Triathlon Alpe d’Huez – to coś więcej niż tylko wyścig, to legenda! Przygotowania, stres, emocje – wszystko to prowadzi do chwili, kiedy stajesz na starcie gotowy zmierzyć się z wyzwaniem. Prawdziwie wymagającym wyzwaniem, którego trud w ogromnej mierze rekompensują okoliczności przyrody w jakich przychodzi startować podczas tych zawodów. Czytaj dalej, aby poznać relację jednego z zawodników, który pokonał słynne 21 zakrętów na Alpe d’Huez i stanął na starcie legendarnego triathlonu. Oto historia Harrego:
Race report-Alpe d’Huez L Triathlon
I’d always thought the L stood for Long, but no, a Belgian at my Hôtel breakfast indicated that it stood for Legend! Yikes! What had I gotten myself in for over breakfast at Warszawianka back in 2023.
Two days prior to race day I freewheeled down 3 of the 21 famous bends of the Alpe with the aim of riding back up. On the turn back up the quick link binding my chain sheared off under the pressure so I had to walk up to the nearest bike shop. At least I was able to visualise the final 3 bends!
It was a great relief to connect with the TriClub team over supper two days before race day, calm prevailed, and it was just a question of getting to the start line.
Bike park at T1 was organised by nationality so it was good chatting with the few Brits, all experienced with many Ironmans under their belts, as many female athletes as men getting their wetsuits on. I brought a bottle of warm water to pour down the front to get some insulation warmth.
The swimtook place in 16 degree cold water but it didn’t take long to settle in to the out and back course. Trouble was there were no intermediate buoys, so I sighted on a hillside landmark in line with the first buoy. The best part was seeing the sun on the mountains as my head turned to breath. 1km out, cross to the turn buoy, then back, and again sighting on a cleft in the valley. I exited on 47 mins.
The Bike section was epic and long with 4 cut offs to meet, 5 climbs, 2 of them very serious, classed as HC (hors categorie), so I went slower trying to keep some gas in the tank for the final climb. The ride starts with 24km downhill, a good chance to have ‘breakfast’ (salt chocolate flavoured Stroopwafel x 3) before the first 90 minute climb up the Alpe du Grand Serre. The descent of the Grand Serre was scary fast, fun and I was overtaking a fair few thanks to my weight!
To be honest I don’t remember much about the Col du Malissol except that it was short and painful. The next climb however was super sneaky, starting at a moderate grade but building to a crescendo of 8-9% grade – the Col d’Ornon. Here I saw the ambulance in action, tending to riders who had overstretched or were dehydrated.
After reaching Col d’Ornon there’s a fast descent, and then recovery time to get in shape for the 21 Bends. The atmosphere in Bourg d’Oisons was electric, the ‘benevolents’ saluting those about to battle the monster climb. My favourite treat from the aid stations was sliced watermelon, offsetting the onslaught of gels and energy bars.
I have Zwift to thank for training the 21 bends of Alpe d’Huez climb. The first two bends are the hardest 8-10 degree grade. I made it to Bend 21 in less than 6 minutes, better than in Zwift!Shade for the first section up to Bend 17, and then earlier than expected the first water station at La Garde. Leg cramps of course set in but I didn’t stop, just smiled and reminded myself of Iñigo San Millán’s lactate shuttle.
Overall the ‘cadre’ was very daunting, many super skinny ‘climbers’, still there were over a hundred in my age group. As I was finishing the Alpe d’Huez climb I was about ready to pack it in, but then I thought let’s just do one lap of the run. One lap became two laps and then a third, finishing just before the sunset, incredible mountain top views. The run included lots of elevation on a mix of mountain path and asphalt followed by steep descents down the Heliport landing piste. The boost from crowds cheering each time you entered the village was elating and the finish line was like no other.
