4929 and 4930

4929 and 4930
We now know our numbers for the Etape and I had also been given a sex change free of charge. Somehow I’d been entered in category B (male under 35) instead of F (female under 35). I know it’s possible to win in the male category with only one ball-but none? This was quickly rectified by an email to the Etape organizers who only need a couple of seconds (and no ribs) to make a woman from a man. Regardless of my sex I’ll be more than happy if I make it to the top of L’Alpe d’Huez in 4930th position.

L’Alpe d’Huez is the final climb to 1845m over 14.3km with an average gradient of 7.9%. This would be difficult enough if one were to start from the bottom of the mountain but just imagine it having already ridden about 170km!

Bring on the Hill Intervals.
The only way that I can see to train for this in Scotland where the highest pass is Bealach-na-Ba at 626m is become a Hill Interval Automaton. I say automaton because a frontal lobotomy makes this session almost bearable. We’ve found a steep hill near our flat which is about 2.5km long and takes about 10minutes to climb. We do 3-5 climbs per session which is supposed to increase our climbing lactate thresholds. We’ll be testing out the theory this weekend when we take on a 200km Audax with 3100m climbing through Royal Deeside. I think I’ll only make it if I imagine the broom wagon hot on my tail.