Alpe du Zwift VS Alpe d'Huez: Preparing For Reality?
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The famous Alpe d'Huez, a climb steeped in Tour de France history. But just how does it compare to the Alpe du Zwift? Chris rode both to find out....
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Пікірлер: 523
Thought when watching this video when it came out "wish I could do 300 watts up there" when I could only manage just over 200w. Now as of today averaged 309w and climbed just over 48 minutes. Also my segment in ask GCN Training helped me a achieve this. Thank You GCN
@ChristianNorling
3 жыл бұрын
Nice work 💪🏻
@coyz8015
2 жыл бұрын
Well done! What was your question to the GCN people?
@bountyhuntermk2520
2 жыл бұрын
Bore off - who honestly cares?
@Kieran0
Жыл бұрын
@@bountyhuntermk2520why wouldn't you care?
@yutehube4468
Жыл бұрын
How long and how many miles did it take to go from 200W to 300W?
Should've tried the 'Wahoo Suckr Air''... It artificially sucks oxygen out of your room to replicate altitude climbs! Or try the 'Wahoo Blastr Bastrd' which generates random wind conditions in your garage! However both can be adequately replaced by eating a curry the night before then riding your bike.
@AgravepasmonK
3 жыл бұрын
lmfao
@rawdonwaller
3 жыл бұрын
Ahahahaaa. Too funny.
@dpgrenfree
3 жыл бұрын
Genuine loud laugh to that comment :)
@the-lonely-ous1767
3 жыл бұрын
:D
@joshd2861
2 жыл бұрын
This literally might be the funniest comment I've ever seen on youtube.
I am primarily a mountain biker. I very recently got on zwift as a good way to stay fit during the unrideable periods over the winter. I was very surprised how not fit I was riding a road bike on zwift. I was not used to the higher cadences at all. My legs were strong for short bursts but not for spinning over 80 rpm. So now I am riding mostly on zwift over the winter even on days I could ride outside. I'm getting a better workout and not freezing to death. I am currently at level 8 and my FTP is a lowly 147. I saw race event today Road to the Sky Alpe du zwift KOM. Opportunity! I entered the D class. Stayed within myself and did the climb in 1:54 and came in 225 out of 299. Never thought I was going to die, kept my heart rate around 165 and just kept going. No stops. It is so long! I averaged 127 watts. It is definitely a test of mental toughness, especially for the D class riders. A lot of riders quit.
@chrismccaffrey8109
Жыл бұрын
Howdy! I hope you’ve still been enjoying it in the couple years since this comment! I’m same boat, primarily a skier who mountain bikes in summer, training on Zwift for some other projects. Wild how little the fitness seems to translate sometimes but psyched cause there’s such a huge amount of potential gains with a measurable and straight forward way to get there
@bigslacker666
Жыл бұрын
@@chrismccaffrey8109 Also a skier/snowboarder and summer MTBer. Kinda hard to ride bikes in winter in Tahoe where I live and why would you with so many resorts to ski anyway. :D But this season I committed to using Zwift to get me in shape so that I'm ready to go in spring when the lower trails melt without that long ramp up period to get back to bike fitness. So far so good, though there are days where leg soreness from Zwift is felt on the slopes!
@oldtwinsna8347
Жыл бұрын
You just need to build up your aerobic base. Keep at it.
@chrismccaffrey8109
Жыл бұрын
@@oldtwinsna8347 howdy! Nice reminder to check in after a couple months. Increased my FTP nearly 40 watts, max 5 second power up a few hundred watts as well. Lost 10 lbs which helps the W/Kg too. Psyched to see what I can get up to in summer with a couple more months to train!
@yutehube4468
Жыл бұрын
At any level, not quitting is a massive thing. I have an eBike and nearly quit up Werneth Low (John Street) the other day... a voice inside your head tells you... you can't quit, you can't get off and walk and you don't. Then you keep repeating it and get fitter. Don't ever quit!
"You should complete it in 45 mins - an hour and a half depending on your fitness." Me: Laughs in 2.5 hours plus.
@HuSanNiang
3 жыл бұрын
I have it still on my list, at the moment nothing more than 600km .. not sure I could do it under 2,5 hours at all. Will wait for a rainy weekend.
@teejfalconaf
3 жыл бұрын
I hear ya, Madiantin! (I was gonna say 'bro' - glad I clicked first. :D ) Just did my first climb of this in about 2:10. :\ I'm of a similar vintage and clearly not in danger of entering TdF anytime soo...well..ever. :D
@madiantin
3 жыл бұрын
@@teejfalconaf 2:10!! I salute you! Fantastic!
@teejfalconaf
3 жыл бұрын
@@madiantin Take another stab when you feel up to it. Now you know what to expect and can maybe pace yourself better. I took 15 minutes off on a 2nd attempt by not charging in so aggressively and maintaining a more controlled HR through the climb. When I did have to take breaks it was due to dead legs instead of blowing up heart/breathing.
@madiantin
3 жыл бұрын
@@teejfalconaf @@teejfalconaf I did it for the TOW in just under two hours...but it nearly killed me and I didn't enjoy it at all. =D High fives to you on taking off 15 mins!
rode alp d'huez in january 2019 with me on a hire bike from the shop in the valley and my dad 60 years old on his brompton I will never forget that day
@markalfresco
3 жыл бұрын
Hi, am thinking of riding my Brompton up a few mountains, can you tell if he changed gears or chain ring? Thanks
@stephenmacdonald6751
3 жыл бұрын
Hi Mark, he kept the gearing the same as standard, hope this helps
@markalfresco
3 жыл бұрын
Wow, he must be strong, so I better start hill training, thanks
@Ah_Lee_Sun
3 жыл бұрын
I’m amazed he rode a B up The Alpe. Fantastic achievement (I have a B too with the max gearing and wouldn’t ever think of it)..
Really enjoyed this video, thanks Chris. Using Alpe d' Zwift to help me prepare for a Bavaria trip later this year.
Great video Chris - really enjoyed this and gave a good perspective on virtual riding on Zwift vs riding in the real world. I guess the next step would be to setup an oxygen tent over your Zwift bike and as you gain virtual altitude the oxygen is reduced in the tent!
This was a really informative video, thanks! I've only been Zwifting for a few months and have wondered about the transferability of the platform/the riding. I figured that the #s weren't really going to lie (ie, watts and HR), but to see this specific comparison done was fun to watch. Keep up the great work!
Love this video! answers a question that gets asked a lot in a very real way.
Thank you for doing this comparison. As I live in the US, I was wondering if my training on wahoo kickr was really going to help my ride up the Mortirolo and Gavia in May. Keep up the good work!
That was a proper effort there Chris, nailed the comparision and that was beautifully done.. The video did remind me of the previous Alp d'huez video by Matt and Tom in epic climbs ( one of my all time favourite really)...again kudos to people behind the camera, beautiiiiful work....cheers to awesome video!!!
Brilliant idea for a video, and you executed it so well. Well edited; practical and fun to watch. I can’t believe you can speak with a HR of 191.
Really good video. Chris is an excellent presenter and great addition to the GCN team
Interesting comparison without doubt. I had been thinking about this recently, so comments and feed back were excellent! Good video!!!
Cheers Chris, very interesting comparison, I've ridden Alp du Zwift twice now and I feel pretty good about it... thanks to you and the GCN crew....
Super helpful! Thanks GCN, as always. :)
Great video Chris. And nice effort, you really gave it your all.
I trained for Mt. Ventoux climbing Alpe de Zwift. I felt perfectly fit when the real life Mt. Ventoux effort came.
@djlemma
3 жыл бұрын
And now you can ride a virtual Mt. Ventoux in Zwift as well!
Outstanding video report. Thank you!
a Group of us are doing 5 days in the Alps in June and Alpe d'Huez is obviously on the list. This has been a fantastic little learning curve and informative. thank you!
This video is super! Very well done, I never did Alp du Zwift, but you took away from me any doubt if going for Zwift/indoor trainer or not
Brilliant. Both very entertaining and insightful.
Excellent really enjoyed that and informative !!
Loved this video, thank you so much for making it. Very surprised your experience in Zwift is so similar to the real thing.
Outdoor Chris v. Indoor Chris, that's a duel worth watching. Thanks, Chris, and with a big enough imagination, inside is actually outside, and that's a beautiful thing.
tremendous video, nice job chris. i climb alpe du zwift once a week and always wondered how it would transfer to the real thing. can't wait to ride in real life!
Great video and definitely a route worth ticking off. Rode Alpe d'Huez last year and loved it, with a time of 1hr 5mins, then rode Alpe D'Huez on Rouvy this winter and achieved similar time. Looking forward to trying out zwifts offering when I get above level 12, plus have a new smart trainer (tacx Neo) so looking forward to the comparison.
Great effort on both rides bud. Beauty doing the real deal in the snow, that's epic.
Excellent video, I’m riding the Haute Route Alps this year and there is time trial up Alp d’Huez! I do not use zwift but have a kickr linked to Rouvy, time to check out the climb!
That's so amazing how real swift can get. Amazing technology! Good effort on the comparison's. Cheers!
Thx!!!! Excellent comparison
Another excellent video Chris. I love Alpe du Zwift, but haven't tackled the real thing yet so it's great to see the comparison. I've done plenty of Alpine and Pyrenees climbs so I do feel Alpe du Zwift is good preparation.
Thoroughly enjoyed this vid comparison. Makes me feel good about the Watopian Alpe, which is one of my regular climbs. Thanks to GCN, and to smart training technology and Zwift. All the benefits of outdoor cycling, and none of the risks.
Alp de Zwift was great training for the Sa Calobra climb on a Mallorca weekend trip 👍
I love videos like this because it's great to see all the physical effort the presenters put in to bringing us weekly content. It's genuinely inspiring.
This is really good. One of the best GCN productions.
@gcn
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks Joe
Interesting video, was curious about the differences. Thanks
Awesome video with some strong riding! What an effort...
Fantastic video 🤙👌
You look so happy and fulfilled on the real mountain, and utterly miserable on the indoor trainer. I love snow (ski tragic) so I would be thrilled to be riding on those alpine conditions as well.
Thanks Man nicely covered
Great JOB, Chris Knocked it out of the park!!!
Thanks, very informative
Fair play Chris!! Serious effort on both, but certainly on Alp D'Zwift! Sheesh... that looked tough! 😥
Great work Chris, I have experienced the real Alp d'Huez in 2017 and did not do the level of training that you have demonstrated here that can be done in your own home. I am assuming the Wahoo Climb equally brought some realism. Stats were surprisingly close.
New Wahoo product idea after you get the Climb? Wahoo altitude simulator mask with Bluetooth controlled variable suffocation levels based on actual Zwift altitude.
@ironrace2004
5 жыл бұрын
Sadistic
@kevinawood
5 жыл бұрын
Bluetooth controlled variable suffocation levels? Brilliant idea!! LOL!
@adamsellick8116
4 жыл бұрын
Good idea... Untill it malfunctions and you fall off the bike😂
@sebh670
4 жыл бұрын
@@adamsellick8116 Thats fine if it auto-pauses ...
really nice video :) thanks
BEAST, Chris! I started cycling end of April 23, did my first attempt at the ADZ a couple days ago n got 68mins. Sub 60 should be achievable now I know what to expect. 68mins of pain might I add but addictive pain. We go again 😂👍
Great video and quite surprising how comparable the numbers were. Thank you
Great video. I have ridden both but first rode the real Alpe in 1993 and then again in 2007. But the Zwift effort, look and feel was really similar to what I remember. Unfortunately I'm not 72kgs like I used to be and I suspect I've dropped a few watts too since those days so I'm a little way off Chris' time. But happy enough with a sub 50 mins. Chapeux to Zwift for the climb but I recommend going out to the real thing if you can.
In 2019 I did train for Alpe d’HuZes (climbing the Alpe d’Huez 6 times in a row for charity, raising money for treating cancer) on Zwift. Since I live in the flat Netherlands this was the best way to train frequently for long training sessions of climbing. I did use the Wahoo Climb for this. The virtual bike is way lighter than nu real bike, but it still got me familiar with the posture of climbing and in great fitness. Without it I could not have prepared so well, and because of the preparation I enjoyed all 6 times of climbing the mountain. Ofcourse all the music and shouting people all Across the climb helped with that as well ;)
I rode Alpe d Huez twice last time 5 years ago and when it came to Zwift immediately went up for comparison. Found it very similar but slower indoors. Probably fitter when actually there and definitely younger then.
I'm about to try the Zwift version.. this is a great insight.. nice one Chris
@gamma_dablam
5 жыл бұрын
You must be nearby
Well done CO just brilliant.
This was a excellent comparison! I can see that if I do the Alp du Zwift it will easily prepare me for the Alp dHuez. Particularly since I live at 7,300 feet in elevation and the summit of Alp d'Huez is only 6,100 feet. However, I seriously doubt I will be anywhere close in time to your effort.
Some wattage that. Absolutely nailed it and I’d struggle to hold 220 for the whole climb.
Excellent video. Looks like I need a few more hours on Zwift so I can level up enough.
Thanks Chris, good video.
Superb video Chris, love to see you chaps suffering in the name of cycling :-)
Fantastic video
Great effort! I want to go to France now and ride the real one too.
@merl510
3 жыл бұрын
Come when you Want ! You ll love it !
Great Vid. God help us heavy low FTP riders. I'm having a go of Alpe d'Huez on Rouvy next week and hope to manage about 200w :)
Ohh yea and managed to hold steady conversation throughout!! - first thing to go is my lungs that's why I love the coffee stops with my mates - my only chance to actually chat when we're out!
great video!
I strive for the day I can average 300W+ for that amount of time. So insane!
@enwezornzegwu2494
5 жыл бұрын
Crazy figures. Totally agree!
@Dennis4523
5 жыл бұрын
It’s not hard , you just need dedication and a training plan
@THAxBLiNt
5 жыл бұрын
@@Dennis4523 What training plan do you recommend?
@numberonealcove
5 жыл бұрын
@@tvi82 You think the number of men who have threshold power greater than 300 watts is roughly equivalent to the number of humans who can run a sub 10 second 100 meter? You are way, WAY off the mark. Look at Zwiftpower. You'll see that 95% of a rider's best 20 minute time (threshold power by definition) equaling 300 watts is only good enough to put that athlete in the 85th percentile of all riders. Meaning that roughly 14% of the people on Zwiftpower can average greater than 300 watts up Alpe du Zwift. Yes, it is very trainable. At least it is for most men of average or greater size. If you are a woman or a man under 65 kg or so, it gets very difficult, as raw power is directly proportional to body weight.
@davethedogdude
5 жыл бұрын
LOL, when your 59kg it's hard.
Thanks for caring this. I am definitely getting a Zwift after years of avoiding trainers due to their lack of realism.
I'd love to have a go at the real climb. Just got my "Masochist" achievement from Alpe du Zwift (an achievement I didn't even know existed). Glad to hear that the heat creates at least comparable decrease in output to altitude, as someone who lives in a completely flat country I don't have the chance to experience altitude at all.
@laurentHK
5 жыл бұрын
Alpe is definitely a must on a cyclist bucket list, as the surrounding climbs (Galibier, Madeleine..) and Ventoux. If interested to bring your "Masochist achievement" to another level, we will be happy to help. do check out our site www.belovelo.com kind cycling regards. Laurent
Super god test Chris. I can concur that it is super tough!!!
Great racing!
Curious about how Kinomap’s version would compare. Good job!
That's some dedication from Chris- suffering the ride up Alpe D'Huez without even enjoying the descent. Thanks for the comparison between the two-- I'm going to hit AdZ for the first time this week.
@laurentHK
5 жыл бұрын
If you love downhill, I'll advise you to try out Col du Galibier (34 km non stop )...unfortunately the pass might not open before mid may
I've always wondered about that. Cool video. I've never done swift but would consider doing it just for the sake of riding real world places that I haven't actually been to so I know the route before I actually go there.
Amazing ride! I will buy one smart trainer, thanks!
Its great that you mentioned putting the realism level up to 100%. That is a must imo to replicate the lower cadence efforts needed and resultant impact on the muscles. Also agree indoors is roughly 10% quicker than outdoors. Great comparative review! 👍👍😊😊
I've made same exercice on Ventoux: 1h40 on my bike vs 1h42 on my BKool trainer. Quite real ... except the win on the top that usually slow you.
Awesome Chris.
Would have been great if you did an overall graph overlay (outside over inside) for HR, Distance, Time and Watts. Would be interesting to see...
@rasmus9311
5 жыл бұрын
Yeah thought that would be the whole point of the video, slight disapointment
@alexmorgan2818
4 жыл бұрын
Yeah it seems that he did the climb on zwift about 12mins faster than in real life at approximately the same power output. Shows how much easier it is on zwift!
@arjanpetersen
3 жыл бұрын
@@alexmorgan2818 that is irrelevant. It is just relative.
@litenantjv
Жыл бұрын
@@alexmorgan2818 alpe du zwift is lil bit shorter than real life
Phenomenal Stats, I really didn't think it was possible to do those Watts and maintain that HR - well done, very inspirational!
@camallan1
3 жыл бұрын
Opie is a total monster
@jonathanspring7051
3 жыл бұрын
@@camallan1 yep for sure!
I did 1:03 during my SST medium workout. I hope it bodes well for when I do it in August in real life. I’d like to get an hour. I hear that takes 3.7w/kg in god weather in real life, but I wasn’t doing that much though. Here is to parting for good weather that day!
This is great news, thanks for doing this. While not as iconic, I hope to ride the Road to the Sun over the North American continental divide some time in the near future. I live in the Midwest, where it's hard to get 1000' (300m) of elevation change in a days riding. So training on Zwift using the Alpe du Zwift seems a reasonable substitute. The climb from Lake McDonald to Logan Pass is about 11 miles (17.6km) and 3300' (1000m) of elevation change. For a 50+ year old 100kg flatlander, that's going to be a challenge. Good to know that this is a reasonable approximation for climb training.
Thanks again for this video. For those of us training indoors in hopes of someday spending some real time in the mountains, knowing that the effort is similar is super useful. Perhaps you could do a Ventoux challenge like this one. Likely the results would be similar but the character of the climb on Zwift is very different than the Alpe. In particular, the lack of switchbacks on Ventoux/Ven-Top makes that climb feel much longer and more difficult to pace. I think it is much more of a head game than the Alpe. Is the real climb like that also?
sometimes I watch these kinds of GCN videos just to be amazed at how strong the GCN riders are. They do things I can never achieve, which is fun to see! 200 HR, I'd literally go into cardiac arrest lol
@legomanmerlin
Жыл бұрын
Have you seen the cycling tattooist when he rides chain gang his goes above 200, as he says like some sort of hummingbird heart - I can’t break 170 now 😂
Just did my first run up alpe du zwift today I couldn't believe the effort to the first corner but got settled in and managed 85mins... Need a lot more training to bring that under an hour but it was an achievement.
Omg the commemorative picture of Si's Ras win in the background!
One year ago, I didn't care at all about this content.. just a year and a month later, things are totally different and I can really appreciate this content after my first two months ever of indoor riding...
Rode Alpe du Zwift for the first time today... I've never ridden up a mountain before and I've not ridden since I got hit by a car in December last year.... it was tougher than I thought it would be and I did a woefully slow time, but I set myself a benchmark to beat in a few weeks after some training.
Brilliant vid. Ultimately, are you now contending for the GCN Gurning title?
I imagine the increased cadence can also be due to the stability you have indoors. On that incline you are moving slower, requiring a slightly greater effort to stabilize.
@ACCPhil
5 жыл бұрын
It eases off after the first 4km and even a fat git like me can spin nicely. The first section is steep though.
Those of us who live in Houston and places with a similar climate know that heat is poor man's altitude. I wish there was a way for Training Peaks to account for it in a training stress score (TSS).
This is so fascinating. Can't wait to get Zwift.
lol HR 191 and still having a conversation.
@cliffcox7643
5 жыл бұрын
I can do that, but im usually saying, help, when,,,,,,,, will ,,,,,,, we .... stop.
@garth3743
4 жыл бұрын
Right? Not sure how some people can handle that.
This was great 1. world experience vs computer simulation and 2. The video stayed on topic with the Title of the video...my biggest gripe with you guys.
Buena comparación , se agradecen los subtítulos en español !!
47 minutes! Wow. Impressive.
Great video! Really interesting! ....i hope that chair gets a wipe down between sweaty presenters flaking on it 🤣 especially Lloydys beer sweat!
@currieg1
3 жыл бұрын
Your flop into the chair after indoor session reminded me of my collapse onto the couch
Amazing time(s)! In my opinion the only comparison between the two is the heat you tend to suffer from, as my trips to that region have all been during or around July's GF Marmotte.. ;D
@gamma_dablam
5 жыл бұрын
Oh damn that’s a brutal event
Cool Zwift commercial! Also, glad to know I beat a GCN presenter up Alpe D'Zwift but nearly 2 minutes at that, albeit a sprinter but I am still happy with that. Now for the real challenge, beating Vegan Cyclist's time.
Nice one guys
you know you can still get the kickr climb to go up/down normally at lower trainer settings; eg; with you trainer at 50% settings - you can set the kickr climb wheelbase to double (x2) what it is, and it will adjust like it was at 100%.
that was excellent