Well hello again blog. Turns out it has been one calendar year since I last wrote anything on this blog, and boy does my brain know it. It's good to be back typing away, and getting things back on here.
I will do a catch up entry soon, but for now, I am focusing on the title. The Alpe d'Huez !
A few months back, I had a fantastic idea to invite a couple of friends on a trip to the French Alps to take on the mighty Alpe d'Huez (AdH). As first seen by me on Zwift on the Alpe du Zwift (AdZ), it was a mighty battle for me to get up, and continues to be a much harder ride on there than some of the other mountain routes. So why not do it for real I thought.
Like idiots, Jason and Scott agreed it was a good idea too, and now here we are. 9 days out from the biggest ride of our lives. Of course we have had months to think it through. But with less than 2 weeks to go, NOW the planning has really started, with people questioning their gearing choices. I should point out I bought a complete bike for this trip!! So I am not included in the "people", although I still wonder if the gearing is low enough 30/36 should do, right!!
To say I am anxious and over thinking the whole trip would be an understatement. Logging on to Amazon and Wiggle, looking through to see if I have ordered everything I need. Checking policy documents to see I am covered for eventualities. Insurances and so much more. At the end of the day, we are staying in Grenoble, so plenty of things around us if we forget anything. But still that niggling thought keeps me awake for a while at night.
The plan is quite a simple one. Late Thursday night, head for Dover in the car with the bikes. 2AM ferry over to Calais and then drive down into Grenoble. Hopefully no issues as we get closer as there is something called the TdF on around that point of the week too. Have an afternoon in Grenoble, get settled in the hotel, and maybe have a quick spin on the bikes to get a feel for it all. There is a nice mountain range a couple of miles from the hotel, so that might be nice.
Friday AM, crack of dawn, get out and head to Le Bourg which is 30 or so miles away, then onwards up AdH all being well. Then once up, eventually, somehow!! Grab some brunch, take in some sights, have a little roll around on the bikes, then head back down, and towards the hotel.
The weather for the trip is only just starting to be forecast, but right now it's 10 days straight of 30+c so it will either be crazy hot, or the weather will break and it will be pissing down. We shall have to wait and see, but thanks to overthinking minds, we have great contingencies planned for almost all eventualities.
I have to say, the excitement for this is huge. Especially if we can get a few more fun moments crammed in before heading back for the ferry on Sunday. It's a shame the trip is so short, but it is a great way of seeing how these kinds of trips can work, and if all goes well, who knows what we can do next and where we can go. Stelvio or Southern Spain and the Sierra Nevada are on my radar.
So that is that for now, a quick look at whats coming next. I shall do a boring catch up entry soon, just as soon as my writing head is back on.
