Neil’s Story
Ask most triathletes what are the races that they consider to be among the most iconic triathlons across the globe, and you’ll find that, along with Lanzarote Ironman, Escape from Alcatraz, Challenge Roth and Hawaii Ironman, there will be the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon. This relative newcomer to the calendar is a challenging and unforgiving race which, if not paced well, will come back and bite you hard in the chamois.
The race starts with a 2.2k swim at an elevation of 700m in the Lac du Verney reservoir. This reservoir powers France’s largest hydroelectric power station: thankfully, the power station was switched off on race day! The bike course is 118k and includes two major climbs over the Col de L Alpe du Grand Serre (1375m) and the Col d Ornon (91371m) before taking on the iconic ascent of Alpe d’Huez complete with its 21 hairpin turns. If all this wasn’t punishing enough, the hilly 20k run takes place at 1860m altitude, making running feel like breathing through a straw.
This year Peak XV Tri Coaching had two athletes taking on the challenge, Dan and our Canadian representative Neil. This is Neil’s story.
The Swim
I figured I would take the swim relatively easy as my swim fitness was not where it should have been, so I intended to make sure I didn’t burn too many matches early on in what would be a long day out! The swim was a mass start and soon descended into pure chaos as I hadn’t positioned myself to the side early enough and ended up in the middle of a giant washing machine, which I hated.
After a few hundred meters, things thinned out a little, and I just focused on breathing and maintaining a relaxed stroke. It wasn’t too long before we reached the first turn buoy (very odd that they had no other buoys to sight off the whole swim), swam a couple of hundred meters across the lake and then headed back towards the shore. I was pleasantly surprised to notice a lot of swimmers still heading in the opposite direction, so perhaps my swim fitness wasn’t as bad as I had feared. The rest of the swim passed without drama except for the usual challenge of navigating past those swimmers who can’t seem to swim in a straight line!
The swim was completed in 43.35 and I finished 44th out of 192 in my age group. I took my time in T1 applying sun cream and ensuring I was ready for the challenge ahead.
The Bike
Take it easy, take it easy, take it easy…that was my mantra for the first part of the bike, so I kept a close eye on my power meter to hopefully make sure I would have plenty of energy left for the final climb of the day The first 25km is downhill and therefore quick. I resisted the urge to try and race the weaker swimmers/good cyclists who came motoring past either as individuals or as a part of large pelotons. I would stick to my race plan and see them later on the slopes of Alpe d’Huez.
The day’s first climb was the Grande Serre, which is long and steep in places. Thankfully it provided some shade from the increasingly hot sun. I took it easy for almost the entire climb in the smallest gear. I enjoyed riding this awesome climb, one of the day’s highlights. At the summit of the climb, I stopped at the aid station, which was different than I was used to. You had to literally stop, dismount and head to the feeding station to take food on. This would play out throughout the day as I spent a lot of time getting food, adding energy powder to drinks, etc.
In hindsight, I could have managed this whole process better. Going down this mountain was a blast – the best part of the day! I kept the power low in the sections between the climbs and paid attention to eating and drinking. As the day progressed, the temperature rose until it was in the high 20s without a cloud in the sky, and apart from the first climb offered very little shade.
The second climb was minimal and didn’t register as much of a climb in comparison; again, I took it easy and controlled my effort. The climb up Col d’Ornon was deceptive. It started at a low gradient, flattened out, and then started climbing gradually again. It continued like this for a while before the climb really kicked up. It wasn’t a challenging climb, but I still found myself in my smallest gear, attempting to keep my power output low. I reached the top, and the toll the heat was causing became apparent. A few people were cooling off by stretching out under the shade of the trees, others had stopped at the aid station to take on food and drinks, and a medic was helping one person. I briefly stopped to apply more sun cream before heading down another fun descent.
Climbing Alpe d’Huez
Before I knew it, Alpe d’Huez loomed large, and I approached it with respect and not a little trepidation. The first three hairpin bends were tough, and I was grinding out my smallest gear at low cadence/low power, basically trying to stick with the other cyclists around me. This was not what I had planned for or expected. I had saved my legs deliberately (I thought) and did not expect to struggle so early on the lower slopes. The climb ebbed and flowed between hard and crazy hard, and it wore me out mentally.
I stopped for a moment to get myself in a better place and then again to stand under running water in an effort to cool down. I got to the mountain base at about 5hrs with an expectation of climbing in about 90min, so all was on track, but now I was pedalling squares and going nowhere with no power, which was demoralising. With nearly 6-7 corners remaining, I was standing to get some relief from all the sitting when my left quad seized up. Shortly after, I felt my hamstring pull. I spent the next five minutes trying to stretch out but knew I couldn’t stand out of the saddle again. The rest of the ride was dark, as I barely moved up the climb. Finally, I made it to the summit. My legs did not feel good, and being unable to stand and stretch put me in much discomfort. I walked through transition, took time to change socks, recuperate for a couple of minutes and headed out onto the run.
I don’t know why I cracked so badly on the climb, heat? poor bike rental fit, fitness, nutrition, all the above? It was so disappointing to have felt good early on and then fall apart like I did. I finished the bike 108th out of 192.
The Run
It was never going to be pretty running a hilly 20k at altitude, even before the discomfort of the final climb. My right leg would not ease off and loosen, so for the first 3k, I could not run and was reduced to a slow walk. I had visions of having to walk for 3-4 hours and decided many times that this was to be my last long-distance race, a thought which also had occurred to me several times on Alpe d’Huez. Finally, I began to feel ok and could progress from a jog to a shuffle and then to a run, but I was still reduced to walking parts of the course.
I had set myself a target of running 7min per km, which seemed ridiculously conservative before the race but was now a best-case target. I managed to run some km below that pace whilst others were above (usually with aid stations); I could not run much of the downhill section as my stomach was also now causing me concern.
Each footstep was painful, and I couldn’t get this pain to subside. After every lap, a marshal would give out a wristband to identify who should finish leading to “band envy: at those competitors with two bands! Aside from a few sips of water, I gave up trying to eat or drink anything in the last 40min as I didn’t want to upset my stomach further.
I finally reached the finishing chute and experienced perhaps the most gratifying finish I’ve ever experienced. I was very glad to have completed the race and proud to have overcome the pain and discomfort to reach the finish line. I finished the run 75th out of 192 starters and 99th overall for my Age group.
Final reflection: Stupidly, I’d like to do the race again to see if I could do better!
Coaches’ Perspective
Training for Alpe D’Huez
Having competed in the inaugural Alpe D’Huez triathlon in 2006 and coached several athletes across the finish line over the past three years, I have come to appreciate what a uniquely challenging race it is not only to complete but also to train for.
The Swim
The swim is relatively straightforward to prepare for. You will need to complete a few cold-water swim sessions, working on open-water skills such as navigation and sighting. Considering where you will position yourself on race day is also helpful.
Another factor that might affect your swim is the sun’s position; it is helpful to have different lenses if the sun is low, making sighting difficult. As with all races, walking through the transition area and making sure you can find your bike easily after the swim will save you both time and nervous energy!
The Bike
The biggest issue from a training perspective is being able to replicate such long ascents. Certainly, in the UK, you will struggle to find climbs with similar distances and gradients. Even the Lake District or the peaks of Derbyshire pale into insignificance compared to the three Alpine climbs that this triathlon presents.
Hill reps can play their part in training, but completing so many reps to replicate the Alpine climbs would test even the most dedicated athlete. What goes up must come down, which is true of the climbs. Descending skills are often overlooked in training.
The ability to safely descend quickly can make a big difference to your overall finishing time. Once again, it is impossible to find mountains in the UK that offer the chance to train to develop those descending skills.
One of the most common errors when training for this bike course is underestimating how hard it will be. When it comes to training, one of the lessons that my athletes and I have learned is to train for the bike as if it is an Ironman despite only being 118k
The Run
There are few triathlons which are run at an altitude of 1800m. In 2006, I remember the shock of starting the run section and feeling like I could not breathe. It was like trying to run competitively whilst breathing through a straw.
Since that first Alpe d Huez, the run has become even more challenging with the addition of longer and steeper climbs during the 20k. In terms of training, it is possible to replicate those climbs if you live in a hilly region; what is impossible to replicate is the experience of running at altitude unless you have the luxury of either being able to sleep in an altitude tent or the time to get to the race venue early enough to acclimatise naturally.
The one thing that will help on race day is to expect to feel terrible and accept that this is part of the experience and that most other athletes are also suffering!
In summary, Alpe d Huez is a very special race that earns its place among the ‘must-do” races in the triathlon calendar. As challenging as it is, the rewards make all the pain and suffering worthwhile, amazing views, exhilarating descents, and the chance to take on one of the most iconic climbs in cycling.
If you would like to book an informal chat to explore how we can help you achieve your goals and ambitions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Coach Prosser
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