I did it last year, and was just outside silver medal time for my age category (11hrs), so this year I was keen to do better.
Four of us drove down in a Mercedes Vito - the perfect vehicle for the trip. We arrived at our hotel on Alpe d'Huez at lunchtime on Wednesday. As rain was forecast for next day we had a leg-stretcher ride that afternoon down the mountain and back up. It was 36C and humid, but strangely I felt cold on the climb, and I struggled. After dinner my stomach felt like I had swallowed a football, and I felt nauseous. I felt worse after breakfast, and spent all day shivering and sweating in bed, barely able to eat or drink. I thought my ride was over already, but after a trip to the pharmacy on Friday I felt a bit better. My room mate was starting to suffer the same symptoms, so he was using my medcine too. Our bathroom was not exactly fragrant.
The ride was on the next day, so I decided to wait and see.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny, I managed a small bowl of porridge for breakfast, so I gave it a go, knowing I could turn back on the first climb if I had to.
The 15mins descent off the Alpe to the start is freezing at 6.30am. You have to decide whether or not to wear a cape and arm/leg warmers, knowing that you might well be carrying them around all day. One guy wore a paper decorator's boiler suit, which he just binned at the bottom of the mountain.
The start, like the whole ride, is superbly organised. Signs direct you to your starting area - 2000 at a time. Anyone trying to bunk in with the wrong group is stopped. It took about 15mins of shuffling forward before I rolled across the sensors and was away.
After 15k or so you reach the foot of the Col du Glandon. I felt surprisingly good, so I pressed on. At the summit the first feed is bedlam, especially because idiots bring their bikes right up to the food tables. There is a great selection, but I couldn't face anything.
The descent is fantastic - tight and twisty. You can carve past scores of other riders. Watch out for traffic coming up though. Lots of punctures on the descent, which I reckon is due to people holding their brakes on the whole time, causing overheating. You can smell the burning brake blocks.
Next comes a longish ride through the valley, when it is important to get in a group. My group was huge; maybe 5-600 strong. What an experience that was. I couldn't help noticing that I was sliding slowly to the back.
Thankfully, the sky clouded over for the Col du Telegraphe, which made it much more bearable, and I even got a bit of a second wind near the top. The descent is fairly open and not too difficult. Trouble is the next item on the agenda is the Galibier. There is another excellent feed at the bottom. I ate a couple of bits of bread, refilled my bottles and slogged on. A few K's up the climb I could feel movement in my poor, battered digestive system, so I stopped at a cafe for a large coffee and a very large dump. The envigorating effect was amazing, and for the next few K's I was going well.
What a brute of a climb. Alpe d'Huez is the famous one, but the Galibier is a killer. It is barren and exposed, and you can look up and see a brightly coloured snake of riders winding up into the distance. At 5K to the summit I bonked. I had to stop and eat everything in my pockets. The last 5K to the summit are the longest on the planet. Again and again you look up to a crest and think "That must be the top", but it isn't. The roads are lined with Dutch and Belgian riders' supporters, cheering everyone on. What a relief to make it to the feed at the top. I felt able to eat some bread and cheese and cake, and put my cape on for the descent. There was still snow at the roadside, and it was pretty cold.
Wow; more than 20miles down. Mostly fast and open, with some tunnels to keep you on your guard. I was glad of my cape, as I had lost my gilet going down the Glandon.
The run-in to the foot of Alpe d'Huez is lumpy, and can sap that last bit of energy. The final feed is just before the climb, but I just filled my bottles with Coke and water and set off, still with an outside chance of silver.
The first few ramps are really steep. It's easy to overdo it here. I was exhausted, and was grinding up at 4-5mph. The sun was out now, so the two water stations on the climb were very welcome. I also stopped to put my head under one of the waterfalls - I could have stayed there all day. I deliberately didn't count down the 21 hairpins - they are all signposted, with each one named after a rider who has won on th eAlpe. I remember seeing 13, then with enormous relief I found myself at number 6. The silver was gone by now though, so I just plodded to the finish in 11hrs 20mins, almost the same as last time. I'm kind of pleased that I managed it in those circumstances, but I really wanted silver. Maybe next time.
There is a pasta meal, drink and cake at the finish, plus a certificate and medal - for less the the price of the Dragon Ride.
All in all, this is the ultimate sportive. Surely the toughest, certainly superbly organised and marshalled, with stunning scenery (if you have the strength to notice), plus the draw of those famous climbs Glandon, Telegraphe, Galibier and d'Huez. The circular route is logistically easy, and there is plenty of accommodation. Do it next year before it ends up like the Etape, with entries only through "organized" tour companies.