ALPE D'HUEZ, ALL-TIME TOP 200 LIST

[udxcob]

I'm pretty sure the first sub-40 climb by Indurain in '91 registers the line in the sand where EPO entered the tour. He beat Herrera's 1987 record by more than 2 minutes, and Big Mig was hardly built for pure climbing.

 

I miss those days of the larger cyclist compared to the skin and bone cyclist of today

[davem]

Sort of implicates those who did not test positive but are up with the proven dopers.

 

You don't actually want to be on this list if you want to maintain the image of racing clean.

[Gavmeister]

Very interesting reading, highest current crop of riders Sanchez @ 122 and Contador @ 128 - the contaminated beef got Contador on the list. Seems the stuff they were using was very good! Makes me wonder about Indurain?

[Lucky Luke.]

I miss those days of the larger cyclist compared to the skin and bone cyclist of today

 

Bugno and Indurain with their '91 effort weighed in about 25kg heavier than previous record holder Herrera

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mwhWUxZCDQ

[Lucky Luke.]

Very interesting reading, highest current crop of riders Sanchez @ 122 and Contador @ 128 - the contaminated beef got Contador on the list. Seems the stuff they were using was very good! Makes me wonder about Indurain?

 

Really no need to wonder about Indurain, he was on the orange juice big time, along with everybody else. Lance could have learned a thing or two about modesty and discression from him.

[Gavmeister]

 

 

Really no need to wonder about Indurain, he was on the orange juice big time, along with everybody else. Lance could have learned a thing or two about modesty and discression from him.

 

Haha, I'm very naive!

[jcza]

Really no need to wonder about Indurain, he was on the orange juice big time, along with everybody else. Lance could have learned a thing or two about modesty and discression from him.

 

I think you're right on big Mig.

[Thor Buttox]

Have any of you guys tried this famous climb? It would be nice to compare those times to us mortals who work for a living and can only manage around 6 to 8hrs per week

 

We have Bainskloof close to my home. It is a good climb to see where you are fitness wise. From the 4 way as you leave town to the top (on the turn before the 1st houses of 1ste tol) is just over 12km. Can't remember how much it climbs but I think it is in the region of 500-600m. I really have to push very hard to get to top under 37min. This is slow by most standards.

I haven't personally ridden it but had the pleasure of driving to the top, and at the top there was a team of semi-pro's who were doing time trials up the mountain for training, and they rode in the area a lot. They said that anyone who can get up the mountain in under 60 minutes is a world class rider.

 

Just to compare, the Mast in Tokai is 10.2km with 780m of vertical climbing up the road from the car park, while the Alpe is about 1100m in just over 13km.

[Lucky Luke.]

Indurain is all but telling you here that he did what he had to and kept his mouth shut about what went on with Dr Padilla and the Banesto medical program.

 

After Bjarne Riis' confession that he used EPO during the Tour de France 1996, Miguel Indurain stated that he did not like the declarations of Riis, who was the one to conclude the Spaniards five-year reign. "I don't understand why he made these confessions eleven years after. But he is old enough and he will know better than anybody else why he did it," he said to Marca.

 

He believes that the confessions of Riis "did not do any favours for cycling. Actually, there are many people who hope that this sport comes out of this bottomless pit, and things like this take from everyone's courage."

 

Indurain does not want to take away from Riis' 1996 win. "I don't want to detract from what Riis did, but my impression is that he did not overwhelm me, that it was me who lost the Tour. I did all I could to be in front and at the end I did not reach this goal. Riis and many others were stronger, and if there was anything irregular or not then it is not my affair."

 

Indurain does not want to call Riis "Mister 60 percent" like many others do. "I am not the one who should judge his declarations because only he knows what he did and only he is responsible of what he did.".

[dracs]

Froome currently outside Top 200. Only ride up was in 2008 (I think) and his time was 51:13

would have also gone up it last week - but not at the end of the stage so likely even slower...

[jcza]

Have any of you guys tried this famous climb? It would be nice to compare those times to us mortals who work for a living and can only manage around 6 to 8hrs per week

 

We have Bainskloof close to my home. It is a good climb to see where you are fitness wise. From the 4 way as you leave town to the top (on the turn before the 1st houses of 1ste tol) is just over 12km. Can't remember how much it climbs but I think it is in the region of 500-600m. I really have to push very hard to get to top under 37min. This is slow by most standards.

 

Strava - http://app.strava.com/segments/2142415

[jcza]

would have also gone up it last week - but not at the end of the stage so likely even slower...

 

Forgot about that but you're right. Would probably be slow at the start of the stage.

[Christie]

Going by my general knowledge - am I correct in saying of the top 20, only Indurain wasn't caught for doping?

Pantani also never tested positive, but he was prevented from riding on in one Giro ( think it was 99) because his hematocrit was above 50. But I dont doubt that he was on epo like most.

[rock]

Froome currently outside Top 200. Only ride up was in 2008 (I think) and his time was 51:13

 

so......how fast will he be this year?

[maddox]

They run an Alpe d'Huez time trial every week during summer which attracts hundreds of wanna-be's. The finishing point is however a few hundred meters short of where the Tour finishes (but there is not much climbing left). I rode this flat out and managed 53min. By comparison my flat out Tokai mast times are around 52-53 so this is probably the most comparable climb we have in the cape.

[Lucky Luke.]

so......how fast will he be this year?

 

fast, but not too fast! Brailsford probably has a warning light on the SRM when the w/kg reading strays into mutant territory.