Wednesday, July 14, 2010
L'Alpe de Huez
This legendary climb was a lot harder than I had anticipated...we stayed at top and so saw the whole climb first...then had ro descend to bottom and begin ascent ... The first section is very steep but the switchbacks (21) are at least a mental crutch...tried not to stop as legs would tighten up...felt pretty good, but I was trying to imagine the pace Lance kept up to do it in 44 minutes...passed a lot of people and was passed by a seemingly equal number.. There was only one short level area otherwise just up...last section very steep...personal best time: 1:29, which included maybe 2 minutes or less of water filling, fueling, wondering what I was doing slogging up this steep climb, etc...sone good gear for sale at top...had pesto with tagliatelli and a salad...we then were scheduled to do Crois de Fer but it was hot and I was a little nauseous so I bailed, later regreting it given the beautiful climb and fearing the ridicule of the Engine....
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2 comments:
Put that one at the top of your resume. A fitting denouement to your comeback year. It's the home stretch so savor it all.
Congrats Paul, you conquered a benchmark, a name you can drop into any conversation -- "Yes, I so happy to hear about Johnny's baptism, but I was just thinking about my ascent of the Alpe de Huez." Ditto on Phil's comment, an exclamation point on your comeback -- that's a reason for doing these climbs -- to stomp on any lingering doubts.
George
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