This here - and not just the top 10 GC guys, but overall the strong ones. The difference was that my training was 13-14hrs/week average for 3 months leading into it, while they average that year-round and ramp up in the summer. If I want to move up to the “next level” (not their level, MY next level), I’ll just need to spend more time on the bike all year, simple as that. Nothing fancy needed either, just saddle time.
I noticed not all of them were doing massive volume this year. Some were on mostly 10 to 12 hour weeks, but had done that for over 10 years. Consistency is key.
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Heading home after a week off being a tourist in Nice and Amsterdam, and we did some reflecting on what we wanted to do next. Haute Route Pyrenees would let us finish the three big European ranges, but I don’t see us doing it in 2025.
Aligned to your discussion on training consistency, I feel like I’m squeezing most of the juice out of the ~10 weekly hours I have to train. Devoting more time here may lead to a better GC result, but I honestly think I’d enjoy this hobby less. I definitely don’t need to be training like this just to enjoy the non-striving Haute Route experience, so that’s our current approach for doing this in the future. My wife ended up having a much better experience than she expected because the GC pressure was taken away from her.
I’ll finally be building up a Crux gravel frameset when I get home, and we’re considering a weeklong gravel trip in South Africa led by Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio with her Rocacorba folks. My gravel technique is very very poor, but it may be a fun new challenge a bit detached from a pure fitness test.
Regardless, it was great rolling with both of you in the Alps, and hope you both have a great 2025 season however you plan to approach it!
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Thanks guys, for providing an informative and entertaining thread.
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Huge thank you to everyone who become active in this thread leading up to the HRA 2024 and keeping a journal during the event - it has nothing but confirm, combined with a trip to France earlier in Sept where I did stage 1 from this year’s event, that it is something I absolutely want to do in 2025…
I am also looking to book through AlpCycles with the full package - would you be able to share your feedback on your experience with them this year please? Happy to discuss on a DM if you prefer,
Anyone else committed to HRA 25 yet?
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I wish I could do it again in 2025, but life! I can’t speak for rest of my 4 person group, but I will most definitely be back.
More than happy to provide a review, in case others are interested.
I would give them a solid 4.5/5.0. Details:
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Accommodations ranged depending on the town:
** Megeve - we were in a chalet two blocks away from the start line. Great rooms, great location, great breakfast/coffee, and small lounge/bar for drinks, if desired. Close to a grocery store and all restaurants. Locked underground garage for storing/working on bikes.
** Courchevel - we were a 15m ride from the start line, which meant after Loze you had to climb for another 15m
I think most of HR was in the same hotel/same area though. No complaints here, great rooms, great views, a store and couple restaurants nearby, good breakfast.
** Alpe d’Huez - we were <5 minute ride from the start/finish, right on the main road. Easily my favorite chalet (Camigane), great owners, terrific food, and an unbeatable views while sipping on Aperol spritzes.
** Serre Chevallier - close to the finish, but a bit of a descent to Briancon for next day start. great rooms, but hotel was on the main road, so a bit noisier. Amazing food, and close to a cute area for afternoon beers/spritzes.
** Auron - hotel was decent, but it did have an amazing down working the front desk (massive Bernese, as if they come in any other size), so upgraded to a 10 star rating. The start/finish is literally in front of the hotel, so location couldn’t be better. Views of the ski hill from the room didn’t hurt either.
** Nice - another decent hotel a 5-10m ride from the finish, and a close walk to the promenade and everything that brings with it. A bit quirky decor, but it did have AC! -
Almost all official HR stops also had an Alp Cycles dedicated stop. This is one of the main differentiators - our setup had a tent so we can get out of the sun, chairs to sit and relax, and food/drinks. For refreshments, they had chips, sandwiches, bananas, tomatoes, water, coke, orangina, and general bike nutrition. You could send your own bags to each stop, or drop off extra clothes/etc. I only had to use the HR provided stops once, and the experience just isn’t the same or remotely close.
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We had a dedicated tent at all finish lines, other than Loze; that one was down in Courchevel. Same as official stops - dedicated tent, chairs, snacks, drinks, etc. But also an espresso machine, and beer/champagne in Nice!
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Other riders - obviously this one varies year to year, but our group of riders (19 total) was excellent, with no exceptions! I would say at least half of the group has used Alp Cycles at least once, with several using them for 5-10+ tours. That also means if you’re interested in an Alp Cycles tour, you’ll want to get your name in early.
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Staff - great, really no other way to put it. Ade and Shelley own and run the operation are extremely helpful and hilarious. Roger and Jana, their two employees, are there every time you turn around making sure you’re well taken care of. Only hiccup was leading up to the event, some of the communication was a bit delayed as they were quite swamped with other tours. No issues with responsiveness starting ~2 weeks before the race. They’re available and present at all times during the event!
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Only comment I would have is regarding choice of two dinner restaurants/choices, as it really wasn’t my cup of tea so to speak. Nothing major, just not ideal. One was the hot-plate concept, where you’re provided with strips of beef/chicken that you cook at the table, plus fries to go with it. The other was chili and rice - not really big on eating a bowl of chili the day before the TT
Between appetizers, side dishes, and dessert, staying full wasn’t an issue.
Hopefully that’s enough info, message me if you’re curious about anything else!
ETA: I’ve spoken with a few people who’ve done the official HR package (no tour guide), and the consensus was that hotels were acceptable, but barely, while food was generally sub-par. Some were a bit more vocal than that, wondering what they actually paid for, but everyone’s different. If you have the money, go for a reputable tour company.
Also - forgot to mention the major benefit of a tour company - I never had to worry about luggage, my bike or my bike case, it was moved from place to place. Alps dropped off the cases with HR before the start and picked up them up after the finish. We just had to bring the luggage to the hotel/chalet lobby, and remainder was done. Same with bike cleaning/minor tune-ups, etc. You pay so you can focus on riding and recovering.
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Reflections on Haute Route Alpes Training & seeking advice for 2025
Having just completed this year’s Haute Route Alpes, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on the experience and the challenges I faced. I’d love to hear from any fellow TrainerRoad athletes or others who competed this year about what worked for them and what they’d tweak for next year.
For context, I’m a 48-year-old endurance athlete with a solid background in structured training -overall I´ve been training in endurance sports since I was 13. I started preparing for Haute Route in November 2023, and despite missing only 12 days due to illness, I felt strong and ready. My FTP was at 4.3 w/kg (anything spectacular but still a decent fitness), and I trained with HR high-volume program and several training camps with big elevation gains. I really thought I had my bases covered -until I didn´t.
However, by the second or third day of the event, my legs were completely cooked. The delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) was intense and felt way beyond what I’d normally experience. This got me as a surprise because I thought I was fully prepared to tackle consecutive days of riding at middle tempo, at least. Haven said this, from day two I had to settle for a mediocre pace with heart rate at 75% with no legs to push harder. The DOMS were unbearable.
I finally understood when pros talk about “hoping for good legs” rather than focusing on heart or lungs; the legs became the clear limiting factor! It was both frustrating and humbling. So, what could have gone wrong?
My Weekly Training Routine:
- VO2 Max and Threshold sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Endurance rides on Wednesdays and Fridays.
- Saturdays were reserved for long group rides, with Sundays as two hours endurance rides.
Looking back, I think my weekly blocks could have been structured differently. Maybe a 3-day hard sessions block approach would better simulate the strain of multiple consecutive days: for example, VO2 on Tuesday, Sweetspot on Wednesday, and Threshold on Thursday. Or, a Friday-to-Sunday routine with high-intensity and volume back-to-back with rest on Mondays to recover or reset. Double session days also come to mind to better prepare my legs for repeated efforts.
This time around, I’m also planning to focus more on gym work, especially targeting glutes, which fatigued by day 2. Clearly, my DOMS weren’t in line with what I’d trained for, and stronger glutes might help with that fatigue.
After the race, I told myself I’d never do it again, but here I am—already signed up for HR 2025! I guess endurance athletes have short memories for pain.
So, I’d love to hear from other participants. Did you experience the same DOMS? Did you adjust your plan in a way that helped carry you through the week? Any advice for tackling consecutive-day demands more effectively?
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I personally had no issues with DOMS, but definitely felt the fatigue building up over the course of the week. I would never see my day 1 power again, but it did even out after that. Lots that I’d try to do better next time, but I’d say the key prep for me would be to work on longer sweet spot, and have multiple SS days in a row occasionally; work on mental durability; eat a lot more during the event.
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Same as sasa, and I’d chalk that up to a similar approach re: building multi-day muscular endurance + conservative pacing throughout the week.
I did very limited work above threshold, and the focus over the summer was on extensive progression rather than on specifically raising FTP. In particular, I’d try to do back-to-back weekend days doing laps on a flattish, uninterrupted loop that I could spend 90+ minutes pedaling at z3+ on. Trainer work at SS+ was incredibly effective on weekdays, and (similar to sasa) enabled me to learn how to stay mentally and physically engaged despite the building fatigue.
Pacing was key though, especially since the first day was a bit wet and cold. I finished the first day with plenty left in the tank, and spent most of the week gaining on GC. I was probably too conservative overall, but reverse splitting is better for my post-race mental health than the other way around.
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Thanks to both. Definitely, this time around I´ll focus more on multiday SS sessions.
Unlike you, I finished the first two days with very little left in the tank, and suffered on day 3 as a result So yeah, work out your pacing strategy …
Haha, with the benefit of hindsight on how the rest of the week went, my biggest regret was not going harder on the Alpe d’Huez time trial. Still happy with my time, but I most likely had another 10-15% in reserve.
We’re toying with the idea of doing the 2025 edition again to see the new climbs, but I’d probably take a more fun-oriented approach of targeting a few key climbs v. trying to pace for GC.
I toyed with 2025, but can’t quite make it work. It is on the list for 2026!
A little late, but still wanted to share my thoughts. Although I haven’t experienced DOMS myself there are a couple of things you could do/try the next time:
- training: do low cadence work at least once a week. Depending on where you live, going up climbs for 60 minutes or longer at a cadence of 60-70 rpm could be very different than your usual training routine.
Also make sure you have enough rest days and/or revovery weeks so your body can adapt. Based on your info you are training 6 days per week. This is pretty heavy, especially if you do not have regular recovery weeks. Did you feel fresh coming in to the event?
Finally, training as specifically as possible for your event could help. At HR you will be spending a lot of time riding at tempo, which doesnt appear in your training schedule.
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recovery: in a stage race you have to be fully focused on your recovery. Keep drinking and eating during the whole day (before, during and after the race). Use the untimed sections (and descents) to eat and drink and spin the legs out. Lots of people don’t pedal in the descents. Make sure to focus on lots of carbs and enough protein. Get a massage, do an easy spin to your hotel or have a short walk in the afternoon. And of course: get as much sleep as you can.
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pacing: as far as I know, DOMS is an indication that your muscles are under a heavier load than they are used to. Ride within yourself, there is always someone who is faster (even the GC leader doesnt win every stage).
Good luck in 2025! I am not riding this year. Maybe if the Pyrenees returns in 2026…
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Never late when the input is worthy!
Thank you so much for taking the time to give me advice on this matter. I truly appreciate it and agree with you entirely. Specifically, I think you hit the nail on the head with two of your recommendations.
First, regarding the time spent riding at tempo, which I thought I had under control but clearly didn’t. For HR 2025, I will incorporate three -or more- consecutive days of tempo or sweetspot sessions to mimic the stress and load I experienced during this year’s event. Additionally, depending on my training block and cycle, I’m considering doing consecutive tempo or sweetspot sessions from Wednesday through Sunday. This will simulate five days of race conditions, albeit for a shorter duration than HR. I realized this was crucial because I felt strong but experienced a system shock from repeatedly pushing my legs at a pace I wasn’t accustomed to. I had been doing the prescribed TR hard sessions followed by endurance/recovery rides, but at HR, there aren’t any recovery days!
Secondly, you mentioned recovery and freshness before the event. I believe I came in a little tired, even though I thought I was properly rested and my loads were under control. I respected all the adaptation weeks and rested as well as I could. One issue I encountered during the event was the lack of proper replenishment options due to the season. This time around, I asked my wife to plan ahead, book restaurants, or buy food in advance before I arrive in each town.
Regarding low cadence training, I did some but felt I lacked focus on proper weight training with sufficient weights. To address this, I started a weight lifting program and intend to keep it until the end of February, then maintain key sessions once or twice a week.
Thanks once again for your advice. I’ll be incorporating low cadence work on my local climbs here in Caracas, Venezuela, where there are plenty of options for climbing.
Best regards,
Juan A.
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