What qualifies as Alpe d'Huez Bragging rights?

Training
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What consists of bragging rights for ordinary mortals to say that hey I rode el Alpe d’Huez?
This summer we are visiting one of my wifes friends who lives in France and very close to Grenoble and the iconic Alpe d’Huez. Since she wants to take the bikes and do some family riding I will be leaving the Stumpy at home and riding the Tarmac because I have this wild idea that I may have the opportunity to ride the 2007 Tours 14 stage or parts of it. Low and behold one of my summer mtb riding buddies lives close as well and in principle has agreed to ride with me. However, we still must negotiated the route.
So what constitutes bonafide bragging rites, trash talk etc with your riding buddies and friends for el Alpe d’Huez:

A. Riding just the final HC climb of Plateau de beille 15.8km 1255m climbing, impresses all ordinary mortals and everyone who doesn’t know anything about the Tours iconic climbs. But the hardened cyclist to include weekend warriors will say okay but you only did 15k and the final climb…:smirk:

B. Riding both HC climbs Port de Pallhères 1207m climbing and Plateau de Beille 1255m for a total of 2462m climbing and 105km total distance, puts you in the conversation with Superman and Batman impresses everyone one you know plus hardened cyclist and weekend warriors alike :astonished:

C. Do the entire 2007 Tour stage 14 197km 2930m climbing and it puts you in the conversation with Pantini, Froome,Contador and Armstrong albeit at different speed but you have bragging rights for life and can consider adding a note on your headstone as well as imortilization on FB.:laughing:

What say you???

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The C option or don’t even think about starting that conversation. :wink:

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Gotta go Option C, or expect us to reply once you ride A or B - ‘Oh. That’s nice.’ :grin:

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Easy. Ride A

Take picture at top

Tell everyone you rode C

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Doper! :rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Great ideas, i’m going to the Alpe too and was only thinking of doing A, will definitely have a look at B. Ps we’re also going to do a bit of mtb at Les Deux Alpes as it looks great, do you know anything about it? Cheers :+1:

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I would have thought bragging rights for climbing Alpe d’Huez would require climbing Alpe d’Huez and not Plateau de Beille? I’m confused, what am I missing?

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Or you could take the car to ADH, get on the cable car to Pic Blanc and ride the Megavalanche route downhill?

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If you’re not going to go all the way, why go at all? :grin::grin::man_shrugging::woman_shrugging:

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Option D: TT Alp D’Huez and go sub 1-hour. Photo of Garmin for proof required

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E Do the Marmotte and love/hate every second of it

Then 2 days later when fresher go as close to sub hour as possible

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If its not on Strava did you even ride though? :smile:

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This option wins my vote!

Or alternatively as @Rob1 mentioned the Marmotte route, taking in the Col du Glandon, Telegraphe, Galibier and then d’Huez.

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Ride from the bottom of the hill to the top of the hill and you can say you rode it. You don’t have to do any other adjacent climbs

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C or GTFO out!

I am actually building up for the Pyrenees Circle of Death (Bagneres to Pau direction) in 2020.

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Lol See thats why I asked the question don’t want to start talking poo and then booyah. :sweat_smile: My A race is an MTB ultra marathon stage race beginning of April if I come out if it ok then I will start tng for option C and see where I am come vacation time. thanks for the reply

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:sweat_smile: I figured as much. In my mind(a scary place) i want to do C . I will train for it and see where I am come vacation time. thanks for the reply

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Yep, A is a fail safe option if all my tng falters or family goes to left field on my ideas or my tng says it will completely destroy me( I am an old fart 58 :rofl:). But I gotta start working in that good credit in that arena :sweat_smile: thanks for the response

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Yeah, it’s a problem in our sport as is others. I’m too old to take a chance and if I’m going to talk some poo its gots to be clean:wink: But I did see an article in a cycling mag that gave a recipe for natural EPO shake made from beets… I may have to revisit that shake now that I followed the recipe and it tastes much better than day one…for some reason my kids don’t trust me and won’t try it any more:rofl: thanks for the response

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No, I don’t but I have a friend, a frenchman, and I will ask him if he knows anything about it. He dabbles in both road and mtb. When are you going?