Carl's Bike Blog: Alpe d'Huez Training ride

Friday, September 5, 2008

Alpe d'Huez Training ride

Last year on Labor Day I was scheduled to be in a meeting in the Netherlands. I was hoping not to repeat my out of shape performance in the Waves to Wine 2007 so I was a little disappointed to be working on a key vacation day where I thought I ought to be training. So I decided to go over a few days early and bring my bike with me. I was planning on touring around the amazing bike paths there in the Netherlands. I had ridden the cycle Oregon weekend with my old friends Nan and Jeff in O early August (above with friends Bridgette and Clyde). Nan rode Alpe d'Huez for her 50th birthday the year before. So I got to thinking that the flat lands of Netherlands could wait and called them up and got the scoop on riding there. I bought a round trip from Amsterdam to Geneva Switzerland. I decided all this a couple of days before I

left so there was no grand plan, other than Alpe d'Huez would be an adequate training ride for Waves to Wine. Jeff said if I rode up Col Galibier he would be really impressed so that's what I did on day 2. Sometimes I don't plan these things that well and I didn't really think about how cold it would be (really cold) up top. Near the top was a restaurant so I stuffed my shirt with paper towels from the bathroom for for some insulation on the way down.

When I got to the Netherlands I used my bike to commute to work. I felt like a local. Martin, one of my colleagues there took me for a multi city screaming fast bike ride after work one day. We never left the bike path, really cool!

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NCAC

The 2013 NorCal AIDS Cycle Route!

The NorCal AIDS Cycle route has been designed to allow the participants to experience some of the best scenery of Northern California by traveling through the service area of many of our benefiting agencies. Not only does the route pass through some of Northern California’s most stunning country side but it also encompasses many of the beautiful small towns that lay nestled in the foothills and northern valley. Each day will bring you new sites and introduce you to new areas.

Day 1 (101 miles) Begins in Folsom where the first half of the day is spent exploring the rolling terrain of the foothills near Lincoln, Loomis, and Linda. Riders will travel up the first climb of the 4-day ride, Sierra College Boulevard. Lunch is served in the town of Marysville. The afternoon takes our riders back into the foothills to enjoy the scenery of many small farms and ranches before finishing the day at Gridley in the heart of the Northern Valley.

Day 2 (103 miles) Sends our cyclists up the middle of the Northern Valley to the bottom of the famous Table Mountain in the small town of Oroville. From there, cyclist will travel back into the foothills before ending up in Durham for lunch. The remainder of the day is spent cruising along the banks of the Sacramento River with the last rest stop at the Sacramento National Wild Life Refuge. The day ends in the agricultural town of Williams.

Days 3 and 4 – The Weekender

Day 3 (79 miles) Begins on the flats and breaks away into rolling hills followed by a seven mile climb out of the valley. From there, it’s a mostly-downhill ride along Cache Creek as it empties out into the Capay Valley. We’ll ride by the newly expanded Cache Creek Casino Resort before stopping for the night in Woodland.

Day 4 (50 miles) The easiest day of the ride and final stage is completed with a flat 50 miles from Woodland to Winters to Davis and then back to Sacramento where are cyclist will be met at the State Capital of California by a roaring crowd of friends, family and supporters.