taken by itself its not so bad (so bad, relative, to say, getting your
fingernails pulled out with electric pliers). The Alpe is a
heartbreaker because it is usually the last climb of a stage, after
climbing the galabier and the madeleine. That said, the first two
switchbacks are nasty, nasty but its not too bad after that. The
switchbacks are great to get a rest for a couple of secs and because it
is back and forth up the mountain the visual impact is not so
terrifying.I was quite surprised. I had more trouble getting up to
chamrousse just outside of grenoble (used for the ITT in 2001) than the
alpe.

Ventoux is like that. No switchbacks and a clear view to the
top....great .

Anyone have any times for their ride up the alpe?
I did 51 minutes in 2001, and it was the best fun ive had for ages. So
was riding back down!!


--
byron27