I conquered Alpe du Zwift

Alpe du Zwift, wow, that nearly broke me. Three days after completing this iconic climb, I’m sitting here thinking I FU@k@ED up. My behind is sore from the 2 hrs plus in the saddle, and my thighs are still burning.

As mentioned here, I have gotten the Zwift bug and have spent a lot of time on the bike when I can’t go to the gym because I have my kids. Even when they aren’t staying with me, I find it incredibly easy to jump on the bike and get my exercise minutes in for the day.

I am finishing my back-to-fitness plan and want to spend some extra miles on the bike. Being part of the Zwift beginners Facebook group, I saw a lot of posts recently about people climbing Alpe du Zwift.
So with a few hours to spare on my day off, I decided to try it.

What is Alpe du Zwift? Being reasonably new to the zwift world, I did a little research, and it turns out it is an Alpine climb based on Alpe d’Huez. You can read more about it here from fellow blogger Kevin on the Cycling ascents blog.

Having never attempted it or any other significant climbs, I had no idea what to expect or even if I could make it up the climb. However, if you don’t try, you don’t know.

Alpe du Zwift, here I come.

I started my attempt vias the quickest way to access the climb in Watopia using the road to sky route. The route leads you in with a gentle 5.7km cycle to get you warmed up to attempt the Alpe du Zwift climb,

What happened next was different from what I expected. The climb is 21 segments with varying gradients. Overall the climb is rated as a 9% climb. I quickly learned that was an average and not the maximum. I did the whole ride on the top 3 or 4 cogs, trying to save the top cog for the gruelling 14% sections so I didn’t bog down to a low 40-50 cadence.

After an hour peddling at an average of 200w, I made it halfway up the climb. The rest of the ascent is where you get to the snow-covered peak. My behind was beginning to hurt, and I could feel the fatigue kicking in on my legs. However, I was not letting Alpe du Zwift beat me. I battled for another hour, pushing through the burn and the pain until I could finally see the top. I pashed that last checkpoint, thinking it was the end of the cycle. Yet another .5km left nearly broke me.

After another 4 mins of cycling, I crossed the finish line, and the achievement flashed on the screen. I had done it, and the feeling of accomplishment kicked in. It was a slow time, 116 mins to complete the climb. I’m pleased I attempted it and urge anyone considering it to go for it.

Once I complete my next training block in zwift, I will attempt it again and improve my time.