ride will definitly give you what you're looking for, and some!

Stats:
174km, 9hrs and 15 mins (excluding stops), 5km ascent, 3 (yes only 3) fig rolls.

James K, 2011.