Dropped by Lance

David Off <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

A couple of weeks ago I was staying with a friend in Bourg
d'Oisans in France. This is the town at the bottom of the
l'Alpe d'Huez climb. Normally we were ski touring in the
area but we had a day of indifferent weather so stayed in
the valley. My friend suggested I borrow his mountain bike
- a clunker he bought in the local sports supermarket, no
toe clips and a bit poorly maintained but quite light at
13.5kg incl. a suspension fork.

I thought it might be fun to cycle the famous 21 hairpins
of the tour de France. I normally cycle 20km into work
each day and with a season of ski touring under my belt
didn't think it would be too hard. Normally there is a
ticket system in place to let you register your start and
finish time but this didn't seem to be working what with
it being early season for tourism.

I set of well on the first steep section, there are a lot
of road works with traffic lights. I kept my HR around
175bpm and speed around 10km/h. I found I was rapidly
catching many Dutch cyclists on shiny road bikes. The
suspension fork meant it was impossible to 'danse' on the
pedals. After the village of la Garde the slope moderated
and I was able to increase my average speed a little.

At the hairpin before the fork at l'alpe d'Huez I saw my
first real competition. An obviously club or pro cyclist
moving up the road at a good speed. Within seconds I was
caught... and dropped... by non other than Lance
Armstrong!

I finished 'my stage' with a time of 1h15m, no idea how
long LA took as he was gone when I got to the top.

Interesting story.

Wonder where he went, into one of the hotels up there? I was
under the impression the only way out was the way in.

Richard Adams said:

David Off said:

l'Alpe d'Huez climb.

Wonder where he went, into one of the hotels up there? I
was under the impression the only way out was the way in.

There's an east passage from the Tour finish via the Col
de Sarenne (1999 m) back to the route national (down by
the start of the climb to Les Deux Alpes on the south side
of the valley). There's also a small road to the west,
from a little lower in Huez village to Allemont (near the
foot of the climb to Glandon/Croix de Fer). But I think he
jumped in the car and rode down, either to his hotel or to
do the climb again without cooling off too much (it's not
30°C yet).

Ewoud Dronkert said:

I think he jumped in the car and rode down, either to his
hotel or to do the climb again without cooling off too
much (it's not 30°C yet).

I agree, I think he did the climb again but I didn't see him
when I rode down so maybe he was staying in a hotel? There
was only one open, the very plush Grand Hotel. I asked the
locals who said he was training for the TdF ITT.

David Off said:

At the hairpin before the fork at l'alpe d'Huez I saw my
first real competition. An obviously club or pro cyclist
moving up the road at a good speed. Within seconds I was
caught... and dropped... by non other than Lance Armstrong!

You were not 'dropped'. You were passed. Doesn't sound like
you were able to hang with him at all.

David Off <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

good speed. Within seconds I was caught... and dropped...
by non other than Lance Armstrong!

I finished 'my stage' with a time of 1h15m, no idea how
long LA took as he was gone when I got to the top.

It doesn't matter, you were a little off that day.

-ilan

P.S. Sorry about that, couldn't resist. I am ashamed
of myself.

"Ilan Vardi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

David Off <[email hidden]> wrote in
message

news:<40b1c225$0$29673$79c14f64@nan-newsreader-
05.noos.net>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

good speed. Within seconds I was caught... and
dropped... by non other than Lance Armstrong!

I finished 'my stage' with a time of 1h15m, no idea how
long LA took as he was gone when I got to the top.

It doesn't matter, you were a little off that day.

If it works for Jan it should work for everyone else as
well.

"Tom Kunich" wrote...

Quoted message said:

If it works for Jan it should work for everyone else
as well.

Had Lance not dropped him, he could've retired then
and there.