Alpes d'Huez Triathlon (long course) 28 July 2010 Nick White reports: The Alpe D'Huez Triathlon is a series of events including a Duathlon, Kids Triathlon, Short Course Triathlon and Long Course Triathlon, based around the Oisan valley in the French Alpes and finishing in the famous Alpe D'Huez ski resort. In our inifinite wisdoms, Rebecca and I decided to enter the Blue Riband Long Course event, which consisted of a 2.2km swim, 115km bike ride and 22km 'run'. D-Day -1 Upon registering, things got a little more serious: firstly the Alpe D'Huez seasonal magazine declared the run was 30km; secondly, we forgot that triathletes are the biggest ponces known to man and must turn up to register buttered up in their racesuits and Ironman caps, regardless of whether they've done one or not. The most challenging Triathlon Rebecca and I have done is the Walden one, in 2009, and then one in Norwich in July as a last minute oh-we'd-better-do-some-openwater-and-longer-triathlon-event-before-we-head-to-France type effort. I'm sad to say that our our WT09 Swim 750m - Bike 25km - Run 5km might not have cut the mustard amongst the 8-hour Ironmen, Ironwomen and World Champions present. So after picking up our free stuff (Rucsack, arm warmers, towel and swimming hat) and race numbers, we beat a hasty retreat down the mountain to our campsite to sit by the pool and contemplate the endeavours that lay ahead. D-Day We arrived at the start at around an hour before, racked our bikes, prepared our biking stuff, and handed our running shoes and equipment to the officals to haul to the start of the run at the top of the mountain. At 9.10 we had the race briefing (in French) and then got into the Lac Vaujany - and my gosh was it cold. The organisation recommended you get in 10 minutes before the start in order to acclimatise. For the first time ever, I actually felt nervous before a race. Both scared, we entered the Lake together. We then proceeded straight to the other side and got out again, along with about 500 other people. There we waited. Suddenly, we heard a grande "Allez", and around 1000 people splashed and fought their ways to the first buoy, about 1km away, chucked a left to the next buoy 200m away, and hung a left again for a 1km drag back to the transition. It would appear this theory was easier than it seemed. Rebecca spent the first 10 minutes of the swim doing breast-stroke, because her goggles kept filling with water. Upon closer inspection, she realised that they were on upside down. Problem remedied; bat on! After what seemed like an eternity, the swim was over, with both of us well under the 1.5 hour elimination cut-off. Now it was into transition 1; wetsuits, goggles, hats removed, sun-cream on and away on the bike. Now for the bike ride, which would be equivalent to riding up either Snowdon or Scafell Pike 4 times, then riding 40 miles home - all in the space of 7.5 hours or you were eliminated! The first few km's were carnage, I saw 1 crash, Rebecca 3. But we survived unscathed. The first part of the bike was a 20km ride mostly flat and downhill, until the first climb, a 15km ramp with an average gradient of 6.5%. After this, there was a lovely technical descent and valley ride. Then we got to what seemed a beast of a climb; just over 2 km long, but steep and entirely unexpected. Following another technical descent, a faux flat rise for the next 15 miles or so culminated in the ascent of the Col D'Ornan, which got ever steeper as you got towards the top. This descent was particularly dangerous, especially with 100km or so of Alpine miles in the legs and the 200ft drop down the ravine if you over-cooked it on the bends. All that lay between us and the finish now was a mere half marathon and an ascent of Alpe D'Huez. Alpe D'Huez is approximately 13.8km in length, rising some 1130m vertically. The hardest part of the climb is the bottom, which is steepest and the hottest. I blew a gasket at a village called La Garde, 3km up, but luckily, with 5km to go, I woke up a little and got back into a tempo and suffered to the top and into transition 2, where our running goods and chattels had been deposited. Finally the 115km, with about 3800m (~12600 ft) of vertical ascent, were over. The run was equally as nasty. We were hoping for a little run around the ski-resort, but what it actually entailed was a multi-terrain half marathon with about 200m (650ft) of vertical ascent per lap over alpine paths and roads. Add in the fact that you're 2km above sea-level to begin with, and my lungs and legs started to hurt. Trying to get my legs to work on the first lap was never going to happen, and it showed. My run was a glorified shuffle. On the second of the laps, dare I say it, I felt refreshed and verged on running 'normally'. Alas, this sensation was short lived, and by the final lap the spectators and officials were giving me strange looks as I shouted, cursed, encouraged and dragged myself around the last 7km, as cramp set into my hamstrings and calves. Finally, I crossed the finish line and proceeded to drink and eat as much as I possibly could in the finishers enclosure. I then sat in a deck-chair and fell asleep. I awoke after a short nap to see Rebecca rolling down the hill into transition with well over an hour to spare before the bike elimination time. Sadly, many people were well over this elimination time point and their races were over. Anyway, with a smile on her face my dear Rebecca set off on the final stage of her race. Again, things did not begin well - she couldn't find the way out of transition. Maybe it was the altitude, maybe the lack of signs, who knows? After this minor mishap she was on her merry way and running strongly and looked as though she was thoroughly enjoying her experience. The little Trojan soldiered on to finish in a very respectable 10 hours 08 minutes, some 2 hours before the race elimination limit of 12 hours.