10 mins slower on Alpe D'Huez?
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10 mins slower on Alpe D'Huez?
We got back early Sunday morning from a great holiday and thoroughly enjoyed watching the action on Alpe D'Huez. However I can't fathom why I was 10 minutes slower than the last time I rode it when I went up on Wednesday morning. My training was much the same, ride to work three times a week with the occasional climb up to the Peacock pub. As was my pre-ride preparation, plenty of local wine and cheese the night before. I reckon it must have got steeper than when I rode it in 2003 age 53
Mind you, the ride down was a bit different. With literally thousands of cyclists coming up by the time I started my descent, it was a tad busy and I had to be patient waiting behind vehicles as they struggled with the volume of traffic. Close to the bottom I managed to find a bit of space and started to move more swiftly. I came round a bend between turns 17 and 18 to find an impatient car driver overtaking a bunch of cyclists and completely on the wrong side of the road leaving me absolutely nowhere to go. I hit the brakes and just managed to avoid his car but by now had lost control and was heading toward the low concrete guard wall. As I hit it I was flipped straight over the top and hurtled 25 ft down the mountain side to come to rest lodged between two trees and avoiding falling 60 odd feet to the road below. There I spent the next 30 minutes waiting for the emergency services conscious but unsure how severe my injuries might have been.
A very kind Dutch cyclist (who of course spoke excellent English and French) climbed down to assist followed by others and a while later an English doctor. The Fire Service and Paramedics finally managed to hack a few saplings down, get a stretcher under me and haul me back up the mountain. They finally got me to a hospital in Grenoble and released me several hours later with apparently nothing more serious than a few scrapes and bruises and possible cracked ribs.
To my surprise my bike was only slightly damaged and I was able to ride part way up again the next day on race day with Debs. 24 hours later I couldn't have done it as by then had seriously got stiff and sore. Incidentally, the car driver never stopped.
Boy, how lucky have I been? but I think it will be a week or two before I'm back on a B ride.
Mind you, the ride down was a bit different. With literally thousands of cyclists coming up by the time I started my descent, it was a tad busy and I had to be patient waiting behind vehicles as they struggled with the volume of traffic. Close to the bottom I managed to find a bit of space and started to move more swiftly. I came round a bend between turns 17 and 18 to find an impatient car driver overtaking a bunch of cyclists and completely on the wrong side of the road leaving me absolutely nowhere to go. I hit the brakes and just managed to avoid his car but by now had lost control and was heading toward the low concrete guard wall. As I hit it I was flipped straight over the top and hurtled 25 ft down the mountain side to come to rest lodged between two trees and avoiding falling 60 odd feet to the road below. There I spent the next 30 minutes waiting for the emergency services conscious but unsure how severe my injuries might have been.
A very kind Dutch cyclist (who of course spoke excellent English and French) climbed down to assist followed by others and a while later an English doctor. The Fire Service and Paramedics finally managed to hack a few saplings down, get a stretcher under me and haul me back up the mountain. They finally got me to a hospital in Grenoble and released me several hours later with apparently nothing more serious than a few scrapes and bruises and possible cracked ribs.
To my surprise my bike was only slightly damaged and I was able to ride part way up again the next day on race day with Debs. 24 hours later I couldn't have done it as by then had seriously got stiff and sore. Incidentally, the car driver never stopped.
Boy, how lucky have I been? but I think it will be a week or two before I'm back on a B ride.
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That did sound nasty Paul, and obviously could have been far worse. I have been up there quite a few times either by car or coach and always thought that those walls don't offer much protection, I used to sit on the coach on the way down wondering what would happen if the brakes failed. always glad to get to the bottom. By the way I wouldn't have thought 10 mins over 10 years was to bad. Maybe in another 10 years you will be back to your best.
I guess Debbie was getting a bit frantic while all this was going on, so hope she has now recovered
I guess Debbie was getting a bit frantic while all this was going on, so hope she has now recovered
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Thanks all. Deb was down at the bottom doing a bit of shopping in Bourg D'Oisans when she heard all the sirens and inevitably thought "I hope that isn't Paul" I finally managed to get a message to her advising that I'd had a 'slight' mishap and they were going to check me out at the hospital. The problems I had trying to find the name and address of the hospital finally convinced me that it was time I got to grips with this parler Francais mullarkey.
No, I won't be doing the Droitwich Tri at the weekend but will be leading the club run the following Sunday - the intro ride!
Perhaps its time I slowed down a bit.........then again
No, I won't be doing the Droitwich Tri at the weekend but will be leading the club run the following Sunday - the intro ride!
Perhaps its time I slowed down a bit.........then again
Hmmm... on Sunday I was grovelling up to the Weatheroak crossroads and consoled myself with the thought, "at least being so much slower than Paul, if a car pulls across in front of me I'll be able to stop" and, guess what, a car did just that and I had to slam on the brakes to give the driver time to stop and block the road so she could apologise profusely.
I must not think of Paul when descending, I must not think of Paul.....
Seriously, glad you're OK.
I must not think of Paul when descending, I must not think of Paul.....
Seriously, glad you're OK.
Eat cake before you're hungry
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http://road.cc/content/news/122335-brit ... alpe-dhuez
Sad event at weekend. Hopefully there won't be any similar stories in Yorkshire at the weekend
Sad event at weekend. Hopefully there won't be any similar stories in Yorkshire at the weekend